Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
John David Pye: Communicating
People communicate all the time. A lecture is one special kind of communication, but we communicate with each other in a wide variety of different ways, for otherwise life itself would be impossible. The basic principles are really quite simple but the details are endless and fascinating. We will explore together the fundamental 'rules of the game' of communicating and use them to examine a wide range of different examples.
Where to Watch John David Pye: Communicating
6 Episodes
- No Man is an IslandE1
No Man is an IslandLife itself, our very existence, would fail without communication, since no man can be entirely independent of others. Professor David Pye presents the 156th series of these lectures. With a variety of demonstrations and experiments, he explores how humans use their senses, sometimes with the help of technology, to send and receive messages. - Animal TalkE2
Animal TalkLike humans, animals depend on communication for reproduction, and often for a complex social life. But the methods they use are widely different, because their sense organs work in a variety of often surprising ways. Using fishes, snakes, dogs and ducks Professor David Pye explains how some animals can communicate with 'sounds' and 'colours' that we cannot hear or see. Sometimes man can even communicate with his domestic beasts. - The Pace of TechnologyE4
The Pace of TechnologyModern man needs to communicate quickly and over greater and greater distances. Since the invention of lasers and fibre-optics, spectacular feats of communication are now commonplace. In today's lecture Professor David Pye trys to make the world's longest phone call and to receive a signal live from Pioneer 10 as it heads out of the solar system. - The Integrated BodyE5
The Integrated BodyThe most complex of all communication systems is the one that operates inside the human body, which is made up of enormous numbers of living cells that are tightly co-ordinated to perform as an individual person. Professor David Pye uses animals and humans to demonstrate how nerve cells conduct messages around the body. Ultimately, the brain is responsible for maintaining the human body as well as reacting to the outside world. - ComputersE6
ComputersOne day computers and robots may be able to do all our work and chores. Is this a real vision of the future or just a fantasy? In the last of this year's lectures, Professor David Pye explores the fantastic development of computers in recent years. If computers are fitted with sensors, so that they can touch, see and even speak, they become robots. On earth robots are still primitive, but in other galaxies....