How My Training As An Inventioneer Altered Ethernet
Everyone said it was impossible. Engineers laughed and called it ‘The Billings Folly’ — as a joke. Then the entire internet adopted it, and now the whole world uses it.
Dr. Roger Billings tells the inside story of how full duplex gigabit Ethernet was invented, rejected at IEEE standards meetings, and eventually became the global standard behind modern internet, streaming video, and AI.
Discover the inventions that made it possible — the concentrator, the equalizer circuit, and the balanced hybrid circuit — and hear what happened when Ron Crane, the father of Ethernet himself, stepped in to defend it.
About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
Read more about DrB »
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
Man that was good!
These vids are so cool!!! I love learning.
Hi from Elexis in NJ!
Truly remarkable technology inventions we have today and still advancing for even more and improved ones in the future. Because if solutions are now being discovered on how to get deaf people to unlock their blocked sense of hearing, imagine if we can invent and find solutions for blind people too so they can gain their eyesight!
Hi this science live was great!!
i love this
This video makes me wanna switch back to using the ethernet again!!
science live is cool because its funny cool and has lots of information in a fun way
It was interesting learning about how they fixed the collisions.
Seeing DR. Roger Billings take what people thought to be impossible and make it a reality against all odds of what others thought is very inspiring, true determination as an inventioneer! Keep up the good work!
How long did it take for the people to make the treatment for people that are deaf?
Thank you for sharing what the challenge is for your hydrogen car. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someday soon, one of your students invents the technology that provides the clue. Then I can finally buy my own hydrogen car.
Loved the video
Amazing episode!
ethernet is so cool
Amazing love it!
Love this video so muc
glad that internet / ethernet was invented 😉
love science live yes everyone watches the whole video
Really enjoyed this episode from this Science Live. It’s fascinating how something once dismissed as “The Billings Folly” went on to shape the backbone of Ethernet. Stories like this highlight how innovation often faces skepticism before it changes the world.
Cool live! I loved it! can’t wait for next week! :3
Science is so amazing!!
learning is something special and science live has changed something in my life
I can’t wait till next video! I just love science live!
Science live is so Interesting!
If it can’t answer those kind of questions r51 than tell her to ask you yes or no questions.
Hi from Texas
Comment Amasing! As always!
How did your training as an inventioneer help you see a solution to the ethernet the other engineers missed?
The ethernet is verry helpful
I love this.
I liked this video!
I really enjoyed watching this live! Thank you! (:
good job
“67 minutes.” Really?
i love this science live keep it up.
Awesome episode!!
I love science live 🙂
When will the people understand that with inventioneer lots of things are possible?
Eithernet is cool
The internet is the greatest invention ever
how can the therapy help deaf people hear
these are always so good!!
It is cool haw the ethernet werks
Did you hear that we are going to build a moon base in 2028?
I loved how the video showed different problems, and how to solve them. This video was defintely really interesting to watch.
Gigabytes hold a lot of data
This was a great video. I had fun watching it.
I really like this weeks science live video !
I love science live its got so many interesting and niche facts
When Dr Joseph came on I liked how he said the joke about how he met his wife at the zoo and knew she was a keeper it was funny because she was probably a zoo keeper. I also enjoyed when he talked about how there is a treatment for the deaf that would help them hear and that they tried it on 1 to 24 Y/O. Another thing about the video that was good was how I learned about how Dr R made an invention that they said would not work at all if they tried to but it did when he brought it to the IEEE meeting. It was cool how the proteges were showing the older things that would help with collisions and the old one compared to the newer one of them that is used everywhere inside of computers. I question the people at the IEEE meeting because they said no to almost every project that Dr R made while they all could have changed the world earlier if they let him send it out to the world. Dr Tobias was funny because he said and I quote ” Today I am here to talk about this man” and then he proceeded to show a picture of Dr R. It was funny how when then Inventioneers were on they were yelling at Eric the assistant manager about how they couldn’t print anything, their computer would not work or the internet was out. I like when David was standing next to the invention Dr R and Lady Pajet made and David was standing in the spot Lady Pajet was standing in a few years ago and he got a picture in his head of Lady Pajet next to it because a few weeks or months ago he drank R-51’s teachers potion. Dr Roger Billings can you please let Lady Pajet take the next lesson on Wednesday and she sits in your seat as you sit in hers and you swap positions just for that day?
I really enjoyed this weeks Science Live!
Never stops blowing my mind!
hello from tn!
I love science live it makes me feel better every week!
Thank you for this video see you next week
I think it is amazing that people can come up with an idea for deaf people to hear. This was an amazing video. Thanks, science live
I enjoyed the science live
Doctor rogers invention is really cool
Love the Science Live so much!!
my computer has more then 100GB!
In this video I learned who created Ethernet
Great Video, and very interesting!
how did they build that
I cant wait for next weeks episode.
It’s so cool how much information i learn from these lives. I think the gene therapy is the most interesting thing that caught my attention in this weeks live!
I really enjoyed this science live today thank you acellus!
what did the nail in the barbed wire ethernet demonstration prove?
This live was super cool!!
It was amazing to learn more about the invention of such an important aspect of the internet! Thank you for your innovations, Dr. Billings!
Science Live is always interesting!
Thanks for having this.
watching from ga!
This video was enjoyable and informative.
very nice to learn about, keep up the great work.
I love all the technology and that Internet and I also received the shirt that I bought from the store. It is amazing and I love it and the video is very lovely. I love it. I can’t wait to hear the next one. I wonder what the next one’s gonna be about but I was wondering if you can put a stuffy in the store.
The internet makes things easier.
Hi Alaska.
This weeks Science Live was so interesting! I really like it very good information.
I learned a lot from this video!!
What is ethernet
So cool learning about how deaf people hear
Loved the cartoon section!
I don’t know why I did not mention this sooner but I can’t believe Acellus has its own YouTube channels.
thanks for this videos they are really good for science!
Great video! I love science live!
science is amzing
These are so fun
hey big R i am in 3 grade
i love science live .
I look forward to these videos every week!
so interesting thank you
Hello Dr. Billings!
This video was great!
Learning about the collision problems, and how it was solved was very interesting.
This explains a lot!
I love these lives, its crazy how much one can learn from these videos, its cool that some deaf people will be able to hear with their discoveries.
I loved this weeks science live *
Science Live is so awesome!!!
I loved this live can’t wait for next week!
this was the best science ive seen so far!!!
The stories about Ethernet are so interesting!
I enjoyed hearing that scientists have found a way to help deaf people hear just by injecting something into their ear with positive outcomes.
I really enjoy learning about how problems get overcome!
I like the board with the blinking lights!
This video was awsome!!
Amazing video ! I loved learning about the problem with Ethernet and how you fixed it
I am currently pursuing violin because of the acellus team since they made the music corse it was so good. Thank you!
IT WAS GOOD I LIKED IT ALOT
I like that the video is presented well.
You always learn something new from these kinda science live videos deff fun to watch
This was your best video yet.
My mom has hearing problems and its great that researchers are discovering ways for hearing impaired individuals to hear better.
these are cool and a nice way for deaf people being able to hear and helpful for them.
interesting I love science live.
Learning more about the ethernet was interesting.
I always think about how ethernet is made and created.
Dr. Billings is so awesome! Hope I can become an inventioneer one day too!
Science Live was great!
these ar cool and also is a great way for deaf people to hear
This was a very interesting topic to learn about, R 51 was amazing! see you next week!
thank you roger billings for science live it helps me learn so many cool things.
Science Live is always so fun to watch!
Really cool and interesting!!
Hi from nc
another great one!!!
Learning about the Ethernet was very interesting
I really loved all of it. It’s so much fun being able to watch this.
this was such a good episode!
Science Live is awesome!
Wait a minute! I might be crazy (probably) but I did not realize R.51 would be back so soon from disappearing!
I enjoyed this episode!
A question about the Acellus gold, will you keep the gold from the previous year when you start a new grade?
I love how much I learn in these videos!
It’s quite interesting to hear about how much slower it was to send and receive information before the faster process was implemented.
I enjoyed learning more about Dr. Billings and all he has done.
I’ve enjoyed this ongoing topic about the ethernet, and its origins including how it has improved over time.
I hope we can help more people with hear loss with the shots
I loved this weeks live, very helpful!
I liked learning about the collision problems, and the new way deaf people can hear.
I think it would be incredible to go from not being able to hear anything to being able to hear for the first time.
I love how they all explain the way the curcits work and Computer science rocks
It’s amazing how wires run through our homes.
Collison problems are so interesting
Loved this live! This one inspired me a lot i think whats been accomplished and achieved is wonderful i love learning about it.
Hi from Virginia.
that is very cool
I liked this Science Live stream. It was so cool.
Comment I loved learning about the ethernet
what happend to wireless internet can robots be water proof using the method the makes metal water proof and be able to be float on water can robots the size of a human using that method could a high tech suit that is heavy be able to float on water like being able to walk on water
I really enjoyed this live !
inventions are really fun to learn about.
It’s so cool to be able to watch science live
Watching from country side north Carolina
Pretty cool! I like it! I liked this one alot!
Great love I learned so much!
Interesting that the IEEE put out two standards, have those standards ever changed or are they still what we use today?
Hi from Calirfornia, I enjoyed this weeks science live.
I love the part how they made a gigabyte
hello from north dakota
this episode was so cool!
This video was amazing
Hi from Washington State!
Learning about the gene theory with hearing was super interesting!
Ethernet is where the high speed internet is!
I was literally working on my model of a dinosaur I made up with popsicle sticks and glue🙂
I found it very intresting when Tobias was talking about the history of how you fixed collision.
hi from washington
I love science.
what is ethernet mean is the same as internet?
Loved it so much
That was an epic Science Live!
There is always so much great info in these lives!!
I learned so much today!
I enjoyed science live. Can’t wait for next week
Always love the science news at the start! Technology is so cool that we can cure deafness!