Electronic Brains [Paperback]

Mike Hally (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2006

By the 1960s, IBM had beaten all rivals and dominated the world computer market. But IBM came late to the race. From the 1930s to the 1960s, small, independent teams on four continents worked on the development of the first modern computers. From interviews with surviving members of those original teams, the author builds up a picture of the eccentric men and women who laid the foundations for the computerised world we now live in, recreating the atmosphere of those early days. Some of the early projects, such as "LEO", the Lyons Electronic Office, developed by the catering company J Lyons and Co in London in the 1940s, are now famous, others, such as the RAND 409, constructed in a barn in Connecticut under the watchful eye of a stuffed moose, almost unknown. This fascinating and engaging book describes these and other projects that came and went in the years before IBM ruled the world, including the Phillips Hydraulic Economics Computer, or MONIAC, which perfectly demonstrated the workings of the economy by way of coloured water flowing through plastic tubes and the UNIVAC, which became a household name when, live on television, it correctly predicted the results of the 1952 US presidential election.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspired by a popular BBC radio series of the same name, this book details the post-war computer development boom, concentrating on the personalities instead of the technology, and blending human interest with history in a lighthearted way that will appeal to technophiles and Luddites alike. With its global emphasis, the book chronicles Australian, UK, American and Soviet computer pioneers, and touches on social issues like the Cold War and IBM's business relationship with Nazi Germany. In the book's best (and final) essay, "It's Not About Being First: The Rise and Rise of IBM," Hally deftly handles decades of Big Blue's complex engineering, political and business history, revealing how the computing giant's business practices changed with the technology it created. Major historical events serve as the backdrop to Hally's history; The Manhattan Project's atomic researches, presidential elections, wars and revolutions all figure into the computer's development. The book has its techie moments, but this is an informative and entertaining read for anyone who's ever wondered about the evolution of computers from vacuum-tube-filled, moth-cooking, multi-ton calculators to iPods and wafer thin laptops.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

There is disagreement about who invented the first computer; what is not disputed is that there are only a few candidates for the distinction. Hally corrals them into this nontechnical history of the computer's infancy in the 1940s and early 1950s. The work's genesis was a BBC radio program Hally hosted; keeping the popular spirit, he focuses more on people than on binary arithmetic. There's John Atanasoff, a fast-cars-and-bars guy who cobuilt a rudimentary calculating machine. Later he got into a legal snit with John Mauchly, a project leader of the fabled ENIAC, which was obsolete before it was built, so fast was the theory and technology of computers changing in the 1940s. Hally jots down what mathematician John von Neumann designed--the basic architecture of today's computers--but lingers over people he interviewed about their machines. Thus, Hally offers much original material in this computer history, with strange facts about a catering company's role and obscure but pioneering machines built in Ukraine and Australia. A readable, welcoming portal to its topic. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Granta Books (April 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862078394
• ISBN-13: 978-1862078390
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,665,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful historical narrative on computers development, March 4, 2006

By 

hapixii (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electronic Brains: Stories from the Dawn of the Computer Age (Hardcover)

This book is informative and easy to read. It reviews the history of computers development. The first attempt at developing electronic computers was carried out by John Atanasoff, a mathematics professor at Iowa State College in 1937. Atanasoff joined by Clifford Berry built a prototype in 1939, which was called the ABC machine. Atanasoff, however did not recognize the importance of his development, and moved on to other jobs. John Mauchly, a physics professor at University of Pennsylvania during World War II and Presper Eckert an electric engineer, were the first people who entertained serious thoughts about creating an electronic computer. They developed it with funding from the US Army, which wanted to speed up the calculations of ballistic tables for new weapons destined the war effort. Atanasoff and Mauchley first met at a conference on December 26, 1940. This meeting led to a discussion about mutual interests and Atanasoff `s machine, however Mauchley proved to be a lot more dedicated for the development of an electronic computer.

After the war, Mauchley and Eckert left the university of Pennsylvania and set up a small company, the Electronic Control Company at Philadelphia, PA. Mauchley assisted by a team of dedicated and technically competent people continued the development for electronic computers, however many people did not see the need for computers and the company was beset financial difficulties. Ultimately they were successful in developing a Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) for the Census Bureau, which helped speed up 1950 US census. In the eyes of the general public computers was at best a curiosity. This perception started changing after CBS used the UNIVAC services for forecasting the 1952 US Presidential elections.

Resistance to change, new ideas and innovation is a well-known phenomenon. Organizations, communities and nations experience it in varying degrees at different times. The development of the computer was no exception. Mauchley was an optimistic person endowed with an entrepreneurial spirit. His perseverance, drive, and vision blazed the trail for the development of computers, but he and his company did not make it as financial successes. Remington Rand acquired his Electronic Control Company and several companies pursued further development.

The British LEO development of the computers provides a great example for the importance of confidence and enlightened leadership.It opened the door for using the computers in business and systems applications, such as payroll, inventory management, and accounting. The Australian development of the computer, also steeped in the traditions of open-minded inquiry, developed the first computer-generated music and the first college courses in numerical methods.

The book's narration of the history of development of computers at the former USSR is useful and in my view instructive. The USSR inherited a well-educated class, from which many scientists achieved international renown from Czarist Russia. However, computer development at the USSR encountered resistance from an "ideological environment", which rejected the whole field of cybernetics. Soviet scientists developed several interesting concepts and machines in support of their defense industries, however the communist ideological bent that rejected freedom and open-minded inquiry hampered the full potential of Soviet scientists. Ultimately the Soviets computer development fizzled and they decided to imitate the American IBM 360 computer system. Political ideologies such as fascism, communism and now militant Islam, suffer from intrinsic weaknesses that reject freedom and open-minded inquiry that ultimately lead to their defeat.

Last but not least the narrative about the early success of IBM in the computer business is worth noting. In the early 20th century, IBM was a big company that overpowered its competition, which at times used questionable business practices. However, Thomas J. Watson, Sr. embraced a vision of growth against great odds during the 1930's depression and expectations of economic slowdown after World War II. Watson came up with IBM's motto "Think" and nurtured an organizational culture that valued knowledge and employees.His vision of growth and faith in his people were major factors in IBM's early success in the computer market.

This book primarily narrates the history of the computer development. The narrative pays tribute to the accomplishments of many scientists, engineers, military and business leaders from different nations, cultures and political ideologies.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers the period just after World war II when modern computers were developed, December 4, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electronic Brains: Stories from the Dawn of the Computer Age (Hardcover)

Mike Hally's Electronic Brains: Stories From The Dawn Of The Computer Age covers the period just after World war II when modern computers were developed, examining some of the world's first 'techies' and projects which fostered computer discoveries. Author Mike Hally traveled around the world interviewing surviving members of early computer teams and researchers, and provides a series of rich descriptions from their experiences, paired with a lively history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Lay History of the Early Days of Computers, September 1, 2006

By 

Jacob Hugart (Saint Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Electronic Brains: Stories from the Dawn of the Computer Age (Hardcover)

I have a Computer Science degree, but you don't need one in order to appreciate this book. It is a collection of stories about different computers, companies, and people from the early days of electronic digital computers (although there is a story about an analog, hydraulic one!) in the middle 20th century. And it isn't only US computers: The UK, Australia, and the USSR are also represented.

Anyone who enjoys non-fiction and has a curiosity about origins will like this book; anyone who enjoys computers and tinkering will appreciate the stories it contains. Even business people might crack a smile at some of the practices in the days before Bill Gates existed.

The stories are not highly technical, but the book is not a children's book; it is definitely suitable for high school age and above. There are some pictures, but most of the enjoyment comes from the extensive quotations by people who were actually there at the time. These are so integral because, before this was a book, it was a BBC Radio production. The result is a very readable and intelligent volume that is definitely worth a read.