To celebrate/commemorate a year since the last World Service broadcast of Digital Planet Gareth, Bill, Ghislaine, Angelica (online) and Ania are meeting up in a wine bar in central London on the evening of March 28 and we'd love to see old list

Series finale, faking data vs synthetic data, and your views on photography

Nov 27th, 2023 33m 39s

In this final episode of the series (we'll be back in the new year) Gareth and Bill muse on the ways generative AI can be used to fake experimental data, the uses of synthetic data, and we pick up the online conversation about 'computational im

Computational imaging, data recovery.. and some rapid scheduled disassembly

Nov 19th, 2023 30m 57s

In this episode we reflect on SpaceX's latest mission and OpenAI's apparent implosion, muse on the nature of photography in an age of computational imaging, and discuss how the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope managed to get its data sa

eLORAN and GNSS, and the potential tricksiness of GPT-4

Nov 12th, 2023 30m 13s

In this episode Gareth eulogises the radio-based LORAN navigation system, and Bill wonders if GPT-4 is pulling a fast one. Or not. With an accelerated sketch and quite a lot of self-referential wittering.

Network security in cafes and pubs, and AI safety

Nov 5th, 2023 25m 26s

In this episode Gareth picks up on a survey showing british people worry about wifi security in pubs - but is it just lazy marketing of VPNs? And our take on the UK AI Safety Summit. Plus more input from our esteemed listeners!

Can You Fix It? Only if they let you...

Oct 29th, 2023 29m 45s

In this episode we discuss cars,tractors, smartphone and laptops, and why the right to repair the stuff you own matters, practically and philosophically. We find time to read out some comments from listeners, while the Gazmotron continues to wr

Darker Skies and Pulsating Lights

Oct 22nd, 2023 24m 2s

This week, once you're through the 'sketch', Gareth discusses a novel approach to countering light pollution by making LEDs flicker 150 times per second, and Bill looks forward to this year's Lumiere festival in Durham, England which will featu

Will Robots Think? And Who Needs Pictures?

Oct 16th, 2023 25m 5s

This week Bill reflects on the progress made using transformer networks to integrate language and visual processing with robotic control, particularly in Google DeepMinds RT-2, and whether we're heading for embodied awareness, while Gareth spea

Back again.. in one state or another

Oct 8th, 2023 22m 48s

In this first episide of our second series, Gareth and Bill look at the progress being made in quantum computing, developing systems that use the properties of entangled 'qbits' instead of binary bits to carry out calculations. How can we be q

Gareth explores an abandoned radar station

Oct 4th, 2023 16m 6s

Gareth found a fascinating site on his recent holiday in Lefkada, and you get to hear about it because he couldn't resist recording his impressions.

Gareth went to Krakow and had some thoughts...

Jul 5th, 2023 7m 35s

As we move into summer, Gareth has been thinking about the how we experirence art and nature of our auditory experience, following a conference he attended in Krakow.

Are you there yet, Gareth?

Jun 14th, 2023 14m 16s

This week Bill is thinking out loud about libraries, having just spoken at a conference of librarians. It's all about liminal spaces, apparently.

Are you there Gareth?

Jun 9th, 2023 8m 24s

Just to keep the interwebs alert to our presence, here's a few minutes of Bill talking about Apple's Vision Pro, Metaphysics in the Metaverse, and AI Regulation.

Finding Yourself, and AI Phenomenology

May 30th, 2023 30m 13s

In this final episode of our first series, Gareth and Bill look at interesting research using satellite signals to geolocate, as an alternative to GPS. And Bill muses on his current thinking on the state of AI, and in particular why LLMs don't

Twitter Trauma and Tell-tale Phones

May 22nd, 2023 25m 35s

Gareth and Bill are back, talking about the legal case against Twitter/XCorp from former employees, and the wider issue of how we create good online spaces. And we consider the dangers created when law enforcement agencies auction of seized pho

Dangerous Stunts and Password-free Living

May 15th, 2023 25m 58s

In this week's episode Gareth and Bill speculuate about what makes someone crash a plane for YouTube likes and discuss passkeys, a way to replace passwords that should be simpler and more secure - eventually. Plus a pointless sketch and some de

Hot Secrets and AI Endgames

May 9th, 2023 24m 13s

Bill and Gareth talk about new research using thermal cameras to crack passwords, and the old tired tropes about superintelligent AI taking over the world, and why Bill's had enough of it all. Plus comments from listeners and the inevitable ope

Icy Moons and the Early Web

May 1st, 2023 23m 31s

In this episode Gareth and Bill look at the way the JUICE mission to Jupiter will look for signs of life using a magnetometer, Bill reflects on the early days of the Web and draws parallels to the growth of generative AI - and we reflect on the

Thin chips and recycled cobalt

Apr 24th, 2023 26m 13s

In this episode, Bill looks at Apple's plans to use only recycled cobalt in iPhone batteries, and the wider context of recovering and recycling metals for use in consumer electronics and batteries. Gareth has found another use for graphene, but

Stealing cars and closing the public square

Apr 17th, 2023 23m 18s

In this episode Gareth and Bill discuss how modern cars are being stolen using electronic devices that 'spoof' the internal control networks, and bemoan the passing of many small bots because Twitter has started charging for API access. Plus so

Hallucinating ML and Subverting Smart Speakers

Apr 10th, 2023 19m 52s

In this first episode Gareth and Bill talk about why they're starting a podcast, explore the world of generative AI and why the machines keep making stuff up, and worry about how easy it is to get your smart speakers to do things without asking