
The Communications Miracle
The Telecommunication Pioneers from Morse to the Information Superhighway
John Bray(Author)
Perseus Books (Publisher)
Published on 1. January 1995
Book
Paperback/Softback
XIX, 379 pages
978-0-306-45042-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book describes the stage-by-stage creation, from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, of one of the greatest human artifactsthe world communication, broadcasting, and information technology systems which are essential to modern life and which will transform the ways in which people live and work in the future. The significance of each innovative step is shown in terms of its impactin scale and relevance on today's communication world. A final chapter looks to the future and considers the ability of information technology and information superhighways to improve rural, urban, and national economies. The author presents his account of the dramatic advances in telecommunications and broadcasting as essentially a human story. Bray takes a compelling look at the brilliant minds and personalities who helped launch the electronic revolution. He provides remarkable accounts of the early scientists and mathematicians such as Ampere, Faraday, Maxwell, Hertz, and Planckexploring their backgrounds and motivations. In giving us this perspective, John Bray has a unique advantage.
As a world-renowned scientist and pioneer in British telecommunication technology, he himself was a principal player in the subject of his narrative. It would be hard to find any person more qualified to undertake a task as monumental in scale and importance.
As a world-renowned scientist and pioneer in British telecommunication technology, he himself was a principal player in the subject of his narrative. It would be hard to find any person more qualified to undertake a task as monumental in scale and importance.
More details
Edition
Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1995
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
INGRAM PUBLISHER SERVICES US
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Research
Illustrations
118 s/w Abbildungen
XIX, 379 p. 118 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
502 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-306-45042-6 (9780306450426)
DOI
10.1007/978-1-4899-6038-2
Schweitzer Classification
Content
Introduction; Creators of the Mathematical and Scientific Foundations; The First Telegraph and Cable Engineers; The First Telephone Engineers; Inventors of the Thermionic Valve; The Telegraph-Telephone Frequency-Division Multiplex Transmission Engineers; Pioneers of Radio Communication; Pioneers of Sound Radio Broadcasting; Pioneers of Television Broadcasting; The Engineers of the Early Multichannel Telephony Coaxial Cable Systems: The First Transatlantic Telephone Cable; The First Microwave Radio-Relay Engineers; The Inventors of the Transistor and the Microchip: A Worldwide Revolution in Electronics; The Creators of Information Theory, Pulse-code Modulation, and Digital Techniques; The Pioneers of Electromechanical and Computer-Controlled Electronic Exchange Switching Systems; The First Satellite Communication Engineers; Pioneers of Long-Distance Waveguide Systems: An Unfulfilled Vision; Pioneers of Optical Fiber Communications Systems: The First Transatlantic System; Inventors of the Visual Telecommunication Systems; Information Technology and Services: Data Communication; The Mobile Radio Telecommunications; Telecommunications and the Future; And Part of which I Was: Recollections of a Research Engineer