Who Killed The Electric Car?

The big oil companies and their political allies may hate the very idea of the electric car, but writer-director Chris Paine remains an unabashed fan of the technology. His informative and entertaining doc.6zik.com, which makes an explicit link between carbon dioxide emissions and global warming, traces the evolution and eventual marketplace failure of the innovative vehicle.
Laying the blame at the feet of General Motors (which eventually reclaimed the first models leased to consumers and crushed and buried them in the Nevada desert), apathetic politicians, and an unrepentant oil industry, Paine also gives voice to the car’s staunch defenders, Mel Gibson among them. He may have a clearly defined axe to grind but, in this war-ravaged and environmentally distressed day and age, Paine’s passion is worth attending to.
Filmmaker Chris Payne explores the many factors that played into the ultimate failure of the electric car to catch on with consumers, even as gas prices began to skyrocket, in a thoughtful meditation on the increasingly important role that renewable energy plays in modern society. Introduced as a means of providing an alternative to increasing oil consumption and reducing pollution in 1996, the electric car was all but a forgotten memory only a decade later – but why?
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Holes In Heaven? HAARP and Advances in Tesla Technology

The late Carl Sagan said (which is related to this doc.6zik.com) “We’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We’ve also arranged things so that almost no one understands science or technology. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later, this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces”. This doc.6zik.com film poses the question: Are we making Holes in Heaven? HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) is a controversial high frequency radio transmitter, or “ionospheric heater,” which is believed to be descended from the works of Nikola Tesla and is operated by the U.S. Navy/Air Force and Phillip Laboratories in remote Gakona, Alaska.
Using HAARP, the military can focus a billion-watt pulsed radio beam into our upper atmosphere, ostensibly for ionospheric research. This procedure will form extremely low frequency waves and send them back to the Earth, enhancing communications with submarines and allowing us to “see” into the Earth, detecting anything from oil reserves to underground missile silos.
However, several researchers claim HAARP poses many dangers, including blowing thirty-mile holes in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. They also warn of possible disruption of the subtle magnetic energies of our Earth and ourselves. Holes in Heaven? is a prime example of grassroots filmmaking by producer Paula Randol-Smith and Emmy-winning director Wendy Robbins. Narrated by Martin Sheen, the doc.6zik.com, investigates HAARP, its history and implications, and examines the dangers and benefits of high and low frequencies and of electromagnetic technology.
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In It’s Image

In the mid 70s, Steve Thaler began toying with rudimentary artificial neural networks. Soon after, he began to experiment with colonies of neural networks that launched into brainstorming sessions with one another to produce the equivalent of stream of consciousness and contemplation.
As he observed these neural architectures developing attitudes about themselves, he began to wonder if all of the sublime aspects of human cognition, including feeling and self-awareness, could be captured in inorganic systems of switches and interconnections. Ultimately, his answer was yes.
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The Code

The Code presents the first decade of Linux from 1991 to 2001. Besides Torvalds, it includes many of his closest allies in development process, that is nowadays seen as the greatest success story of the Internet culture. Eventually, Linux becomes a viable business solution within the computer industry.
Media loves the story of ‘a single hacker against the forces of darkness’. ‘Linux’ becomes a catch phrase. Torvalds turns into an international media star. No more a shy nerd, but a relaxed, witty media performer par excellence. Linus is a Jesus for a politician, respected and adored by both Linux enthusiasts, the counter-culture – and the big businessmen. A rare combination, this time or any other.
But even after all this attention Linus Torvalds remains, as a person, an enigma. When interviewed in the media, he is always asked the same questions and usually giving the same answers too. We think we know him, but do we really? Why did he put his code into the Net for free, initially? Many can still not understand it. Maybe because ‘given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow’, giving a way to a better product? Or is there something more to it?
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Freedom Downtime – The Story of Kevin Mitnick

Can you launch a nuclear missile by whistling into a payphone? The unofficial story of Kevin Mitnick, possibly the first citizen in American history to be jailed without a bail-hearing. He went to jail for nothing more than copying software, but was “convicted” by the media both for breaking into NORAD as well as causing millions of dollars in damage to a software-company. This doc.6zik.com introduces you to the “Free Kevin” movement, who tried to stop the making of a film about Mitnick based on the media’s lies, and who went on a journey to track down key players in the Mitnick-affair and get some answers.
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The Invisible Machine: Electromagnetic Warfare

Imagine the future – a strange new weapon is detonated high over a large city. There is no explosion, no visible destruction, but everything electronic within the range of this weapon will go out … permanently.
Every electronic gadget in every home and office – disabled. No computers, no T.V., no life support systems in hospitals, no water supply, no heat, no lights – truly, a return to the dark ages. Imagine a full range of new weapons; one can take out the electricity in your city, another can destroy you.
If you haven’t heard about these weapons, it’s no surprise. Their development has been secretive and they sound more like science fiction than reality. When did this reality really begin and how far advanced is it now?
This revealing doc.6zik.com opens the window on this -until now- secretive science.
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Modern Marvels: Surveillance Technology

Eavesdrop on conversations up to a mile away and try out advanced systems that see through walls. In the world of surveillance, Big Brother is not only watching, he’s also listening, analyzing, recording, scanning, and tracking every aspect of our lives. And with advanced surveillance technology, there’s virtually no place to hide.
Surveillance Tech examines some of the most important and potentially terrifying equipment the world has ever seen–or rather, not seen–in this thriving surveillance revolution.
Check out parabolic microphones that pick up conversations a mile a way, cameras that learn what and who to photograph, RadarVision that “sees through walls”, and Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
And explore the mind-bending future of surveillance technology, while, of course, reviewing its surprising history.
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The Genius Sperm Bank

The Genius Sperm Bank was created in the late 1970s by Robert Klark Graham, an American millionaire optometrist. Officially named the Repository for Germinal Choice, its aim was to breed highly intelligent people in order to save the world from genetic decline. Graham believed he could achieve this by getting clever men to donate sperm.
To be safe from prying eyes, Graham used an underground bunker in the backyard of his ranch in San Diego, California. He then set about sourcing the cleverest sperm and managed to convince three Nobel Prize winners to donate. One of them was William Shockley, a notorious racist. Accused of being a Nazi, Graham got slammed in the press. His other donors left him and his dream was nearly destroyed. Despite this the clients came flocking.
In the end, the Repository was in operation for 20 years – and responsible for the birth of 217 children.
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Great Planes: Boeing 747 and 777

Boeing 747 – Since its first commercial flight more than thirty years ago, the Boeing 747 has flown more than two billion people a distance greater than 42,000 round-trips to the Moon.
Fasten your seat belt as GREAT PLANES examines this aviation marvel and the revolution it created in passenger air transport. Learn the roots of Jet-airline technology and Boeing’s race to create the world’s first jumbo jet.
Archival footage and insightful commentary explore the evolution of the classic 747 models and illustrate what it takes to stay High In The Sky.
The Boeing 777, the world’s largest twin-engine commercial airplane, represents a triumph of technology – a magnificent integration of two forces that have changed our world: the computer and the airplane.
A single 777 engine can generate more thrust that the combined eight engines of a B-52 Bomber, allowing the plane to carry 300 passengers at 84% the speed of sound.
How did this remarkable machine take flight? PLANE SIMPLE recounts the events and people behind this powerhouse airplane, including how engineers went from complete digital preassembly directly to a successful production model – an incredible aviation achievement.
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747

777

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Failed Inventions

The world always had its share of dreamers, tinkerers and inventors. Some who have had great ideas, but many more who had missed the mark.
Some were ahead of there times, others ideas were just plain bad. This is a nod to the off-kilter geniuses who have come up short on success. From turbine powered cars to lethal medicine and floating houses, these visionaries all had plans that utterly failed.
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2057: The City of the Future

What would you see and experience if the clocks rolled forward 50 years? In a unique blend of drama and science, this three-part series shows you the world of tomorrow. Will we have flying cars? Will advances in medicine help us stay young forever? What about “printing” custom-made vital organs? What will our cities look like? What will tomorrow’s wars be about? Will we have robots helping around the house? Will solar power be the new oil?
Supported by the world’s leading scientists and research institutes, we embark on a quest to answer some of society’s most fundamental questions and reveal the dramas of tomorrow’s world along the way. State-of-the-art computer graphics in combination with a dynamic story line will create a world usually only seen in feature films, but with the accuracy and relevance of a doc.6zik.com. This series is all about opening the window of our future based on science fact, not science fiction.
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Seven Wonders of the World

Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled over the ages to catalogue the most spectacular man-made constructions and natural things in the world.
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the first known list of the most remarkable man-made creations of classical antiquity, and was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim.
The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the representation of perfection and plenity. Many similar lists have been made, including lists for the Medieval World and the Modern World.
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Human v2.0

Meet the scientific prophets who claim we are on the verge of creating a new type of human – a human v2.0.
It’s predicted that by 2029 computer intelligence will equal the power of the human brain. Some believe this will revolutionise humanity – we will be able to download our minds to computers extending our lives indefinitely.
Others fear this will lead to oblivion by giving rise to destructive ultra intelligent machines.
One thing they all agree on is that the coming of this moment – and whatever it brings – is inevitable.
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The Machine That Changed the World

The Machine That Changed the World is the longest, most comprehensive documentary about the history of computing ever produced, but since its release in 1992, it’s become virtually extinct. Out of print and never released online, the only remaining copies are VHS tapes floating around school libraries or in the homes of fans who dubbed the original shows when they aired.
It’s a whirlwind tour of computing before the Web, with brilliant archival footage and interviews with key players — several of whom passed away since the filming. Jointly produced by WGBH Boston and the BBC, it originally aired in the UK as The Dream Machine before its U.S. premiere in January 1992. Its broadcast was accompanied by a book co-written by the documentary’s producer Jon Palfreman.
Part 1: Great Brains
The first part begins with a brief introduction to the series, summarizing the impact of computers on every aspect of our lives, attributed to their versatile nature. The history of computing begins with the original definition of “computers,” human beings like William Shanks that calculated numbers by hand. Frustration with human error led Charles Babbage to develop his difference engine, the first mechanical computer.
Part 2: Inventing the Future
The second part, “Inventing the Future,” picks up the story of ENIAC’s creators as they embark on building the first commercial computer company in 1950, and ends with the moon landing in 1969 and the beginning of the Silicon Valley. Shortly after the war ended, ENIAC’s creators founded the first commercial computer company, the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation in 1946.
Part 3: The Paperback Computer
The third episode of The Machine That Changed the World covers the development of the personal computer and the modern graphical user interface, which made computing easy to use for everyone. Highlights include interviews with Apple’s Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, drawing with a computer in 1963, great footage from Xerox PARC, and some 1992-era predictions of the future from Apple and others.
Part 4: The Thinking Machine
The fourth episode of The Machine That Changed the World covers the history of artificial intelligence and the challenges that come from trying to teach computers to think and learn like us.
Part 5: The World at Your Fingertips
Here’s the fifth and final episode of The Machine That Changed the World, this one focusing on global information networks including the Internet, and the communication benefits and privacy risks they create.

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Objectified

Objectified is a feature-length doc.6zik.com about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.
Through vérité footage and in-depth conversations, the film documents the creative processes of some of the world’s most influential product designers, and looks at how the things they make impact our lives. What can we learn about who we are, and who we want to be, from the objects with which we surround ourselves?
Objectified is the second part of a three-film “design trilogy” by Gary Hustwit, details on the third film will be released soon. Objectified had its world premiere at the SxSW Film Festival in March 2009, and is currently screening at film festivals, cinemas, and special events worldwide.
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Arduino

The Arduino is a type of open source hardware. Using an Arduino is fairly straightforward: buy a board and attach it to a personal computer via a cable.
Then load instructions into the Arduino’s processor via the personal computer, William Gurstelle explained.
Once programmed, the Arduino makes decisions based on the information transmitted by whatever sensors you’ve hooked up, and does something corporeal, such as turn on or off the motors, displays, valves, and lights attached to it.
Arduino, a small, open-source hardware microcontroller platform has been turning heads in it’s flexibility as a prototyping platform for a dizzying array of applications, from oscillators to robots to 3d printers, just to name a few.
This doc.6zik.com interviews the revolutionary beginning of the creators behind this movement, and touches upon what it will mean for students, engineers, and garage tinkerers alike.
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The Computer Programme

Watch the full doc.6zik.com now (playlist – 4 hours). This BBC doc.6zik.com from 1982 tries to bring people closer to the – back then – just emerging micro computers by showing how computers already helped out creating a more efficient society.
This doc.6zik.com gives a unique insight into 70s and 80s technology, as well as into peoples fears, hopes and images of how the role of the computer might influence the future.
Each programme would normally start with either Serle or McNaught-Davis introducing a real life situation where computers are being (or could be) applied – examples included the office, a car factory and the British Library.
This would form the theme which would underpin the demonstrations shown on the programme.
The theme music to the programme was Kraftwerk’s Computer World, taken from their 1981 album of the same name.
The opening titles was an animation of an owl – the mascot (and logo) of the BBC Microcomputer system – flying into a domestic living room.

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Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires

This film chronicles the rise of the personal computer/home computer beginning in the 1970s with the Altair 8800, Apple II and VisiCalc.
It continues through the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh revolution through the 1980s and the mid 1990s at the beginning of the Dot-com boom. It includes interviews with Apple Computer’s Steve Jobs and Microsoft’s Bill Gates. This three-part film first premiered on PBS in June 1996.
The series was released in VHS format soon after airing but is now out of print. A release on DVD by Ambrose Video in 2002 was noted by product reviewers on Amazon.com and elsewhere to have numerous small but not insignificant segments excised from the program as originally aired for reasons that remain unknown. The older, unedited VHS copies of the doc.6zik.com are highly prized, but difficult to find.
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Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet

Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet (1998) is a three-hour doc film written and hosted by Mark Stephens under the pseudonym Robert X. Cringely and produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting for PBS.
A sequel to Triumph of the Nerds, Nerds 2.0.1 documents the development of ARPANET, the Internet, the World Wide Web and the dot-com bubble of the mid and late 1990s.
It was broadcast two years prior to the collapse of the dot-com bubble.
The doc.6zik.com was later turned into a book of the same title by series director Stephen Segaller.
Networking the Nerds

Serving the Suits

Wiring the World

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Technology: World War 2.0

Josh Davis of Wired magazine investigates an internet botnet attack of Estonia’s banks and newspapers.
Wired Science reports on cardiac surgery performed by a “robo-doc”.
Adam Rogers explores the disappearance of home chemistry sets.
Ziya Tong delves into technology that is helping children with Asperger’s Syndrome by translating facial expressions into emotions.
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