Popular Electronics

"This book presents the histories of the major North American shortwave clubs and reviews the professional and listener-generated shortwave literature of the era. It also covers the DX programs and other listening fare to which shortwave listeners were most attracted and the QSL-cards they sought as confirmation of their reception."--Provided by publisher.

This is the untold story of the very first electronic social network in America: The CB Radio. Citizen's Band Radio grew from to a small number of hobby users to a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s. The adoption by millions of Americans forced the FCC to give up nearly all regulation. CB life created it's own "slanguage, "music and values. What started with mostly truckers grew during Arab Oil Crisis and eventually went widespread. Users adapted CB's to their own economic and social uses. This adaptation changed the character of the radio use eventually making the radios truly the Citizen's Band. And then they disappeared... The book culminates 23 years of research with 296 pages, 44 illustrations and more than 200 sources. Interviews include Hairl Hensley of WSM, Bob Cole of aka the "Midnight Rider" from KIKK (now in Austin) and Bill Fries aka C.W. McCall the "Rubber Duck."

"In their fascinating analysis of the recent history of information technology, H. Peter Alesso and Craig F. Smith reveal the patterns in discovery and innovation that have brought us to the present tipping point. . . . A generation from now, every individual will have personally tailored access to the whole of knowledge . . . the sooner we all begin to think about how we got here, and where we're going, the better. This exciting book is an essential first step." —From the Foreword by James Burke Many people envision scientists as dispassionate characters who slavishly repeat experiments until "eureka"—something unexpected happens. Actually, there is a great deal more to the story of scientific discovery, but seeing "the big picture" is not easy. Connections: Patterns of Discovery uses the primary tools of forecasting and three archetypal patterns of discovery—Serendipity, Proof of Principle, and 1% Inspiration and 99% Perspiration—to discern relationships of past developments and synthesize a cohesive and compelling vision for the future. It challenges readers to think of the consequences of extrapolating trends, such as Moore's Law, to either reach real machine intelligence or retrench in the face of physical limitations. From this perspective,the book draws "the big picture" for the Information Revolution's innovations in chips, devices, software, and networks. With a Foreword by James Burke and bursting with fascinating detail throughout, Connections: Patterns of Discovery is a must-read for computer scientists, technologists, programmers, hardware and software developers, students, and anyone with an interest in tech-savvy topics.

A history of ham radio culture: how ham radio enthusiasts formed identity and community through their technical hobby, from the 1930s through the Cold War.

In this fascinating history of the portable radio, Michael Schiffer shows how this invention is as American as apple pie. Along the way, he tells how technology has responded to consumer preference, how corporate "cryptohistory" has made us believe the Japanese invented the radio, and how the spread of the portable radio mirrors that of other technologies. More than 400 photographs make this book both a definitive resource and a delightful browse.