This is the life of a giant of the high-tech industry - co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel - and inventor of the integrated circuit, which is used in every modern computer, microwave, telephone and car.

Acclaimed historian Leslie Berlin’s “deeply researched and dramatic narrative of Silicon Valley’s early years…is a meticulously told…compelling history” (The New York Times) of the men and women who chased innovation, and ended up changing the world. Troublemakers is the gripping tale of seven exceptional men and women, pioneers of Silicon Valley in the 1970s and early 1980s. Together, they worked across generations, industries, and companies to bring technology from Pentagon offices and university laboratories to the rest of us. In doing so, they changed the world. “In this vigorous account…a sturdy, skillfully constructed work” (Kirkus Reviews), historian Leslie Berlin introduces the people and stories behind the birth of the Internet and the microprocessor, as well as Apple, Atari, Genentech, Xerox PARC, ROLM, ASK, and the iconic venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. In the space of only seven years, five major industries—personal computing, video games, biotechnology, modern venture capital, and advanced semiconductor logic—were born. “There is much to learn from Berlin’s account, particularly that Silicon Valley has long provided the backdrop where technology, elite education, institutional capital, and entrepreneurship collide with incredible force” (The Christian Science Monitor). Featured among well-known Silicon Valley innovators are Mike Markkula, the underappreciated chairman of Apple who owned one-third of the company; Bob Taylor, who masterminded the personal computer; software entrepreneur Sandra Kurtzig, the first woman to take a technology company public; Bob Swanson, the cofounder of Genentech; Al Alcorn, the Atari engineer behind the first successful video game; Fawn Alvarez, who rose from the factory line to the executive suite; and Niels Reimers, the Stanford administrator who changed how university innovations reach the public. Together, these troublemakers rewrote the rules and invented the future.

Barely fifty years ago a computer was a gargantuan, vastly expensive thing that only a handful of scientists had ever seen. The world’s brightest engineers were stymied in their quest to make these machines small and affordable until the solution finally came from two ingenious young Americans. Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce hit upon the stunning discovery that would make possible the silicon microchip, a work that would ultimately earn Kilby the Nobel Prize for physics in 2000. In this completely revised and updated edition of The Chip, T.R. Reid tells the gripping adventure story of their invention and of its growth into a global information industry. This is the story of how the digital age began.

The first years of the company that developed the microchip and created the model for a successful Silicon Valley start-up. In the first three and a half years of its existence, Fairchild Semiconductor developed, produced, and marketed the device that would become the fundamental building block of the digital world: the microchip. Founded in 1957 by eight former employees of the Schockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Fairchild created the model for a successful Silicon Valley start-up: intense activity with a common goal, close collaboration, and a quick path to the market (Fairchild's first device hit the market just ten months after the company's founding). Fairchild Semiconductor was one of the first companies financed by venture capital, and its success inspired the establishment of venture capital firms in the San Francisco Bay area. These firms would finance the explosive growth of Silicon Valley over the next several decades. This history of the early years of Fairchild Semiconductor examines the technological, business, and social dynamics behind its innovative products. The centerpiece of the book is a collection of documents, reproduced in facsimile, including the company's first prospectus; ideas, sketches, and plans for the company's products; and a notebook kept by cofounder Jay Last that records problems, schedules, and tasks discussed at weekly meetings. A historical overview, interpretive essays, and an introduction to semiconductor technology in the period accompany these primary documents.

Daniel has returned from an anti-poaching operation, to find that he has been selected as a personality profile test subject in microchip implantation trials being run by the banks, for a coming cashless society, he does not consent to the chip and makes a run for it , he is falsely accused of trying to Rob the bank. Agent Perkins has been sent to catch a bank robber before the word gets out to the general populace, the triads want their Rhino horn back, the bankster's are trying to rule the world by getting everyone micro-chipped, the triads, looking to recover the Rhino horn come across the microchip technology, realising the potential for control they think this technology will do well in China and try to steal it, the bankers mobilise a contract killer to safe guard their interests. Daniel must protect what is valuable to him.

Praise for DRIVING EXCELLENCE "A well-organized compendium of immense common sense. [The authors'] values-based, walk-the-talk approach recognizes the fast-changing environment we live in. It shows the importance of aggregating and integrating knowledge and experience on a continuing basis. Finally, it demonstrates the significance of creating a culture that reinforces those values and takes pride in thriving on the complexity." —John E. Abele, founder and Director, Boston Scientific Corporation "The Aggregate System is a powerful blend of strategic formula, exceptional culture, and human systems combined into a complete self-perpetuating system to produce exceptional performance. Anyone interested in improving the performance of his or her company should read this book." —Jerry Colangelo, CEO and Chairman, Phoenix Suns "This is not another 'silver bullet' piece of academic advice on how to do a quick fix to some imaginary business. Driving Excellence is a serious and detailed insight into how a real CEO, Steve Sanghi, has transformed a real company, Microchip, into a world-class enterprise. Anyone interested in understanding the realities of implementing and sustaining an enterprise-wide constant improvement plan should read this book." —Dean Kamen, founder and President, DEKA Research & Development Corporation, inventor of the Segway HT, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee "Driving Excellence is the first book to deal with the integration of all the core elements that are essential to running a business. It should be required reading for all executives and venture firms looking to boost return on invested capital and add some consistency to their growth. High praise is due to Michael Jones and Steve Sanghi for developing a blueprint that works in the real world." —Ed Sperling, Editor in Chief, Electronic News "This book provides a nicely developed framework to understand organizational effectiveness and performance, drawing upon Sanghi's managerial skills, perfected in his significant turnaround performance at Microchip. Importantly, the reader benefits from insight and experience about building an organizational culture productive to performance and competitiveness." —Steven Stralser, PhD, author of MBA in a Day

The must-read summary of Leslie Berlin's book: "The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley". This complete summary of the ideas from Leslie Berlin's book "The Man Behind the Microchip" tells the story of a giant of the high-tech industry: the multimillionaire, Bob Noyce. This co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel co-invented the integrated circuit which became the electronic heart of every modern computer, automobile, advanced weapon and video game. In this book, the author tells all about the life of this individual, as well as the interconnection of business, money, politics, and technology that belongs to Silicon Valley. This summary is a must-read for anyone who wants to gain an insight into the dynamic world of high-tech entrepreneurship. Added-value of this summary: • Save time • Understand key concepts • Expand your knowledge To learn more, read "The Man Behind the Microchip" and discover the fascinating story behind one of the most important figures in the semiconductor industry.