If you think about it for a second I believe most of you will answer the microchip. There are lots of possible answers but all you have to do is look around you and see all of the places that microchips exist today. Most everyone knows the current technology gods (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Andy Grove, Linus Torvalds, Larry Ellison, Michael Dell). Some of you may know who invented the transistor (everyone remembers Bill Shockley but the team also included John Bardeen and Walter Brattain). But if I ask you who invented the microchip (aka integrated circuit) most of you would have a hard time. Well the inventor of the microchip was Jack S. Kilby, an electrical engineer working at Texas Instruments. Jack passed away on Monday at the age of 81. While it always takes more than one individuals efforts to make a change as dramatic as the one associated microchips it is also good to remember where it started. Thanks Jack.