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It Was Either Wash the Windows, or This

You Can’t Go Home Again, a Requiem for the Holmdel Bell Labs

Arial view of the Holmdel Bell Labs, possibly taken in 2007.

Photo taken on 12/7/2010

My company holiday party / quarterly meeting took place this past week at the Robert B. Meyner reception center at PNC Bank Arts Center x116 off of the garden state parkway.

Just around the corner from the former Holmdel Bell Labs.

Where I had the best summer job ever as a Senior Technical Associate, the summer after my junior year in college.

So of course I drove over for a visit.

It was so sad.

I knew that after the breakup of AT&T, Bell Labs as it was then, no longer existed, but I did not know what I would find.

The place was deserted. I drove up to the building which had been the labs. The one guard let me in to tell me I couldn’t come in. And he wouldn’t let me take a picture. But I did get a good look.

Even though it looked like a ruin, I remembered the atrium clearly. (As opposed to my recent visit to CCNY which mostly didn’t even look familiar.)

Amazingly, I do not have a single picture from when I worked there. Back in those days I did not have a blog so I did not walk around with a camera surgically attached at the hip like I do now. Also, back in those days, you used to take a picture on "film" and you sometimes didn't get the picture developed for months because it sat in the camera until you finished the "roll".

But here are some pictures of the atrium I found on the web.

This is how it looked back in the day:
and this is how it looked last week, but without the trees.

It turns out that the building was in use until 2006 by Alcatel-Lucent, when it was sold. Developers were going to raze it to build an office park, a housing division, or some other piece of NJ style junk. A public outcry was able to stop the building from being razed and the rest if the area from being "developed". The site seems to be in limbo now.

Not only did I remember the atrium, I remembered the duck pond in the photo on top.

I did not remember the "transistor" water tower.


More info on Bell Labs from http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/wps/portal/BellLabs: (Don't bother looking for my name. It is not on the list.)

Researchers at Bell Labs have received numerous awards, including seven Nobel Prizes in physics, nine U.S. national Medals of Science, seven U.S. National Medals of Technology, two Draper Prizes, an Emmy, a Grammy, and an Academy Award. Our scientists and engineers have played a pivotal role in inventing or perfecting most of the key communications technologies in use today, including:
• the transistor, which ushered in the digital age
• the charge-coupled device (CCD) which made digital imaging and portable video possible
• the UNIX computer operating system, which is the foundation of the Internet
• the C computer programming language
• the laser
• communication satellites
• cellular telephony
• IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem), the new architecture for converged communication networks and services



Internationally recognized as the world's preeminent industrial research facility and as a center of scientific and engineering excellence, few institutions have had as great an impact on modern society as Bell Labs. Our scientists and engineers have earned thousands of awards, including:
• 7 Nobel Prizes in Physics shared by 13 scientists
• 9 U.S. Medals of Science
• 12 U.S. Medals of Technology
• 2 Draper Prizes
• 1 GRAMMY® Award
• 8 Marconi International Fellowship Awards
• 7 C&C Prizes shared by 12 scientists and engineers
• 28 IEEE Medal of Honor winners
Nobel Prize in Physics
Thirteen researchers have received Nobel Prizes in Physics for work done while they were at Bell Labs. The Nobel Prize is the world's most coveted award in intellectual achievement. Categories for awards are physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics. The awards honor Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist and philanthropist. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry since 1901.
• Charge Coupled Device (CCD) (2009): Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their invention and development of the charge-coupled device (CCD), a technology that transforms patterns of light into useful digital information and is the basis for many forms of modern imaging.
• Fractional Quantum Hall Effect (1998): Horst Stormer, Robert Laughlin (now at Stanford University), and Daniel Tsui (now at Princeton University), were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery and explanation of the fractional quantum Hall effect.
• Optical Trapping (1997): Steven Chu (now at Stanford University), shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics. He was cited for developing methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.
• Radio Astronomy (1978): Arno A. Penzias (now retired from Bell Labs) and Robert W. Wilson shared the Nobel Prize in Physics. Penzias and Wilson were cited for their discovery of faint background radiation remaining from the "big bang" explosion that gave birth to the universe billions of years ago.
• Improved Understanding of Local Electronic States in Solids (1977): Philip W. Anderson shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for developing an improved understanding of the electronic structure of glass and magnetic materials.
• Transistor (1956): John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain and William Shockley received the Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the transistor in 1947.
• Wave Nature of Matter (1937): Clinton J. Davisson shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating the wave nature of matter. His fundamental work is part of the foundation for much of today's solid-state electronics.
Four scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics who once worked at Bell Labs:
• 1996: Sir Harold Kroto of the University of Sussex shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Rice University professors Richard Smalley and Robert Curl, who in 1985 discovered the forms of carbon now known as buckminsterfullerenes, fullerenes, or just "buckyballs." Kroto had a one-year postdoctoral assignment at Bell Labs in 1966-67, before he did his Nobel-winning work.
• 1996: Douglas C. Osheroff, a Bell Labs researcher for 15 years, shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for work he did at Cornell University as a graduate student on the behavior of helium at extremely low temperatures.
• 1981: Arthur L. Schawlow received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his "contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy." Schawlow invented the laser with Charles H. Townes while at Bell Labs in 1958.
• 1964: Charles H. Townes shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with A. Prokhorov and N. Basov of the Lebedev Institute in Moscow for "fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle." Townes invented the laser with Arthur L. Schawlow while a consultant at Bell Labs in 1958.
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science was established by the United States Congress in 1959. The medal is awarded by the U.S. President to individuals "deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences." The awards, administered by the U.S. National Science Foundation, have been awarded to nine Bell Labs researchers.
• C. Kumar Patel (1996) for his invention of the carbon dioxide laser, which led to numerous scientific, industrial, and medical applications.
• James Flanagan (1996) for bringing engineering techniques and speech science together to solve basic problems in speech communication.
• Alfred Y. Cho (1993) For his pioneering work in the development of molecular beam epitaxy, which revolutionized thin film growth making possible atomically accurate structures for electronic and optoelectronic devices, and for the study of new quantum phenomena.
• William O. Baker (1988) For pioneering studies of the complex relationships between the molecular structures and physical properties of polymers, for his distinguished record of leadership in the combined disciplines of science and engineering, and for distinguished service to government and education.
• Solomon J. Buchsbaum (1986) for his contributions to national science and technology policy.
• Philip Anderson (1982) for his fundamental and comprehensive contributions to the theoretical understanding of condensed matter.
• Rudolph Kompfner (1974) for his invention of the traveling-wave tube and for major contributions to communication satellites and to optical communications.
• John R. Tukey (1973) for his studies in mathematical and theoretical statistics, and for his outstanding contributions to the application of statistics to the physical, social, and engineering sciences.
• John R. Pierce (1963) for outstanding contributions to communications theory, electron optics and traveling wave tubes, and for the analysis leading to world-wide radio communications using artificial earth satellites.
National Medal of Technology
The National Medal of Technology is presented by the United States President to individuals, teams, or companies, for accomplishments in the innovation, development, commercialization, and management of technology, made evident by the establishment of new or significantly improved products, processes, or services. The medal, administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been awarded to Bell Labs as an organization and to seven Bell Labs researchers.
• Herwig Kogelnik (2006) for his pioneering contributions and leadership in the development of lasers, optoelectronics, integrated optics and lightwave communications systems.
• James E. West (2006) for co-inventing the electret microphone with Gerhard Sessler while working at the Bell Labs.
• Alfred Y. Cho (2005) for his contributions to the invention of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and his continuing work to refine it into a commercial process. MBE ‘grows’ ordered materials one atomic layer at a time, allowing engineering of the highly precise semiconductor components needed for advanced electronics and photonics.
• Arun Netravali (2002) for pioneering contributions in digital image and video compression technology.
• Kenneth Thompson and Dennis Ritchie (1998) for creating the UNIX* operating system and C Language.
• Richard H. Frenkiel and Joel S. Engel (1994) for their fundamental contributions to the theory, design, and development of cellular mobile communications systems.
• Amos Joel (1993) For his vision, inventiveness and perseverance in introducing technological advances in telecommunications, particularly in switching, that have had a major impact on the evolution of the telecommunications industry in the U.S. and worldwide.
• W. Lincoln Hawkins (1992) For his invention and contribution to the commercialization of long-lived plastic coatings for communications cable that has saved billions of dollars for telephone companies around the world; and for his leadership in encouraging minorities to pursue science and engineering careers.
• John S. Mayo (1990) for providing the technological foundation for information age communications and for overseeing the conversion of the national switched telephone network from analog to digital-based technology.
• Bell Laboratories (1985) for contributions over decades to modern communications systems. It was the first institution recognized with this honor.
Draper Prize
The Charles Stark Draper Prize, awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, recognizes outstanding engineering achievements that have contributed to the welfare and freedom of humanity. It is considered the world's highest engineering prize.
• Willard Boyle and Dr. George Smith (2006) For their invention and development of the charge-coupled device, or CCD, which transforms patterns of light into useful digital information, The CCD is the key enabling technology in many forms of modern imaging including its universal use in digital cameras, video cameras, endoscopy, astronomy, bar code readers, and image scanners (e.g., copy machines)
• John MacChesney (1999) for his invention and development of the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process, a world standard for optical-fiber manufacturing.
Marconi International Fellowship Awards
Eight Bell Labs researchers have won the Marconi International Fellowship Award. The Fellowships, based out of Columbia University, New York, N.Y., are granted to individuals who have made significant contribution to the advancement of communications or knowledge transfer through scientific or technological discoveries or innovations.
• Andrew Chraplyvy and Robert Tkach (2009) for their insights into how information is transmitted over optical networks and for finding innovative ways to significantly increase the speed and capacity of optical fiber communications systems.
• Herwig Kogelnik (2001) for his work as a pioneer in the development of fiber optic technology - work that has revolutionized modern telecommunications.
• Izuo Hayashi (1993) for his pioneering contributions to optoelectronic technology, including the first room-temperature continuous-wave semiconductor injection laser with double heterostructure, highly reliable lasers for optical communication, optical memory, and many other applications, as well as for his life contribution to communications science.
• James L. Flanagan (1992) for his contributions to the development of signal coding algorithms used in telecommunications, voice-mail systems, and techniques for automatic speech synthesis and recognition. In addition, Flanagan invented autodirective microphone arrays for use in teleconferencing and pioneered the use of computers for acoustic signal processing.
• Robert W. Lucky (1987) for the invention of the adaptive equalizer while at Bell Labs. This invention is a technique for correcting distortion in telephone signals, and is today used in all high-speed data transmissions. Lucky also is well respected for his popularized writings about public use of communications technology.
• John R. Pierce (1979) for advances in space and satellite technologies relevant to improving world communications. Pierce was the first person carefully to evaluate the various technical options in satellite communications and its financial prospects. While at Bell Labs, he designed and was responsible for the launch of the first active communications satellite, Telstar I. His work has resulted in the theoretical development of the possibilities of communications satellites and of broadband digital transmissions via pulse code modulations and multivalent signals. Pierce is well known for his many books that explain clearly the science and technology of communications.
• Arthur L. Schawlow (1977) for his research in the fields of optical and microwave spectroscopy, nuclear quadrupole resonance superconductivity, and lasers. Schawlow, along with Charles H. Townes, invented the laser in 1958. While working at Bell Labs, they succeeded in extending the maser principle of amplifying electromagnetic waves into the shorter wavelengths of infrared and visible light. Schawlow won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1981.
C&C Prize
Twelve Bell Labs scientists and engineers have been honored with the C&C (Computers and Communication) Prize, awarded by the NEC Corporation. This award recognizes individuals who are pioneers in the field of computers and communication technologies.
• George Smith and Willard Boyle (1999) For their invention of the charge-coupled device (CCD), a light-sensitive integrated circuit used in a wide variety of uses, primarily in imaging.
• Arun Netravali (1997) For pioneering contributions in digital image and video compression technology.
• Alfred Y. Cho (1995) for pioneering development of the Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) crystal growth process, a technology that is revolutionizing high-performance optoelectronics and electronics for computers and communications.
• Jack M. Sipress (1991) for leadership in the development of high-speed digital fiberguide systems that span the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, thereby making possible global digital connectivity over high-capacity optical systems.
• Dennis M. Ritchie and Kenneth L. Thompson (1989) for creating the UNIX* operating system and C programming language.
• John S. Mayo, Eric E. Sumner, and M. Robert Aaron (1988) for pioneering contributions to establishing a basic technology for digital communications by developing the world's first practical commercial high-speed digital communications system, T-1.
• Izuo Hayashi and Morton B. Panish (1986) for conceiving and developing the first room-temperature continuous-wave semiconductor injection laser with double heterostructure.
IEEE Medal of Honor
A number of scientists who were associated with Bell Labs during the course of their careers have received the IEEE Medal of Honor. Each year, IEEE awards the medal, which is the highest honor in the electrical engineering community, to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field. The recipients associated with Bell Labs include:
• Herwig Kogelnik (2001)
• Alfred Y. Cho (1994)
• Amos E. Joel, Jr. (1992)
• C. Kumar Patel (1989)
• John Wilder Tukey (1982)
• Sidney Darlington (1981)
• William Shockley (1980)
• H. Earle Vaughan (1977)
• John R. Pierce (1975)
• Rudolf Kompfner (1973)
• John Bardeen (1971)
• Charles H. Townes (1967)
• Claude E. Shannon (1966)
• George C. Southworth (1963)
• Harry Nyquist (1960)
• H. T. Friis (1955)
• Ralph Brown (1949)
• R. V. L. Hartley (1946)
• Lloyd Espenschied (1940)
• G. A. Campbell (1936)
• J. A. Fleming (1933)
• G. W. Pickard (1925)
• M. I. Pupin (1924)
• John Stone-Stone (1923)
• Lee De Forest (1922)
• R. A. Fessenden (1921)
• E. H. Armstrong (1917)

My Commute Was In The News AGAIN / Pirsumei d’Nisa

What is it with the section of Route 1 North between Old Post Road and Route 287?

It is shaping up to be the Bermuda Triangle of the New Jersey road system.

I have already blogged about how the Gas Main leak on the morning of November 8th caused the road to be blocked off ...

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Didn’t even bother blogging these photos about the brush fire by the Raritan River on November 3rd . Route 1 wasn't shut down for that one, there just was a lot of rubbernecking. And ash falling from the sky.

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And tonight, the section was section closed off again because a a transformer was on fire. And the telephone pole it was on was also burning nicely.

According to the news

EDISON — The northbound lanes of Route 1 near Old Post Road are expected to reopen tonight after being closed for a motor vehicle accident and a transformer fire, police said.

The activity backed jammed highway traffic before 7 p.m.
Police described the accident as “minor” and said it occurred after the road was partially blocked by authorities responding to the fire. Police had no further details at the time.

The telephone pole on fire looked to me like the Klu Klux Klan had been in the neighborhood.

Or, maybe Chabad had a bad idea for Pirsumei d’Nisa.

Happy Chanukah.

DO NOT TOUCH YOUR COMPUTER

Here is the latest entry in the Ridiculous Warning Labels collection:


This label appears on the bottom of a coworkers new netbook. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Ed.

How are you supposed to type, he wanted to know, if you mustn't let this computer come in contact with your skin?

Ed came up with the obvious answer - clearly he needs to wear gloves while typing on his new computer.


The rest of the warning:



Duh.

I suspect that this warning is meant to prevent, and especially to prevent lawsuits for, the dreaded erythema ab igne, or , in English, "Toasted Skin Syndrome". As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up.

According to recent reports, this one taken from WebMD,

People who spend prolonged periods of time studying, reading, or playing games on laptop computers resting on their upper legs could develop “toasted skin syndrome,” a case report shows.

The “syndrome” consists of a brownish discoloration of the skin caused by prolonged exposure to heat from the computer.

Furthermore,

They also recommend that laptop computers carry a warning label alerting consumers about possible skin problems the devices can cause. Some major computer makers already do this.

So there you have it folks. Something new to worry about. I suggest, just to play it safe, that you exercise extreme caution when using your computer from now on.

My Very First Restroom Post ! ! ! Posted on World Toilet Day !

It is a family tradition to post about restrooms.

See the lanseybrothers.blogspot.com.

And now finally I also have a post on the subject!!!

Even better, today is World Toilet Day ! ! ! (thanks for letting me know, Lumpy.)

For the past few months, there is has been a lot of construction in the building where I work. Yesterday they started on the restrooms on our floor.

Here are the Before pictures of the women's restroom:




And the After:








For you alert readers, yes, that last picture was not in the women's restroom, but was a gratuitous After shot of the men's room.

I don't even want to know what that shovel is for.

Are You Lonely?

We had a time management course at work one day this past week.

Apparently the teacher thought that meetings can be a waste of time, and displayed the following slide:




Do you agree?

Also, he asked the question:

How can you arrange your furniture to discourage people from dropping in to chat?

I think the answer he was looking for was along the lines of, Move your desk and chair so you are facing away from the door.

But one of the answers he got was, Push your desk in front of the door.

And he gave us a helpful hint for how to make use of time wasted while driving - Listen to books on tape. He gave examples of types of books he listens to in the car such as mystery books, biographies, history, politics,

At which point someone suggested, Picture books ...


I didn't ask if he thought that blogging was a productive use of my time.

Edison Gas Main Update

This is your periodic Edison Gas Main Update. Regarding the incident of November 8th, 2010.

The good news is:

This time they got to the gas main leak (Rt 1 south of 287) before it exploded.


The bad news is:

They closed down Rt 1 smack in the middle of the morning rush hour to repair it.
__________________________________________________

Route 1 does not generally look like this at 6:45 am.




Rt 1 doesn't generally look like this either. Traffic was being diverted to somewhere.



I didn't want to spend an hour in the backup to find out where traffic was being diverted to, so I made a u turn and went another way.

Expect the Extraordinary

My eye doctor's office is the most amazing place in NJ. Maybe the entire East Coast.

He likes to collect things. That's like saying Bill Gates has some money. Or World Peace would be nice.

This is the waiting room.

Facing the other way.

A detail.

Zooming out a bit. In case you can't tell, this is one of the waiting room chairs.

When I sit down, I sit on the very edge of the chair. Though mostly I walk around looking.


At first when I started coming here years ago, there was only an amazing rock collection. Smaller pieces were in display cases like the one in this picture, and larger pieces were laid out on the floor where you probably wouldn't trip over them.

Maybe the seashell collection dates back to that time too.

And possibly the feather collection.

Over the years the collection has grown. And grown.

This is the entrance.

In case you were wondering, he is an excellent eye doctor. And very nice guy.

He showed me some interesting photos that will be in the next (8th) edition of his book, the Manual for Eye Examination and Diagnosis. Nice shots of some ophthalmic side effects of a few common medications.

In addition to an eye exam, he does a blood pressure screening.

Wouldn't you like your doctor to be as thorough as this guy clearly is?

And as for the eye exam, Can you see the Kewpie doll in the red dress? Now close your other eye...

Sunset on the NJ Turnpike

Taken February 11th, 2011

Between Exit 9 and Exit 8A






Taken October 24th, 2010

Meadowlands

Newark Newark Airport
Lindin Power Plant