This Supercomputer is doing some of the most difficult computations in the world, about things that are out of this world.
This Supercomputer is doing some of the most difficult computations in the world, about things that are out of this world.
2015x6 Binary: Plusses & Minuses (Why We Use Two's Complement) Episode overview
Air date
Jan 28, 2015
Negative Binary Numbers - you may have heard of 'signed' numbers, but do you know how they work? Professor Brailsford explains not just how, but why we use the systems we do.
Negative Binary Numbers - you may have heard of 'signed' numbers, but do you know how they work? Professor Brailsford explains not just how, but why we use the systems we do.
What was The Imitation Game? It inspired the name for the recent Alan Turing's movie but just what was it? Professor Brailsford explains how Turing may have been having a joke on us.
What was The Imitation Game? It inspired the name for the recent Alan Turing's movie but just what was it? Professor Brailsford explains how Turing may have been having a joke on us.
It became the music sequencing tool of choice for countless musicians, almost by chance. The Atari ST was launched 30yrs ago and Dr. Steve "Heartbleed" Bagley shows us his own extensive collection!
It became the music sequencing tool of choice for countless musicians, almost by chance. The Atari ST was launched 30yrs ago and Dr. Steve "Heartbleed" Bagley shows us his own extensive collection!
How programmers found ways to push the hardware past its design limits. Dr "Heartbleed" Bagley shows us the rest of his Atari collection.
How programmers found ways to push the hardware past its design limits. Dr "Heartbleed" Bagley shows us the rest of his Atari collection.
2015x12 Capturing Digital Images (The Bayer Filter) Episode overview
Air date
Feb 22, 2015
How do digital cameras turn light into the data that computers can handle? In this second part of our computer vision series, Image Analyst Mike Pound explains the Bayer Filter.
How do digital cameras turn light into the data that computers can handle? In this second part of our computer vision series, Image Analyst Mike Pound explains the Bayer Filter.
Basic logic gates explained and all the different ways they can be drawn and represented. Professor Brailsford takes us through the AND, OR & NOT logical operations.
Basic logic gates explained and all the different ways they can be drawn and represented. Professor Brailsford takes us through the AND, OR & NOT logical operations.
He was on the team that invented the ARM chip, the BBC Microcomputer and got into computing in the 1970's because he wanted to build his own flight simulator. In 2014 he was awarded the .. show full overview
He was on the team that invented the ARM chip, the BBC Microcomputer and got into computing in the 1970's because he wanted to build his own flight simulator. In 2014 he was awarded the Lovelace medal & is the ICL Professor of Computer Engineering at The University of Manchester. Computerphile talks to Professor Steve Furber
2015x17 3D & Multiple Dimensions in Digital Images Episode overview
Air date
Mar 13, 2015
How computers represent more than 2 dimensions and how those dimensions can be used. Our series on digital images and computer vision continues with Image Analyst Mike Pound.
How computers represent more than 2 dimensions and how those dimensions can be used. Our series on digital images and computer vision continues with Image Analyst Mike Pound.
Augmented Reality, also known as AR is finding its way into all of our mobile devices, is it a gimmick or a useful piece of technology? Matt Ramirez is a developer at Jisc, the charity championing digital tech in UK education and research.
Augmented Reality, also known as AR is finding its way into all of our mobile devices, is it a gimmick or a useful piece of technology? Matt Ramirez is a developer at Jisc, the charity championing digital tech in UK education and research.
It inspired a generation of coders and was in 80% of UK schools. The BBC Micro was built by Acorn (CPU) as part of a computer literacy project. Professor Steve Furber was part of the team who designed it.
It inspired a generation of coders and was in 80% of UK schools. The BBC Micro was built by Acorn (CPU) as part of a computer literacy project. Professor Steve Furber was part of the team who designed it.
JPEG Isn't a file format. Image Analyst Mike Pound explains why not in our first in a series about how JPEG works.
JPEG Isn't a file format. Image Analyst Mike Pound explains why not in our first in a series about how JPEG works.
2015x27 ARM Processor - Sowing the Seeds of Success Episode overview
Air date
Apr 24, 2015
30 years ago, Acorn Computers switched on their first ever processor, the Acorn RISC Machine, or ARM. Now, they power 95% of smartphones & 12 billion ARM chips shipped last year. .. show full overview
30 years ago, Acorn Computers switched on their first ever processor, the Acorn RISC Machine, or ARM. Now, they power 95% of smartphones & 12 billion ARM chips shipped last year. Professor Steve Furber (University of Manchester) speaks about how he and Sophie Wilson started the project.
Scrapped to make space for its successor, EDSAC is now being painstakingly rebuilt at The National Museum of Computing (TNMoC). 5 years in, Andrew Herbert tells about this remarkable machine.
Scrapped to make space for its successor, EDSAC is now being painstakingly rebuilt at The National Museum of Computing (TNMoC). 5 years in, Andrew Herbert tells about this remarkable machine.
2015x29 Holy Grail of AI (Artificial Intelligence) Episode overview
Air date
May 01, 2015
Why can't artificial intelligence do what humans can? Rob Miles talks about generality in intelligence.
Why can't artificial intelligence do what humans can? Rob Miles talks about generality in intelligence.
Data mining, why it's better than pure statistics. Professor Uwe Aickelin explains the basics of data mining.
Data mining, why it's better than pure statistics. Professor Uwe Aickelin explains the basics of data mining.
2015x32 The Computer That Changed Everything (Altair 8800) Episode overview
Air date
May 15, 2015
Arguably the first personal computer, the Altair 8800 is the machine that inspired Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Jason Fitzpatrick from the Centre for Computing History explains.
Arguably the first personal computer, the Altair 8800 is the machine that inspired Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Jason Fitzpatrick from the Centre for Computing History explains.
What's inside the case of this 40yr old Altair? Jason from the Centre for Computing History opens up this early machine to find some surprising changes.
What's inside the case of this 40yr old Altair? Jason from the Centre for Computing History opens up this early machine to find some surprising changes.
Colossus was one of the very first electronic, special purpose, computers and it was created almost two years earlier than the better known ENIAC. We visit Bletchley Park, home of the .. show full overview
Colossus was one of the very first electronic, special purpose, computers and it was created almost two years earlier than the better known ENIAC. We visit Bletchley Park, home of the code breakers, and TNMoC, The National Museum of Computing. Professor Brailsford shows us the Colossus replica.
Clive Sinclair had a vision, an elegant, affordable computer. Sold as Timex 1000 in the US, the ZX81 was cheap and cheerful; for many programmers, their first rung on the ladder of computing.
Clive Sinclair had a vision, an elegant, affordable computer. Sold as Timex 1000 in the US, the ZX81 was cheap and cheerful; for many programmers, their first rung on the ladder of computing.
The danger of assuming general artificial intelligence will be the same as human intelligence. Rob Miles explains with a simple example: The deadly stamp collector.
The danger of assuming general artificial intelligence will be the same as human intelligence. Rob Miles explains with a simple example: The deadly stamp collector.
One of the first computers in the world, EDSAC is being rebuilt at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. Andrew Herbert takes us on a walk around inside the computer.
One of the first computers in the world, EDSAC is being rebuilt at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. Andrew Herbert takes us on a walk around inside the computer.
If not for Apple, the company making ARM processors might never have existed and ARM could have disappeared with Acorn. Professor Steve Furber explains why.
If not for Apple, the company making ARM processors might never have existed and ARM could have disappeared with Acorn. Professor Steve Furber explains why.
Arduino devices are well known amongst hobbyists, but how do you get them to work? James Fowkes takes us through programming a 'sketch' (Arduino-speak for a program)
Arduino devices are well known amongst hobbyists, but how do you get them to work? James Fowkes takes us through programming a 'sketch' (Arduino-speak for a program)
Hitler's High Command didn't use Enigma, they used a faster system called Lorenz, but when Allied forces first encountered it, they had no idea what it was and code-named it 'Tunny' .. show full overview
Hitler's High Command didn't use Enigma, they used a faster system called Lorenz, but when Allied forces first encountered it, they had no idea what it was and code-named it 'Tunny' (Tuna). Professor Brailsford explains why this relates to the early days of Computer Science
The UK's Government Communications Headquarters deal in classified material, but how to decide if a computer is secure? - GCHQ asked Professor Uwe Aickelin and his team to investigate a means of scoring computer systems.
The UK's Government Communications Headquarters deal in classified material, but how to decide if a computer is secure? - GCHQ asked Professor Uwe Aickelin and his team to investigate a means of scoring computer systems.
An app that turns your phone into a pilot? Researchers at the University of Cambridge Computer Lab have built 'Captain Buzz' - Senior Research Associate Ramsey Faragher explains.
An app that turns your phone into a pilot? Researchers at the University of Cambridge Computer Lab have built 'Captain Buzz' - Senior Research Associate Ramsey Faragher explains.
2015x51 Captain Buzz pt2: Smart Watches and Latency Episode overview
Air date
Jul 22, 2015
An app that lets your phone fly which you can control from a smart watch. Researchers at the University of Cambridge Computer Lab have built 'Captain Buzz' - Olly Chick explains how they dealt with the latency issues raised in part 1.
An app that lets your phone fly which you can control from a smart watch. Researchers at the University of Cambridge Computer Lab have built 'Captain Buzz' - Olly Chick explains how they dealt with the latency issues raised in part 1.
After the deadly stamp collector, what if we can't create something so powerful? But if we design an AI that's better at AI design than us? Robert Miles continues his discussion on AI.
After the deadly stamp collector, what if we can't create something so powerful? But if we design an AI that's better at AI design than us? Robert Miles continues his discussion on AI.
2015x53 The Factory of Ideas: Working at Bell Labs Episode overview
Air date
Jul 28, 2015
Bell Labs pioneered some of the most important inventions of the 20th century, what was it like to be part of that? Professor Brian Kernighan was there.
Bell Labs pioneered some of the most important inventions of the 20th century, what was it like to be part of that? Professor Brian Kernighan was there.
Secret services want to read people's communications, politicians talk about terrorists, but what's the reality of banning encryption? Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering at .. show full overview
Secret services want to read people's communications, politicians talk about terrorists, but what's the reality of banning encryption? Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering at the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge explains how history repeats itself.
2015x55 Secrets Hidden in Images (Steganography) Episode overview
Air date
Aug 04, 2015
Secret texts buried in a picture of your dog? Image Analyst Dr. Mike Pound explains the art of steganography in digital images.
Secret texts buried in a picture of your dog? Image Analyst Dr. Mike Pound explains the art of steganography in digital images.
When your computer crashes and you lose everything it's annoying at best - What if you could fix it with blu tack? Jason Fitzpatrick from The Centre for Computing History on drawbacks of the Sinclair ZX81
When your computer crashes and you lose everything it's annoying at best - What if you could fix it with blu tack? Jason Fitzpatrick from The Centre for Computing History on drawbacks of the Sinclair ZX81
Search Engines are a bit like the Public Library - You wouldn't wander around hoping to find the book you want, there's a system in place. Data is the same - Dr. Max Wilson Explains.
Search Engines are a bit like the Public Library - You wouldn't wander around hoping to find the book you want, there's a system in place. Data is the same - Dr. Max Wilson Explains.
2015x58 "C" Programming Language: Brian Kernighan Episode overview
Air date
Aug 18, 2015
C" is one of the most widely used programming languages of all time. Prof Brian Kernighan wrote the book on "C", well, co-wrote it - on a visit to the University of Nottingham we asked him how it came about.
C" is one of the most widely used programming languages of all time. Prof Brian Kernighan wrote the book on "C", well, co-wrote it - on a visit to the University of Nottingham we asked him how it came about.
The Human Brain Project is behind this attempt to build a million core brain simulator. Professor Steve Furber of the University of Manchester & one of the pioneers behind the original ARM chip, takes us through the SpiNNaker Project.
The Human Brain Project is behind this attempt to build a million core brain simulator. Professor Steve Furber of the University of Manchester & one of the pioneers behind the original ARM chip, takes us through the SpiNNaker Project.
We haven't got time to label things, so can we let the computers work it out for themselves? Professor Uwe Aickelin explains supervised and un-supervised methods of machine learning.
We haven't got time to label things, so can we let the computers work it out for themselves? Professor Uwe Aickelin explains supervised and un-supervised methods of machine learning.
Inside one of the mysterious buildings that holds petabytes of data and crunches big numbers. Spencer Lamb shows us around a purpose built data centre in Slough in the UK, used by an .. show full overview
Inside one of the mysterious buildings that holds petabytes of data and crunches big numbers. Spencer Lamb shows us around a purpose built data centre in Slough in the UK, used by an organisation called Jisc/Janet which helps connect academic institutions together.
BWK, Professor Brian Kernighan visited Nottingham, so Professor Brailsford couldn't resist an 'on-camera' chat about Unix, Bell Labs and other aspects of Brian's glittering career.
BWK, Professor Brian Kernighan visited Nottingham, so Professor Brailsford couldn't resist an 'on-camera' chat about Unix, Bell Labs and other aspects of Brian's glittering career.
Image filters make most people think of Instagram or Camera Phone apps, but what's really going on at pixel level? Image Analyst Dr Mike Pound explains some of the most common filters.
Image filters make most people think of Instagram or Camera Phone apps, but what's really going on at pixel level? Image Analyst Dr Mike Pound explains some of the most common filters.
A Computerphile viewer asked the question: Why do we need IP addresses when every network interface has its own Mac address? - I put it to Dr Richard Mortier; University Lecturer in the Computer Laboratory at the University of Cambridge
A Computerphile viewer asked the question: Why do we need IP addresses when every network interface has its own Mac address? - I put it to Dr Richard Mortier; University Lecturer in the Computer Laboratory at the University of Cambridge
We rely on Chip & PIN machines to pay for things in a safe way, so how are they being compromised? Ross Anderson is Professor of Security Engineering at the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge.
We rely on Chip & PIN machines to pay for things in a safe way, so how are they being compromised? Ross Anderson is Professor of Security Engineering at the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge.
Big data research needs high performance computing and fast networks but so do thousands of students watching Netflix. Jisc run Janet, the network that connects academia in the UK. .. show full overview
Big data research needs high performance computing and fast networks but so do thousands of students watching Netflix. Jisc run Janet, the network that connects academia in the UK. Jeremy Sharp, Jisc's Director of Strategic Technologies takes us through their data centre installation.
Face detection isn't just about geometry. Associate Professor Dr Michel Valstar explains how Local Binary Patterns can be used to detect the edges in our features.
Face detection isn't just about geometry. Associate Professor Dr Michel Valstar explains how Local Binary Patterns can be used to detect the edges in our features.
Just like humans organising to meet for coffee, computers need ways of organising themselves. Heidi Howard, of the System Research Group at University of Cambridge explains the basics.
Just like humans organising to meet for coffee, computers need ways of organising themselves. Heidi Howard, of the System Research Group at University of Cambridge explains the basics.
Our eyes can spot edges with no problems, but how do computers determine what's an edge and what's not? Image Analyst Dr Mike Pound explains the Sobel Edge detector.
Our eyes can spot edges with no problems, but how do computers determine what's an edge and what's not? Image Analyst Dr Mike Pound explains the Sobel Edge detector.
2015x80 Why Asimov's Laws of Robotics Don't Work Episode overview
Air date
Nov 06, 2015
Three or four laws to make robots and AI safe - should be simple right? Rob Miles on why these simple laws are so complicated.
Three or four laws to make robots and AI safe - should be simple right? Rob Miles on why these simple laws are so complicated.
DFB explains why three letter abbreviations are so common in computer science. Unix & Bell Labs have a lot to answer for! (Professor David F Brailsford)
DFB explains why three letter abbreviations are so common in computer science. Unix & Bell Labs have a lot to answer for! (Professor David F Brailsford)
We've all heard of web browser caches, but why does a super fast modern CPU need a cache? Because it's too fast. Dr Steve "Heartbleed" Bagley explains.
We've all heard of web browser caches, but why does a super fast modern CPU need a cache? Because it's too fast. Dr Steve "Heartbleed" Bagley explains.
Surely decimal numbers are easier to understand than binary? So why don't computers use them? Professor Brailsford explains the relationships between binary, power and simplicity.
Surely decimal numbers are easier to understand than binary? So why don't computers use them? Professor Brailsford explains the relationships between binary, power and simplicity.
Digital currency, how does it work, what's a data miner and will Bitcoin last? We asked Professor Ross Anderson of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory.
Digital currency, how does it work, what's a data miner and will Bitcoin last? We asked Professor Ross Anderson of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory.
A search engine can return thousands of web pages, but how does it know whether they are relevant or not? First step is how to measure relevance, as Dr Max Wilson explains.
A search engine can return thousands of web pages, but how does it know whether they are relevant or not? First step is how to measure relevance, as Dr Max Wilson explains.
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