Computerphile

Season 2014

TV-G
Videos all about computers and computer stuff. Sister channel of Numberphile.

Where to Watch Season 2014

79 Episodes

  • The Visibility Problem
    E1
    The Visibility ProblemWhich triangles should be in front and which should be behind? The problems computers face when collapsing 3D graphics down to 2 dimensions.
  • Lights and Shadows in Graphics
    E2
    Lights and Shadows in GraphicsThe latest film of our series on graphics sees John Chapman turning the lights off to explain how we decide if a pixel is in light or shade...
  • The Penguin Barcode
    E3
    The Penguin BarcodeShould computers evolve to read the environment we live in or should we change the environment to make it easier for machines to read? Barcodes and QR codes are ugly, Professor Steve Benford explains a different approach.
  • Typesetters in the '80s
    E4
    Typesetters in the '80sIf you thought mathematics exams were difficult, you should try printing them out! - Professor Brailsford takes us through Nottingham University's path to printing their own papers.
  • Floating Point Numbers
    E5
    Floating Point NumbersWhy can't floating point do money? It's a brilliant solution for speed of calculations in the computer, but how and why does moving the decimal point (well, in this case binary or radix point) help and how does it get currency so wrong?
  • Smack a Mac (25 years of stress relief)
    E6
    Smack a Mac (25 years of stress relief)Professor Martyn Poliakoff from chemistry channel periodicvideos makes a cameo here on Computerphile... More from him at: http://www.youtube.com/periodicvideos
  • The Font Magicians
    E7
    The Font MagiciansMaking fonts look good at low resolutions - many thought the problem insolvable - two men started Adobe and proved them wrong. Professor David Brailsford renders the story.
  • Blindly Accepting Terms and Conditions?
    E8
    Blindly Accepting Terms and Conditions?Terms & Conditions as complicated to read as the epic poem Beowulf. How many times have you clicked 'agree' without reading any further? Professor Tom Rodden explains.
  • P vs NP on TV
    E9
    P vs NP on TVOur thanks to them.
  • The Little Mac with the Big Bite
    E10
    The Little Mac with the Big BiteWhether you are a Mac-o-phile or a Mac-o-phobe it is hard to deny the impact of the original Mac. As Mac turns 30, Professor David Brailsford takes us through what the original Mac was like and how it helped people learn to love computers.
  • Credit Cards and Invisible Computing
    E11
    Credit Cards and Invisible ComputingIn this era of invisible computing how do you define a computer? Professor Tom Rodden talks to Brady about what counts and what doesn't.
  • XP to Ubuntu with an 8yr old Hacktop
    E12
    XP to Ubuntu with an 8yr old HacktopRejuvenating an 'ancient' piece of technology for free with a new operating system. As Windows XP nears end-of-life, we look at whether we can re-purpose old bits of kit for free. Joe Nash gets hacking.
  • The Dawn of Desktop Publishing
    E13
    The Dawn of Desktop PublishingQuality printing from your own home is taken for granted, but it wasn't always that way - The Apple Laserwriter gave the original Apple Mac a purpose and cemented its place in the creative industries. We hear from Professor David Brailsford.
  • The Attack That Could Disrupt The Whole Internet
    E14
    The Attack That Could Disrupt The Whole InternetDoS or Denial of Service Attacks are one thing, but Amplified Denial of Service Attacks could threaten the internet itself. Tom Scott explains what they are.
  • What is Bootstrapping?
    E15
    What is Bootstrapping?A little bit of magic - bootstrapping, allows the separation of code and machine, allowing one single piece of code to run on many different machines. Professor Tom Rodden introduces the idea.
  • Reverse Polish Notation and The Stack
    E16
    Reverse Polish Notation and The StackReverse Polish, or Postfix notation is commonly used in Computer Science, particularly in reference to Stacks - but what are stacks and how does postfix work? Professor David Brailsford takes us through it.
  • Home-Made Z80 Retro Computer
    E17
    Home-Made Z80 Retro ComputerWhat better way to understand how a computer works than to build one from components. Spencer built a Z80 based machine from scratch at Nottingham Hackspace.
  • Should Everybody Learn to Code?
    E18
    Should Everybody Learn to Code?With Code.org in the US and the Next Gen report in the UK, there's currently a real push to include Computer Science in schools, but should everybody learn to code? Professor Tom Rodden talks to Brady
  • Animated GIFs and Space vs Time
    E19
    Animated GIFs and Space vs TimeWhether its the Darwin Award nominees or simply another crazy cat, animated GIFs have a lot to answer for. They're also a perfect example of one of Computer Science's fundamental principles - Tom Scott explains.
  • The Tweeting Vending Machine Hack
    E20
    The Tweeting Vending Machine HackThe vending machine that Tweets when you buy a Twix - Nottingham Hackspace members have improved this eBay purchase with an Arduino... James explains just what it does and why.
  • Programming in PostScript
    E21
    Programming in PostScriptPostScript is more than just a 2D graphics language, it's a fully operational programming language - Professor Brailsford explains how it works.
  • Is it the End for Moore's Law?
    E22
    Is it the End for Moore's Law?Moore's Law has held true for 40 years, but many say it will soon end - Can chip designers avoid the laws of physics? Professor Derek McAuley explains how chips are built.
  • Heartbleed, Running the Code
    E23
    Heartbleed, Running the CodeWe look at and run the code that exploits the Heartbleed bug. Dr. Steven Bagley takes us through the code and shows us how it works.
  • YouTube's Secret Algorithm
    E24
    YouTube's Secret AlgorithmYouTube's algorithm connects you with videos you might like. What signals do they use to decide if a video will appeal? More from this interview soon.
  • YouTube Search & Discovery
    E25
    YouTube Search & DiscoveryHow do YouTube decide which videos to recommend? - Cristos Goodrow from YouTube's Search & Discovery chats to Brady.
  • Privacy in Social Media
    E26
    Privacy in Social MediaWho cares about privacy? - Professor Derek McAuley chats about the various problems with privacy online.
  • Opening up the 30yr old Mac
    E27
    Opening up the 30yr old MacOpening up the impenetrable Mac - Just what is inside this 30 year old Macintosh? Dr Steve Bagley opens it up in order to upgrade it and show us how it works.
  • What on Earth is Recursion?
    E28
    What on Earth is Recursion?Recursion; like something from the film "Inception". Even Professor Brailsford says it can be hard to get your head around - watch him make it much easier to understand...
  • Mac or PC?
    E29
    Mac or PC?Over Computerphile's first year, we asked each contributor the question: "Mac or PC?" as part of our sound-check. Here are the answers...
  • Just How do Macs and PCs Differ?
    E30
    Just How do Macs and PCs Differ?Following on from our contentious 'Mac or PC' film, we asked Professor Tom Rodden just what the actual difference is between Mac and PC. (by PC we are referring to machines running Windows or a variant of Linux)
  • Reverse Polish Grows on Trees
    E31
    Reverse Polish Grows on TreesWhy use Reverse Polish Notation? How does it relate to trees in Computer Science? Professor Brailsford explains how RPN arises naturally, as a linearized form of a tree.
  • Coding by SMS text message
    E32
    Coding by SMS text messageWhat's the most ridiculous activity to do via text message? Joe decided on computer programming & entered a hackathon with a 'text by code' system last year... (he didn't win, maybe its not that ridiculous?)
  • How Cell Phones Reveal Your Location
    E33
    How Cell Phones Reveal Your LocationMany of us use Location Services & GPS on smartphones but Cell Phone Companies have been able to track us for a long time. Professor Derek McAuley explains.
  • Fuzzy Logic
    E34
    Fuzzy LogicReal life isn't as simple as true or false - Fuzzy logic allows you to have degrees of truth, meaning computer programmes can deal with more diverse situations.
  • Crashes, Cosmic Rays and Kernel Panic
    E35
    Crashes, Cosmic Rays and Kernel PanicHow or why would a computer ever panic? - What actually happens when things go wrong? Our own 'Dr Heartbleed' Steve Bagley with what happens when a computer crashes.
  • Fibonacci Programming
    E36
    Fibonacci ProgrammingFollowing on from our film on recursion, Professor Brailsford uses the Fibonacci Sequence as a further demonstration of recursive programming.
  • How Computer Memory Works
    E37
    How Computer Memory WorksHow do logic gates store information? - We explore how computer memory works with Dr. Steve "Heartbleed" Bagley
  • In Flight Virtual Reality
    E38
    In Flight Virtual RealityCan Virtual Reality be used on aircraft to improve in-flight comfort? The VR Hyperspace project has been exploring that idea and ahead of a series of Computerphile films on VR, Dr Mirabelle D'Cruz introduces the idea.
  • The Most Difficult Program to Compute?
    E39
    The Most Difficult Program to Compute?The story of recursion continues as Professor Brailsford explains one of the most difficult programs to compute: Ackermann's function.
  • The Virtual Reality Cave
    E40
    The Virtual Reality CaveThe Oculus Rift isn't the only way to experience Virtual Reality - A VR CAVE uses large screens and projectors to transform your environment.
  • Emoji and the Levitating Businessman
    E41
    Emoji and the Levitating BusinessmanUnicode is changing, adding tons more icons and smilies - But what's new and why? Tom Scott takes us through the improvements...
  • Artificial Immune Systems
    E42
    Artificial Immune SystemsBorrowing from biology and implementing in binary, AIS closely follows immunology and uses it in many areas, including system security. Dr. Julie Greensmith of the University of Nottingham introduces the subject.
  • Real Life Holodeck with an Oculus Rift
    E43
    Real Life Holodeck with an Oculus RiftThe closest thing to Star Trek's 'Holodeck' - a large scale tracking lab with VR headsets used to develop everything from redirected walking to quadcopter control algorithms.
  • Public Key Cryptography
    E44
    Public Key CryptographySpies used to meet in the park to exchange code words, now things have moved on - Robert Miles explains the principle of Public/Private Key Cryptography
  • The Future of Desktop Computing?
    E45
    The Future of Desktop Computing?Tablets are taking over from desktop computing but what if we merge the two? This prototype demonstrates something new, that builds upon something centuries old - working with paper on your desk.
  • Internationalis(z)ing Code
    E46
    Internationalis(z)ing CodeCatering for a global audience is difficult, Tom takes us through a 'timezones' style explanation of the things you need to keep in mind when internationalising your code.
  • The Danger Theory
    E47
    The Danger TheoryArtificial Immune Systems are taking on board cutting edge immunology research and creating algorithms that exploit it. Dr Julie Greensmith explains The Danger Theory.
  • The (pink) VR Simulator
    E48
    The (pink) VR SimulatorThis giant robot arm (usually seen on the factory floor) is being used to research the effects of in flight comfort for the VR Hyperspace project.
  • Turing & The Halting Problem
    E49
    Turing & The Halting ProblemAlan Turing almost accidentally created the blueprint for the modern day digital computer. Here Mark Jago takes us through The Halting Problem.
  • Avatars & In-Flight VR
    E50
    Avatars & In-Flight VRWhat are the long term effects of wearing VR head-sets? Can you use VR to shrink your body and have the illusion of more space on board an aircraft?
  • Turing Machines Explained
    E51
    Turing Machines ExplainedTuring Machines are the basis of modern computing, but what actually is a Turing Machine? Assistant Professor Mark Jago explains.
  • Busy Beaver Turing Machines
    E52
    Busy Beaver Turing MachinesThe Busy Beaver game, pointless? Or a lesson in the problems of computability? - How do you decide if something can be computed or not?
  • Turing Machine Primer
    E53
    Turing Machine PrimerThis Primer is to accompany the 'Busy Beaver Turing Machines' film which can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/CE8UhcyJS0I
  • Hill Climbing Algorithm & Artificial Intelligence
    E54
    Hill Climbing Algorithm & Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence can be thought of in terms of optimization. Robert Miles explains using the evolution's algorithm.
  • How Broadband ADSL Works
    E55
    How Broadband ADSL WorksHow does ADSL work and what are those noises Modems used to make?
  • Rabbits, Faces & Hyperspaces
    E56
    Rabbits, Faces & HyperspacesHyperspace was hijacked by science fiction, but what is a space? Robert Miles explains with the use of small red rabbits and human faces.
  • Undecidability Tangent (History of Undecidability Part 1)
    E57
    Undecidability Tangent (History of Undecidability Part 1)What was the first undecidable problem? Professor Brailsford takes us on a computerphile tangent & gives us his angle on a pre-computer example of undecidability.
  • Piracy, Pictures and Metadata
    E58
    Piracy, Pictures and MetadataWith images copied via instant screen-grab & websites stripping metadata clean away where does it leave the creators? Professor Derek McAuley talks about the need for a digital exchange.
  • A New Perspective (Multi-Person 3D system)
    E59
    A New Perspective (Multi-Person 3D system)3D perspective personalised to multiple viewers of the screen - cutting edge research which Alex explains.
  • Barber & Russell Paradoxes (History of Undecidability Part 2)
    E60
    Barber & Russell Paradoxes (History of Undecidability Part 2)The Barber Paradox: Professor Brailsford continues the history of undecidability.
  • Blogging Guitar
    E61
    Blogging GuitarIf musical instruments could speak, what stories could they tell? Professor Benford and his team have created an instrument that documents its own life - the Carolan Guitar
  • Shellshock Code & the Bash Bug
    E62
    Shellshock Code & the Bash BugShellshock is potentially a bigger problem than Heartbleed, as Dr Steve Bagley explains.
  • Turing Meets Paradoxes (History of Undecidability Part 3)
    E63
    Turing Meets Paradoxes (History of Undecidability Part 3)Taking a solemn oath to promise never to write a program that analyses other programs? - That's how Professor Brailsford felt when he first understood undecidability.
  • The Kindle Text Problem
    E64
    The Kindle Text ProblemWhy is it that PDFs look great and yet e-books can look ropey? - Dr Steve Bagley turns Brady into a computer to find out.
  • Routers, The Internet & YouTube Offline
    E65
    Routers, The Internet & YouTube OfflineRouters carry the traffic of the internet, we talk to Dr Richard Mortier about how they work and what happened to YouTube when a government censorship exercise went wrong.
  • Crowd-Sourced Sports Coverage
    E66
    Crowd-Sourced Sports CoverageEvery spectator is a potential camera operator, that's the basis of this research into crowd-sourced event coverage. Dr Martin Flintham explains the idea.
  • Technicalities of Net Neutrality
    E67
    Technicalities of Net NeutralityWhat's the technical side of the net neutrality debate? We look at how a it works with a fictitious video streaming site. Dr Richard Mortier has the details.
  • Swim Tracking App
    E68
    Swim Tracking AppIndoor navigation is tricky enough but try doing it in a swimming pool! Joe tells us how he's developed technology that could give you instant feedback on your swimming.
  • Free Software (made with free software)
    E69
    Free Software (made with free software)Why the Free Software Foundation say iTunes isn't free software. Matt Lee, Technical Lead at Creative Commons explains.
  • Video Editing with Free Software (Accompanies "Free Software" video)
    E70
    Video Editing with Free Software (Accompanies "Free Software" video)This is an explanatory video to accompany the last Computerphile entitled 'Free Software' which had a couple of technical problems. This is not a tutorial, nor is it a recommendation, it is the story of Sean trying to make a Computerphile video with GNU free software.
  • Why Internet Slows Down When it's Busy
    E71
    Why Internet Slows Down When it's BusyISPs don't always get it right - they gamble that all of their subscribers won't use all of their bandwidth all of the time. Dr Richard Mortier explains Statistical Multiplexing.
  • Where's the Money in Free Software?
    E72
    Where's the Money in Free Software?Free as in freedom, not free as in cost, but part of the deal is that the software code is released, so if there's always the ability to get the source code, where's the money in free software? Matt Lee explains.
  • Turing's Enigma Problem (Part 1)
    E73
    Turing's Enigma Problem (Part 1)The Enigma cipher machine, said to be unbreakable. Alan Turing had a pivotal role in cracking Enigma codes during WWII. Professor Brailsford takes us through just what Turing and his team were up against.
  • What Happens When You Click a Link?
    E74
    What Happens When You Click a Link?What happens when you click on a link? Dr Richard Mortier explains the mechanics of connecting you with your favourite website.
  • Tackling Enigma (Turing's Enigma Problem Part 2)
    E75
    Tackling Enigma (Turing's Enigma Problem Part 2)Just how did the team at Bletchley Park tackle the problem of decoding Enigma? In Part Two of our series on "The Real" Imitation Game, Professor Brailsford explains how they did it.
  • How Gangnam Style Broke YouTube
    E76
    How Gangnam Style Broke YouTubeWhen YouTube was created, they had no idea that a video might amass over 2 billion views. Dr Steve Bagley explains why Psy's Gangnam Style music video forced YouTube to update their system.
  • Why Electronic Voting is a BAD Idea
    E77
    Why Electronic Voting is a BAD IdeaVoting is centuries old, why can't we move with the times and use our phones, tablets and computers? Tom Scott lays out why e-voting is such a bad idea.
  • Festive Flashing Lights
    E78
    Festive Flashing LightsHow can you make your holiday decorations more interesting? Add computer control! Dr 'Heartbleed' Steve Bagley shows us his setup.
  • 3d X-Ray Images
    E79
    3d X-Ray ImagesRobots Automatically loading 3D Xray machines - but why? Professor Tony Pridmore explains how computer science is helping botanists to learn more about plant roots.

 

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