Books - An Exquisite Ear [review of Riding the Waves: A Life in Sound, Science, and Industry (Beranek, L.; 2008)]

This memoir of BBN cofounder and acoustics pioneer Leo Beranek illustrates how business and social collaboration can drive technological innovation. The book covers Beranek's Depression-era upbringing in Iowa, through his college years, and his various business triumphs and failures. This is not a treatise, and you will not find a deep explanation of acoustics and its application as an engineering discipline. You will find a memoir that reflects the spirit of the man - a spirit of confidence, open-mindedness, and intellectual adventure.