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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010192418 | T173.8 K75 2007 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
Everybody knows that digital technology has revolutionised our economy and our lifestyles. But how many of us really understand the drivers behind the technology - the significance of going digital; the miniaturization of circuit boards; the role of venture capital in financing the revolution; the importance of research and development? How many of us understand what it takes to make money from innovative technologies? Should we worry about manufacturing going offshore? What is the role of India and China in the digital economy? Drawing on a lifetime's experience in the industry, as an engineer, a senior manager and as a partner in a venture capital firm, Henry Kressel offers an expert personalized answer to all these questions. He explains how the technology works, why it matters, how it is financed and what the key lessons are for public policy.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Kressel and Lento (both, industry) offer a mixture of autobiography, a celebration of technology, an introductory textbook to electronics and corporate values, and a brief history of the digital revolution from a corporate perspective. There are nine chapters divided into three sections: part 1 is the "how" of electronic devices, part 2 highlights the role of individualism and corporations in innovation, and part 3 is devoted to globalization and the digital world. After an ode to Edison, David Sarnoff's leadership at RCA is used to illustrate the importance of having a visionary in the corporate lab. The promise of international technological innovation is lauded, particularly for China and India, with occasional cautionary notes alluding to a dark side to the digital revolution. How venture capital supports innovation and helps bring products to market is discussed. The book concludes by acknowledging the radical changes to the world economic map brought about by changes in industry and national economies in response to the electronic revolution. There are 12 appendixes, more than 80 figures, and 16 tables. There is no bibliography; every chapter has footnotes citing mainly periodicals and Internet sources. Summing Up: Recommended. Two-year technical program students. W. K. Bauchspies Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus
Table of Contents
| List of figures | p. ix |
| List of tables | p. xix |
| Acknowledgements | p. xx |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Part I The technology - how electronic devices work - digital systems and software | p. 7 |
| 1 Genesis: Inventing electronics for the digital world | p. 9 |
| 2 Building digital systems | p. 56 |
| Part II Innovators, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists | p. 99 |
| 3 Edison's legacy: Industrial R&D | p. 101 |
| 4 R&D goes global | p. 122 |
| 5 Financing innovation: Venture capital | p. 175 |
| Part III Global reach, global repercussions | p. 215 |
| 6 Manufacturing: Globalizing faster than ever | p. 217 |
| 7 Your government is here to help | p. 258 |
| 8 The digital world: Industries transformed | p. 290 |
| 9 The digital world: A global village | p. 332 |
| Appendix 1.1 Smaller, faster, more efficient MOSFETs | p. 347 |
| Appendix 1.2 Building multi-transistor logic gates | p. 355 |
| Appendix 1.3 MOSFETs in memory devices | p. 357 |
| Appendix 1.4 CMOS reduces logic gate power dissipation | p. 359 |
| Appendix 1.5 Laser diode basics | p. 362 |
| Appendix 1.6 Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) | p. 367 |
| Appendix 1.7 Photodetectors | p. 370 |
| Appendix 1.8 Making fiber optic cables | p. 372 |
| Appendix 1.9 Principles of LCD displays | p. 374 |
| Appendix 2.1 The demise of analog computers | p. 377 |
| Appendix 2.2 IP, TCP, and the Internet | p. 381 |
| Appendix 2.3 Building an object-oriented program | p. 383 |
| Index | p. 386 |
