In The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation, Jon Gertner writes of the legendary innovations developed at AT&T’s Bell Labs, from lasers and transistors to solar cells and cell phones, and discusses how the lab became a hotbed for new ideas.

In the SciFri Snack: ‘Hells Bells Laboratory’ is a song about Bell Labs, by Ian Mackintosh. Check out more SciFri Snacks — and join a conversation about what you’ve heard — at Soundcloud.