Paid Cable Television ChannelsBackground Charles Dolan was a cable TV pioneer who received a license to build a cable television system in lower Manhattan. Due to New York City restrictions, cables needed to run underground, vastly increasing the cost of the infrastructure. New Yorkers lacked enthusiasm. By 1971, Dolan only had 400 subscribers. To increase sales, Dolan eventually … Continue reading "Paid Cable Television Channels"
Web Search EngineNoteworthy early search engines include Archie, from 1990, that searched filenames, and Gopher, from 1991, that organized files. Early Search Engines In March 1994, Stanford students David Filo and Jerry Yang created “Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web.” Their website contained lists arranged by category of the burgeoning World Wide Web. Sites … Continue reading "Web Search Engine"
Core MemoryCore memory enhanced the productivity of early computer operators. Not only does core memory store information but also does not need power to maintain memory. Wang & Woo created computer memory that would sit on tiny magnetic rings, strung together into cores. These were smaller than vacuum tubes and used less power. Furthermore, they did … Continue reading "Core Memory"
Blockchain Explained? Hype or Hope?Blockchain is like the gluten diet a few years back; everybody’s into it but nobody’s quite sure why and few people really need it though to those who do it’s important. I’ll analyze it through the only metric that really matters, value. But before doing that, we need to understand what the it actually is. … Continue reading "Blockchain Explained? Hype or Hope?"
Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)Relational databases simplify the storage and retrieval of related information. For example, rather than storing the state a person lives in a relational database might store a number to a single list of all states. Significantly, this reduces overall storage needs and makes indexing and searching significantly easier and subsequently faster. Edgar Codd, working at … Continue reading "Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)"
ChemotherapyChemotherapy refers to a group of drugs that fight cancer. Surgery and radiation were the two common anti-cancer therapies before the discovery of effective chemotherapy. Immunotherapy was also studied but showed little promise. Background In the 1800s, scientists thought drugs might be able to fight cancer. However, none of them worked well. In the 1910s, … Continue reading "Chemotherapy"
High-Yield Rice (IR8)Asia was on the edge of an epic famine large enough to cause widespread death and civil unrest. Both the Ford and Rockefeller Foundation responded by founding and funding a thinktank to create higher-yield rice, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Straightaway, they sent a team of mainly American scientists to research if anything could … Continue reading "High-Yield Rice (IR8)"
Laser PrinterLaser printing is the only Xerox research project to generate significant revenue and profit for the company. However, it predates PARC. Subsequently, most Xerox laser printing revenue came from licensing the technology to other firms. Despite their success in the enterprise market and strong brand Xerox never built a widely used Xerox-brand laser printer. Background … Continue reading "Laser Printer"
MicrocomputerThe first microcomputer, the Altair 8800, was like a French bulldog. That is, it was ugly, expensive, and not all that bright, but people loved it. The Altair didn’t even have a display, just LED’s that lit up. Most significantly, it served as the inspiration for a small number of future computer entrepreneurs. The cover … Continue reading "Microcomputer"
PasteurizationFrench scientist Louis Pasteur disproved the theory of spontaneous generation, the idea that certain organisms are ever-present in nature. For example, early scientists believed fleas came from dust and maggots from dead meat absent anything else. Pasteur theorized and later proved that all organisms come from something else, that nothing exists in a vacuum. He … Continue reading "Pasteurization"
Linotype MachineThe Linotype machine vastly reduced the cost and time needed to prepare printing plates, making newspapers and books faster and less expensive to print. Described as “the next Gutenberg,” Germany immigrant Ottmar Mergenthaler made typesetting vastly simpler. Whereas before his innovation typesetters would have to look for individual letters, arranging them together, his innovation did … Continue reading "Linotype Machine"
Just-In-Time ManufacturingJust in time manufacturing delivers the parts required to complete a product shortly before they are needed. Accordingly, this vastly reduces inventory cost while typically increasing quality by aligning the manufacturing needs of part suppliers and the final manufacturer. Background Toyota engineer Taiichi Ohno needed a better way to manufacture. Specifically, efficiency was low and … Continue reading "Just-In-Time Manufacturing"
RocketsIn 1914, Goddard patented the first rocket and, in 1926, Goddard fired the first liquid-fueled rocket. Goddard predicted rockets would one day enable space flight, a prediction widely ridiculed as science fiction. Eventually, in 1929, Oberth fired his modern liquid-fueled rocket. Oberth eventually taught Wernher von Braun, who perfect modern rocketry. In time, both Oberth … Continue reading "Rockets"
Electricity Factory & Distribution NetworkAfter inventing the long-lasting light bulb, Edison needed an electrical grid to deploy his innovation. Remember that, at this time, all electrically powered devices ran off batteries. Background The Edison Electric Illuminating Company, founded after the light bulb company, funded both an electrical generation station, grid, and all supporting equipment. Edison innovated better dynamos, circuits, … Continue reading "Electricity Factory & Distribution Network"
Contact LensesLeonardo DaVinci proposed the first contact lens idea in his Codex of the Eye, published in 1508. His invention involved putting a fishbowl over one’s head filled with water to refract light. This is arguably not his finest work though, in hindsight, he was onto something. René Descartes picked up DaVinci’s work in 1636, proposing … Continue reading "Contact Lenses"