The Computer Programme
9. In Control
Clips from this programme
The BBC Ceefax service is providing information for a recipe. Just one example of computers in the modern kitchen. Computers seem to be everywhere
Duration: 00:59
Opening titles
Duration: 00:21
Thumper' is winner of the Euro Mouse Maze Solving Contest. Of the many entries only a few memorise the maze. All the machines detect the walls but many just move about in a seemingly haphazard way. One reasonably successful contestant, 'Thesius', uses a Sinclair ZX80 strapped to its top.
Duration: 05:19
Computers depend on simple switches. Mac shows how a computer uses a series of seven on or off switches to display the numbers 0 to 9 on a numeric display.
Duration: 01:19
An ordinary home computer has improved the operation of a sewage treatment works
Duration: 03:56
A comedy sequence shows multitasking in a restaurant
Duration: 01:16
A simple program monitoring the studio temperature to control a cooling fan or a heater soon stops because it requires a 'goto' line in the code to make it run continuously. Mac shows how this is corrected.
Duration: 04:13
The scale of the individual circuits on a silicon chip is examined. The process of producing dedicated microprocessor circuits for specific purposes in consumer devices is often just a matter of changing a few parts of the design. These are dedicated circuits with burned in logic programs rather than all purpose microcomputer chips.
Duration: 02:50
A mechanical washing machine controller is dismantled and compared with the simple computer circuit which now replaces it
Duration: 00:39
Microcomputer control in cars provides greater economy and safety than ever. The car industry is the second biggest user of silicon chip technology after the computer and telecoms industries. The future will see the computer more and more in control systems.
Duration: 03:22
End credits
Duration: 00:46The 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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