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2024 IEEE Medal of Honor Goes to Bob Kahn
- digging 3y agoSince I didn't find this readily available, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronics engineering, electrical engineering, and other related disciplines. (from Wikipedia)
- kvmet 3y agoI feel like the Wikipedia article understates the reach of IEEE: - Produces 30 percent of the world’s published literature in electrical engineering, computers and control technology. - Holds annually more than 300 major conferences. - Has nearly 900 active standards with 700 under development. https://umaine.edu/ieee/what-is-ieee/ https://umaine.edu/ieee/what-is-ieee/
- sirsinsalot 3y agoI would hope the vast majority of HN readers know what the IEEE is!
- blauditore 3y agohttps://xkcd.com/1053/ https://xkcd.com/1053/
- rayiner 3y agoDon’t make fun of the kids for being kids.
- digging 3y agoI hope so too since my simple definition was downvoted into invisibility.
- dotancohen 3y agoSerious question, with respect. What is your profession? I think that some acronyms, like NASA, need no explanation. In Vanity Fair I would expect IEEE to be explained, but not on HN. For what it's worth I don't work with hardware or electronics now am I an engineer nor do I live in the US. The IEEE is still a very well known acronym among my peers.
- nine_k 3y agoMaybe the point was that IEEE is a non-profit, so the award is about honor, not monetary amount.
- dotancohen 3y agoIs that what 501 means? I think had such an explanation been the goal, then it could have been stated explicitly. Though maybe in GP's field the term 501 is as commonly known as I think that IEEE is in mine. ))
- nine_k 3y agoYes, 501(c)(3) is an easily recognizable (for Americans) reference to a non-profit organization, named so after the section of the tax code. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/1/501c3-organizations.asp https://www.investopedia.com/terms/1/501c3-organizations.asp
- blauditore 3y agoFunnily enough, my brain still associates IEEE with ethernet, or networking in general. I know what it is, but I think the first few times I read the term was on some network config view in an old Windows version, probably next to some protocol selector. Now whenever I see IEEE, my brain loads a picture of a network config page, or an ethernet cable & port.
- AlbertCory 3y agoWell deserved. Congratulations, Bob!
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- brcmthrowaway 3y agoIs the IEEE still relevant today? I would say arxiv is publishing more relevant research
- rayiner 3y agoThe IEEE is the professional society of electrical engineers, and designs many important standards.
- helf 3y ago[dead]
- lolinder 3y agoArxiv is pre-publishing, not publishing. Much as I wish the death of Elsevier, this is an important distinction for us to maintain, as we all found out during the LK-99 superconductor craze.
- xyzzyz 3y agoThere is plenty of fake crap that’s published too. Publishing is really not that big of an improvement over Arxiv. Ask working scientists.
- lolinder 3y agoIt's a question of volume of crap. Just because garbage makes it through the filter doesn't mean the filter isn't doing anything. As for asking working scientists, working scientists were warning caution during the LK-99 debacle partially by reminding people that it hadn't even been published yet.
- aeonik 3y agoI think these are still relevant. - IEEE 802.3: Ethernet - IEEE 802.11: Wi-Fi - IEEE 802.15.1: Bluetooth - IEEE 802.1Q: VLANs - IEEE 1588: Precision Time Protocol - IEEE 802.3af/at/bt: Power over Ethernet
- graycat 3y ago[flagged]
- ChuckMcM 3y agoNot really, consider this restatement for example: Houses are built with lumber, Carpenters nail up lumber with hammers, I live in a house with nailed framing. The individual who invented the hammer likely died in his home cave. The thing is that tools and the use of those tools both create value. But economically the production of things using tools is valued more than the existence of tools. There are outliers, such as in my case where the value of all the test equipment I own is probably double the any amount of economic value they might generate over my remaining lifetime. This fallacy is very closely related to the value of "ideas" versus the value of executing on the idea. The latter has tremendous economic value, the former, not so much.
- graycat 3y agoYes. My questions were rhetorical.
- freedomben 3y agoI apologize if this comes off rude. That is not my intention, rather directness is my goal. Rhetorical questions are only rhetorical if they are based on correct premises and if the answers to those questions clearly and logically lead to the answer that the rhetorical questioner wishes to convey. Used correctly they are indeed a powerful rhetorical tool as they not only illustrate the concept vividly, but they also create an "aha!" moment in the listener. Used incorrectly, they can still be a useful tool despite the initial intention, as it allows the answerer to correct faulty premises or logic, and the questioner to receive updated knowledge that may change their supposition, so the questions can still fulfill a good purpose. However, this does require that the questioner maintain sufficient humility and open mindedness as to benefit intellectually from the exchange. I would humbly suggest embracing a hearty dose of humility at all times and to re-examine your beliefs when faced with a contradictory reply, rather than doubling down and resisting the new information. It can truly be difficult to do as we humans have evolved to win arguments by any means, not solely through logic[1]. Nevertheless I believe it to be very worth it as the only full path to enlightenment is an unmitigated embrace of logic and truth, and a mental adaptation and change of position whenever it is warranted. The merit of your questioning was good, so please don't feel as though you didn't add value to the conversation, because IMHO you did! [1] this is discussed by Robert Sapolsky in "Behave", a book and author I heartily recommend
- whatisthis9 3y agoKahn!!!!
- rramadass 3y agoLong overdue! It should not have taken this long to officially recognize his contributions. "Kids" nowadays don't even know of the true "Greats" who made The Internet as it is today, possible (they have forgotten "standing on the shoulders of giants"). I always point folks to the classic early-1990s Internet System Handbook by Daniel Lynch and Marshall Rose which explains the then Internet Architecture with chapters written by the greats like Jon Postel, Vint Cerf, Van Jacobsen etc.
- Jtsummers 3y ago> It should not have taken this long to officially recognize his contributions. His contributions have been officially recognized many times before, this is not the first time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Kahn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Kahn - check out the list of awards. 13 in all over the last 30 years including this one. He received the Turing Award in 2004 with Vint Cerf and also the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal in 1997.
- rramadass 3y agoYes, of course; i meant why this one took so long.
- Jtsummers 3y agoBecause it's a career achievement award. Look at the other people who have received it and when, in their lives, they received it. It's also a bit of a broader category of award than the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal he received 3 decades ago which is for the field of telecommunications. Vint Cerf only received it last year himself. It also looks like it's not awarded to more than one person at a time, and it's only awarded annually, so that limits the number of people who could ever possibly receive it quite a bit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_Medal_of_Honor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_Medal_of_Honor
- rramadass 3y agoAgreed; but sometimes it just feels like these award committees have no sense of timing and it often appears like a case of "too little too late". Awards should be given as soon as a person's discoveries/inventions have been validated and when people are still aware of them to make an impact on public consciousness.