This Youtube Crash Course video series is not knew. It’s been hanging around in my watch later playlist for ages but I kept putting it off. I finally had to force myself into it by adding it to my daily to do list. My problem now is that I have to cope with my deep regrets that I didn’t watch it ages ago.
The series begins with the premise that computers are really very simple at their core. The fact that we make them do amazing things looks a lot like magic. How can a machine that only understands 1s and 0s drive cars, play videos, or even reproduce text? The goal of the course is to lift the lid on the magic and show how computers work.
The series leads us through the history and development of computers, demonstrating how simple Boolean logic can be used to build gates that can then be combined into components that provide the hardware and software that we know and love today.
Each short video covers a different topic. Many of them, such as file systems, or semiconductor manufacturing, could quickly become incomprehensible to anyone but an expert. Fortunately they are pitched exactly right.
This is partly down to the excellently prepared content, but also down to the host who presents the material with consummate skill. It could have been dry, but remained lively and engaging all the way through.
Whether you are totally new to the topic or a professional who just fancies a big-picture refresh, this little course is well worth your time. A couple of the videos are slightly outdated now given the recent developments in AI, but they remain watchable even so.
Highly recommended.