[HN Gopher] Oliver Heaviside and the coaxial cable (2016)
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       Oliver Heaviside and the coaxial cable (2016)
        
       Author : xanderlewis
       Score  : 19 points
       Date   : 2024-10-29 18:06 UTC (2 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.waveform.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.waveform.com)
        
       | anotherhue wrote:
       | No mention that he reformulated Maxwell's equations into the form
       | we know today.
       | 
       | IIRC he was shunned from scientific society for most of his life.
        
         | IncreasePosts wrote:
         | Has much been written about his shunning? I've heard just a
         | little bit that it was due to him being from a working class
         | background, but then again an uncle of his (through marriage)
         | was a Fellow at the Royal Society. You think that would at
         | least give you an in.
        
           | selimthegrim wrote:
           | His behavior with women, including his relatives, was not
           | praiseworthy. (Not criminal except arguably in one case but
           | not worthy of emulation
        
             | djmips wrote:
             | What's your source for that? I hadn't run across that - I
             | know Heaviside never married and I thought most of the
             | friction he was involved in was with other male Victorian
             | era scientists.
        
         | nhecker wrote:
         | I had gotten a negative impression of him back when reading
         | 'Mother Earth Mother Board'[1]; it's interesting to read a
         | different accounting of his life.
         | 
         | [1]: https://www.wired.com/1996/12/ffglass/ (now regrettably
         | behind a pay-wall)
        
           | wbl wrote:
           | Heaven forbid you have to pay to read one of the great pieces
           | of computer journalism ever.
        
             | nhecker wrote:
             | Oh, I've given Wired my money over the years. I have no
             | qualms rewarding good journalism. But your point is well
             | taken -- I'll temper my previous comment: one should not
             | feel bad about paying for this piece!
        
           | Luc wrote:
           | It's a long article (thanks for linking to it) but it seems
           | Heaviside isn't mentioned in it. Perhaps you're thinking of
           | Wildman Whitehouse?
           | 
           | "[W]hat Victoria was to monarchs, Dickens to novelists,
           | Burton to explorers, Robert E. Lee to generals, Dr. Wildman
           | Whitehouse was to assholes."
        
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