Available online
Description
'Diamonds, Rust and a Handful of Sand' is an 8 part radio series about the historical development of electronics in the 20th Century, told in the words of the pioneers, including many specially rec...orded interviews with the early workers in the field. To most people in the 1950's, the word 'transistor' meant a portable radio rather than the clever electronic device that was inside it. Philip Ashby presents a radio history of both - from the 1948 invention of the device in Bell Labs in the US, to the development and marketing of one of Britain's first transistor radios - the Perdio. In two specially recorded interviews, with John Pierce of Bell Labs, and Rod Berman, who worked with Perdio, the atmosphere of those times is evoked. Philip Ashby, who presents the programme, gives enough of the technical details for non-technical people to follow the story, and there are excerpts from the BBC's radio archive to remind us of the contemporary reactions. The programme also features a short talk by the late William Schockley, Nobel prize-winner, and one of the Bell Labs original team, again from the BBC archive.
'Diamonds, Rust and a Handful of Sand' is an 8 part radio series about the historical development of electronics in the 20th Century, told in the words of the pioneers, including many specially rec...orded interviews with the early workers in the field. To most people in the 1950's, the word 'transistor' meant a portable radio rather than the clever electronic device that was inside it. Philip Ashby presents a radio history of both - from the 1948 invention of the device in Bell Labs in the US, to the development and marketing of one of Britain's first transistor radios - the Perdio. In two specially recorded interviews, with John Pierce of Bell Labs, and Rod Berman, who worked with Perdio, the atmosphere of those times is evoked. Philip Ashby, who presents the programme, gives enough of the technical details for non-technical people to follow the story, and there are excerpts from the BBC's radio archive to remind us of the contemporary reactions. The programme also features a short talk by the late William Schockley, Nobel prize-winner, and one of the Bell Labs original team, again from the BBC archive.
| Series: | Diamonds, rust and a handful of sand; Series 1 |
|---|---|
| Episode | 4 |
| First transmission date: | 1995-02-26 |
| Published: | 1995 |
| Rights Statement: | Rights owned or controlled by The Open University |
| Restrictions on use: | This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OUDA web pages. |
| Duration: | 00:29:30 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Philip Ashby |
| Contributors: | Philip Ashby; Rod Berman; John Pierce |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | 1950's; Bell Labs, USA; Contemporary reactions; Perdio |
| Master spool number: | 94YT0271 |
| Production number: | T005_04 |
| Available to public: | no |
