“When we started I don't think most people, including my colleagues at Intel, realized that USB was something that was needed,” Bhatt said. “I kept on saying that if you want to make computers useable to a common user then you have to make things easier to use. I always used my own family as an example. When my wife tried to use the PC at home she as always very frustrated even with basic things like printing or scanning. She always used to say, 'What good is this? Any time I need to do something it just doesn't work.' ”Today Bhatt is using his retirement to experiment with the Internet of Things, building his own Smart Home (another undefined term), but trying to figure out how to make everything simpler and scalable. Like most of the people I'd consider the great engineers, Bhatt has a relentless drive to make things simpler and better.
I was going to include some details from the original article on Design News, but I'll leave that for the history buffs to look up. Suffice it to say they knew the connectors were going to be a PITA, but had to make them single polarity, non-reversible for cost reasons. (You've heard about the so-called USB paradox that it takes three attempts to correctly plug in the connector that can only turn two ways and only connect one way.) Remember, when a new technology is first introduced, it has to be better than the predecessor in the market, and if the new one can't beat the older one in cost, it's probably doomed.
No, instead of the facts, I want to point out this amazing video that Intel actually aired in a 2009 advertising campaign.
Intel hired an Indian actor to play Bhatt, and I have to assume that he just couldn't do that walk for the cameras.
In real life, this doesn't happen. No, not the beautiful groupies and adoring fans for an engineer, don't be silly. That's not happening given an infinite number of parallel universes. I mean in real life companies like Intel don't do this. Except that they did this time.
And now you'll remember Ajay Bhatt as a major inventor of the USB interface.
EDIT 2335 EST: The gremlin that inserts nonsense sentences into my posts visited again.
I've always enjoyed the story of how Ethernet came to be.....
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt that the FBI and the CIA and the NSA and MI5 and MI6 and the rest of the West's "finest" will be glad to "help" him make everything simpler and scalable for the Internet of Things. Not that they'd do anything untoward in that process, of course...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, didja see this:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-03/internet-must-have-security-humanity-apple-chief-tells-china
The Only Ones will be more than glad to help him achieve HIS "vision" as well.
Oh, and by the way, my bet is that they hired the Indian actor to portray him in the commercial because he does not look like what they wanted him to look like.
ReplyDeleteRumor has it they thought they were hiring Benny Lava but the Indian talent agency ripped them off.
DeleteEver seen those commercials that say, "not an actor" or "these are real clients"? Do you need to see that? Ordinarily, I can spot the difference in seconds, even when they give the non-actors a script to read, and (probably) have them rehearse it for a day. Actors are more comfortable in front of the camera. I'll bet they never considered using Bhatt, and just wanted someone who could get the commercial done in a couple of takes.
At the end of that 30 second Intel commercial I got a link to a Conan O'Brien interview with Bhatt. Conan was both condescending and insulting, but Bhatt took it with grace.
My bet is that they thought people might think he was Italian or Greek or Spanish instead of Indian, based on his appearance. And that Intel was not about to tolerate any such thing.
DeleteBig Tech is eat up with Political Correctness. As Alphabet showed again just a few months ago.
Well of course the USB interface is ubiquitous and does a decent job. But the real value to many/most of use with camera(s), flashlight, phone, radio, and all the other electrical gadgets is recharging. I used to carry a little bag with half a dozen cords/chargers/transformers/thingys. Now I carry one cord and a couple of adapters and everything can charge off a USB. From my laptop, my motor home, my cigarette lighter, the occasional USB port I discover at commercial locations, wall plugins, and on and on. When ever I see a USB port/cigarette lighter/wall plug I'm sneaking a charge on my electronics gear.
ReplyDeleteIt's now the standard way of charging small batteries (which I'll call less than 9V). That was always there, but I'm not sure it was part of the initial plans.
DeleteThe new USB, USB C ups that charging by over ten-fold to 100 Watts. USB 2.0 can supply at most 500mA per port, (2.5W) while USB 3.x boosted this up to 900mA per port (4W). USB C's 100 Watts, supplied as 20V at 5A, can run a lot of things, including whole computers or big tablets.
Hey! It could happen....
ReplyDeletehttp://dilbert.com/strip/1998-08-12
I gotta tell you, I did not remember that story line. I read the new strips and "Dilbert Classics" old strips every day, too.
DeleteThe USB interface. When he dies they'll slowly and reverently lower his casket halfway into the grave ... then take it out, rotate it 180, and lower it again.
ReplyDeleteOnly to find they had it right the first time and they'll rotate the casket 180 again.
DeleteYour comment wins the internet today.