TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY;
LIGHT and COMMUNICATION

  1. How Stuff Works - Telecommunications -- From the great "How Stuff Works" site, a look at the science behind telecommunications systems and devices, including: digital phones, fiber optics, radio, wireless internet ... you name it!
  2. Fiber Optic Technology Tutorial -- A technical tutorial in Fiber Optic technology, covering the following topics: Definition and Overview, A Quick History, How Fiber Works, Outside Vapor Deposition (OVD) Process, OVD Benefits, Fiber Geometry: A Key Factor in Splicing and System Performance, How to Choose Optical Fiber, Self-Test. Also see the Introduction to Fiber Optics and The Basics of Fiber Optic Cables
  3. Century of Telecommunications -- From the site: "Start a foundation for your telecommunications knowledge. Understand its beginning so you can understand its future. Learning the basics is key to everything: Bandwidth, compression, protocols, media, etc."
  4. Fundamentals of Telecommunications Web Tutorial -- Great interactive tutorials on the history of telecommunications from Bell to present! From the site: "The tutorial will cover the fundamentals of telephony, from its inception in Alexander Graham Bell's laboratory to today's emerging technologies."
  5. ePanorama Telephone Page -- An exhaustive collection of links to Internet resources on telephone technology! Categories of links include: Business telephone systems, Computer telephony, Design notes on telephone circuits, Do it yourself telephone installations, Fax, General info, How telephone network works, Telephone info specific to Finland, Telephone equipment regulations, Signaling and coding, Radio interference, Telephone circuits, Telephone hacking, Telephone history.
  6. The American Experience - The Telephone -- This PBS companion site to the television special chronicles the invention of the telephone and its effects on American society.
  7. Alexander Graham Bell's Path to the Telephone -- This extensive site tracks the pathways toward innovation that Alexander Graham Bell followed, resulting in the invention of the telephone. The site includes detailed explanations of the design process and the sub-component innovations that were required prior to the final product.
  8. ScienceNet Communications FAQ -- A series of questions and answers on Communications Technology, covering issues such as What's the difference between digital telephones and ordinary ones? If you can bug a room by bouncing a laser off the window pane, can you bug a computer by picking up the electromagnetic radiation coming off the screen? How does a fax travel? Why does your voice echo on long distance phone calls? And many more!