History of wireless (2006)
Filed under book | Tags: · electromagnetism, history of technology, technology, wireless networks
Important new insights into how various components and systems evolved
Premised on the idea that one cannot know a science without knowing its history, History of Wireless offers a lively new treatment that introduces previously unacknowledged pioneers and developments, setting a new standard for understanding the evolution of this important technology.
Starting with the background-magnetism, electricity, light, and Maxwell’s Electromagnetic Theory-this book offers new insights into the initial theory and experimental exploration of wireless. In addition to the well-known contributions of Maxwell, Hertz, and Marconi, it examines work done by Heaviside, Tesla, and passionate amateurs such as the Kentucky melon farmer Nathan Stubblefield and the unsung hero Antonio Meucci. Looking at the story from mathematical, physics, technical, and other perspectives, the clearly written text describes the development of wireless within a vivid scientific milieu.
History of Wireless also goes into other key areas, including:
* The work of J. C. Bose and J. A. Fleming
* German, Japanese, and Soviet contributions to physics and applications of electromagnetic oscillations and waves
* Wireless telegraphic and telephonic development and attempts to achieve transatlantic wireless communications
* Wireless telegraphy in South Africa in the early twentieth century
* Antenna development in Japan: past and present
* Soviet quasi-optics at near-mm and sub-mm wavelengths
* The evolution of electromagnetic waveguides
* The history of phased array antennas
Augmenting the typical, Marconi-centered approach, History of Wireless fills in the conventionally accepted story with attention to more specific, less-known discoveries and individuals, and challenges traditional assumptions about the origins and growth of wireless. This allows for a more comprehensive understanding of how various components and systems evolved. Written in a clear tone with a broad scientific audience in mind, this exciting and thorough treatment is sure to become a classic in the field.
By Tapan K. Sarkar, Robert Mailloux, Arthur A. Oliner, Magdalena Salazar-Palma, Dipak L. Sengupta
Published by John Wiley and Sons, 2006
ISBN 0471718149, 9780471718147
655 pages
Key terms:
waveguide, wireless telegraphy, electromagnetic waves, Maxwell’s equations, Poldhu, microwave, Oliver Heaviside, Fessenden, James Clerk Maxwell, wavelength, Gaussian beam, microstrip, triode, Marconi Company, dielectric, physicist, Heinrich Hertz, Brant Rock, Phased Array, Maxwellians
John Markoff: What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry (2005)
Filed under book | Tags: · 1960s, computing, counterculture, history of computing, history of technology, technology
“An unparalleled history of how technology and the counterculture came together in the 1960s, created the cult of the personal computer, and shaped today’s Silicon Valley.
Most histories of the personal computer industry focus on technology or business. John Markoff’s landmark book is about the culture and consciousness behind the first PCs—the culture being counter– and the consciousness expanded, sometimes chemically. It’s a brilliant evocation of Stanford, California, in the 1960s and ’70s, where a group of visionaries set out to turn computers into a means for freeing minds and information. In these pages one encounters Ken Kesey and the phone hacker Cap’n Crunch, est and LSD, The Whole Earth Catalog and the Homebrew Computer Lab. What the Dormouse Said is a poignant, funny, and inspiring book by one of the smartest technology writers around.”
Publisher Viking Adult
ISBN 0670033820, 9780670033829
336 pages
PDF (updated on 2012-7-25)
Comment (1)Leslie Berlin: The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley (2005)
Filed under book | Tags: · history of computing, history of technology, technology
The fascinating life and times of Robert Noyce, the driving force behind the high-tech revolution
Hailed as the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford of Silicon Valley, Robert Noyce was a brilliant inventor, a leading entrepreneur, and a daring risk taker who piloted his own jets and skied mountains accessible only by helicopter. Now, in The Man Behind the Microchip, Leslie Berlin captures not only this colorful individual but also the vibrant interplay of technology, business, money, politics, and culture that defines Silicon Valley.
Here is the life of a giant of the high-tech industry, the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel who co-invented the integrated circuit, the electronic heart of every modern computer, automobile, cellular telephone, advanced weapon, and video game. With access to never-before-seen documents, Berlin paints a fascinating portrait of Noyce: he was an ambitious and intensely competitive multimillionaire who exuded a “just folks” sort of charm, a Midwestern preacher’s son who rejected organized religion but would counsel his employees to “go off and do something wonderful,” a man who never looked back and sometimes paid a price for it. In addition, this vivid narrative sheds light on Noyce’s friends and associates, including some of the best-known managers, venture capitalists, and creative minds in Silicon Valley. Berlin draws upon interviews with dozens of key players in modern American business–including Andy Grove, Steve Jobs, Gordon Moore, and Warren Buffett; their recollections of Noyce give readers a privileged, first-hand look inside the dynamic world of high-tech entrepreneurship.
A modern American success story, The Man Behind the Microchip illuminates the triumphs and setbacks of one of the most important inventors and entrepreneurs of our time.
Published by Oxford University Press, 2005
ISBN 0195163435, 9780195163438
402 pages
PDF (updated on 2012-7-25)
Comment (1)