This book is about how electronics, computing, and telecommunications have profoundly changed our lives - the way we work, live, and play. It covers a myriad of topics from the invention of the fundamental devices, and integrated circuits, through radio and television, to computers, mobile telephones and GPS. Today our lives are ruled by electronics as they control the home and computers dominate the workspace. We walk around with mobile phones and communicate by email. Electronics didn't exist until into the twentieth century.

The industrial revolution is the term usually applied to the coming of steam, railways and the factory system. In the twentieth century, it is electronics that has changed the way we gather our information, entertain ourselves, communicate and work. This book demonstrates that this is, in fact, another revolution.

Autorentext

John Williams took an electrical engineering degree at Imperial College, which led him into the design of electronic control and instrumentation equipment, and he became a Chartered Engineer. After working for a number of companies, including AVO/Megger and gaining seniority, he went into engineering management and later co-founded Ingenion Design Ltd to produce electronic instrumentation, exposing him to many different industries varying from washing machines to nuclear power stations.

Inhalt

1 Introduction.- 2 Missed opportunities: The beginnings of electronics.- 3 From Wireless to Radio.- 4 Seeing by electricity Development of Television.- 5 Seeing a hundred miles - Radar.- 6 The Box Television takes over.- 7 Spinning discs - Recorded music.- 8 The crystal triode The transistor.- 9 Pop Music - Youth culture in 1950s and 60s.- 10 From People to Machines The Rise of Computers.- 11 Chips into everything Integrated Circuits.- 12 From signboards to screens - Displays.- 13 Distributing time Clocks and watches.- 14 From Desktop to Pocket - Calculators.- 15 Shrinking computers - microprocessors.- 16 Instant cooking - Microwave ovens.- 17 Essentials or toys - Home computers.- 18 Computers take over the Workplace.- 19 From Clerks to Xerography - Copiers.- 20 Shrinking the World Communication satellites.- 21 Personal communicators - Mobile phones.- 22 Going online- The Internet.- 23 Glass to the rescue Fibre optics.- 24 Towards virtual money Cards, Atms and PoS.- 25 Saving TV programs - Video Recording.- 26 Electronics invades photography - Digital Cameras.- 27 Seeing inside the body electronics aids medicine.- 28 Knowing where you are - GPS.- 29 The Electronics Revolution.- Acknowledgements.- Notes.- Bibliography.- Index.