Jim al-Khalili talks to the astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell about missing out a Nobel Prize, sexism in science and a strange smudge in the data from a radio telescope. While others dismissed this smudge as insignificant, Jocelyn revealed a series of strange flashing signals. They might have been evidence of faulty radio telescope or even messages from a little green man; but Jocelyn thought otherwise and her determination to get to the bottom of it all, led to one of the most exciting discoveries in 20th century astronomy, the discovery of pulsars, those dense cores of collapsed stars.
Tagged with “bbc”
(36)
-
The Life Scientific: Jocelyn Bell-Burnell
-
More or Less: Behind the Stats — The Parable of the Ox
What does a ‘guess the weight of the ox’ competition tells us about a bloated and dysfunctional financial system? We find out in the Parable of the Ox written by John Kay of the Financial Times. The tale is told with the help of economics writer James Surowiecki as well as John Kay himself. It also features a brand new composition from the New Radiophonic Workshop.
-
Four Thought: Tom Armitage: The Coded World
Designer and technologist Tom Armitage argues that learning to write computer code means learning to think in a modern way, and that it should spur creativity: the possibility of doing entirely new things.
-
Four Thought: James Bridle
James Bridle asks how computer networks will affect cultural memories.
Tagged with bbc four thought technology culture memory twitter:user=jamesbridle
-
Titanic - In Her Own Words
To mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, the BBC’s Sean Coughlan narrates one of the most authentic versions of events in existence. Using voice synthesis to re-create the strange, twitter-like, mechanical brevity of the original Morse code, this programme brings to life the tragedy through the ears of the wireless operators in the area that night. On the night of the disaster, the network of young Marconi wireless operators on different ships and land stations frantically communicated with each other across the cold expanses of the North Atlantic in an effort to mount a rescue for the doomed vessel. All these messages were recorded at the time in copper-plate handwriting, now scattered across the world in different collections, but together forming a unique archive. Conceived and created by Susanne Weber. Producer: Alex Mansfield
Tagged with titanic sos morris code bbc
-
BBC - Podcasts - Four Thought: Russell M. Davies 21 Sept 2011
Four Thought talks include stories and ideas which will affect our future, in politics, society, the economy, business, science, technology or the arts. Recorded live, the talks are given by a range of people with a new thought to share.
After the internet and social media, what will be the next technological revolution? Writer, blogger and social entrepreneur Russell M. Davies argues that like the early days of blogging, we are about to witness another flowering of individual creativity. This time, he says, it will unleash "all sorts of interesting gadgety things", and determine our relationships with them. "It’s about making your own stuff, which might be a bit silly and a bit trivial and pointless, but you get the satisfaction of making it yourself," he says. This revolution in individual gadgetry - and designing our relationship with them - will prove "exciting, radical, life-affirming stuff". Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.
Tagged with bbc four thought russell davies internet technology culture
-
Transmedia storytelling
This week’s episode of the CoP Show explains what transmedia storytelling is and why producers might want to use it.
The simplest definition of transmedia storytelling is that it is a technique used to tell stories across multiple platforms: TV, radio, games, novels, social media, online or anywhere a story can unfold.
A transmedia storyteller may create many "entrypoints" across different platforms, so that, for example, a fan of a drama can read the online diaries of their favourite characters or follow their comments on Twitter.
The theory goes that by doing this not only can you give your audience more of what they want and love but you can also bring in a whole new audience that otherwise would not find your content.
Joining presenter Simon Smith are Chris Sizemore, Executive Editor of BBCâs Learning & Knowledge Online, Adrian Hon the Chief Creative at transmedia specialist Six to Start and Meg Jayanth, a BBC multi-platform producer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/collegeofproduction/podcast/view/transmedia-storytelling
-
RP RIP - the demise of BBC English
George Bernard Shaw ridiculed the British obsession with class, recognising that its most powerful expression was not in what someone said, but how he or she said it. Using a wealth of archive, we hear how the drive to hide linguistic, geographical roots often went hand in hand with a desire to be seen as part of the metropolitan set and we hear about the post war levelling and the move away from RP.
-
Broadcasting House - Revisiting Down and Out in Paris and London
For Broadcasting House, Emma Jane Kirby retraces George Orwell’s classic journey into poverty. She meets a woman crammed into a boarding house room with her two adult children; a kitchen hand who grabs only a few hours sleep each night; a homeless Pole who has forgotten what it was to be sober; and the teen couple who sleep hidden in the long grass of a park for fear of attackers.
Tagged with bbc broadcasting house george orwell poverty
-
BBC Outriders — Looking at ourselves
Anniemole is the London Underground Tube Diary blogger and Sam Mullens is the director of the London Transport Museum, we met at the Sense and the City exhibition at the museum to talk about how the gadget in your pocket could play a big part in the future of how you get around. Interestingly the exhibition not only promises a hack-day soon, it also provides some beautiful visualisations of how we get around the city.
Nathan Yau is a statistics Phd Student who has written a book called "Visualize This". It’s a great guide for those who may be interested in creating their own visualisations but are not sure where to start.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/outriders/2011/07/visualised_journeys.shtml
Page 1 of 4Older