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A BBN Interface Message Processor (IMP) — the hardware that built the ARPANET, the network Lawrence Roberts directed.

May 19, 2020

Tribute to Larry Roberts - Under Appreciated Internet and Packet Switching Pioneer

By Alan Weissberger

Introduction: Only a small handful of people can truly be called the grandparents of the Internet, but only one of them was also a pioneer in X.25 public packet switching data networks.  That individual was Larry Roberts, PhD, who died of a heart attack on December 26, 2018 at his home in Redwood...

Nikola Tesla — pioneer of alternating-current power and wireless transmission.

January 6, 2018

Tribute to radio and wireless transmission inventor Nikola Tesla

By Alan Weissberger

Nikola Tesla, whose name Elon Musk chose for his electric car company, was on the cover of Time magazine in 1931 for his achievements.  Unfortunately, he died a poor man in 1943 after years devoted to projects that did not receive adequate financing.  Although the main Tesla lab building on Long...

Andrew Grove in his Intel office — the company's longtime CEO, who died in 2016.

March 22, 2016

Andy Grove, ex-Intel CEO & Silicon Valley icon, dies at 79

By Alan Weissberger

There are several excerpted articles and quotes from those that worked for or with Andy Grove at Intel: San Jose Mercury article by Steve Johnson (edited for clarity and conciseness by Alan J Weissberger): Andy Grove, the brilliant Hungarian-born former chief executive and chairman of chip-making...

Flash-memory cards — the technology pioneered by SanDisk's Eli Harari.

August 15, 2015

Excellent Flash Memory Summit (FMS) History session with Eli Harari

By Alan Weissberger

On Thursday, August 13, 2015, an FMS audience  enjoyed a marvelous "conversation" between FMS Technical Chair Brian Berg and SanDisk founder Eli Harari, PhD.  Eli's narrative was stimulated and augmented by very informative slides Brian created.   Thanks also to Ken Pyle for video recording this...

Silicon Valley, looking south toward downtown San Jose.

December 25, 2014

2014 Year End Review: IEEE Silicon Valley Tech History Committee

By Alan Weissberger

The IEEE SV Tech History committee fulfilled its mandate by holding four technical meetings in 2014.  It was a close call as three of those meetings occurred in the last three months of the year. Our committee’s charter is to have at least four technical meetings per year that will educate, inform...

Reels of optical-fibre telecommunications cable.

November 14, 2014

IEEE Milestone: The First Transpacific Cable System (TPC-1) in 1964

By Alan Weissberger

Introduction: IEEE Silicon Valley Technology History committee co-chair Tom Coughlin attended the dedication of an IEEE Milestone in Hawaii for the first Transpacific Cable System (TPC-1) in 1964. Plaque citation summarizing the achievement and its significance: The first transpacific undersea...

A DEC PDP-15 minicomputer — Digital Equipment Corporation, where Gordon Bell led engineering.

October 5, 2014

Gordon Bell: Information on the old The Computer Museum in Boston, MA

By Alan Weissberger

Note:  This blog post was authored by Gordon Bell and edited by Alan J Weissberger. The Computer Museum website is a place to view all the extensive material of The Computer Museum (which was relocated to Mt. View, CA in 116/97), whereby one can go immediately to an exhibit, event, etc. and 350+...

The Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California.

September 30, 2014

Computer History Museum: Celebrating 35 Years: Sept 26,2014

By Alan Weissberger

Introduction: The Computer History Museum (CHM) marked its 35th birthday on September 24, 2014. Visitors from around the world see an impressive set of exhibits, artifacts and come for the conversations, panel sessions and lectures.   One such panel took place on Sept 26th, with CHM co-founders...

An Intel 8008 microprocessor.

September 25, 2014

Ted Hoff: Significant Omissions from Malone's Intel Trinity Book

By Alan Weissberger

Written by Ted Hoff, PhD and edited by Alan J. Weissberger Please refer to earlier post on Errors and Corrections to Malone's book. General omission: Malone omits why I was hired at Intel as I was not a chip designer.  The reason was Bob Noyce's view that LSI circuits were moving in the direction...

An Intel 8080 microprocessor.

September 12, 2014

Ted Hoff: Errors & Corrections in Intel Trinity book by Michael Malone

By Alan Weissberger

Editor's NOTE:  This article was written by Ted Hoff, PhD EE and edited by Alan J. Weissberger, Chairman of the IEEE SV History Committee. From Ted Hoff: The errors listed below are in approximately the same order as they appear in Malone's book. To aid the reviewer, chapters are identified in...

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore — one of the 'Intel Trinity' chronicled by Michael Malone.

September 9, 2014

Author Michael Malone at the Commonwealth Club: The Story Behind Intel

By Alan Weissberger

On August 6, 2014, Michael Malone, Author of The Intel Trinity, spoke at the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley.  The program was held  in the upper galleries of the Tech Museum in San Jose, CA. Similar to his earlier speech at the Computer History Museum, Mr. Malone emphasized the evolution,...

A robot from a DARPA Robotics Challenge.

June 30, 2014

DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar in Conversation with John Markoff @CHM June 11, 2014

By Alan Weissberger

  Introduction: This CHM conversation (with NY Times moderator  John Markoff asking the questions) was more about the challenges faced by Ms Arati Prabhakar, PhD than it was about DARPA.  It would've been very appropriate for a Women in Engineering meeting.  However, there were several important...