Talk:John R. Pierce

Untitled
how to capitalize the name??
 * Use the move feature (see top of page) but make sure that you correct any redirects to this page to point to the new page. Nought 05:06, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for File:John Robinson Pierce color bio photo.jpg
File:John Robinson Pierce color bio photo.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 21:37, 2 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I fixed it with a new tag and rationale. Dicklyon (talk) 00:41, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Special Request for Those Familiar with John's Fiction
I worked for Dr. Pierce from 1978-1982 when he was the JPL Chief Engineer, and I was a lowly grunt. And I chanced to visit him a number of times at his final rest home in Sunnyvale before he passed away.

I was given a special request by a mutual friend, call him, "Marvin." While both of them had their intellectual differences (major differences), Marvin respected John quite a bit, both John's research and his fiction both under John's own name and under J.J. Coupling. I'm trying to find for Marvin one of John's short stories. I asked John about this before he died, but he could not remember himself. All we know is that some time John wrote a story about hang gliders (or maybe just gilders). I'm trying to do this for Marvin before he passes away. All I am looking for is a well read reader, who happened to read all John's short stores in places like Analog or "Amazing." What I need is a title. I know where I can practically get any sci-fi work for a copy. What we don't have the the ability to text search all a person's work dating back decades when even the author can't remember.

If you recall (you'd likely have to be of some age or have an incredible collection yourself), a Pierce/Coupling short story involving gliders. Append the title on this page, and I will check it out occasionally.

--enm 143.232.210.150 (talk) 21:33, 6 August 2008 (UTC)


 * E, good luck with your quest. I looked through my modest Pierce/Coupling collection and didn't find it. I worked with John at Caltech, 1971-73, and saw him regularly at Stanford in the 80s and 90s, and also visited him a couple of times in Sunnyvale before he died.  He was an awesome guy. But I prefer the non-fiction stuff he did. Dicklyon (talk) 07:02, 7 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Post the request on the Asimov or Analog forums (registration required). People have questions like that all the time and they are usually answered satisfactorily. Also, try talking to a research librarian at a large library--there's got to be a way to crack this nut.TCO (talk) 14:25, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

"J J Coupling" refers to something in physics, but I forget what. The article ought to explain this. WilliamSommerwerck (talk) 15:08, 22 June 2012 (UTC)


 * see jj coupling. Dicklyon (talk) 17:22, 22 June 2012 (UTC)

Commentary on the article
Seems a little long, given the notability of the person. Also seems a bit to be driven by a person's remembrance. Too much stuff on his technical career and too much stuff on famous sayings. Anyhow, if you do have all this content, the sayings should be organized in a section. Avoid ones where we don't know if he is the originator ("nature abhors a vacuum tube" is hoary.) And the career should be more explicitly described in terms of promotions (he seems to have risen as a research manager). Lacks info on his SF portfolio. Also, the refenrence section should have a link to his obituary(ies). --TCO (talk) 15:09, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Definitely needs work on sourcing, etc. But I'd say given his notability and impact (in the technical world), the article is embarrassingly short.  I disagree that focusing on his formal titles and promotions would be a good direction; better to focus on his contributions, writings, impact. Dicklyon (talk) 15:32, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

I don't think Pierce was ever Bell Labs VP for Research. I think that position was held by William O. Baker when Pierce was in his prime. I think he was Executive Director of one of the Research divisions -- Communication Sciences or Communication Principles, something like that. In his later years at Bell Labs he lived in a modern house at the end of Roberts Road in Warren Twp, about 5 miles from "Murray Hill", where his office was. I think it was 15 Roberts Road. When he moved to California it was bought by the Thomas Bell family. Tom Bell was an independent computer-systems-efficiency consultant, and the Bells were friends of ours for a number of years. They were from California, and eventually moved back to California. WmMBoyce (talk) 09:28, 31 August 2009 (UTC)


 * It may have been one of many VP-level positions, or something like that, but I fixed it to the actual title, with sources. Dicklyon (talk) 06:40, 1 September 2009 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 external links on John R. Pierce. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20101205235415/http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/211.html to http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/211.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20101206045917/http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/212.html to http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/212.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100702162017/http://facultysenate.stanford.edu/memorial_resolutions/Pierce_John_SenD5686.pdf to http://facultysenate.stanford.edu/memorial_resolutions/Pierce_John_SenD5686.pdf

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 18:49, 25 April 2017 (UTC)