DRBILL Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 I was made sad by the news of the death of Jack Kilby. Back in the '60's he came out to my job where I was installing the pipe organ at St. Margaret's, Richardson, Texas. He looked at everthing and asked a million questions. Some weeks later (after it was determined that I was no security risk) I was invited to a tour of the inner sanctums of TI led by two senior engineers. Usually, I think of myself as a "Hobbit". But looking back, I realize that I had so many opportunities to walk with giants. Modern solid state audio equipment would have been impossible without Kilby's IC's. So there is a down side to everything! DR BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 Kilby = Thomas Edison Why isn't this guy in all the Elementary School textbooks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted June 23, 2005 Author Share Posted June 23, 2005 ---------------- On 6/23/2005 3:08:47 PM Allan Songer wrote: Kilby = Thomas Edison Why isn't this guy in all the Elementary School textbooks? ---------------- Now that he is dead, I guess he might have a shot. Why isn't there a Thomas Edison Blvd? Fermi Street? Tesla Avenue? Einstein Circle? Klipsch Freeway? Instead, we have (sometimes obscure) sports figures. "Where your treasure is . . . .". DR BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 I think if you look around, you will find many streets named after people who profoundly affected this world. In San Jose, there is the Lawrence Expressway named after the guy who pretty much defined large scale science. In many towns there is a street named after Martin Luther King, Jr. (almost never in a good area). In Oakland, there was the Nimitz Freeway, named after the Admiral that was instrumental in winning WWII. And we certainly name facilities and cities after such folks. There are the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and, oh yes, Houston, Texas, named after Sam Houston who played a pivotal role in Texas history. And FWIW Kilby doesn't deserve all the blame for the effect of ICs on the world. Noyce figured out how to mass produce them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted June 23, 2005 Author Share Posted June 23, 2005 Malcolm, Your examples warm the heart although we must accept them as exceptions rather than rules. The REAL heros have a long way to go, even to catch up. Thanks for your thoughtful reply. DR BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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