046: Hello, computer

This episode takes more of a ‘resource’ form, as we share some tips & tricks for getting started building a PC for gaming. We cut through some of the aspects that we think are unimportant, and share some shortcuts for saving time and money.

There’s a lot of resources out there on the Internet, but we like:

Scan – for buying components (and pre-builds) in the UK
Toms Hardware – for reviews
bit-tech.net – for reviews, especially peripherals and modifications
Hexus – for their partnership with Scan (easy to find reviews)
Anandtech – for their deep-dives into new product ranges
The Wirecutter – for their ‘just buy this one’ approach to components and peripherals. Look under ‘Electronics’.

045: Generally available AI

In this episode of Octal FM we dive in to the state of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. We’ll explain what it is, what it isn’t, and why it seems to be such a big thing right now.

There’s lots of reading material out there if you want to learn more.

Some intro articles

Opinion pieces

Intro/outro music: JACKS – Runaway Fashion

034: Unity Whispering

In this episode of Octal FM we’re joined by Louise Swift, a software developer & fellow nerd who recently worked on a project using the Unity game engine.

Louise works for No Mayo Digital
Follow Louise on the interwebs:

Intro & outro music: JACKS – Runaway Fashion

033: MMOs in Disguise

In this episode we discuss the emerging trend of adding massively multiplayer features to games that otherwise might be single player. Is this something we want to see more? Or is it just a way of extracting more ‘value’ from gamers?

Intro & outro music: JACKS – Runaway Fashion

031: HCI and UX with Elizabeth Chesters

In this episode we are joined by Elizabeth Chesters, a user experience consultant, human-computer interaction student, and software developer. We ask her about her job, what HCI is, and what’s in store in the future for how we interact with our devices.

Follow El:

Intro/outro music: JACKS – Runaway Fashion

030: An act of God

In this episode we’re joined by our friend Tom, aka @x5315. Tom co-created Twitterfall with Jalada back in 2009.

To follow up from Episode 25 where Jalada talked about building Twitterfall, Tom is here to tell us the story from his point of view, and what he’s up to now.

The whiteboard of features in Tom’s university dorm room:

Intro/outro music: JACKS – Runaway Fashion

Auto-generated transcription follows. Continue reading →

014: Internet all the Things!

We discuss how lives are becoming more internet connected, the history and hype around ‘smart homes’, and generally demystify the Internet of Things.

002: How could we forget Cortana?

Jalada and Sefran discuss voice-activated home assistants. We have a chat about what they are, how they work, and where we think the technology is going in the future.

The two main devices we talk about are Amazon Echo* and Google Home.
We also reference Apple Siri and Google Assistant.
For more information about why understanding speech is hard for computers, read about “AI-complete” problems.
We almost forgot to mention Microsoft Cortana.
Amazon Echo can be used to control Nest and Tado thermostats.
Sefran pointed out that banks like HSBC and First Direct already use voice pattern detection.

Intro & outro music: JACKS – Runaway Fashion

*Links are affiliate links. Proceeds go towards helping out OctalFM.