You can read the second article in the series here and the third here. Gertner brings to life the powerful alchemy of the forces at work behind bell labs inventions, teasing. This innovative laboratory, established in the 1920s, was the source of dozens, if not hundreds, of technological innovations, effectively ushering in our modern digital age. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation gertner, jon on. Apr 08, 2012 like bell labs, the transistor stood at the intersection of theoretical science and applied engineering. This book goes into great detail about the structure and. Even more, though, this book is about innovationabout how it. In its heyday, bell labs boasted nearly 15,000 employees, 1200 of whom held phds and. We encourage you to read this book and learn more about communication. The company published a massive survey near its peak in 1977 a second edition appeared in 1983, engineering and operations in the bell system. The idea factory explains how one company, bell labs, has managed to spearhead innovation in the communications industry for almost 100 years by dedicating themselves to science and research, thus producing a disproportionately big share of the technology that significantly shapes our lives today. Bell labs had other great successes that it failed to capitalize on fully.
The idea factory pdf summary jon gertner 12min blog. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation jon gertner a sweeping, atmospheric history of bell labs that highlights its unparalleled role as an incubator of innovation and birthplace of the centurys most influential technologies. Mar 22, 2012 the strained collaboration would pass into the techie lore of bell labs golden age, and its one of the incidents chronicled in the idea factory, jon gertners history of the labs. In the idea factory, jon gertner traces the origins of some of the twentieth centurys most important inventions and delivers a riveting and heretofore untold chapter of american. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation. In the idea factory, jon gertner paints bell labs astutely. The scale of bell labs impact is truly incredible and this book does a good job of explaining the history of the institution and what factors contributed to its remarkable output. In the spirit of inventing, and being an entrepreneur, we bring you book lists about famous inventors and books about select business topics.
Bell labs and the great age of american innovation ebook written by jon gertner. One of the rare books i started to read and could not wait to finish. Inside the egghead circus at bell labs slate magazine. Its long, sometimes it goes deep into technical explanations but jon. Edison who sometimes referred to his lab as the invention factory. Mar 21, 2012 this article, the first of a threepart series, is adapted from his new book, the idea factory. The idea factory, by jon gertner the new york times. I ask him what he thinks the longterm effect of access to so much information is going to be. Written with a novelists gift for pacing and an ability to convey the thrill of innovation, the idea factory yields a revelatory take on the business of invention. The idea factory is a well written presentation of what happened in bell laboratories in its early and middle lifetime. The author has captured the view from within the lab and has presented a history that is in many ways presented in a manner in which the lab people would have wanted it presented.
New jerseys other invention factory, daily record, march 11, 2012, p. Explore free books, like the victory garden, and more browse now. More than just the fascinating story of the amazing innovations and colorful innovators of bell labs, the idea factory gives incredible insight into the ways in which bell labs not only invented the future but invented new ways of invention. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation, published this week by penguin press. If an idea begat a discovery, and if a discovery begat an invention. Pdf in the opening sentence of the idea factory, jon gertner states, this is a book about the origins of modern communication as seen. Jul 28, 2015 bell labs pioneered some of the most important inventions of the 20th century, what was it like to be part of that. I also coedited a book about bell telephone laboratories with the ieee history center. In the idea factory, jon gertner traces the origins of some of the twentieth centurys most important inventions and delivers a.
Bell labs and the great age of american innovation is a 2012 book by jon gertner that describes the history of bell labs, the research and. Gertners portraits of kelly and the cadre of talented scientists who worked at bell labs are animated by a journalistic ability to make their discoveries and inventions utterly comprehensibleindeed, thrillingto the lay reader. Over a fertile run in the middle of the 20th century, the labs were responsible for a staggering array of new technology. Jon gertner tells the story of bell labs and its farreaching advances in technology. As it turns out, this company has almost singlehandedly invented modern communication technology.
Michael noll stirling, nj july 2016 vi 1 two recent books about bell labs are. Apr 05, 2018 the idea factory summary by jon gertner unveils the great age of progress triggered by the ingenuity of bell labs and its masterminds. Jon gertner talked about the history of bell labs and the inventions it produced. The books talks in length about inventions like the telephone, transistor. Even more, though, this book is about innovationabout how it happens, why it happens, and who makes it happen. Jon gertners the idea factory is a mild corrective to the commonly found anguished certainty that americas days of innovative scientific greatness are behind us. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation jon gertner the penguin press. Bell labs pioneered some of the most important inventions of the 20th century, what was it like to be part of that. A frequent lecturer on technology and science history, gertner lives with his family in new jersey. The book is a collection of autobiographies of people who were at the murray hill, nj facility in the 1960s. Bell labs is on this in a major way, to reduce energy use by a factor of one thousand. The definitive history of america s greatest incubator of innovat. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation book online at best prices in india on.
In the idea factory, jon gertner traces the origins of some of the twentieth centurys most important inventions and delivers a riveting and heretofore untold chapter of american history. The book illuminates five critical yet underappreciated innovation success factors. The inside story of how bell labs invented the world we live. Our name traces its roots to the great inventor thomas a. Why bell labs was a hotbed of innovation that led to many. Bell telephone was established from alexander graham bells invention of the telephone in 1876. Overall, the idea factory reads more like a narrative documenting the rise and fall of bell labs, which i assume was the authors intention, than a study of how the work at bell labs was a part. An incredible book i have read is the man behind the microchip robert noyce and the invention. You can happily join this egghead circus in the idea factory. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation by gertner, jon isbn. These include the vacuum tube, the transitor, the communications satellite, information theory, fiber optic cables. In his 2012 book the idea factory, jon gertner looks at the history of bell labs, the company behind the telephone ring, among other things.
Its headquarters are located in murray hill, new jersey, in addition to other laboratories around the rest of the united states and in other countries. Mother of invention issues in science and technology. The inside story of how bell labs invented the world we. Bell labs is a research and scientific development company that belongs to alcatellucent. At its heart this is a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant and eccentric menmervin kelly, bill shockley, claude shannon, john pierce, and bill bakerwho spent their careers at bell labs. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the idea factory. With headquarters located in murray hill, new jersey, the company operates several laboratories in the united states and around the world. Jon gertner author of the ice at the end of the world. Mar 23, 2012 this article, the second of a threepart series, is adapted from his new book, the idea factory.
Last fall, in an essay titled innovation starvation, scifi novelist neal. This article, the first of a threepart series, is adapted from his new book, the idea factory. In the idea factory, jon gertner profiles bell labs in its heyday and the scientists whose unhurried pursuit of pure research led it to innovations that define modern life. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation, was a new york times bestseller.
The idea factory is a fascinating look at the lives of some of the key men who shaped bell labs and created its greatest inventions. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation, penguin press, 2012. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation from the worlds largest community of readers. It did pioneering work in the invention of the laser, a superfocused beam of visible light based on the stimulated. Mar 20, 2012 in the idea factory, jon gertner profiles bell labs in its heyday and the scientists whose unhurried pursuit of pure research led it to innovations that define modern life. That imperative drove the scientists, engineers, and administrators profiled in jon gertners the idea factory. Not everything bell labs did was a resounding success, though. How bell labs created the future in the idea factory. In gertners portrait, we come to understand why both researchers and business leaders look to bell labs as a model and long to incorporate its magic into their own work. Bell labs also carried out consulting work for the bell telephone company, u. Mar 31, 2012 you can happily join this egghead circus in the idea factory.
Bell labs and the great age of american innovation penguin, jon gertner vividly tells the story of the transistor, as well as the dozens of other innovations that rolled out of bell labs. The idea factory tells the story of bell labs and the almost magical production of ground breaking discoveries it is responsible for generating in the 20th century. In its exploration of the might and works of bell labs, this book reminds us that genius requires the right cultural environment to flourish, and it addresses whether collective or individual genius is the mainspring of scientific advancement. From the transistor to the laser, from digital communications to cellular telephony, its hard to find an aspect of modern life that hasnt been touched by bell labs. The book covers bell labs seminal work on multiplexing, information theory, transistors, lasers, fiber optics, communications satellites, the cosmic microwave background, and mobile phone networks, among other things. The book gives an insight into one of the most innovative periods in human history when most of what we call the modern world was invented by the scientists and inventors at bell labs. These are the best books for future business leaders, inventors looking to understand the marketplace and their industry better. The first president of research at bell labs was frank b. It could be described as both a discovery and an invention. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation, by jon gertner, penguin books, ny, 2012. In the idea factory, new york times magazine writer jon gertner reveals how bell labs served as an incubator for scientific innovation from the 1920s through the 1980s. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation by jon gertner online at alibris. One would let people make phone calls the same way they. The book could equally well be subtitled the invention of the modern world.
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