The definitive history of america s greatest incubator of innovat. 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. 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. 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. The book illuminates five critical yet underappreciated innovation success factors.
Bell labs and the great age of american innovation book online at best prices in india on. A frequent lecturer on technology and science history, gertner lives with his family in new jersey. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation, penguin press, 2012. Inside the egghead circus at bell labs slate magazine. 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.
This book goes into great detail about the structure and. Over a fertile run in the middle of the 20th century, the labs were responsible for a staggering array of new technology. Jon gertner author of the ice at the end of the world. 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. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation, by jon gertner, penguin books, ny, 2012. Mar 31, 2012 you can happily join this egghead circus in the idea factory. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation by jon gertner online at alibris. 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. Not everything bell labs did was a resounding success, though. Edison who sometimes referred to his lab as the invention factory. 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. Why bell labs was a hotbed of innovation that led to many. This article, the first of a threepart series, is adapted from his new book, the idea factory.
In the idea factory, jon gertner paints bell labs astutely. Mar 21, 2012 this article, the first of a threepart series, is adapted from his new book, the idea factory. 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. Bell labs had other great successes that it failed to capitalize on fully. Bell labs also carried out consulting work for the bell telephone company, u. It could be described as both a discovery and an invention. One would let people make phone calls the same way they. 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. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation, was a new york times bestseller. In its heyday, bell labs boasted nearly 15,000 employees, 1200 of whom held phds and. 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 pioneered some of the most important inventions of the 20th century, what was it like to be part of that. Last fall, in an essay titled innovation starvation, scifi novelist neal. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation from the worlds largest community of readers.
Pdf in the opening sentence of the idea factory, jon gertner states, this is a book about the origins of modern communication as seen. 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. How bell labs created the future in the idea factory. It did pioneering work in the invention of the laser, a superfocused beam of visible light based on the stimulated. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation by jon gertner book for free hello fellow readers. These include the vacuum tube, the transitor, the communications satellite, information theory, fiber optic cables. 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. Bell labs is a research and scientific development company that belongs to alcatellucent. With headquarters located in murray hill, new jersey, the company operates several laboratories in the united states and around the world.
Jon gertner talked about the history of bell labs and the inventions it produced. Bell telephone was established from alexander graham bells invention of the telephone in 1876. An incredible book i have read is the man behind the microchip robert noyce and the invention. Bell labs is on this in a major way, to reduce energy use by a factor of one thousand. 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. 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. 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. You can happily join this egghead circus in the idea factory. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation jon gertner the penguin press. Apr 08, 2012 like bell labs, the transistor stood at the intersection of theoretical science and applied engineering. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation, published this week by penguin press. Even more, though, this book is about innovationabout how it happens, why it happens, and who makes it happen. 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. 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 inside story of how bell labs invented the world we live. 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. 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. 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. 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. Our name traces its roots to the great inventor thomas a.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the idea factory. The idea factory is a well written presentation of what happened in bell laboratories in its early and middle lifetime. As it turns out, this company has almost singlehandedly invented modern communication technology. The books talks in length about inventions like the telephone, transistor. These are the best books for future business leaders, inventors looking to understand the marketplace and their industry better. Michael noll stirling, nj july 2016 vi 1 two recent books about bell labs are.
The inside story of how bell labs invented the world we. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation by gertner, jon isbn. I also coedited a book about bell telephone laboratories with the ieee history center. 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. Mother of invention issues in science and technology. One of the rare books i started to read and could not wait to finish. 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. 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, by jon gertner the new york times. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation. Bell labs and the great age of american innovation ebook written by jon gertner.
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. 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. The first president of research at bell labs was frank b. 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. 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. We encourage you to read this book and learn more about communication. Gertner brings to life the powerful alchemy of the forces at work behind bell labs inventions, teasing. 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 gertner, jon on. I ask him what he thinks the longterm effect of access to so much information is going to be. Jon gertner tells the story of bell labs and its farreaching advances in technology.
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. That imperative drove the scientists, engineers, and administrators profiled in jon gertners the idea factory. Mar 21, 2012 that imperative drove the scientists, engineers, and administrators profiled in jon gertners the idea factory. 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. This is one of the greatest books ive ever read about innovation. Even more, though, this book is about innovationabout how it. The book is a collection of autobiographies of people who were at the murray hill, nj facility in the 1960s. 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. The idea factory pdf summary jon gertner 12min blog.
The books talks in length about inventions like the telephone, transistor, optic fibre etc and how they came into being. Its long, sometimes it goes deep into technical explanations but jon. If an idea begat a discovery, and if a discovery begat an invention. You can read the second article in the series here and the third here. Mar 23, 2012 this article, the second of a threepart series, is adapted from his new book, the idea factory. In the idea factory, jon gertner traces the origins of some of the twentieth centurys most important inventions and delivers a. The book could equally well be subtitled the invention of the modern world.
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