ViodiTV

From Tubes to Semiconductors

by

Ken Pyle

Paul Wesling (GTE/Lenkurt), Norm Pond (Varian) and Ted Hoff (Intel) explain the transition from tubes to semiconductors and describe the resulting transformation of the Valley of the Hearts Delight into Silicon Valley. Starting in the early 1900s, this fascinating talk shows how modern concepts, like hackathons and sharing, were a factor in the development of homegrown technology that was instrumental in defeating the Nazis in World War II and sending a man to the moon a few decades later. More than technology, the birth of Silicon Valley was about the creation of a culture of innovation and that rewarded results.

These panelists bring great knowledge of the Valley, having been part of the relatively modern era and knowing and studying those who laid the foundation for what it has become.

Note: The complete 1.5 hour panel discussion can be viewed in the above player. To see snippets from the panel, please go to:

http://www.viodi.tv/category/history-2/ieee-2/sv-history-from-tubes-to-semiconductors/

Pictures from the event:

Ted Hoff talks about the unique Intel management and environment.
Ted Hoff shows an example of a small tube.
Ted Hoff talks about Gordon Moore and his “law”.
Ted Hoff talks about Silicon Valley in the 1950s and 1960s.
Norm Pond talks about what led him to Silicon Valley in the 1950s.

6 responses to “From Tubes to Semiconductors”

  1. IEEE SCV Silicon Valley Technology History Committee

    […] Video of Meeting […]

    Reply
  2. IEEE SCV Silicon Valley Technology History Committee

    […] Nov 5th Videos (you can watch the entire video or individual video segments/”snippets” with captions).  Thanks to Ken Pyle for creating these videos and Paul Wesling for reviewing and approving) […]

    Reply
  3. IEEE SCV Silicon Valley Technology History Committee

    […] Nov 5th Videos (you can watch the entire video or individual video segments/”snippets” with captions). Thanks to Ken Pyle for creating these videos and Paul Wesling for reviewing and approving)……………………………………………………………………………………………… […]

    Reply
  4. Viodi View – 12/01/14 | The Viodi View

    […] From Tubes to Semiconductors […]

    Reply
  5. Don Wollesen Avatar
    Don Wollesen

    1) I enjoyed the “From Tubes to Semiconductors” discussion.
    2) In 2004 I did a presentation entitled “The Teenage Years of the Transistor.”
    3) I did not know about the IEEE SCV Silicon Valley Technology History Committee. Please fill me in on this.
    Don Wollesen

    Reply
    1. Ken Pyle Avatar
      Ken Pyle

      Here is the info from th site:

      http://sites.ieee.org/sv-techhist/

      The IEEE SV Tech History committee fulfilled its mandate by holding four technical meetings in 2014. It was a close call as three of those meetings occured in the last three months of the year.
      Our committee’s charter is to have at least four technical meetings per year that will educate, inform and raise the level of awareness of technology history indigenous to greater silicon valley. In addition, we are open and receptive to holding joint meetings with other IEEE Societies, groups, committees as well as tech non profit organizations. Our website complements our meetings and provides information on IEEE Milestones as well as upcoming tech history meetings in silicon valley.
      Note that we are not a musuem. We don’t collect anything and we don’t do oral histories. Those are both done by the Computer History Museum and the Stanford Silicon Valley Archives (see Oct 2014 and Dec 2014 meetings below).

      Reply

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