A series of free online lectures from Gresham College by Professor Richard Harvey
Free online lecture series Great Ideas from Computer Science:
Professor Richard Harvey
Tues 2 Feb, 6pm-7pm online (or watch later)
Niklaus Wirth said Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs. But programs are more than that. They are ubiquitous in modern life, but only a tiny minority of the population know how to program. Programmers, coders or developers are therefore seen as the most rarefied of individuals – disconnected from society yet with enormous influence and power.
This lecture examines what programming is, who invented it, and how it is changing to better represent the needs of modern society
This lecture examines what programming is, who invented it, and how it is changing to better represent the needs of modern society
Yorick Wilks, Visiting Professor of AI
Tues 23 Feb 1pm-2pm online (or watch later)
Could AI replace stand-up comedians and scriptwriters? This may not be an impossible dream if you accept that nothing we do is forever beyond the scope of computer modelling.
This lecture explores attempts to create jokes from rules, and programs that create not-quite-relevant responses that hearers can make meaningful and comic. Will computers ever tell good jokes?
This lecture explores attempts to create jokes from rules, and programs that create not-quite-relevant responses that hearers can make meaningful and comic. Will computers ever tell good jokes?
Professor Richard Harvey
Tues 9 Mar, 6pm-7pm online (or watch later)
Even the most humdrum of electrical devices nowadays contains at least one computer; yet surprisingly few people are aware of their history, their form or function.
In this talk we will see that not only is the history of computers rich and diverse, their architecture likewise. Astonishingly, all the computers ever made can be modelled by one universal machine – the Turing machine.
In this talk we will see that not only is the history of computers rich and diverse, their architecture likewise. Astonishingly, all the computers ever made can be modelled by one universal machine – the Turing machine.
Professor Richard Harvey
Tues, 20 Apr, 6pm-7pm online (or watch later)
Networks were seen as a rather arcane and dull area in computer science. Then along came the internet, and everything changed for ever. The internet is actually an amalgam of a number of disparate technologies that evolved at just the right time, indeed several of the key technologies were far from optimal.
In this lecture we will look at a bit of internet history, show how it works now and look towards the future.
In this lecture we will look at a bit of internet history, show how it works now and look towards the future.
Professor Richard Harvey
Tues, 25 May 6pm-7pm online (or watch later)
It is now easier to breach the security of people’s personal and business lives than perhaps at any time in recent human history. Technology has brought unimaginable speed, scale and reach to hackers. This lecture looks at the consequences of technology on privacy and security, and considers what options there are for the future, including new technologies and regulations such as blockchain and the right to privacy.