engineerguy

Introduction to a short series of three videos that takes a "snackable" look at the failure of three famous engineered objects: The Bell System's PicturePhone, which lost the company a half billion dollars, but nearly created the internet; the Dvorak keyboard, which is faster than our current QWERTY arrangement, but failed to gain traction in the marketplace; and the technically superb Betamax video cassette recorder, which lost to an inferior VHS-format machine. Transcripts at http://www.engineerguy.com/failure

How Bell Telephone's PicturePhone, introduced in 1964, flopped yet nearly catalyzed the internet. Technically, it was an amazing achievement: Bell used the existing twisted-pair copper wire of the telephone network -- not broadband lines like today -- to produce black and white video on a screen about five inches square. And, amazingly for the time, it used a CCD-based-camera. It was meant to be the most revolutionary communication medium of the century, driving subscribers to purchase broadband lines, but failed miserably as a consumer product costing Bell a half billion dollars. This is one of three videos in a series on marketplace failures of technological objects. http://www.engineerguy.com/failure.

In 1976 Sony introduced the Betamax video cassette recorder. It catalyzed the "on demand" of today by allowing users to record television shows, and the machine ignited the first "new media" intellectual property battles. In only a decade this revolutionary machine disappeared, beaten by JVS's version of the cassette recorder. This video tells the story of why Betamax failed. This is one of three videos in a series on marketplace failures of technological objects. http://www.engineerguy.com/failure.

Perhaps no technological failure is better known than that of the Dvorak keyboard. Since the early 1870s nearly every typewriter used a keyboard with a QWERTY layout, yet most studies show the Dvorak arrangement of keys to be faster. This videos probes the underlying reasons that this arrangement failed to make headway in the marketplace. This video tells the story of why the Dvorak keyboard failed. This is one of three videos in a series on marketplace failures of technological objects. http://www.engineerguy.com/failure.

Bill describes how the household drip coffee maker evolved. This was originally broadcast on August 29, 2000. Visit this link to view complete list of media attributions: http://goo.gl/fmGESM. Watch the related EngineerGuy video on how a drip coffee maker works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j4Q_YBRJEI

In this radio commentary, Bill tells the story of the origins of an engineering marvel found at every amusement park, the Ferris Wheel. This radio piece was first broadcast February 15, 2005. Visit this link to view complete list of media attributions http://goo.gl/fmGESM.

In this radio commentary, Bill discusses the theremin, and how it lead to one the music industry's most fundamental assets, the electronic synthesizer. This was originally broadcast on December 26, 2000. Visit this link to view complete list of media attributions http://goo.gl/fmGESM.

Bill tells us about packaging, a sub-discipline of engineering that is essential to our society. This radio commentary was originally broadcast on November 30, 2004. Visit this link to view complete list of media attributions http://goo.gl/fmGESM.

Bill tells the story of how George Eastman invented film. Its use in the Brownie camera revolutionized photography; that it changed the way American families think of themselves and recall their own histories.

Bill explains how the rise of home air conditioning had to battle the open air movements in public school: They regarded it as only for factories where it was first introduced. Only when movie theatres added air conditioning in the 1930 and 1940s did it become popular for the home.

Bill nominates, perhaps only provocatively, James Bosnack's cigarette machine as the invention with the greatest economic impact on the 20th century. Cigarettes, as compared to pipes and cigars, are and the most direct way to deliver nicotine to the brain. Bosnack's machine made the mass production of cigarettes possible. The use of cigarettes, of course, has taken a tremendous human and economic toll. (The quotations are from Tastes of Paradise by Wolfgang Shivelbusch published by Pantheon, New York, 1992.)

► Learn more at: http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier ► Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983966176/ ► Buy the posters on Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/engineerguy ► Main videos in the series: (2/4) Synthesis:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmVDxkia_w (3/4) Analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dW6VYXp9HM (4/4) Operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfH-NbsmvD4 ► Bonus videos: Books and Posters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgTwrblClQ Page-by-Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMHw9GCAtE8 Spinning Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQwKRt4Y2k Rocker Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mBuyixt22U This introduction to the series Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

► Learn more at: http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier ► Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983966176/ ► Buy the posters on Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/engineerguy ► Main videos in the series: (1/4) Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAsM30MAHLg (2/4) Synthesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmVDxkia_w (3/4) Analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dW6VYXp9HM ► Bonus videos: Books and Posters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgTwrblClQ Page-by-Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMHw9GCAtE8 Spinning Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQwKRt4Y2k Rocker Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mBuyixt22U This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

► Get the FREE PDF here: http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier ► Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983966176/ ► Buy the posters on Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/engineerguy ► Main videos in the series: (1/4) Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAsM30MAHLg (2/4) Synthesis:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmVDxkia_w (3/4) Analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dW6VYXp9HM (4/4) Operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfH-NbsmvD4 ► Bonus videos: Books and Posters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgTwrblClQ Spinning Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQwKRt4Y2k Rocker Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mBuyixt22U This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

► Learn more at: http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier ► Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983966176/ ► Buy the posters on Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/engineerguy ► Other videos in the series: (1/4) Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAsM30MAHLg (3/4) Analysis:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dW6VYXp9HM (4/4) Operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfH-NbsmvD4 ► Bonus videos: Books and Posters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgTwrblClQ Page-by-Page:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMHw9GCAtE8 Spinning Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQwKRt4Y2k Rocker Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mBuyixt22U This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

► Learn more at: http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier ► Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983966176/ ► Buy the posters on Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/engineerguy ► Main videos in the series: (1/4) Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAsM30MAHLg (2/4) Synthesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmVDxkia_w (4/4) Operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfH-NbsmvD4 ► Bonus videos: Books and Posters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgTwrblClQ Page-by-Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMHw9GCAtE8 Spinning Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQwKRt4Y2k Rocker Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mBuyixt22U This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.