Tag Archives: tech-history

From Creepy DARPA Concept to Useful Widget – A Long But Typical Engineering Journey

Posted on October 20, 2025 by jlredford

The standard engineering story goes like this – someone thinks of a good idea, they found a startup to develop it, it gets backed by venture capitalists, it becomes a hit, everyone gets rich, and the field moves forward. Boy … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

“Sapiens” and the Fifth Order of Being

Posted on February 28, 2025 by jlredford

Yuval Harari’s “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” (2011) is a Big Think book, attempting to cover a vast range of subjects in a way that non-specialist readers can follow. In this case it’s the development of our species over … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Should the “2001” Aliens Have Given Us?

Posted on November 18, 2024 by jlredford

I recently saw “2001: A Space Odyssey” for the umpteenth time, and I have to agree with this old line: There are those who say that “2001” is the greatest SF movie ever made, and there are others who are … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Execs Erasing Techs

Posted on October 21, 2024 by jlredford

The executives of companies often take credit for the innovations that their lead technicals actually created, and erase them from company history. This is hardly surprising! It seems common enough that I’ve come across it in a number of previous … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Serious Tech Tourism – the Niagara Parks Power Station

Posted on August 31, 2024 by jlredford

My wife and I recently went to the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario. This has been presenting plays by George Barnard Shaw and other 20th century playwrights every summer for the last 60 years. It’s held in a perfect little … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Obscure Creators of the World #2: Robert Dennard

Posted on November 19, 2023 by jlredford

Many people have heard of Moore’s Law, that the number of transistors that can be put on a chip doubles every two years. Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel, noticed this in 1965, and it’s held true pretty much ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Invention of Lawn Inflatables

Posted on October 30, 2023 by jlredford

So it’s getting dark, it’s getting cold, and it’s getting wet. It’s a dreary time of year, so it’s just the right time to put something cheerfully garish out on your lawn: These are ideal lawn decorations! They’re big and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Where is Nobel-Winning Science Done?

Posted on October 15, 2023 by jlredford

The 2023 Nobels were recently announced, marking 123 years of the most prestigious science prizes in the world. This is now a big enough dataset to do some statistics on. So let’s ask – what are the countries, institutions, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Oppenheimer” and the Limits of Scientific Influence

Posted on August 19, 2023 by jlredford

One of the favorite tropes of SF is the mad scientist. He (always he) represents the disruptive power of modern science to old beliefs, and of modern technology to old ways of life. He becomes crazed with this power, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Lethal Tides” – Researcher Heroines of WW II

Posted on March 8, 2023 by jlredford

“Lethal Tides – Mary Sears and the Marine Scientists Who Helped Win World War II” by Catherine Musemeche is a thorough biography of the sort of person that is easy to overlook. Sears was an unassuming marine biologist who wound … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment