Conquering the Electron

The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age

De: Derek Cheung, Eric Brach

Narrado por: Eric Jason Martin

Conquering the Electron offers listeners a true and engaging history of the world of electronics, beginning with the discoveries of static electricity and magnetism and ending with the creation of the smartphone and the iPad.

This book shows the interconnection of each advance to the next on the long journey to our modern-day technologies. Exploring the combination of genius, infighting, and luck that powered the creation of today's electronic age, Conquering the Electron debunks the hero worship so often plaguing the stories of great advances.

Want to know how AT&T's Bell Labs developed semiconductor technology - and how its leading scientists almost came to blows in the process? Want to understand how radio and television work - and why RCA drove their inventors to financial ruin and early graves? Conquering the Electron offers these stories and more, presenting each revolutionary technological advance right alongside blow-by-blow personal battles that all too often took place.

©2011 Derek Cheung and Eric Brach (P)2020 Tantor

absolutely amazing! one the best books ever!

absolutely amazing book and perfectly narrated! a subject that everyone should get closer to once so much of it affects our day to day life! wonderful!

Many interesting plots I didn't know about!

I didn't like the voice too much, but that is personal. I listened to the complete book and greatly enjoyed it, especially the first half.

Maybe the best insight I have gained from reading

As an electrical engineer in radar signal processing and image science. I can not think of a better entry level insight prior to college as to gain insight to high tech evolution. I should be embarrassed to not know all of this. Makes me feel like a modern baseball player that doesn’t know the history, Ty Cobb, hank Aaron, willie mays, Jackie Robinson, mickie and the duke.

Great journey!

A wonderful story of the people, discoveries, technologies, and businesses involved in the harnessing of the electron.

The book was published in 2010. Normally that is too old for a technology book. But this is a history book and fascinating.

A unbiased and enjoyable history of electronics

An insightful unbiased retelling of the history of electronics and modern computing. I will be re-listening in the future.

Amazing

A very insightful look at the history of electronics and harnessing electricity. Loved it! A definite must read to understand the history of electronics!

Excellent dive into the science of today's tec

In easy to understand language, the authors begin at the beginning of the research that has led to today's smartphones, computers, tablets and more. as an example, the TV technology that I grew up with in the 50s and 60s have a direct link to today's flat screen devices. Plus, they give a nuanced look at where the future might take us at the end of their great book. I recommend this book to anyone that ever wondered what's inside their smartphone or computer or ever wondered where this technology came from

My new favorite non fiction.

Science Fiction is my thing but Science History turns out to awesome to. The book is not too technical, which is good because I don't have a hard science academic background but I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much without some interest in electricity and electronics . Still, the personalities and stories are intriguing on their own.
The reader fits the subject. One reviewer thought he sounds like Carl Sagan. I do hear Sagan's speech patterns but I hear a touch of Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone, so that's cool to.

Historical & Scientific voyage perfection

The best part of this audio book is that the author Derek Chung's personal involvement as a participant in Silicon Valley. You get to walk with him as he helped develop part of the industry and technology that was created by the discovery of the electron. This is real factual history told by a man who was there. Eric Jason Martin is the narrator and does and excellent job of describing and enunciating all the technical details.
You get to meet all the famous and infamous personalities that gave us our current knowledge of the electron. Men like Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, Guglielmo Marconi, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and many others. You get to trace the very beginnings from the discovery of the electron, the first subatomic particle by professor J.J. Thomson in 1897. To our current technology today and all the pieces in between. This is a great audio book and just fun to listen to. I highly recommend this audio book if you enjoy learning.

Overall, yes, five stars...

...altho with such a wide ranging book, is understandable some readers will find shortfalls.

The narration, as important as the story to a good audiobook, is clear, well paced and modulated, pleasant voiced.

Story begins as typical "stepping stone" recitation of discovery in magnetism and electricity. Entering the electronic age at end of 19th century, story broadens to include personalities of individuals and corporations. The separate steps of scientific and engineering advance through semiconductors, transistors, integrated circuits are well and thoroughly covered.

This book goes on my small list of re-listeners.