Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Santa Clara Valley Historical Association
• VHS Release Date: October 1, 1999
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B00004RG8O
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,239 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A history of technology that everyone should know, June 28, 2006

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Silicon Valley: A 100 Year Renaissance [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If there is a center of the technical universe, it is without question the area of California known as Silicon Valley. For many reasons, it has been the place that nearly all of the major brains in creating and marketing computers managed to migrate to. This tape will teach you those reasons, as well as allow you to be a passenger in a recreation of the actions of what is probably the greatest concentration of creative talent that the world has ever seen.
Fundamentally, it all begins with Stanford University, the educational institution from which much of the original talent emanated. In the public mind, MIT and Cal Tech are the most recognized technical universities, but the truth is that Stanford is where the most technical innovation was grandfathered. The first tape deals with the establishment of Stanford University and how the early pioneers of the electronics industry were lured to the valley.
However, it is the second tape that is by far the most interesting. It is here where we meet and hear about the people that built a multi-billion dollar industry in only a few years. Unlike other places in the world, the counter-culture environment in California, where competitors shared knowledge and problems, was ideal for the rapid development of new products. In fact, it can be strongly argued that this environment was essential for the incredible pace of the development of the microprocessor.
Without a doubt, the most fascinating segment deals with the development of the Apple computer by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. It is almost impossible to overstate the significance of Wozniak's accomplishments when he put together the hardware of the Apple. However, it was the drive of Jobs that made Apple Computer, for he was the one with the courage, foresight and panache to realize the significance of their creation. He, more than anyone else, understood how they were changing the world.
In terms of amazement, it is incredible to hear how little initial capital was used to start some of the companies that are now worth billions. Many of the people were literally down to their last few thousand dollars before their products began to sell and generate revenue. In fact, some took orders with prepayment and then used that money to buy the parts that they assembled into the products.
I watched this tape twice and was just as amazed the second time, even though I knew most of the story before I ever saw the tape. Thousands of years from now, humans will no doubt forget many things about the invention of new products. However, I doubt that humans will ever forget the magic of Silicon Valley and the incredible people who made it happen. Everyone should know this story, and this tape should be required viewing in history and technology classes. I have strongly recommended it to a history professor friend of mine.

Published in Mathematics and Computer Education, reprinted with permission