Roger E. Billings 1239184 220166016 2008-06-18T16:10:03Z 65.66.130.29 /* External sources */ Updated address. {{Infobox Person | name = Roger Billings | image = RogerBillings001.jpg | caption = Dr. Roger E. Billings | birth_date = [[1948]] | birth_place = [[Provo, Utah]] | occupation = Scientist, Entrepreneur | spouse = Tonja Anderson | religion = Christian | nationality = [[United States|American]] }} '''Roger Evan Billings''' (born [[1948]]) is an [[United States|American]] businessman, "inventioneer" and developer of [[High tech|high-tech]] products. Billings is best known for his pioneering work in the computer industry. He is also widely regarded as a developer of [[hydrogen economy|hydrogen energy]]. ==Computer Networking== Billings is known for inventing a method of sharing data on a computer network known as Functionally Structured Distribution. Claiming that Novel, Inc.'s flagship product - NetWare - infringed his networking patent, Billings brought a lawsuit against [[Novell, Inc.]] and [[Bank of America]] in 1991, asserting patent infringement. (''International Academy of Science v. Novell Corporation'', Northern District of California). Eventually Bank of America settled, purchasing a license to use the patented invention. After more than a decade in court and patent office proceedings, the patent term expired. ==Hydrogen Energy== Billings' involvement in hydrogen energy began when he converted a car to run on hydrogen in 1965 as a high school student, which won him a Gold and Silver award at the International Science Fair and a scholarship to [[Brigham Young University]]. Billings generated interest in [[hydrogen]] technology by demonstrating working prototypes, including buses, forklifts, tractors, and a hydrogen powered home. In 1977, he drove a hydrogen-powered car during the inaugural parade of [[Jimmy Carter]]. In 1991, he demonstrated a hydrogen fuel cell car prototype in [[Philadelphia]]. An Omni Magazine report on his work in 1982, dubbed him “The Hydrogen Man” (Rose, 1982), and an article in the [[July 21]], [[2003]] issue of ''[[TIME|Time Magazine]]'' referred to him as "Dr. Hydrogen". (Barlett, Steele 2003). Billings is the author of two books on hydrogen energy technology, ''Hydrogen from Coal: A Cost Estimation Guidebook'' (1983) and ''Hydrogen World View'' (1991). ==Education== [[Image:RogerBillings002.jpg|thumb|left|Billings at Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1967.]] Billings enrolled as a student at [[Brigham Young University]] (BYU) in the fall of 1966. As an undergraduate, he received a research grant from the Ford Motor Company and his own lab to continue his studies of the hydrogen-fueled automobile. In the summer of 1972, Billings headed a team from Brigham Young University that won first prize for low emissions at the Urban Vehicle Design Competition held at the [[General Motors]] Proving Grounds in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]]. Their winning entry was a hydrogen powered [[Volkswagen]]. Billings received his Bachelor of Science degree from BYU in 1974 with a composite major in Physics, Chemistry, and Electrical, Mechanical, and Chemical Engineering. After his university studies, Billings was selected by [[Bill Lear]], the creator of the [[Lear Jet]], to be his [[mentoring|protégé]]. Lear moved Billings and his young family into the Lear home in [[Reno, Nevada]], where, for nearly a year he shared his knowledge of high-tech entrepreneurship. Although a 1981 article in ''Forbes Magazine'' quoted Billings as saying that Lear hired him as an engineer, then changed his mind about letting Billings work on hydrogen research, and that Billings had quit in a huff, other accounts indicate that he left Lear on good terms, taking Lear's advice to continue his research on hydrogen energy (Billings Corp Annual Meeting 1986). ==Business Ventures== Billings has been involved in the development and launch of a number of new technologies. He manufactured one of the first Personal Computers, started the company that developed the "double-sided floppy drive", and launched the Billings Word Processor, which was the forerunner of [[Word Perfect]]. In 1973, Roger Billings founded the Billings Energy Corporation, his first publicly-traded company. It gained worldwide attention with the development of numerous hydrogen vehicle prototypes. Billings also developed hydride-filled hydrogen storage tanks, and a homestead that was hydrogen powered. By 1979, he was working on coal-to-gas conversion plants. (Mother Earth News 1979) In 1985, Billings sold the Billings Energy Corporation and joined with Dr. Geoffrey K. Pardoe, Chairman, General Technology Systems in [[London]]; Dr. Alexei A. Tupolev of the Tupolev Design Bureau in [[Moscow]]; Willis Hawkins, President of Lockheed Corporation in California; and Olof Tegström, Founder and President of Tebetron in [[Sweden]], to establish the "International Academy of Science", a [[not-for-profit corporation|not-for-profit]] organization for the advancement of applied science and scientific education. The International Academy of Science (Academy) operates the International Institute of Science and Technology -- a Graduate School University that offers the Doctor of Research and Master of Research Degrees. Courses offered by the Academy have recently received accreditation, and its online math courses are being utilized by public and private school districts throughout the U.S. (about 300,000 students). Beginning in 1985, Billings studied as a full time student at the Academy, and received his Doctor of Research Degree in 1991. His doctoral research project resulted in the first automobile to be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The vehicle, which is on display at the Academy, converts hydrogen into water and electricity and is more efficient than the internal combustion vehicles Billings had converted during his earlier years. The improved efficiency of the fuel cell made the commercial application of hydrogen cars more feasible. A number of automobile companies are now testing fuel cell powered [[hydrogen vehicle|hydrogen vehicles]]. In 1994, Roger Billings founded the [[Wideband|WideBand Corporation]], one of the first companies to develop a gigabit data rate networking product. [[Wideband|WideBand]] came up with a pre-standard design that could operate over standard [[Category 5 cable]]. Later, when [[IEEE]] established the [[IEEE 802.3|802.3ab]] workgroup to create a gigabit data rate networking standard, Billings served as a member of the Steering Committee of the [[Ethernet Alliance]] and also contributed technical presentations in the development of the standard. WideBand Corporation began to manufacture a standards-based [[Gigabit Ethernet]] product that could operate over convention cabling, instead of requiring users to rewire their premises to [[Category 5 cable|Category 5e]] or better cable. [[Wideband|WideBand Corporation]], of which Roger Billings is President, manufactures high performance networking products in its U.S.-based [[Gallatin, Missouri]] factory for government, education, and industry. Billings established fs-ix Corporation in 1995 to manufacture a commercial line of computer storage products based on the fs-ix network operating system. fs(ix) Servers ship with the software pre-installed, which allows them to be tuned for specific hardware installations, increasing storage and retrieval performance. fs-ix Servers are primarily used in very large data storage applications like Hollywood animations, military applications, and large library projects. In 2007, Billings launched GoldKey, a computer security product to protect data on computers and computer networks. GoldKey is a USB device that locks access to a local computer, encrypts data stored on the computer's hard drive, and secures communications over the Internet. GoldKey utilizes strong [[AES]] encryption to protect user data by providing a method of dual authentication -- a user provides a password but must also possess the device to be able to access sensitive data ("something you know and something you have"). (Conventional security systems authenticate users by requesting a password ["something you know"].) ==References== #Barlett, Donald and Steele, James (Jul. 14, 2003), [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,464641,00.html "Hydrogen is in his Dreams"], ''[[TIME|Time Magazine]]''. #Mother Earth News (Mar/Apr, 1979), [http://www.motherearthnews.com/Alternative-Energy/1979-03-01/Hydrogen-Another-Solution-To-The-Energy-Crunch.aspx "Hydrogen, Another Solution to the Energy Crunch"], ''Mother Earth News''. #Rose, Kenneth Jon (Jan 1982) [[Omni (magazine)|''Omni'' (magazine)]]. ==External sources== *Related Web sites ** [http://www.wband.com WideBand Corporation] ** [http://www.acellus.com Acellus Learning System] ** [http://www.goldkey.name GoldKey] ** [http://www.science.edu International Academy of Science] ** [http://www.billingsenergy.com Billings Energy] ** [http://www.drbmagic.com Magic website] ** [http://www.roger.billings.name/index.html His personal website]. *Books **''Hydrogen from Coal: A Cost Estimation Guidebook'' (1983) **''Hydrogen World View'' (1991) **''WideBand Networking'' (1996) {{DEFAULTSORT:Billings, Roger E.}} [[Category:American inventors]] [[Category:Brigham Young University alumni]] [[Category:Mormon missionaries in Brazil]] [[Category:American Latter Day Saints]] [[Category:1948 births]] [[Category:Living people]]