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Science, Maths & Technology
Interacting with ambient displays
Will an 'ambient information display' change peoples behaviour within a building? The 'Clouds' research investigation project in The Open University's Jennie Lee building strives to answer this question. This video takes a look behind-the-scenes of the project, which involves an artistic installation of grey and orange balloons which have been ...
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History & The Arts
The Final Cut
It is often said that a movie comes to life in the edit suite. Ben Harrex of Final Cut post production studios in London discusses five themes with examples; The Cut, The Dissolve, Cropping and Resizing, Titles and The Sound. Ben explains how the video editor has a huge amount of creative control over how the final product looks. This material ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Tackling noise pollution
Noise is one of the forms of pollution that characterises industrial societies. Many forms of noise in the urban environment, including traffic and aircraft noise, can cause significant harm in varying degrees. So just how much noise are you exposed to? The tracks in this album explain the measurement and control of noise and look at how motor ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Combating air pollution
What’s in the air you breathe and how do you know it’s safe? Pollution control is vital since nobody has a choice when it comes to inhaling the air around them. This album introduces the scientific processes behind air monitoring and air quality management. The five video tracks explore the nature of pollution arising from different forms of ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
The physical world: quantum
This album examines the revolution in scientific thinking that overthrew classical physics in favour of quantum physics. Called the crown of the twentieth century, quantum mechanics is a blueprint for how everything behaves on an atomic level. Seven video tracks presented by Robert Llewellyn offer a beginner's guide to quantum. He revisits the ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
The fascination with crime
Whether it's literature, television or film, crime has always been a popular genre with wide-appeal; but why is this source of fear such a fascinating subject to us? This four track audio album strives to answer this question through interviews with key figures such as criminologists and crime authors, with members of the general public also ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Searching for Syphilis
At the end of the 15th century a terrifying new epidemic spread across Europe, but was this disease, known as the Great Pox, really Syphilis? Did Christopher Columbus actually bring the disease back from the New World? Join us as we look at whether the discovery of a 600 year old skeleton can shed new light on the origins of one of mankind's ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Bang challenge: Island hopping
Your mate is stuck on a tiny island surrounded by shark infested waters. Can your knowledge of science save the day?
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Science, Maths & Technology
Exploring oak woodland
Oak woodland is a characteristic feature of the English landscape and home to a huge variety of plants and animals. On this album, Professor David Streeter of the University of Sussex explores some characteristic features of an English oak wood, and reveals some of the processes that maintain the web of life within the wood. In three further ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Bang challenge: Kill or cure
You've been infected, now you need a cure, and fast. Can your knowledge of biology identify the bacteria and get you the correct antidote?
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Science, Maths & Technology
Bang challenge: Escape the airtight room
Trapped, and your oxygen is running out. Can your science skills get the door to this airtight room to open in time?
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Science, Maths & Technology
Exploring wave motion
What are waves and what happens to them when they pass through a gap? Do different sorts of waves behave in the same way? Dr Andrew Norton of The Open University uses a ripple tank to demonstrate some of the key features of wave motion, and show how waves spread out when they pass through an aperture. Using a laser and a diffraction grating, he ...