Silicon Insider: Burning Questions
Oct. 16 -- Editor's Note: With Forbes ASAP editor-at-large Michael Malone on a brief hiatus, his colleagues offer up answers to intriguing questions about business, technology and whatever else strikes their fancy.
QUESTION: When was the term Silicon Valley first used and who coined it?
In 1971 Don Hoeffler, then a reporter for Electronic News, a weekly tabloid magazine covering news, financials, and product announcements in the electronics industry, was sent to write a series of articles on the explosion in new semiconductor companies in the Santa Clara Valley, just south of San Francisco.
Hoeffler was sitting in a hotel lobby going over the notes from his interviews when he overheard two young out-of-town salesmen talking about their experiences visiting local firms.
Being a good reporter, Hoeffler not only listened, but also took notes. Said one salesman, "Boy, there sure are a lot of semiconductor companies around here these days." "Yeah," replied the other, "this place is turning into a regular Silicon Valley." Hoeffler had his hook. He datelined the series Silicon Valley, USA. The rest is history. To his credit, Hoeffler never claimed kudos for inventing the name, only for recognizing it.
QUESTION: If technology increases productivity, why does automated directory assistance now take twice as long and work half as well?
AT&T residential service spokesman Mark Spiegel, reached after only four phone calls, disputed the premise of our question: "No, you're wrong. It doesn't take longer."
So we called information in the 312 area code for the number of the Chicago Four Seasons Hotel. Simple enough inquiry, but after asking the automated computer the question, then repeating it for a human, we noticed that we'd been on the phone for an astonishing two minutes and three seconds. So Spiegel was right: It doesn't take longer — for AT&T.
QUESTION: If the smartest computer is no brighter than the dumbest human being, should we just forget the whole thing?
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