Category Archives: Tech History

Do You Believe in Miracles? The History of HDTV

Posted on 20 September 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

We are currently going through a second next-gen TV (r)evolution, from HDTV (2K) to UHD (4K) – and maybe even 8K. Much about this softer transition reminds me of the messy transition to HDTV back in the mid-1990s. In 2003, … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, Thomas Edison!

Posted on 11 February 2015 by Stewart Wolpin

A couple of years ago, I wrote a birthday tribute to Thomas Edison for the late and semi-lamented Tech Goes Strong. Since that site is kaput, I present that Edison tribute here, along with some photos of my 2004 visit … Continue reading →

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George Johann Carl Antheil

Posted on 10 November 2014 by Stewart Wolpin

(1900-1959) Co-inventor, frequency hopping/spread spectrum In a ridiculous case of truth being way stranger than fiction, the origins of spread spectrum – the technology that makes it possible for millions of people to securely connect to wireless communications for voice … Continue reading →

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Hedy Lamarr

Posted on 10 November 2014 by Stewart Wolpin

Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) Co-inventor, frequency hopping/spread spectrum How one of the world’s most beautiful women and most popular film stars of Hollywood’s golden era came to co-invent the most important wireless communications security technology – frequency hopping – is a … Continue reading →

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Here Comes (Finally!) the Goddamn Tesla Museum

Posted on 15 July 2014 by Stewart Wolpin

Last week, to commemorate Nikola Tesla’s 158th birthday, the media made much of the million dollar contribution by Elon Musk (he who appropriated Tesla’s name for his electronic car company) to help transform the Serbian-born scientist’s Wardenclyffe Labs, located in Shoreham on the north … Continue reading →

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Meet the Man Who Invented the Modern Age

Posted on 15 July 2014 by Stewart Wolpin

Each time you plug an electrical anything into a wall outlet, each time you turn on your radio or even TV, you should thank the Serbian-born American engineer named Nikola Tesla. I present him to you because last Thursday, July … Continue reading →

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20 Years Ago, Apple and Kodak Launched the Digital Camera Revolution

Posted on 22 June 2014 by Stewart Wolpin

This is Steve Sasson. In 1975, he was a 23-year-old Kodak junior engineer and he invented the digital camera. After 19 years of development – 20 years ago this week – Apple started selling the Kodak-designed QuickTake 100, the first consumer … Continue reading →

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Commerical GPS Turns 25: How the Unwanted Military Tech Found Its True Calling

Posted on 30 May 2014 by Stewart Wolpin

Here’s the fascinating – and heretofore untold – story behind the first consumer GPS handheld device, the GPS NAV 1000 from Magellan, which went on sale on May 25, 1989, posted here at Mashable.com.

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The Videophone Turns 50: The Historic Failure That Everybody Wanted

Posted on 21 April 2014 by Stewart Wolpin

Consumer videophone service turns 50 – except how we videophone today (Skype, Facetime, et al) differs radically from how engineers and futurists originally envisioned and implemented it. Read about AT&T’s historic videophone failure(s) that set the stage for today’s video … Continue reading →

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The First Cellphone Went on Sale 30 Years Ago for $4,000

Posted on 17 March 2014 by Stewart Wolpin

Possibly the most read story I’ve ever written – a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the first handheld cell phone (the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X) going on sale to the public – from Mashable.com.  

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