[sdiy] Happy 100th To The Vacuum Tube

[Scott Gravenhorst]

>From http://slashdot.org

"Science: Happy 100th To The Vacuum Tube
Technology
Posted by timothy on Monday November 15, @09:59PM
from the vacuums-don't-suck dept.
williamw83 writes "Today, November 16, 2004 has been declared as the
centennial of the birth of modern electronics by the American Vacuum
Society. As the AIP Physics News Update reports, this marks 'British
scientist John Ambrose Fleming's 1904 invention of the first practical
electronic device. Known as the thermionic diode, this first simple vacuum
tube, containing only two electrodes, could be used to convert an
alternating current (AC) to a direct current (DC).' Today's celebration
takes place as part of the AVS's 51st Annual Symposium & Exhibition in
Anaheim, CA. Being a guitar player myself, I've come to truly appreciate
the technology of the vacuum tube every time I crank up my amplifier. This
100-year-old grandfather of electronics, used by musicians and audiophiles
across the world, has proven that profound advances in technology do not
always render old technologies obsolete.""

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