num_pages: 158
description: In 1949, a British engineer proposed a radical solution to one of the biggest problems in the implementation of microwave technology. Microwaves were seen as a potential medium for transmitting messages over long distances, but the signals traveled only in a straight line. The problem was how many towers to construct to relay the signals over long distances as the earth curved away form the signals. Because taller towers could relay the signals over longer distances the popular solution involved computing the best trade off between tower height and the number of towers needed. This engineer's solution was radically different. He proposed that the ideal height for a microwave relay station was 22,300 miles above the earth, where it could appear to be fixed in a "geosynchronous" orbit - orbiting at the same relative speed as the earth revolved beneath it. His calculations indicated that only three such orbiting relay stations would be necessary to allow communication to and from any point on earth. It took over 30 years for the realization of Arthur C. Clarke's idea. His is a perfect example of a paradigm shift in communication. Other paradigm shifts have also resulted from the invention of the computer, the transistor, the microprocessor, and the personal computer. The purpose of this book is to explore a range of ideas that have the potential to lead to future paradigm shifts. We know that technology is evolving at a rapid rate, but it is almost impossible to predict the exact direction from which the next paradigm will emerge. This book represents 18 ideas that could result in paradigm shifts. The only criterion for inclusion in this book is that an idea had to represent a significant departure from the norm in exploring a new technology or application. The next generation of paradigm shifts in communication technology is going to start as "blue sky" ideas, evolving from dreams into reality.
language: English
title: Blue Sky: Dreams and Imagination in Creating 21st Century Communication Technology
titlecomplete: Blue Sky: Dreams and Imagination in Creating 21st Century Communication Technology
publisher: Nova Science Pub Inc