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 »

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6,277 Comments

  1. Riley

    I love learning so many new things, it makes me feel lifted! Thank you, can’t wait for next Wednesday!

    Reply
  2. Ryland

    cant wait for the next live!

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  3. Jenaro

    My question is what if we had never found a way to evolve technology and where would we be now.

    Reply
  4. Hannah

    that is amazing how much thought goes into all of it!

    Reply
  5. Tucker

    Nice it’s back here now always love watching these.

    Reply
  6. Lyla

    Hello from Arkansas!

    Reply
  7. Jordan

    I just love science live it’s my favorite thing to do.

    Reply
  8. Jordan

    Watching form Lubbock Texas

    Reply
  9. Bodhi

    Our cousin was born deaf, that is why we take ASL at Acellus!

    Reply
  10. Krysta

    Hi! I always look forward to your guys lives every Wednesday!!

    Reply
  11. Esperanza

    Hello from Kansas, I love watching the science live every night. I cant wait to see what you teach us about next week.

    Reply
  12. Gillian

    Dr.B using barbed wire in his demonstrations is sooooo cool!

    Reply
  13. Joslin

    The invention of the internet is amazing and scary at how fast it grew.

    Reply
  14. Autumn

    I always love how the science lives are educational yet fun and entertaining

    Reply
  15. Sabastion

    Where did the name ethernet come from?

    Reply
  16. Zoe

    Can’t wait for the next live!

    Reply
  17. Gabriel

    Watching From Virginia Beach Virginia

    Reply
    • Morgan

      Hi from Texas!

      Reply
  18. Jelianys

    watching from louisiana

    Reply
  19. Nathaly

    hello from floridaaa

    Reply
  20. Aylianna

    From NC !

    Reply
  21. Zona

    hi from virginia!!

    Reply
  22. Mackenzi

    Very interestin, from ky.

    Reply
  23. Zaryah&xavier

    Science live is always so funny and educational at the same time

    Reply
  24. Savannah

    hi from GA!!

    Reply
  25. Dannalai

    watching from Texas!!

    Reply
  26. Magdalena

    I loved learning about Wideband! I still think it’s cool the way Dr. Billings proved his 1 gigabit network was real by using barbed wires, and shorting them out.

    Reply
  27. Canaan

    Thank you for the daily knowledge Mr. Billings! I look forward to your next installment of Science Live.

    Reply
  28. Olivia

    Science live is so engaging

    Reply
  29. Brayden

    Hi from north central

    Reply
  30. Sierra

    i loved this episode a lot!

    Reply
  31. Austin

    Do we need the data centers to put the information back together?

    Reply
  32. Holly

    From va!

    Reply
  33. Jordyn

    So interesting!

    Reply
  34. Gabriel

    Watching from Virginia!!

    Reply
  35. Vesper

    Happy Wednesday! I’m happy we got to learn about ethernet!

    Reply
  36. Dannalai

    Thanks for another GREAT LIVE!

    Reply
  37. Jacob

    Hope everyone is enjoying Acellus! I love it.

    Reply
  38. Michael

    Will Science Live continue on indefinitely?

    Reply
  39. Valeria

    Awesome live!

    Reply
  40. Quinvarius

    this episode was amazing the inventions

    Reply
  41. Ruvih

    Hi from new York

    Reply
  42. Ethan

    Love the science live

    Reply
  43. Aubrie

    Wonderful episode!!!

    Reply
  44. Geelah

    I really enjoy learning about the history of the internet

    Reply
  45. Bailey

    Great science live!

    Reply
  46. Joel

    Loved when the board finally lit up. Success at last!

    Reply
  47. Gracie

    I love science live very interesting videos

    Reply
  48. Xayden

    I am READY!

    Reply
  49. Tylah

    hi from NC

    Reply
  50. Roberto

    Hello from Brazil!!!

    Reply
  51. Hannah

    Hi from Hawaii!!!

    Reply
  52. Landen

    Super cool episode! Thank you so much! Loved it!

    Reply
  53. Hailee

    Hi it is hailee from TN good day

    Reply
  54. Elizabeth

    I loved watching this

    Reply
  55. Ashtyn

    this episode of science live was super interesting

    Reply
  56. Luca

    Thank you for sharing Dr. Billings’ ethernet story. It shows the importance of perseverance and believing in yourself!!

    Reply
  57. Jonathan

    Ethernet is amazing and so is science live!

    Reply
  58. Bailiemay

    I’m so late! I thought the live was now! Cool story.

    Reply
  59. Tristen

    Hello for montana

    Reply
  60. Jon

    Science live is amazing!

    Reply
  61. Jacob

    this one may be my favorite so far!

    Reply
  62. Anhai

    loved the live!

    Reply
  63. Kaydence

    Love the video today!!!

    Reply
  64. Makayla

    Can’t wait for the next live!

    Reply
  65. Parker

    Hello from Illinois!

    Reply
  66. Brayden

    When I saw the spike thing on the cerscit bored Thats all I was looking at I think it looks like a sea urchin

    Reply
  67. Annelise

    I loved the science live this week! I really enjoyed learning about the internet.

    Reply
  68. Zachary

    Thank you for this video

    Reply
  69. Lanmai

    Loving it!

    Reply
  70. Micah

    Great video this week!

    Reply
  71. Jailon

    i cant wait to get ethernet myself. I love how it evolves

    Reply
  72. Mackenzie

    I love the science history section.

    Reply
  73. Isabel

    Watching from Virginia!

    Reply
    • Becca

      Hello from virginia!

      Reply
  74. Bailey

    we’re very entertaining and fun to watch. I learned a lot and hello from NC.!

    Reply
    • Robert

      Watching from Georgia!

      Reply
    • Jayden

      Hi from Indiana

      Reply
    • Mason

      watching science live is litteraly my fav part of day.

      Reply
  75. Heather

    I loved this episode!

    Reply
  76. Peyton

    Happy Wednesday everyone! excited to hear this one!

    Reply
  77. Samuel

    I hope they continue to find other ways for people to hear. My grandpa cannot hear even with hearing aides and it is very sad.

    Reply
  78. Seth

    That zoo keeper joke actually got me.

    Reply
  79. Sierra

    Hello I’m so happy to be here!!!!!

    Reply
  80. Hannah

    The video this week was very fun and entertaining to watch!

    Reply
  81. Peyton

    hi from texass!

    Reply
  82. Chloe

    Thank you for the information

    Reply
  83. Finley

    Love this live!

    Reply
  84. Miya

    Can’t wait for next weeks video!

    Reply
  85. Conner

    Great Video! Keep it up!

    Reply
  86. Jetta

    This is great!

    Reply
  87. Oaklee

    Thank you for sharing with us.

    Reply
  88. Colten

    Enjoyed this live! Thank you!

    Reply
  89. Lane

    Amazing episode!!!

    Reply
  90. Bryce

    i love science live so much

    Reply
    • Hannah

      Hi from sc

      Reply
  91. Victoria

    wow!! So cool

    Reply
  92. Mia

    The fact that politics can influence inventions is really cool, and that people who are hard of hearing or deaf can hear again after 1 treatment!

    Reply
  93. Thomas

    How do computers talk to each other over the internet?

    Reply
  94. Ben

    I’m amazed at all the things Dr. Billings has done!

    Reply
  95. Gabriella

    I really like the topic on Ethernet I’m excited for this episode!

    Reply
  96. Destiny

    I always learn so much from each Science Live, thank you!

    Reply
  97. Tyler

    Love science live

    Reply
  98. Satas

    I didnt know that there was that much ethernet its crazy how they make that much wireing.

    Reply
  99. Kaylee

    very educational

    Reply
  100. Nicolas

    nice video cant wait for next weeks!

    Reply
  101. Otto

    It sounds really hard to figure all of this out, I’m glad its explained easily.

    Reply
  102. Aleece

    Happy Wednesday!!!

    Reply
  103. Logan

    Ethernet has come a long way.

    Reply
  104. Amberlyn

    This is Amberlyn from Alabama and i absolutely LOVE science live!!!

    Reply
  105. Izzy.joslin

    WOW before acellus I didn’t even know how important DR.ROGGER BILLINGS was he’s not only important but famous and influential

    Reply
  106. Delaney

    Hello from MO!

    Reply
  107. Aurora

    I love science live!

    Reply
  108. Emely

    Another interesting video it is great to learn something new every Wednesday. I will be waiting for the next one!

    Reply
  109. Logan

    Excellent work as always!!!

    Reply
  110. Deven

    Science live is so fascinating!

    Reply
  111. Louee

    That is nice how can I do that I want to make a difference

    Reply
  112. Kaitlynn

    I love that i can learn something new every science live.

    Reply
  113. Katherine

    My dad says Ethernet keeps getting faster and faster all the time. So cool.

    Reply
  114. Kaleb

    Thanks for another GREAT LIVE!!!

    Reply
  115. Katherine

    Really looking forward to Science Live tonight! I can’t wait to see what topic they choose.

    Reply
  116. Xayden

    Im so happy I signed up I learn so much every day.

    Reply
  117. Alayna

    Its so cool how these inventions are thought of. I guess people who come up with these ideas have so much knowledge and I bet they were always thinking of new ideas in school.

    Reply
  118. Connor

    Hello from Texas

    Reply
  119. Kameron

    Dr. Roger Billings solving the collision problems that crippled early Ethernet by developing full gigabit Ethernet

    Reply
  120. Emerie

    We needed that for school. That is good.

    Reply
  121. Kurtis

    I can’t wait for todays episode, I learn so much from science live.

    Reply
  122. Stephen

    Looking forward to Science Live tonight, as I always learn new things.

    Reply
  123. Adrianna

    You guys did it again, thank you for teaching us all some wonderful facts!

    Reply
  124. Sawyer

    what was the first thing invented?

    Reply
  125. Tristan

    How long has Science Live been around for?

    Reply
  126. Thalia

    so excited to watchhh

    Reply
  127. Dakota

    Hello from Columbia City

    Reply
  128. Alanah

    happy wednesday!

    Reply
  129. Blake

    Your delivery was great, and you made the ‘rat’s nest’ of wires sound like a cool detective story!

    Reply
  130. Alexa

    I love Science Live! It is so amazing!

    Reply
  131. Malory

    I love talking about Ethernet

    Reply
  132. Ally

    Science live is amazing!

    Reply
  133. Rosselyn

    My favorite episode yet!

    Reply
  134. Eden

    I’m always so excited to watch Science Live!

    Reply
  135. Iris

    Hello from Texas!

    Reply
  136. Antigoni

    This weeks episode was very helpful for science.

    Reply
  137. Keila

    I learn so many new things with the weekly lives !

    Reply
  138. Alexa

    Science Live is awesome!!

    Reply
  139. Angelo

    Science live is super fun! The army project was cool.

    Reply
  140. Yves

    I love these videos!

    Reply
  141. Shyanne

    Interesting how he was waiting 67 minutes for his document to print…

    Reply
  142. Samantha

    Hi hi from Ohio!! As excited as always .

    Reply
  143. Addison

    I am thankful to all the great minds who have worked hard and helped us get to where we are today.

    Reply
  144. Grayson

    This is an amazing talk to learn and be inspired from, the amount of scientific knowledge and breakthroughs we’ve accomplished over the past few years compared to a couple centuries ago ago is astounding .

    Reply
  145. Zoey

    Ethernet is such a fascinating thing!!

    Reply
  146. Gwendolynn

    How old were you when you made your first invention?

    Reply
  147. Ashtyn

    I love watching this live because it really gives me information on science

    Reply
  148. Mary

    Really good video! Its awesome to learn more about science and such

    Reply
  149. Olivia

    What was your favorite invention

    Reply
  150. Morgan

    Thank you so much!

    Reply
  151. Jazlyn

    I know we are all blessed for having the internet!

    Reply
  152. Adelynn

    it is really cool that invention that helps deaf people to hear!

    Reply
  153. Micheal

    i love watching these science videos.

    Reply
  154. Journey

    Thank you for the in depth explanation of half versus full duplex.

    Reply
  155. Alexa

    Wow! That’s so cool! I didn’t know you had so much to do with shaping modern technology!

    Reply
  156. Amira

    motivation station!

    Reply
  157. Daniel

    If you want make something complicated easy to understand, I’ve heard of breaking stuff down in parts and memorizing them.

    Reply
  158. Arwen

    hi everyone sorry for being late lets have a good live

    Reply
  159. Larry

    Ethernet is truly fascinating, in that it changed the world forever

    Reply
  160. Kalynn

    i love these theyre so interesting!!!

    Reply
  161. Hudson

    Excited for Science Live tonight. Can’t wait!

    Reply
  162. Danni

    I love Science Live!

    Reply
  163. Archer

    I’m going to inventioneering summer camp!

    Reply
  164. Riley

    internet is so interesting when it came from nothing and now the world relays on it that’s so cool to me.

    Reply
  165. Barrett

    i cant wait

    Reply
  166. Natasha

    I love Science Live! Thank you guys for all your hard work!

    Reply
  167. Diana

    I love ScienceLive Nights, I constantly look forward to the next episode to learn new stuff for the week!! I love how you explain things in simple details to get through to the watchers! 🙂

    Reply
  168. Kolbey

    I love the weekly science lives!

    Reply
  169. Peyton

    I think its cool how scientists and stuff are making stuff so people who are deaf can have the ability to hear.

    Reply

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