In the tech world, the inventor, originator or driving force behind a new product or technology is typically dubbed "father of the _______". As in Tim Berners-Lee, father of the Web. As in Vint Cerf, father of the Internet. As in Bob Metcalfe, father of Ethernet. Here, in honor of fathers everywhere, are some industry "fathers" you may not have heard of.
Nikola Tesla!!! DUHhhh!!!!! He has contributed so much yet gets no recognition for inventions such as AC power or the light bulb. This guy was a genius. Add him in please!
by Anonymous (not verified) on 8/4/09 at 12:41 am |reply
Mother of technology: HEDY LAMARR
You can't talk about the father of 'wifi' without talking about Hedy Lamarr's contribution of Spread Sprectrum/ frequency hopping. She perfected the craft as a tool to beat enemies with radio guided torpedos that couldn't be detected, or blocked, by enemy (it was not used in WW2 but should have been- Kennedy surely did use it against Cuba). So not only was she a brain, but she was drop dead gorgeous, sexy, an actress doing nude and all that! What a complete package I'd recognize before looking at any dude, for sure! lol You guys need to do a whole story on her. My point is you can't have a Father to WIFI without recognizing her work for spread spectrum hopping. Nor can you have CDMA of your phone without her work.
by Eddie G. (not verified) on 8/4/09 at 2:53 pm |reply
Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Fessenden because none of the technology we use today would be here without his hard work.
He was the first to speak on radio. The first to understand the possibility of heterodyning. Which is the generation of new frequencies by mixing, or multiplying, two oscillating waveforms. You and I later called it AM and FM radio. Which later allowed for long distance teletype, television, cell phones, Wi-Fi, etc, which his patents describe.
Wikipedia - On 21 December 1906, Fessenden made an extensive demonstration of the new alternator-transmitter at Brant Rock, showing its utility for point-to-point wireless telephony, including interconnecting his stations to the wire telephone network.
Fessenden also received patents for tracer bullets, paging, television apparatus, turbo electric drive for ships and more.
He helped design the Niagra Falls power station for GE.
In 2007 the president officially thanked his family for his inventions and the 100 years of voices over the airwaves.
I am very proud to be a descendant of his.
by Peter Wettergreen (not verified) on 8/4/09 at 3:00 pm |reply
Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
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Nikola
Nikola Tesla!!! DUHhhh!!!!! He has contributed so much yet gets no recognition for inventions such as AC power or the light bulb. This guy was a genius. Add him in please!Mother of technology: HEDY LAMARR
You can't talk about the father of 'wifi' without talking about Hedy Lamarr's contribution of Spread Sprectrum/ frequency hopping. She perfected the craft as a tool to beat enemies with radio guided torpedos that couldn't be detected, or blocked, by enemy (it was not used in WW2 but should have been- Kennedy surely did use it against Cuba). So not only was she a brain, but she was drop dead gorgeous, sexy, an actress doing nude and all that! What a complete package I'd recognize before looking at any dude, for sure! lol You guys need to do a whole story on her. My point is you can't have a Father to WIFI without recognizing her work for spread spectrum hopping. Nor can you have CDMA of your phone without her work.Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Fessenden because none of the technology we use today would be here without his hard work.He was the first to speak on radio. The first to understand the possibility of heterodyning. Which is the generation of new frequencies by mixing, or multiplying, two oscillating waveforms. You and I later called it AM and FM radio. Which later allowed for long distance teletype, television, cell phones, Wi-Fi, etc, which his patents describe.
Wikipedia - On 21 December 1906, Fessenden made an extensive demonstration of the new alternator-transmitter at Brant Rock, showing its utility for point-to-point wireless telephony, including interconnecting his stations to the wire telephone network.
Fessenden also received patents for tracer bullets, paging, television apparatus, turbo electric drive for ships and more.
He helped design the Niagra Falls power station for GE.
In 2007 the president officially thanked his family for his inventions and the 100 years of voices over the airwaves.
I am very proud to be a descendant of his.