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2018 | Book

Tsushima Strait Read chapter Read first chapter

A Brief History of Everything Wireless

How Invisible Waves Have Changed the World

Author: Petri Launiainen

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

Since the discovery of electromagnetic waves less than 150 years ago, the application of wireless communications technology has not only revolutionized our daily lives, but also fundamentally changed the course of world history.

A Brief History of Everything Wireless charts the fascinating story of wireless communications. The book leads the reader on an intriguing journey of personal triumphs and stinging defeats, relating the prominent events, individuals and companies involved in each progressive leap in technology, with a particular focus on the phenomenal impact of each new invention on society. Beginning at the early days of spark-gap transmitters, this tale touches on the emergence of radio and television broadcasting, as well as radio navigation and radar, before moving on to the rise of satellite, near-field and light-based communications. Finally, the development of wireless home networks and the explosive growth of modern cellular technologies are revealed, complete with a captivating account of their corresponding company histories and behind-the-scenes battles over standards.

For those wishing to peek behind the magic curtain of friendly user interfaces and clever engineering, and delve further into various processes underlying the ubiquitous technology we depend upon yet take for granted, the book also contains special “TechTalk” chapters that explain the theoretical basics in an intuitive way.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Tsushima Strait
Abstract
New inventions sometimes act as the catalysts for events that change the history of the entire world. One such case that had enormous consequences happened on the night of May 26th, 1905, in the Tsushima Strait—the wide stretch of open water between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 2. “It’s of No Use Whatsoever”
Abstract
Inventors seem to come in two basic categories: the first group includes those who are simply happy to tinker with something new and enticing, whilst the second group perceives the potential value of their inventions, and strive to commercialize them as soon as possible. The early history of wireless communications has prominent examples of both categories.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 3. Radio at War
Abstract
As soon as Marconi’s marine radios became available, the Navies of the world saw the potential of being able to transmit messages to and from ships on the open seas. Eventually, the utilization of wireless communications developed into an essential part of all warfare.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 4. The Golden Age of Wireless
Abstract
Finding a way to modulate radio waves with sound not only simplified the communications process, but it also gave birth to the very first media empires of the world, thanks to a novel form of unidirectional wireless communications: broadcasting.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 5. Mesmerized by the Moving Image
Abstract
A combination of an inquisitive young mind, lots of spare time and inspiring reading has propelled many inventors into their successful careers. For a twelve-year-old youngster called Philo T. Farnsworth, this kind of fruitful cohesion happened after his family moved to a large farm in Rigby, Idaho, in 1918. These humble beginnings eventually led to the invention of electronic television.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 6. Highways in the Sky
Abstract
Wireless technologies are not only for enabling communications: they play an important behind-the-scenes part in aiding millions and millions of passengers get safely from A to B daily, by land, sea or air.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 7. Traffic Jam Over the Equator
Abstract
For high-bandwidth wireless intercontinental communications, there's only one viable solution: satellites.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 8. The Hockey Stick Years
Abstract
Cellular networks are now everywhere, but it took almost fifty years to get them from theory to a system that is used by billions of people daily. Some companies made fortunes in the process, only to fail in keeping up with the rapidly changing business environment.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 9. The American Way
Abstract
Although the United States had managed to build a comprehensive first-generation analog network, the major shift to digital suddenly seemed to happen elsewhere. This situation led to a very different development history in the North American market.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 10. Internet in Your Pocket
Abstract
Another huge technological development had been happening in parallel to the ongoing digital revolution in mobile phones: the large-scale utilization of the Internet. Marrying these two technologies would provide yet another, huge revenue stream for both operators and device manufacturers.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 11. Home Sweet Home
Abstract
The process of resurrecting yesterday's stale pizza has more in common with wireless short range communications than most of us expect.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 12. “Please Identify Yourself”
Abstract
There are several use cases in which remote interrogation is extremely useful, and electromagnetic waves provide many different ways for doing this, from locating airplanes to identifying runaway pets.
Petri Launiainen
Chapter 13. Let There Be Light
Abstract
Although visible and infrared light appear to behave very differently from more conventional radio waves, they are still part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and can therefore be utilized for various communication purposes, some of which are very ubiquitous indeed.
Petri Launiainen
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
A Brief History of Everything Wireless
Author
Petri Launiainen
Copyright Year
2018
Electronic ISBN
978-3-319-78910-1
Print ISBN
978-3-319-78909-5
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78910-1

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