Ben Gross Profile picture
Mar 22 8 tweets 12 min read
Earlier today, @STS_News asked about researchers studying the history of #standardization.

That reminded me that I haven't had a chance to share some of the highlights from @LindaHall_org's latest exhibition: The #Standards That Built America!

Time for a 🧵! (1/8) #histSTM #STS
Curated by reference assistant David Crawford, this exhibition showcases a few of the 100,000+ industrial #standards in LHL's stacks.

Many of these standards were once part of the Engineering Societies Library & are hard to find anywhere else! (2/8)

libguides.lindahall.org/standards_spec…
LHL's #standards are often overlooked compared to our #RareBooks & #Journals, but they tell an important #engineering story. Groups like @ansidotorg, @IEEESA & @isostandards have helped promote interoperability, safety & accessibility in a variety of technological contexts. (3/8)
For example, some of the #standards featured in this exhibition facilitated the construction of skyscrapers and bridges.

[L: @ASTMIntl Standards (1916);
R: @aashtospeaks, Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges & Incidental Structures (1931)]

(4/8)
Others established safety guidelines for highways and construction sites!

[L: @aashtospeaks, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets & Highways (1935);
R: @ASMEdotorg, Safety Code for Cranes, Derricks, & Hoists (1943)]

(5/8)
The exhibit includes #standards that were central to the growth of the American #auto industry from the earliest spark plugs to the modern #ElectricCar.

[L: @SAEIntl, SAE Handbook (1913-16);
R: SAE, Guidelines for #ElectricVehicle Safety (2005)]

(6/8)
And it would be impossible to imagine today's interconnected world w/o #software & #networking #standards!

[L: @DeptofDefense, #COBOL: Initial Specifications for a Common Business Oriented Language (1960);
R: @ansidotorg, @IEEEorg Standards for Local Area #Networks (1985)] (7/8)
These are just a few of the #standards that built America, and you can see them all in person during your next visit to @LindaHall_org!

(Can't make a trip to #KCMO? Check out the exhibit online: lindahall.org/about/news/his…)

(8/8)

#histSTM #STS #engineering #histtech #histsci

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More from @bhgross144

Nov 10, 2019
So I'm still processing my thoughts about The #CurrentWar.

My immediate reaction upon leaving the theater: This film is custom-made for a crossover between @SocHistTech and History at the Movies (#HATM).

(@HerbertHistory-If this comes to pass, let me know!)

#histSTM (1/17)
A few additional thoughts: The movie makes it very clear that the #CurrentWar was between Edison & Westinghouse.

Yes, Tesla is there too (more on him in a moment), but the system-builders (cf. Hughes) are front and center.

(2/17)
I was also pleasantly surprised to see Mary Stillwell Edison and Marguerite Erskine Walker Westinghouse featured prominently in the film. The latter is actually referred to as George's wife & business partner.

(3/17)
Read 17 tweets
Apr 30, 2019
Next Stern points out flaws w/@IAU_org definition of "planet." He notes that the IAU is made up primarily of stellar astronomers, and their definition does not reflect expertise of planetary scientists. (Again: key themes-disciplinary divisions, challenges of forming consensus)
Stern also notes that another rationale for the IAU definition of planet was limiting the number of planets for convenience. Suggests that this is a foolish rationale by pointing out what the IAU's periodic table might look like...
.@AlanStern backs a geophysical definition of "planet" that focuses only on an object's intrinsic attributes rather than their surroundings. Additionally, unlike the IAU definition, it applies to all planetary systems, not just our own solar system.
Read 24 tweets

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