Camila is a research-based visual artist, writer, and experimental filmmaker living in New York.

Camila Galaz is a Chilean-Australian artist, writer, and filmmaker born in Adelaide and based in New York. Working through multimodal research-based projects which interweave historical and semi fictional personal stories with layers of academic and literary references, her practice looks to understand the process of building identity and knowledge through mediated sources and cultural texts.

Camila

Ana is a UK based web developer, produces online tech courses, and runs 

Ana Meisel is a Polish-German web developer born in the Czech Republic and based in London, UK. She specialises in building websites for artists, designers, writers and publishers as part of 

, an online exhibition space for new net art, and produces online courses for the University of London. 

A podcast exploring alternative computing histories and their relationship to society.
Hosted by 

Excited to announce we are working as part of a research group called Superkilogirls with 

Forthcoming Collaboration...

- Full BBC Computer Literacy Project archive: 


- Arthur, Charles. “How the BBC Micro started a computing revolution.” 

, Jan 10, 2012.
- Blyth, Tilly. “Computing for the Masses? Constructing a British Culture of Computing in the Home”. AICT-387, Springer, pp.231-242, 2012, IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
- Blyth, Tilly. “The Legacy of the BBC Micro effecting change in the UK’s cultures of computing.” Nesta, May 2012. 

https://media.nesta.org.uk/documents/the_legacy_of_bbc_micro.pdf


- “David Bowie predicted in 1999 the impact of the Internet in BBC interview.” Youtube, uploaded by 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaHcOs7mhfU


- Raspberry Pi Forums, The BBC Computer Literacy Project 2012, 

https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=3102


- “The BBC Computer Literacy Project | The BBC at 100.” Youtube, uploaded by 

Camila is super excited about a children’s toy computer and then the girls chat about the BBC Computer Literacy Project from the 70s/80s. They discuss the TV programing which brought the need for it to the eyes of parliamentarians, how it built on previous literacy projects which combined TV shows with adult education curriculums, the creation of the BBC Micro computer and BBC Basic, and the state of computers in the mind of the public at the time. Are we in need of a new Computer Literacy Project for the modern age??

Edu-Computers

BBC Literacy Project


- Ames, Morgan G., “The Charisma Machine: The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop per Child”, 2019, The MIT Press
- “The Charisma Machine: The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop per Child, By Dr. Morgan G. Ames”, UNC African Studies Center, 2022, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCeaQUPaze4


- Robertson, Adi, "OLPC's $100 laptop was going to change the world — then it all went wrong", 2018, 

https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17233946/olpcs-100-laptop-education-where-is-it-now


- “Nicholas Negroponte Interview - One Laptop per Child (OLPC)”, 2007, OLPCFoundation, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o97UD78s6iM


- Cortés, Mariana Ludmila, “OLPC Announces Partnership with Zamora Teran Foundation”, 

http://blog.laptop.org/2015/09/03/olpc-announces-partnership-with-zamora-teran-foundation/#.ZAjnmezP3n4

Ana introduces the One Laptop Per Child scheme which auspiciously deployed millions of laptops to children in the Global South between 2005 - 2014. The girls discuss the impacts of the campaign, whether the charismatic idea of “fixing the world” via access to digital literacy actually translated to reality, the issues with constructivism, while analysing Morgan G. Ames’ study in Paraguay from her book “The Charisma Machine: The Life, Death, and Legacy of One Laptop per Child”. They kick things of with chatting about Camila’s online residency and Ana’s street demonstration.

One Laptop Per Child


- Jones, Gemma. “BYTE CLUB - First computer museum for Gosford.” T

, Jul 30, 2003
- Laing, Gordon. “Microbee.” 

, October 2005.
- Laing, Gordon. “Secret of Project Granny Smith.” 

, July 12, 2005.
- “MicroBee - A conversation with Owen Hill.” Youtube, uploaded by 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYNRcn9gg5A


- “Microbee - The Australian Educational Computer of the 80s.” Youtube, uploaded by 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mp52Gb3aDs


- Tatnall, Arthur and Leonard, Ralph. “Purpose-Built Educational Computers in the 1980s: The Australian Experience.” IFIP WG 9.7 International Conference on History of Computing (HC) / Held as Part of World Computer Congress (WCC), Sep 2010, Brisbane, Australia. pp.101-111
- Tatnall, Arthur. “The Australian Educational Computer That Never Was.” 

, Volume 35, Number 1, January–March 2013, pp. 35-47
- Tatnall, Arthur. “The Beginnings of Government Support for Computers in Schools – The State Computer Education Centre of Victoria in the 1980s.” 12th IFIP International Conference on Human Choice and Computers (HCC), Sep 2016, Salford, United Kingdom. pp.291-302

After the girls discuss recent tech-art exhibitions they've seen in New York and London, Camila introduces Ana to some stories about the history of computer eduction in Australian schools. This months episode is a two-for-one! Firstly, we learn about a government plan to develop an especially Australian computer for use in schools with options for networking and for portable 'laptop-style' use. Then we hear about the rise and fall of the 'Microbee' computer—Australia's first home-grown personal computer. This computer, which was designed and manufactured in Australia, controlled a large portion of the primary school computer market not just in Australia but also Scandinavia and Russia, winning contracts over Apple!

Australia's Microbee Computer

 Skawennati, Mikhel Proulx, Dragan Espenschied, “Rhizome Presents: CyberPowWow and Panel Discussion”, December 10 2022, Rhizome, New Museum, New York
- Christopher Kulendran Thomas, “Another World”, ICA, London, October 2022 - January 2023
- Christopher Kulendran Thomas, “New Eelam: Bristol”, in collaboration with Annika Kuhlmann. Installation view at Spike Island, Bristol, 2019
- “Christopher Kulendran Thomas Talk (audio) at the 2017 Verbier Art Summit“, Verbier Art Summit, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIrHCy_2MXc

, Published Jan 26 2021
- “Australia puts Tamil Tigers on terrorist list”, Irish Times, 

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/australia-puts-tamil-tigers-on-terrorist-list-1.408157

, Published Dec 21 2001
- “3/ Serendipity”, @BaytAlFann, 

https://twitter.com/BaytAlFann/status/1604405373011886081

, Published Dec 18 2022
- “Spatial conceptions of URLs: Tamil Eelam networks on the World Wide Web”, Jillana Enteen, 

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444806061944

, New Media & Society Journal, 2006
- TamilNet (

)
- “Tamilnet blocked in Sri Lanka”, 

https://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2007/06/070620_tamilnet

, BBCSinhala, 2007
- Bruno Latour, “We Have Never Been Modern”, 1993, Harvard University Press
- Banadict Anderson, “Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism”, 1991, London, Verso

Virtual Tamil Eelam doesn’t connect itself to a physical label. Instead, it petitions to be recognised as a nation-state by publishing its heritage and cultural histories, diverse news, forums, distinct map designs and symbols, and suggestions for communal activities on websites that date back to the 90s. Ana describes how the Tamils have found creative uses of the web’s varying information dispersal techniques, and the girls chat about how that addresses their national sentiments as autonomous, legitimate and independent.

Out-Law Adventures

TamilNet


- “Adam Coleco Vision Family Computer System (Boxed)” Nightfall Crew June 22 2015. 

https://www.nightfallcrew.com/22/06/2015/adam-coleco-vision-family-computer-system-boxed/

https://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n3/65_Coleco.php


- Atwood, Jeff. “The Cult of Coleco Adam.” 

https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-cult-of-coleco-adam/


- Bishop, Liz. “Cabbage Patch Dolls, ColecoVision: The rise & fall of a toy company with local ties” CBS 6 Rewind, September 28 2022. 

https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/cabbage-patch-dolls-colecovision-the-rise-fall-of-a-toy-company-with-local-connections-cbs6-rewind-jobs-unemployment-electronics-video-games-amsterdam


- “Coleco ADAM Adventures.” Youtube, uploaded by Vintage Geek, November 12 2022. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msI9HrQ1izY


- “Coleco ADAM, the Computer That Could Have Been - First Look.” Youtube, uploaded by Newsmakers Tech December 3 2019. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQHUSjsRvMs


- King, Andrew. “Joystick: The Untold Story of Ottawa’s Coke-Fueled 1980’s Video Game Industry” 

https://ottawarewind.com/2018/12/02/joystick-the-untold-story-of-ottawas-coke-fueled-1980s-video-game-industry


- Noble, David. “The home computer is dead, we said in 1985. Oops.” 

, March 21 1985, reposted January 18 2022. 

https://www.afr.com/technology/how-the-afr-called-the-death-of-the-home-computer-in-1985-we-were-wrong-20220117-p59oyn


- Potts, Mark. “Coleco Pulls Plug On Adam.” 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1985/01/03/coleco-pulls-plug-on-adam/e6ecdba7-a479-4b5d-a67e-e92e12341ece/


- Sanger, David E. “Coleco Gives up on the Adam.” 

https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/03/business/coleco-gives-up-on-the-adam.html


- Schrage, Michael. “Computer Industry Slump is Broad, Deep.” 

Camila and Ana discover the infamous story of the 1983 failed Coleco Adam home computer and uncover the 1985 home computer crash, Ana learns the difference between Cabbage Patch Kids and Sour Patch Kids, and we all lose a $500 college scholarship voucher.

The Coleco Adam

https://web.archive.org/web/20071114005733/https://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,899963,00.html

- Mac84, “The Rise and Fall of the Macintosh Clones - Part 1: The Original Apple Hackintosh”, 2021 - 

- Adam Rosen, The Cult of Mac, ”Meet Unitron Mac 512: World’s First Macintosh Clone”, 2014 - 

https://www.cultofmac.com/266710/meet-unitron-mac-512-worlds-first-macintosh-clone/

- BrasilWire, “The 1980s Trade War between Brasil… and Apple”, 2015, 

https://www.brasilwire.com/the-1980s-trade-war-between-brasil-and-apple/

- Mark Fisher, “Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures”, 2014

- Jecel Mattos de Assumpcao Jr, “Mac 512” - 

http://archive.retro.co.za/mirrors/apple/www.lsi.usp.br/~jecel/mac512.html

Ana and Camila discuss the world’s first macintosh clone, the Mac 512 by Unitron, and how Apple threatened to start a trade war on Brasil due to their clone. Although Unitron was not doing anything wrong with the Brazilian law, Apple tried to get themselves out of financial worries and seized control of how their new hardware and software package (the first Mac) was being sold around the world. This led them to force Brasil to stop producing their Macs, and tighten up restrictions on licensing. The girls dig deeper into how such political rivalry was triggered by the problems of the US’s economic movement of financialization and the tech industry’s laissez-faire attitude of the 80s.

Unitron and the Brazilian Macintosh clone

 “BBC: Domesday Project - 1985 1986.” Youtube, uploaded by Daniel Garcia August 14, 2013. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn0oFJU5pxM


— “The BBC Domesday Project - Panel Discussion.” Youtube, uploaded by The Centre for Computing History March 23, 2020. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZA8LRgv1iw


— “Digital Domesday book unlocked” BBC News, December 2, 2002. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2534391.stm


— “Domesday Project” The Centre for Computing History. 

http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/domesday/


— Evans, Claire L. ‘Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet’. Penguin Putnam Inc, 2018.
— Mackenzie, Iain. “Domesday Project reborn online after 25 years” BBC News, May 12 2011. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-13367398


— “Newsround - BBC Domesday Project Feature - November 1986.” Youtube, uploaded by The Centre for Computing History July 30, 2020. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMh1FqvleH8

Back after a summer break, Camila and Ana delve into a project they discovered at the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge when Camila was visiting Ana in London. Called the BBC Domesday Project, this was a mid-80s attempt at an interactive survey of the entire country with data collected largely by school children. With the data contained on two Laserdisks and only accessible via specialised hardware, the system quickly suffered from a serious case of Digital Obsolescence. While a 2000s project called Domesday Revisited worked to save the data and create an emulation of the software, the book it was based on (the 1086 Domesday Book) has continued to be accessible as a printed book for 900 years.

The BBC Domesday Project

http://www.networkmuseum.net/2011/08/beltel.html

https://www.theregister.com/2019/04/26/on-call/


- CS Students “The Use of Computers to Support Oppression” Stanford University, 

http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.comp.html


- NARMIC/American Friends Service Committee, “Automating Apartheid - U.S. Computer exports to South Africa and the Arms Embargo” Omega Press, Philadelphia, 1982
- Slob, Gert. “Computerizing Apartheid: export of computer hardware to South Africa” Amsterdam, May 1990
- Lewis, David Robert. “The Electronic Struggle” Cape Town, 2016 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I15TVFl_G_k

https://pt.slideshare.net/ubuntupunk/the-electronic-struggle-63558367

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apartheid-lawsuit-idUKKBN0GS2P120140828

The girls discuss how South Africa’s videotex network Beltel fell into the hands of an oppressive government during apartheid. Although the police department grew stronger due to data storage accessibility via this videotex network, activists were also using technology for much better motives in opposition to the regime.

Pre-Internet Networks

Beltel / WorkNet

 Barr, Greg. “Nabu Network dream fades” 

, Ottawa, July 29 1986
- Duhcharme, Jim. “The NABU Network: The Internet before the Internet.” 

, December 4, 2005
- Lungu, Dov, and Stachniak, Zbigniew. “Following TRACE: The Computer Hobby Movement in Canada.” 

, vol.34 no. 1, 2011
- Sutcliffe, Mark. “NABU Network an idea well ahead of its time.” 

https://techpolicyinstitute.org/publications/miscellaneous/the-nabu-network-a-great-lesson-but-not-about-openness/

http://www.cse.yorku.ca/museum/collections/NABU/nabu.htm

https://todayinottawashistory.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/the-nabu-network/

https://www.ewh.ieee.org/reg/7/millennium/telidon/telidon_nabu.html

https://ottawarewind.com/2018/12/02/joystick-the-untold-story-of-ottawas-coke-fueled-1980s-video-game-industry/

https://doughenningproject.com/2021/08/12/nabu-computer-network-doug-article-advertisement/

Back from London, Camila tells Ana about Canada's NABU network which operated via cable television services. It also could be considered one of the first examples of a 'streaming' subscription model for entertainment! The girls discuss the progression of streaming services, video game development, and their love of computer history museums.

NABU

West Germany’s network videotex system, Bildschirmtext, was largely used for payment services by the Deutsche Bank, while its system was supported by hardware from the UK as West Germany continued to liberalise its society and economy. However its liberal use and basic encryption caused a few issues, irking Europe’s biggest hacking community Chaos Computer Club, sparking off it’s world-wide fame via the BTX-Hack. The girls talk about the anarchist attitudes in 80s divided Germany, the post-WW2 political and economic splitting that created this videotex system, and reminisce about the nostalgic aesthetics of Deutsche Telekom.

Bildschirmtext

They specifically discuss the work 'Reabracadabra' (1985) which you can watch online via Rhizome: 

https://anthology.rhizome.org/reabracadabra



'From Minitel to NFT’
Henrique Faria Gallery
Through Jun 18


https://rhizome.org/editorial/2016/nov/03/when-net-art-outlives-the-net-eduardo-kacs-poetry-for-videotexto/

https://rhizome.org/editorial/2016/dec/05/tropical-minitel/

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-making-of-rhizome-s-net-art-anthology-eduardo-kac-s-reabracadabra-rhizome/CwKSpxLUkktNKA?hl=en

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LSJVD0m1Mg

In this bonus episode Camila and Ana look at the Brazilian Videotex network Videotexto through the lens of the artwork of Eduardo Kac. Camila also recounts her visit to the opening of Eduardo's current exhibition in NYC 'From Minitel to NFT’ at Henrique Faria Gallery and the girls discuss: Eduardo Kac, hot or not? (spoiler alert: very hot).

Bonus!

Videotexto / 'Reabracadabra'

Camila’s film ‘Vecino Vecino’ is premiering 6pm Thursday May 5th at Prismatic Ground experimental documentary festival in New York. Tickets and info here: 

https://www.screenslate.com/events/prismatic-ground-2022


- Arai, Yoshio. “History of the development of telecommunications infrastructure in Japan.” 

 33 (2019)
- Baijal, Pradip. “From Nationalisation to Privatisation: UK and Japan.” 

 35, no. 13 (March 2000): 1101-1106
- “Evolutionary Network Development of Japan's Computer Networking.” 

Japan - Germany Information Technology Forum

, Oita Japan. Nov 8, 1994
- Gabriel, Michael R. “Videotex and Teletex: Waiting for the 21st Century?” 

 28, no. 3 (March 1988): 27-31
- Lehmann, Yves. “Videotex: A Japanese Lesson.” 

 28, iss. 7 (July 1994): 53-54
- Morris-Suzuki, Tessa. “Beyond Computopia: Information, Automation and Democracy in Japan.” Kagan Paul International Limited, London. 1988
- Ohlin, Tomas. “The Baby Networks: Nordic Positions Before the Internet.” 

 (Oct 2010): 278-286
- Pollack, Andrew. “Technology: The Japanese Challenge; Japan’s Drive to Automate.” 

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/10/business/technology-the-japanese-challenge-japan-s-drive-to-automate.html


- West, Joel, and Dedrick, Jason, and Kraemer, Kenneth L. “Reconciling Vision and Reality in Japan's NII Policy.” Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations, University of California, Irvine (1996)

Camila shares her research on the Japanese videotex system CAPTAIN. The girls discuss competing videotex protocols, how to informatize a country, biased reporting, and if a network can be successful in its aims even if the actual system failed.

CAPTAIN

Camila tells Ana about the late 80s Teletext soap opera ‘Park Avenue’ written by Robbie Burns, which has been archived by Park Avenue Archives (TW: @ParkAvenueArk; 

 ). They then read through some episodes and learn about the DRAMA happening on Park Avenue!

Park Avenue

 “Prestel: The British Internet That Never Was”, Tom Lean, History Today, 2016, - 

https://www.historytoday.com/history-matters/prestel-british-internet-never-was

Ana chats to Camila about Prestel, a nationwide information network developed by the UK Post Office. The videotex system was developed during the 1970s and for a brief time, the UK was at the forefront of intending to migrate its society online. However, the Conservative’s acts halted the development by privatising Telecommunication in 1979 and 1981 by Thatcher. The girls discuss policy loopholes, Prestel’s neglect in correlation to the UK’s political failures, as well as its significant impact in the global technical blossoming of online communication.

Prestel


- Chaplin, Tamara. “Lesbians Online: Queer Identity and Community Formation on the French Minitel.” 

 23, no. 3 (September 2014): 451-472.
- Chrisafis, Angelique. “France says farewell to the Minitel - the little box that connected a country.” 

, June 28, 2012
- Goldman, Alex [host]. “The French Connection.” 

, no. 10. January 17, 2015.
- Nagy, Jeff. “Pink Chat: Networked Sex Work before the Internet.” 

 62, no. 1 (January 2021): 57-81.
- Tempest, Rone. “Minitel: Miracle or Monster?” 

- “Rose Minitel.” Olivier Cheval. 2019. 26min.
- “Minitel Computer, Online Dating.” Youtube, uploaded June 1, 2014.
- "La carte de presse pour les employés du Minitel rose?", Archive INA, Youtube, uploaded May 23, 2014.

Camila and Ana delve deeper into the online world of Minitel this week with an exploration of the many sides of the “pink minitel” services provided on the network. Beginning with a discussion of Olivier Cheval’s 2019 short film “Rose Minitel” (and some Agnes Varda film chat), they then talk sexy chat rooms, digital labor, online dating, LGBTQ+ digital communities, and if love is actually real. Ooh la la!

“I’ve found a new job. I work from home. I hit on men on Minitel... One franc per minute. After half an hour, I get a bonus. I get one bonus after the other. And I think of you.” - Rose Minitel, Olivier Cheval.

Pink Minitel


- Amougou, Jules, and James S. Larson. “Comparing Implementation of Internet Diffusion in the United States and France: Policies, Beliefs, and Institutions.” 

 25, no. 6 (2008): 563-578.
- Arceneaux, Noah. Review of Minitel: Welcome to the Internet, by Julien Mailland and Kevin Driscoll. 

 44, no. 1 (Spring 2018).
- Benghozi, Pierre-Jean, and Christian Licoppe. “Technological National Learning: From Minitel to Internet.” In 

, edited by Bruce Kogut, 153-189. MIT Press, 2003.
- Cats-Baril, William L., and Tawfik Jelassi. “The French Videotex System Minitel: A Successful Implementation of a National Information Technology Infrastructure.” 

 18, no.1 (March 1994): 1-20.
- Chrisafis, Angelique. “France says farewell to the Minitel – the little box that connected a country.” 

, June 29, 2012.
- Kessler, Jack. “Electronic Networks: A View from Europe.” 

Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science

 (April/May 1994): 26-27.
- Mailland, Julien. “Minitel, the Open Network Before the Internet.” 

, June 16, 2017.
- Mailland, Julien, and Kevin Driscoll. “Minitel: The Online World France Built Before the Web.” 

, June 20, 2017. https://spectrum.ieee.org/minitel-the-online-world-france-built-before-the-web
- Schofield, Hugh. “Minitel: The rise and fall of the France-wide web.” 

After some hobby chat, Camila tells Ana about the French videotex network ‘Minitel’. Launched in the early 80s, it was the most successful version of an online service before the World Wide Web. While other similar networks struggled, this episode looks at how the specifics of Minitel allowed it to become integrated into everyday life and what happened when France began adopting the Internet.

Minitel

 “How Not to Network a Nation: The Uneasy History of the Soviet Internet”, Benjamin Peters, 2016
- “Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration”, Ed Catmull, 2014
- “The Californian Ideology”, Richard Barbrook and Andy Cameron, 1995

Ana and Camila chat about the development of a Soviet nationwide information network in the 60s that was meant to run a planned economy for the USSR. Built after Sputnik’s launch, it brought about Soviet cybernetics and promised a new era for Soviet sciences, mathematics economics and technology. Discussing the project’s termination due to inner-bureaucratic competition, this episode also looks at ARPANET’s simultaneous development; its surprisingly socialist structures of funding and collaborative mindsets that led to its success.

OGAS

 8 September 2003
- Eaton, George. 'Project Cybersyn: the afterlife of Chile’s socialist internet'. 

 August 2018
- Evgeny, Morozov. 'The Planning Machine'. 

 Vol. 90, Iss. 31 (October 2014)
- Fablab Santiago ed. ‘The Counterculture Room’. 

Pavilion of Chile at the London Design Biennale

 2016
- Loeber, Katherina. 'Big Data, Algorithmic Regulation, and the History of the Cybersyn Project in Chile, 1971-1973'. 

 7, no.4:65 (April 2018)
- Medina, Eden. 'Computer Memory, Collective Memory: Recovering History through Chilean Computing'. 

 October-December 2005
- Medina, Eden. 'Cybernetic Revolutionaries: Technology and Politics in Allende’s Chile'. MIT Press, 2011
- Medina, Eden. 'Designing Freedom, Regulating a Nation: Socialist Cybernetics in Allende’s Chile '. 

Camila and Ana explore Project Cybersyn – an early 70s socialist cybernetics project connecting factories in Allende's Chile. This is the first episode of our first season which will be focusing on pre-internet networks!