https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/

This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
England win WWII.

He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.

On Monday, January 1, 2024 at 9:38:56 AM UTC+11, John Larkin wrote:
> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>
> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
> England win WWII.
>
> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.

Not to mention stereophonic recording and colour TV. I worked at EMI Central Research from 1976 to 1979. He'd died before I was born but he was still their star engineer, with 128 patents to his name.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_Hounsfield

was still around when I worked there and got his Nobel Prize at about the same time that I moved on, but he wasn't nearly as impressive.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

On Sun, 31 Dec 2023 14:37:45 -0800, John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:

>
>https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>
>This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>England win WWII.
>
>He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.

and the decibeelze..

"While at ISEC, Kaye and Blumlein encountered a member of staff who
was 'very slow'. 'He was one of the old brigade [and] was so slow at getting
any action going that it was almost unbelievable. For some reasons he had
been nicknamed Beelzebub—quite a decent bloke [really]. So we had a
unit called the 'beelze' [which was the] ratio of the time it took Beelzebub
to do a job to the time it took any normal [person] in the office to do it. But
it was such an enormous unit [that] for all practical purposes we all had to
work in decibeelzes.'"

On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>
> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
> England win WWII.
>
> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>
He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.

piglet

On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichpwagner@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
>>
>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>
>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>> England win WWII.
>>
>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>
>He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
>long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
>as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
>
>
>piglet
>
>

There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.

What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.

Doing the 405-line interlaced video generation and reception with
pre-WWII tubes is awesome.

On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:17:23 -0800, John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:

>On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichpwagner@hotmail.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
>>>
>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>
>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>> England win WWII.
>>>
>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>>
>>He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
>>long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
>>as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
>>
>>
>>piglet
>>
>>
>
>There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
>with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.
>
>What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
>barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.
>

It seems to be you that cannot read.

"As an aside: when a Greater London Council (GLC) commemorative
'blue' plaque, in memory of Blumlein, was unveiled at a ceremony held on
1st June 1977 at 37 The Ridings, Ealing, where he had lived, the press
made much of the oft-quoted statement that he did not learn to read until
he was 12. Sometimes this statement is given as: 'He could not read at 12
but he knew a lot about quadratic equations.' The story is apocryphal
rather than anecdotal, as his school reports confirm. Miss Chataway's
reports show clearly that Alan's reading was 'good'. Presumably he did not
enjoy reading but he did enjoy mathematics."

The above relates to his time at primary school.

At secondary school a contemporary states:-

"'Alan was, I well recall, a voracious reader, and [it] seems that this could well
have been his defence against the eternal small cricket and the like which left
him so cold.
'I can see him now, sitting with his nose in a novel, completely oblivious of
the bear-garden around him in the House common room. And I can well re-
call too his quick impatience, softened with a smile when I once offered him a
book. A glance, then: "Oh, I have read that." — and he was gone, no doubt in
search of something more attractive."

>Doing the 405-line interlaced video generation and reception with
>pre-WWII tubes is awesome.

On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 23:24:32 +0000, JM <sunaecoNoSpam@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:17:23 -0800, John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichpwagner@hotmail.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>
>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>>
>>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>>> England win WWII.
>>>>
>>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>>>
>>>He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
>>>long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
>>>as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
>>>
>>>
>>>piglet
>>>
>>>
>>
>>There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
>>with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.
>>
>>What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
>>barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.
>>
>
>It seems to be you that cannot read.

Why do so many creeps, and so few electronic designers, post here? We
won't miss google groups.

On Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at 3:18:37 AM UTC+11, John Larkin wrote:
> On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichp...@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> >On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
> >>
> >> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
> >>
> >> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
> >> England win WWII.
> >>
> >> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
> >>
> >He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
> >long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
> >as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
> >
> There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
> with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.
>
> What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
> barely read.

Not true.

> And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.

That might have been a social class thing. When I was working in the UK any circuit diagram I created had to be redrawn by draughtsmen to conform to all the company rules about schematics, They were technicians - a blue-collar job - and I was an engineer, a white-collar job. I got jeered at when I sat down at typewriter and typed a memo for myself - that was a typists job.

> Doing the 405-line interlaced video generation and reception with pre-WWII tubes is awesome.

Blumlein was reliably awesome. I first ran into the name when I was graduate student - H.K.P. Neubert's book "instrument Tranducers" has four references to the "Blumlein bridge". My second-hand copy of the book came from the Sandia Lab library at Livermore, California, via Amazon.

--
Bill Sloman. Sydney

On 2/01/2024 11:50 am, John Larkin wrote:
> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 23:24:32 +0000, JM <sunaecoNoSpam@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:17:23 -0800, John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichpwagner@hotmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>>>
>>>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>>>> England win WWII.
>>>>>
>>>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>>>>
>>>> He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
>>>> long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
>>>> as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
>>>
>>> There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
>>> with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.
>>>
>>> What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
>>> barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.
>>>
>>
>> It seems to be you that cannot read.
>
> Why do so many creeps, and so few electronic designers, post here? We
> won't miss google groups.

You are the creep here. JM is no less an electronic designer than you
are, and much better informed on the history of the subject. He used to
correspond with Peter Baxandall, which is an honour I never aspired to.

I have talked to Jim Williams, Barry Gilbert and Bill Percival but what
they had doesn't seem to have rubbed off onto me.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

On 1/2/24 01:50, John Larkin wrote:
> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 23:24:32 +0000, JM <sunaecoNoSpam@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:17:23 -0800, John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichpwagner@hotmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>>>
>>>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>>>> England win WWII.
>>>>>
>>>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>>>>
>>>> He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
>>>> long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
>>>> as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> piglet
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
>>> with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.
>>>
>>> What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
>>> barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.
>>>
>>
>> It seems to be you that cannot read.
>
> Why do so many creeps, and so few electronic designers, post here? We
> won't miss google groups.

Creeps want attention. Unfortunately, they often get it here.

Jeroen Belleman

On Tue, 2 Jan 2024 14:53:39 +0100, Jeroen Belleman
<jeroen@nospam.please> wrote:

>On 1/2/24 01:50, John Larkin wrote:
>> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 23:24:32 +0000, JM <sunaecoNoSpam@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:17:23 -0800, John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichpwagner@hotmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>>>>> England win WWII.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>>>>>
>>>>> He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
>>>>> long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
>>>>> as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> piglet
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
>>>> with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.
>>>>
>>>> What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
>>>> barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.
>>>>
>>>
>>> It seems to be you that cannot read.
>>
>> Why do so many creeps, and so few electronic designers, post here? We
>> won't miss google groups.
>
>
>Creeps want attention. Unfortunately, they often get it here.
>
>Jeroen Belleman

What sad lives they must lead, to need such crude hostility.

On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 8:49:27 AM UTC+11, john larkin wrote:
> On Tue, 2 Jan 2024 14:53:39 +0100, Jeroen Belleman <jer...@nospam.please> wrote:
> >On 1/2/24 01:50, John Larkin wrote:
> >> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 23:24:32 +0000, JM <sunaec...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:17:23 -0800, John Larkin <j...@997PotHill.com> wrote:
> >>>> On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichp...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>> On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:

<snip>

> >>>> What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
> >>>> barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> It seems to be you that cannot read.
> >>
> >> Why do so many creeps, and so few electronic designers, post here? We won't miss google groups.
> >
> >Creeps want attention. Unfortunately, they often get it here.
> >
> What sad lives they must lead, to need such crude hostility.

John Larkin was our most prolific poster for many years. A a may have taken over. Neither admits to having a sad life.

A a clearly has a lively fantasy life - John Larkin less so, though it is hard to believe that he is married with kids,

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
<bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>
>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>> England win WWII.
>>
>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>
>The author is a bs artist with a very skewed outlook. There is nothing very profound there.

Have you read the book? It's mostly doumented references, not much
opinion. Blumlein's work and patents are all real.

>
>For most of the so-called high tech gadgets developed in the 30s and 40s, they were lucky to get them to work 30% of the time, and usually much less.
>
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_computer

Tech isn't much better now. Most new ideas and companies fail, but now
they burn billions of dollars doing it.

On 4/01/2024 2:44 am, John Larkin wrote:
> On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
> <bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>
>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>> England win WWII.
>>>
>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>
>> The author is a bs artist with a very skewed outlook. There is nothing very profound there.
>
> Have you read the book? It's mostly doumented references, not much
> opinion. Blumlein's work and patents are all real.
>
>>
>> For most of the so-called high tech gadgets developed in the 30s and 40s, they were lucky to get them to work 30% of the time, and usually much less.
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_computer
>
> Tech isn't much better now. Most new ideas and companies fail, but now
> they burn billions of dollars doing it.

They don't have to. The usual approach is to start off with an expensive
product aimed at niche market which can make a lot of money out of it,
and once you've got a regular income out of them, work on making the
product cheaper and better.

The electron-beam tester project that I got drawn into got the first
stage right, but boss - the original inventor - was obsessed with making
the product easier to sell, rather than easier to use, and one of his
ex-engineers wiped him out with a version of his machine that was more
reliable and easier to use.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

John Larkin wrote:
-------------------------
>
> Have you read the book? It's mostly doumented references, not much
> opinion. Blumlein's work and patents are all real.

** See nice article on Blumlein by MG Scroggie ( aka Cathode Ray) in Wireless World of September 1960.

https://www.alanblumlein.com/wireless-world-1960-m-g-scroggie-talks-about-the-genius-of-a-d-blumlein/

....... Phil

On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 13:18:39 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
<bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 10:45:46?AM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
>> <bloggs.fred...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>> >> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>> >>
>> >> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>> >> England win WWII.
>> >>
>> >> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>> >
>> >The author is a bs artist with a very skewed outlook. There is nothing very profound there.
>> Have you read the book? It's mostly doumented references, not much
>> opinion. Blumlein's work and patents are all real.
>Author is British.
>

Yeah, Brits talk and spell funny.

I guess you are a lot smarter and more inventive than Blumlein was.

Don't read the book. You know everything already.

On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 16:50:20 -0800, John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:

>On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 23:24:32 +0000, JM <sunaecoNoSpam@gmail.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:17:23 -0800, John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichpwagner@hotmail.com>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>>On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>>>
>>>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>>>> England win WWII.
>>>>>
>>>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>>>>
>>>>He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
>>>>long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
>>>>as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>piglet
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
>>>with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.
>>>
>>>What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
>>>barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.
>>>
>>
>>It seems to be you that cannot read.
>
>Why do so many creeps, and so few electronic designers, post here? We
>won't miss google groups.
>
>

Well Mr. Larkin, given that the two quotes I gave are from the book you name (page 28 and 33 of the linked chapter) perhaps you will enlighten us all as to why the author is mistaken.

https://1drv.ms/b/s!AkjNCaVyTfIahDHlI21Nw8ObpgR3

On Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 8:18:44 AM UTC+11, Fred Bloggs wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 10:45:46 AM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
> > On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
> > <bloggs.fred...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
> > >> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
> > >>
> > >> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
> > >> England win WWII.
> > >>
> > >> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
> > >
> > >The author is a bs artist with a very skewed outlook. There is nothing very profound there.
> > Have you read the book? It's mostly doumented references, not much
> > opinion. Blumlein's work and patents are all real.
> Author is British.
>
> The analog computer link was there to give you an idea of what you think was brand new invention in electronics was in fact an adaptation of many techniques and function blocks that were common in the mechanical-/ electromechanical- world, and those in turn were an adaptation of even older techniques.
>
> One stunning example is Babbage's punched card programmable computer. Babbage consulted with Jacquard, a textile manufacturer, who perfected the punched card technique for his programmable looms. It took a lot of cards too.

Babbage probably never talked to Joseph Marie Jacquard, who was 39 years older than he. was and died in 1834. Babbage's difference engine, on which he started work in 1822 had more to do with

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspard_de_Prony

> There is one example of a woven self-portrait of Jacquard seated in an early 19th/late 18th century library that took 28,000 cards to program IIRC. It was an incredibly finely detailed product.

And Babbage went to a lot of trouble to pug an example, and spent a lot of money to get it

> Most of the hyperbole over electronics originates with people looking for funding.

If you aren't trying to raise money, you can afford to moire realistic about the prospects.

> > >For most of the so-called high tech gadgets developed in the 30s and 40s, they were lucky to get them to work 30% of the time, and usually much less.

Demanding projects frequently fail to get into production. A 30% success rate fits the more recent ones that I know about too

> > >https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_computer
> >
> > Tech isn't much better now. Most new ideas and companies fail, but now they burn billions of dollars doing it.

Our capacity to define and specify complex projects is much the same as it always was. We've got more elaborate technology, so we can spend more money on finding out that we haven't got enough money to carry the project to completion.

--
Bil Sloman, Sydney

On Tuesday 2 January 2024 at 01:51:29 UTC+1, John Larkin wrote:
> On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 23:24:32 +0000, JM <sunaec...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:17:23 -0800, John Larkin <j...@997PotHill.com> wrote:
> >
> >>On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 11:25:25 +0000, piglet <erichp...@hotmail.com>
> >>wrote:
> >>
> >>>On 31/12/2023 10:37 pm, John Larkin wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
> >>>>
> >>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
> >>>> England win WWII.
> >>>>
> >>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
> >>>>
> >>>He lives on in the trillion op-amps made each year! I think he used the
> >>>long tail pair topology not only as linear low-drift diff amps but also
> >>>as a fast current steering switch. Thanks for heads up, I will get the book.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>piglet
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>There is some philosophizing on the nature of genius and invention,
> >>with comparisons to Edison and Marconi and some others.
> >>
> >>What's interesting is that Blumlein was very mathematical but could
> >>barely read. And his hand-drawn schematics were awful.
> >>
> >
> >It seems to be you that cannot read.
> Why do so many creeps, and so few electronic designers, post here? We
> won't miss google groups.

SED has a lot of junk, but also occasional good stuff.

Any agreement on how to proceed after 22/2? (could we for once agree, or maybe agree to disagree?)

A Discord channel, or some other fancy site?

On Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 8:18:44 AM UTC+11, Fred Bloggs wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 10:45:46 AM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
> > On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
> > <bloggs.fred...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
> > >> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
> > >>
> > >> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
> > >> England win WWII.
> > >>
> > >> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
> > >
> > >The author is a bs artist with a very skewed outlook. There is nothing very profound there.
> >
> > Have you read the book? It's mostly doumented references, not much
> > opinion. Blumlein's work and patents are all real.
>
> Author is British.

Americans mostly don't know about Blumlein. They do seem to find the idea that any non-American could have invented anything askew with anything they've been taught.

> The analog computer link was there to give you an idea of what you think was brand new invention in electronics was in fact an adaptation of many techniques and function blocks that were common in the mechanical/ electromechanical- world, and those in turn were an adaptation of even older techniques.

All inventions can be characterised that way. Patents talk about "prior art". If it wasn't an adaption "obvious to those skilled in the art" you can patent it.

> One stunning example is Babbage's punched card programmable computer. Babbage consulted with Jacquard, a textile manufacturer, who perfected the punched card technique for his programmable looms. It took a lot of cards too.

Babbage probably never talked to Joseph Marie Jacquard, who was 39 years older than he was and died in 1834. Babbage's difference engine, on which he started work in 1822 had more to do with

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspard_de_Prony

> There is one example of a woven self-portrait of Jacquard seated in an early 19th/late 18th century library that took 28,000 cards to program IIRC. It was an incredibly finely detailed product.

And Babbage went to a lot of trouble to buy an example, and spent a lot of money to get it

> Most of the hyperbole over electronics originates with people looking for funding.

If you aren't trying to raise money, you can afford to more realistic about the prospects.

> > >For most of the so-called high tech gadgets developed in the 30s and 40s, they were lucky to get them to work 30% of the time, and usually much less.

Demanding projects frequently fail to get into production. A 30% success rate fits the more recent ones that I know about too

> > >https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_computer
> >
> > Tech isn't much better now. Most new ideas and companies fail, but now they burn billions of dollars doing it.

Our capacity to define and specify complex projects is much the same as it always was. We've got more elaborate technology, so we can now spend more money on finding out that we haven't got enough money to carry the project to completion.

--
Bil Sloman, Sydney

On 6/01/2024 8:38 am, john larkin wrote:
> On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 13:18:39 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs <bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 10:45:46?AM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
>>> <bloggs.fred...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>>>
>>>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>>>> England win WWII.
>>>>>
>>>>> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>>>
>>>> The author is a bs artist with a very skewed outlook. There is nothing very profound there.
>>>
>>> Have you read the book? It's mostly doumented references, not much
>>> opinion. Blumlein's work and patents are all real.
>>
>> Author is British.
>
> Yeah, Brits talk and spell funny.

Americans do think that. Noah Webster did publish an American dictionary
with oddly spelled words. His excuse was that he was rationalising the
spelling, but it looks more like a scheme to squeeze English-published
dictionaries out of the American market. There are a bunch of America
accents, as there are a range of British accents. They all sound funny
to Australians - we do have regional variations in accent, but it takes
a phoneticians to pick them out.

> I guess you are a lot smarter and more inventive than Blumlein wa

Seems unlikely. Blumlein got his name on 128 patents and he died at 38.
It doesn't strike me that Fred was asserting anything of the sort.

The bit of the book that JM put on-line, about Blumlein's family, his
education and first steps in his career, wasn't all that inspired and
did put me off buying it, but it does cover an interesting bit of
technical history.

> Don't read the book. You know everything already.
'
John Larkin being rude again.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

On January 5, Fred Bloggs wrote:
> Most of the hyperbole over electronics originates with people looking for funding.

Quantum computers.

Intel can't survive without money confiscated from the rich folks at Pizza Hut -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEMATECH#College_of_Nanoscale_Science_and_Engineering_(CNSE)
$500 million /year
"Today, Sematech is in the midst of yet another transition. Under
CEO Dan Armbrust, it has created and will manage a new Photovoltaic
Manufacturing Consortium funded by the industry, the Department of
Energy, and the state of New York"

https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-research-and-development-funding-programs

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/21/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-bringing-semiconductor-manufacturing-back-to-america-2/

Extra tax loot for persons of color and ovaries. That's progress!

--
Rich

On 10/01/2024 12:32 am, Bill Sloman wrote:
> On 6/01/2024 8:38 am, john larkin wrote:
>> On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 13:18:39 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
>> <bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 10:45:46?AM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
>>>> <bloggs.fred...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously
>>>>>> helped England win WWII.

<snip>
> The bit of the book that JM put on-line, about Blumlein's family, his
> education and first steps in his career, wasn't all that inspired and
> did put me off buying it, but it does cover an interesting bit of
> technical history.

I did order the books - in hardcover, so it wasn't cheap, and it finally
arrived last night. The first part - as put on-line by JM - is heavy going.

>> Don't read the book. You know everything already.
> '
> John Larkin being rude again.

I do know more than John Larkin - not an extravagant claim - but, unlike
him, I am willing to learn more.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

In message <hgtgpi53s5ptuc8lc5imi2b24le8cr2d0b@4ax.com>, john larkin
<jl@650pot.com> writes
>On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 13:18:39 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
><bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 10:45:46?AM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
>>> <bloggs.fred...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>> >>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> >>>>>>>>https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>> >>
>>> >> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously helped
>>> >> England win WWII.
>>> >>
>>> >> He invented the cathode follower and the long-tail pair.
>>> >
>>> >The author is a bs artist with a very skewed outlook. There is
>>> >nothing very profound there.
>>> Have you read the book? It's mostly doumented references, not much
>>> opinion. Blumlein's work and patents are all real.
>>Author is British.
>>
>
>Yeah, Brits talk and spell funny.

Funnily

Brian
--
Brian Howie

On 26/01/2024 3:12 pm, Bill Sloman wrote:
> On 10/01/2024 12:32 am, Bill Sloman wrote:
>> On 6/01/2024 8:38 am, john larkin wrote:
>>> On Fri, 5 Jan 2024 13:18:39 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
>>> <bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 10:45:46?AM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>> On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 07:09:41 -0800 (PST), Fred Bloggs
>>>>> <bloggs.fred...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> On Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:38:56?PM UTC-5, John Larkin wrote:
>>>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Times-Blumlein-History-Management-Technology/dp/085296773X/
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This guy practically invented electronics design. And seriously
>>>>>>> helped England win WWII.
>
> <snip>
>> The bit of the book that JM put on-line, about Blumlein's family, his
>> education and first steps in his career, wasn't all that inspired and
>> did put me off buying it, but it does cover an interesting bit of
>> technical history.
>
> I did order the books - in hardcover, so it wasn't cheap, and it finally
> arrived last night. The first part - as put on-line by JM - is heavy going.

<snip>

The rests of the book isn't much better. The author isn't good at
setting up any kind of narrative or organising the the information he is
presenting.

The subject matter is fascinating, and I found the book held held my
attention - I read it in one sitting (which took me a couple of hours,
not a lot for 521 pages).

It doesn't provide a lot of insight into what Blumlein was actually
doing - the author doesn't seem to have had much of a clue. Bill
Percival's distributed amplifier gets a mention, but the idea that he's
the father of the travelling wave tube doesn't come up. Percival (who I
met in 1978) is also mentioned for his involvement in transversal
filters, but not in any informative way.

The world probably does need a good biography of Alan Dower Blumlein,
but this isn't it.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney