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06/22/05 17:16
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#95619 - tribute
Responding to: ???'s previous message
It is with sadness that I write these few words to commemorate Jack Kilby, the inventor of the integrated circuit. The day before Jack passed away, something very interesting happened to me; it is a matter of conjecture as to whether this was a premonition of his passing, or whether I was just interested in the biography of this great man. Only a few hours before he passed away, I had a very strong urge to read his online biography once again. When I was reading about his life, I felt a great sadness pass over me, and I pondered about how short the human life is and how much we get accomplished in the ephemeral time that human beings live on this earth. A few days later, I was shocked to read about his passing, and I remembered that I had thought about his great contribution only a few hours before he had passed away.
Jack Kilby was truly someone who witnessed the development of his idea while he was still alive. It has often been remarked that most inventors only receive recognition after they have died, but Jack was certainly a person who had the opportunity to enjoy the changes that he made in the world. Although I have never met Jack Kilby, I can imagine some of the things that he might have done in his life. He might have worn a wristwatch that contained an integrated circuit. He probably had the opportunity to watch television. He might have even operated a personal computer. All of these things depend on his invention. Even the existence of this online forum has its origins in the integrated circuit. To be an electrical engineer now requires that one has a good knowledge of integrated circuits. Certainly, many things have changed since Jack Kilby proposed his powerful idea.
On June 21, 2005, in the province of Alberta, Canada, a tornado had been sighted by some observers, and this was correlated by data collected from weather satellites. In addition, during this month, flooding has occurred in a number of areas of Alberta. It is truly a testimony to Jack Kilby that his technology is being used in a myriad of ways to help people in these areas by remote sensing and telecommunications. This technology is also helping people the entire world over, and it may help us to ultimately break down the friction of distance that separates both people and cultures the entire world over. We thus have a greater ability to become much closer to other people because of his invention.
I am currently writing this tribute on a laptop computer. When I click “send” on the button below, these characters will get transferred, in a very seamless manner, to the server that hosts the 8052 forum. Truly, Jack Kilby’s technology enables us, as human beings, to become closer together; and it also enables us to communicate across space and time.

Thank you for making our life the way that it is, Jack. We miss you terribly, and we thank you for all that you have done.

Nicholas Kinar




List of 22 messages in thread
TopicAuthorDate
Jack St Clair Kilby            01/01/70 00:00      
   broken link?            01/01/70 00:00      
      Moral            01/01/70 00:00      
      try the following            01/01/70 00:00      
         Three cheers to Jack!            01/01/70 00:00      
            designers of 8048            01/01/70 00:00      
   I was thinking            01/01/70 00:00      
      Already at TI            01/01/70 00:00      
         maybe we could have our own            01/01/70 00:00      
            Consider this thread as the forum            01/01/70 00:00      
   tribute            01/01/70 00:00      
      Remember this too            01/01/70 00:00      
   Altruism            01/01/70 00:00      
      Hm            01/01/70 00:00      
         Tribute to Jack St Clair Kilby            01/01/70 00:00      
      Stupid, isn't it?            01/01/70 00:00      
         Get real.            01/01/70 00:00      
         It is sad to discuss such things            01/01/70 00:00      
            Sad?            01/01/70 00:00      
      factories            01/01/70 00:00      
   comment            01/01/70 00:00      
      broken link            01/01/70 00:00      

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