ANNO 2012
Exhibition - "Antonio Pacinotti, one hundred years after his death (1912-2012). Following in the steps of the great scientist"
Brief description: The exhibition, held for the centenary of Pacinotti’s death, was an opportunity to learn about the great scientist-inventor through the story of his life and his work. Pacinotti’s research were particularly related to electricity, which by the end of the XIX century gained more and more space as a source of energy. The exhibition took place from 22.09.2012 to 26.10.2012, extended to 31.12.2012. (See)
Exhibition - “The CEP before the CEP: History of Computer Science, stories and technologies”
The exhibition was organized by the Department of Computer Science of The University of Pisa, with the contribution of the Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Pisa and the Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. The exhibition opened at the Museum of Computing Instruments from 13 november 2011 to 30 June 2012. The CEP before the CEP is the Smaller Machine (Macchina Ridotta in Italian, MR) the very first computer built in Italy, in Pisa, in 1957. The exhibition presents the results of an original research that has rediscovered the MR, until now forgotten by previous historicians. Moreover, the exhibition exploits history of computing as a way to intrigue young people to the study of scientific disciplines. The exhibition aims to overcome the traditional display of old computers as mere historical relics, instead it presents them as fascinating instruments. Simulators are used to show the MR running and to explain its technology. Workshops and guided tours were organized for schools. Workshops are based on the simulators of the MR developed by the by the project “Hacking the Smaller Machine”. Project costs were mostly supported by the Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa - URL: http://cep50.di.unipi.it/mostra.php
Teaching - “Hacking the Smaller Machine – Workshops”
From the end of November 2011, as part of the celebrations for the Fifteen anniversary of the CEP, workshops have been proposed to primary, secondary and higher schools. Workshops aims to illustrate the basics of information technology by using practical examples. The machines of the past, virtually rebuild as software simulators or reproduced as hardware replicas are fascinating means to appreciate and understand the hardware and software technologies. The (relative) simplicity of the old machines allows to explain everything that happens inside a computer. The concepts and the mechanisms are the same as modern computers, but their small scale makes it accessible in all the details: it is possible to really understand how and why computers work. URL: http://hmr.di.unipi.it/HMR_Laboratori.html
Teaching - “Internet Festival 2012 – From arithmometer to computer, personally”
On the occasion of the Internet Festival organized in Pisa by the Tuscany Region from 4 to 7 October, the exhibition, in the course of preparation, shows a selection of machines from the collection of the Museum of Computing Instruments of the University of Pisa. The exhibition proposes a journey that, idea after idea, show the history of personal computing from the first arithmometers to the today tablets. The tour touches pieces of national history like the Divisumma, the Macchina Ridotta, the Programma 101 (Perottina), and protagonists of collective passions, like the personal and home computers of the 80’s - Location: National Museum of San Matteo, Piazza San Matteo in Soarta, 1, Pisa - Date: 4-7 October 2012. URL http://www.internetfestival.it/
Teaching - Planet Galileo 2012
Activities still in preparation - Workshops and seminars about the history of Computer Science and about the first computers built in Pisa - Date: November 2012 - January 2013.
URL: http://www.pianetagalileo.it/joomla/index.php
Conference - Celebrations of the centenary of Pacinotti’s death
Description: The conference focused on the biography of the scientist and on the letters in possession of the last descendants of the Pacinotti family - which testify Pacinotti’s trip to Paris in 1865, the meeting with T.Z. Gramme that “usurped” Pacinotti’s discovery. Date-3/24/2012 Location: Building the Sapienza, Via Curtatone and Montanara, Pisa.
Conference - Sottsass and the design of the first Olivetti computers
The meeting, featuring invited speakers, is focused on the history of the first Olivetti computers addressing the relations between technological innovation and industrial design. The first Olivetti Research Laboratory about Electronic Calculators was set up in Pisa in 1955, in cooperation with the CEP project of the University. The ELEA series of Olivetti computers was the result of this pioneering experience. The first in the series, the ELEA 9003, “dressed” by Ettore Sottsass Jr., obtained in 1959 the Compasso d’Oro award for industrial design - Date 24.03.2012 - Location: Museum of Graphic Arts of the University of Pisa, Lungarno Galilei, Pisa.
URL: http://cep50.di.unipi.it/CEP50-20120324-Programma.pdf
Participation in National and International Conferences
When Hackers Revrite History: The Lost Machine of Pisa
The Museum participates in the most important European meeting of researchers and enthusiasts of old computers. The Museum participates with an exhibit of the rebuilt 6 bits adder and of the simulators of the Macchina Ridotta (Smaller Machine), the very first computer built in Italy.
Moreover, an invited talk addresses the methods used for the historical research and the reconstruction of the machine - Date 27/28.04.2012 - Location: 13th Vintage Computer Festival Europe, Munich.
URL: http://www.vcfe.org/D/Vortraege.html
Experimental Archaeology of Computer Science
Until now, the Olivetti Elea 9003 and the University of Pisa CEP were considered the first computers designed and built in Italy. However, the same project that in 1961 delivered the CEP, in 1957 built another machine, the MR, which was smaller with respect to memory and input/output devices, but fully functional and used for computing services. The MR has hitherto been overlooked (sometimes completely ignored) by historians, but today the reconstruction of its technology reveals a remarkable machine for its time, more interesting than her 1961 sister.
The research had also dissemination purposes: the results were used for an exhibition at the Museum of Computing Instruments of Pisa. The exhibition also offers teaching laboratories which use the simulators and the hardware replicas that were built as proofing tools of the MR technology rediscovery - Date May 25 to 26 2012 - Location: 2nd Congress “Scientific Research in Museums”, Calci (PI).
URL: http://www.msn.unipi.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Programma-Congresso-Museo-25_26-Maggio-2012.pdf
Rediscovering the First Italian Digital Computer
The paper offers a revised history of the CEP project by adding an original chapter, devoted to the Smaller Machine, the very first computer built in Italy. It also briefly presents the experimental archeology project that rediscovered the MR. In particular, we highlight the benefits that a rebuilding approach brings to the proper reconstruction and to the correct evaluation of historical events - Date: 06/09/2012 - Location: 3rd IEEE History of Electro-Technology Conference, Pavia.
URL: https://sites.google.com/a/unipv.it/histelcon2012/home/programme
Seminar - History of Computer Science: the Director’ cut
The history of computer science that introduces the exhibition “The CEP before the CEP”, due to space constraints, has suffered sad but necessary “cuts”. For the opening of the Science Week, this seminar by G. A. Cignoni and F. Gadducci presents to the public the extended and commented version - Date: 14/04/2012 - Location: Museum of Computing Instruments, Pisa. URL: http://cep50.di.unipi.it/HMR-20120414-CronoDC.pdf
Seminar - Automation, morphogenesis, evolution: from Turing to Gould
To celebrate the centennial of Alan Turing’s birth, this day long meeting offers two seminars by
Giuseppe Longo of the École Normale de Paris and Marcello Buiatti of the University of Florence. The seminars propose a glimpse on the paradigms of evolution according to the visions of Alan Turing and Stephen J . Gould. - Date: 27.04.2012 - Location: La Limonaia, Vicolo del Ruschi, Pisa
URL: http://www.lalimonaia.pisa.it/v2/weblog/pivot/entry.php?id=178
Seminar - Reduced Machine: a well thought design
The Smaller Machine of 1957 was the very first computer build in Italy, in Pisa. The recovery of the documentation of the MR has unveiled the long work of the researchers at the University of Pisa in the early stages of the CEP project. The seminar by G. A. Cignoni presents and discusses the differences between the MR actually built in ’57 and its first blueprints dating July ’56. The analysis demonstrates the genesis of the design choices, many of which are elegant and, in some cases, original - Date: 7.05. 2012 - Location: Department of Information Engineering, Pisa
URL: http://elearn.ing.unipi.it/calendar/
OTHER
Celebrating Pacinotti’s centenary.
On March 24 2012 started the celebrations for the centenary of Antonio Pacinotti’s death of with a tribute on the grave of the scientist, in the Monumental Cemetery of Pisa.
“Amico Museo”.
From May 5 to May 20 2012 guided tours of the exhibition "The CEP before CEP " in occasion of the initiative of the Tuscany Region “Amico Museo”
"Fair and Digital”.
On April 15 2012 guided tour of the exhibition "The CEP before CEP " in the occasion of the "Fair and Digital”, the national Assembly of the Association “Informatici senza frontiere”
Walking around Pisa 2012
On May 12 2012 , guided tours promoted by the Department for Productive Activities, Trade and Tourism of the Municipality of Pisa - Visit to the antd the the exhibition "The CEP before the CEP".
Initiatives of the Region of Tuscany "Museum Night"
On May 19, 2012 the Museum joined the "Museum Night" with an extraordinary opening of the exhibition "The CEP before CEP." The program comprehended seminars, and workshops. Unfortunately, the event wascanceled by the Ministero delle Attività Culturali following the tragic attack of Brindisi.ANNO 2011
"Floppy, a museum piece!"
In collaboration with the Department of Physics at the University of Pisa and the patronage of the Municipality of Pisa, Province of Pisa and the Tuscany Region, the Museum organized this exhibition that lasted from March 21 to April 22. On March of 2011, the floppy disk, so popular in the 80s and 90s, went into retirement. The success of the first CD, the advent of DVD, and later zip and pen drive then, marked, little by little, the decline of the floppy. Actually, floppy’s “decadence” began in 1998 when Apple decided to leave the supports for the benefit of the CD, and in 2007 98% of the computers was already free of supports able to read floppies. The aim of exhibition was to celebrate the floppy, but also to trace the evolution of the storage media of the computers, from the 8-inch disks (1967) to nowadays.
“The CEP before the CEP: History of Computer Science, stories and technologies” “The CEP before the CEP: History of Computer Science, stories and technologies”
The exhibition was organized by the Department of Computer Science of The University of Pisa, with the contribution of the Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Pisa and the Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. The exibition opened at the Museum of Computing Instruments from 13 november 2011 to 30 June 2012. The CEP before the CEP is the Smaller Machine (Macchina Ridotta in Italian, MR) the very first computer built in Italy, in Pisa, in 1957. The exhibition presents the results of an original research that has rediscovered the MR, until now forgotten by previous historicians. Moreover, the exhibition exploits history of computing as a way to intrigue young people to the study of scientific disciplines. The exhibition aims to overcome the traditional display of old computers as mere historical relics, instead it presents them as fascinating instruments. Simulators are used to show the MR running and to explain its technology. Workshops and guided tours were organized for schools. Workshops are based on the simulators of the MR developed by the by the project “Hacking the Smaller Machine”. Project costs were mostly supported by the Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa
URL: http://cep50.di.unipi.it/mostra.php
Conference " The CEP before the CEP: History of Computer Sceince, science and experiential learning "
Organized by the Department of Computer Science on 11 and 12 November 2011, at La Limopnaia in Pisa, conference connected to the themes of the exhibition said. The 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the CEP was an opportunity to reflect on the value of research and training as factors of development of the territory. The commemoration of World Records past approaches the presentation of the prospects for the future of computing in Pisa. Initiatives for the fiftieth anniversary of the CEP have been opened by a conference focused on three themes: the history of a company (the events of the CEP and, in particular, in the first period that saw the creation and use of the Smaller Machine), a legacy to grow (CEP experience relapse as an opportunity to Pisa and its territory in terms of research, teaching and offer local industry), cultural heritage (history of computing, storage, and reconstruction machines of the past and their use as teaching tools and informative). The conference ended with the inauguration of the exhibition: "The CEP CEP before: the history of computing. Show stories and technologies "held at the Museum of Computing Instruments.
Internet Festival 2011 - Hacking the Smaller Machine – Workshops
On the occasion of the Internet Festival organized in Pisa by the Tuscany Region, the Museum proposed organizes tours and educational workshops to primary, secondary and higher schools, about use and technology of the first electronic computers of the 50s. – URL: http://2011.internetfestival.it/
Seminar - Presentation to teachers in primary, secondary and higher schools of the workshops offered as part of the exhibition “The CEP before the CEP”
The workshops offered as part of the initiatives of CEP50 are presented in this seminar and offered to schools as educational experiment. The machines of the past can be used to explain the principles and mechanisms by which computers still work today by the incredible performance and almost magical. The challenge is to understand the charm and quirks of the machines of the past are able to inspire in children the curiosity and passion necessary to approach the study of science, unfortunately, often considered a chore to be avoided by all means. Access requirements of the participants: primary school teachers, middle and high school - Location: Palazzo Blu - Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Pisa, Lungarno Gambacorti, Pisa 12/02/2011.
Seminar-Between method and curiosity
Lecture to Master of Science in Computer Science, University of Pisa. The lesson has addressed two issues: the method for dealing with the reconstruction (and then the story) of a story and the curiosity that stimulates research and should be aroused in the students. The method used is that of HMR, just because it was animated by an incurable curiosity, did not stop at the surface but has dug into the details of technology and verified the hypothesis of reconstruction. Curiosity is also the one that HMR would arouse in the students through the delivery of laboratories using the charm of old computers and mechanisms to explain the basics of computer science. Access requirements of the participants: students enrolled in the course of Computer Science and Education, Master of Science in Computer Science, University of Pisa - 28.11.2011 - Location: Polo Fibonacci, University of Pisa, Via Buonarroti – URL: http://didawiki.cli.di.unipi.it/doku.php/magistraleinformatica/id/start
Museum Night
On May 14, the Museum joined the "Museum Night", a Region of Tuscany’s initiative. The Museum was opened from 20.30 to 23.00 getting a large number of visitors