The Computer Programme

5. The New Media

BBC2 Series 1 Episode 5
First broadcast 8th February 1982, 15:05
Duration: 24:12
CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and GILL NEVILL continue their exploration of the world of Information Science. 5: The New Media : The greatest public impact of information technology is likely to be in the provision of new means of communication. Directors FRANK ASH, MATT BONET Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

View listing on BBC Genome

Clips from this programme

Are computers going to replace print to become the New Media?

Duration: 00:29

Opening titles

Duration: 00:25

Mac describes the speed at which information travelled slowly in the age of the american stage coach through the revolutionary telegraph to today's virtually instantaneous systems

Duration: 03:00

Instant messaging today (1981) using the Prestel messaging system.

Duration: 02:49

British Rail's timetable system involves a dialogue between networked computers and makes use of live information sent from trains about speed and position and comparing these with the timetable predictions.

Duration: 02:00

Internally computers can deal with information sent simultaneously in parallel but only deal with bits sent sequentially (serially) when communicating over the telephone line. These bits can then be grouped into words or numbers represented by bytes. One byte is 8 bits

Duration: 01:22

BA Airbus 146 was designed by programmers often working from home. They used computers connected by phone using acoustic couplers. Remote working like this is helping workers who need to be at home

Duration: 02:40

Demonstration of telephone directories in France which are all online

Duration: 01:47

German system allows electronic funds transfer

Duration: 01:18

A speculation about the office of the future. As paper goes up in cost and electronic data costs come down more information will be sent electronically. Mac and Chris Serle look at a mocked up 'paperless' office system incorporating viewdata

Duration: 01:56

A bit of coding to explain some of the principles within a word processor

Duration: 03:36

Rex Malik says welcome to the electronic global village but beware predictions about the paperless office. "It won't happen"

Duration: 01:58

End titles

Duration: 00:42

The Computer Programme

1. It's Happening Now

First broadcast: 11th January 1982
Duration 24:51

"Don't expect the computer revolution to happen tomorrow, it's going on all around us." Chris Serle, Ian McNaught-Davis and Gill Nevill begin their exploration of the world of Information Science and ask: 'What can computers do for us? Who is using them now, and where is this technology likely to lead?' Director: FRANK ASH Director: MATT BONEY Producer: PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme

2. Just One Thing After Another

First broadcast: 18th January 1982
Duration 24:53

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and Gill Nevill, continue their exploration of the world of information science. Even the most elaborate and sophisticated computer programs are made up of only a few types of relatively simple steps. The art of computer programming lies in combining these into ever more complex combinations. Directors FRANK ASH, MATT BONEY Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme

3. Talking to a Machine

First broadcast: 25th January 1982
Duration 24:23

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and GILL NEVILL continue their exploration of the world of information science. The difficulty of communicating with computers is that they are machines and we are people. The common language we share can turn out to be a lot more like English than we might expect. Directors FRANK ASH, MATT BONEY Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme

4. It's on the Computer

First broadcast: 1st February 1982
Duration 24:39

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and GILL NEVILL continue their exploration of the world of information science. Storing information is what the great majority of computers are used for. But how much can they hold, and how can the stored information be easily retrieved? Director MATT BONEY Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme

5. The New Media

First broadcast: 8th February 1982
Duration 24:12

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and GILL NEVILL continue their exploration of the world of Information Science. 5: The New Media : The greatest public impact of information technology is likely to be in the provision of new means of communication. Directors FRANK ASH, MATT BONET Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

Now playing

6. Moving Pictures

First broadcast: 15th February 1982
Duration 24:37

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and GILL NEVILL continue their exploration of the world of information science. For many people games, with their elaborate visual displays, are the most commonly encountered aspect of computer technology. But generating sound and pictures from a computer is no different to manipulating text. Director: MATT BONEY Director: Frank Ash Producer: PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme

7. Let's Pretend

First broadcast: 22nd February 1982
Duration 24:32

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and GILL NEVILL continue their exploration of the world of information science. 7: Let's Pretend: Training space-shuttle pilots, or testing bridges to destruction, is normally too costly or too dangerous to do on the real thing. But by giving a computer an exact description of how a complicated system behaves, it can mimic anything from the British economy to the world's weather. Directors FRANK ASH, MATT BONEY Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme

8. The Thinking Machine

First broadcast: 1st March 1982
Duration 24:30

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and GILL NEVILL continue their exploration of the world of information science 8: The Thinking Machine: In spite of years of investment in the development of intelligent machines, computer scientists are still a long way from equalling human thought, let alone surpassing it. The future, however, may yet present us with great surprises. Directors MATT BONEY, FRANK ASH Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme

9. In Control

First broadcast: 8th March 1982
Duration 24:34

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS, GILL NEVILL 9: In Control: By far the greatest number of computers with which we will come into contact in the future will be invisible. They will be the microprocessors built into many of our domestic appliances, replacing many of the mechanical systems that we use today, with greatly improved reliability, flexibility, and at low cost. Directors FRANK ASH, MATT BONEY Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme

10. Things to Come

First broadcast: 15th March 1982
Duration 24:17

CHRIS SERLE, IAN MCNAUGHT-DAVIS and GILL NEVILL continue their exploration of the world of information science. Things to Come: Information technology has the power to change the face of our society completely by taking over the work of a large majority of the population. But will this be allowed to happen, and which aspects of our economic life are most likely to be affected? Directors MATT BONEY, FRANK ASH Producer PAUL KRIWACZEK

Watch programme