Skip to main content

tv   Click  BBC News  February 21, 2021 12:30pm-1:01pm GMT

12:30 pm
hello this is bbc news with me, ben brown. the headlines: borisjohnson is due to hold a final meeting with senior ministers and scientific advisers about how to ease england's lockdown ahead of tomorrow's announcement of a roadmap out of restrictions. there's a new pledge that every adult in the uk will be offered their first dose of coronavirus vaccine by the end ofjuly — a month ahead of schedule. thousands of protesters have returned to the streets in myanmar, a day after security forces fired at a crowd killing two people in the city of mandalay. a passengerjet engine has burst into flames above the us state of colorado. debris fell onto homes below, but the plane landed safely.
12:31 pm
now on bbc news, click. this week, military training in vr. cardboard computers. and, you coming round to the clubhouse? it's time to find out what everyone�*s talking about. hey, welcome to click, hope you're doing 0k. lara, how are you this week? good, thanks, just about managing to stay entertained. i keep going through phases of what i'm actually doing — this week it's been all about live radio. do you know, me too! i'm listening to more and more live radio these days.
12:32 pm
i feel like ijust need to hear a live human voice coming through the speaker rather than a song playlist. i feel like i need the company. do you stick to just uk stations or have you gone further afield? funnily enough i used to use tunein to listen to antarctic radio when it was a thing. it was cool and it was folky. really? there's also radio garden which allows you to listen to over 30,000 local radio stations from across the globe. fancya spin? yes, please! it's almost like peeking through the window at someone else�*s party! a collaboration between two interactive design companies and the netherlands institute for sound and vision, the platform, now in its fifth year, has grown hugely and allows any station to appear
12:33 pm
afterjust submitting an application online. basically we are using internet radio and it's quite an ancient technology by now. all these radio stations broadcast online and through the web we are basically able to link to these streams that are already occurring, and just embed it on the platform and just play them. radio garden encourages you to explore four hours. by transporting you to different places, it may offer some much—needed comfort. last year we went very viral in italy during the very hard time in the country where lots of people were sick and dying. we were receiving, like, selfies of doctors in hospitals taking care of people, and it was like very, yeah, very emotional. it's kind of impressive to see, like, how radio garden touches people. that's a lovely little thing, isn't it? and in a way i think it points towards one of the big tech trends at the moment which is seeing good old audio
12:34 pm
have a bit of a resurgence. podcasts are changing hands for silly money these days and there is one particular audio—based app which is creating a bit of a buzz in silicon valley. clubhouse is a mash up of social network, events platform and live podcast. and everyone�*s getting a bit giddy about it. but are they right? lj rich has been finding out. how we communicate online may be about to change. we're used to our social media containing text, images and videos, but now good old—fashioned voice chat is making a comeback. everyone can be a host on clubhouse. it's an audio only social network where celebrities, entrepreneurs and pretty much anyone with an account can hold their own show. you can even drop into a discussion. what was the learning experience like for you to put that whole production together? enter the app and you'll see thousands of audio chat rooms
12:35 pm
hosting them. you can also follow people or subjects. it's like stepping in and out of lots of different conference calls or live podcasts. clubhouse is still in invite—only beta, but even though it's only available on ios devices it's had 4 million downloads in the last month and attracted $100 million worth of investment. find a discussion, event or interview that piques your interest, thenjust go in. you're free to stay silent and listen or even join in the conversation yourself if you feel brave enough to raise a hand. after the chat ends, the room disappears and there's no option to listen again. but let's keep going and have fun because it it's bleep up at the end of the day. now, of course, dropping in on random unmoderated conversations means there's a chance of hearing something controversial or offensive, so it will be interesting to see how harassment and misinformation is handled
12:36 pm
on an audio platform. certainly, there are technologies around audio monitoring and listening, but deploying them, right, also creates a certain dynamic with the community in terms of, you know, these conversations are being recorded and tracked and all of that kind of stuff. but clubhouse aren't alone in the move to audio—based social networking, and the tech giants are working on their own versions. facebook is set to be building a competing product but way ahead is twitter with its offering — spaces. and it's also invite—only beta testing. up to 11 people canjoin a space for now and listeners request to speak by raising a hand icon. 0ne huge advantage twitter has over clubhouse is that users already have established followings so there's no need to start from scratch. and with close to 200 million daily users, there'll be no shortage
12:37 pm
of topics to tune into. we crave conversation and though text takes you a good bit of the way, what it lacks is the empathy and nuance that comes from the voice. that comes from hearing pause. sometimes there's nothing more meaningful than to hear somebody�*s voice. i hope that because of that unique interaction between the text based, live nature of twitter, and that connection back to spaces that it's going to be big. how does anyone moderate audio? to do so with audio requires us to think about things like muting controls, being able to invite people to the conversation to speak, and knowing when to have somebody say, all right, time's up, pass the mic. knowing whether or not you want to close a space so that people can feel safe,
12:38 pm
depending on the nature of the topic, or make it more open to others. feel free to have a conversation about anything, even something controversial. but do so in a way that feels inclusive, respectful and empathetic. the buzz around clubhouse and other tech companies getting in on the conversation shows at least there's an appetite for this format. certainly one talking point is that audio could signify the next game changer for social media. hello and welcome to the week in tech, it was the week that mass layoffs were reported at flying car company terrafugia just weeks after its transition ground to air hybrid was awarded the license for take—off by the federal aviation authority. microsoft updated its xbox accessibility guidelines, launching a new testing platform for developers of pc and xbox games to make gaming more accessible. and after a seven—month
12:39 pm
journey, nasa's perseverance rover landed safely on mars, sending its first images back to earth. it will spend the next two years looking for past life on the planet. it was also the week that facebook banned the sharing of all news, local and international, in australia across its platform, rejecting a pay—for—news proposal. users outside of australia are also unable to read or access any australian news publications on the platform. the proposed law, which passed through the country's parliament, would force companies like google and facebook to pay for news content. 300 human linejudges on 18 tennis courts could be replaced at this summer's wimbledon by the hawk—eye live system. the all england club is looking at the use of the technology to replace line judges at the australian open, the first time they've been replaced by this tech at a major tournament. and finally this week on al robot has announced herfirst art exhibition in london. ada will be exhibiting
12:40 pm
at the design museum in may. named after ada lovelace, her exhibit is expected to feature self portraits and a font she designed. vr has had its ups and downs, hasn't it? was supposed to be the next big thing, it's never quite got there, but it has found its feet in some areas like gaming, movies, conferences. and it's also really taken off, i think, in training. i know the other presenters have looked at that before but i was interested to find out what happens when you really push vr to its limits. can it match up to the real world when it's a matter of life or death? i'm heading to raf honington, where the raf regiment is about to conduct some tests of a new vr system developed by a small british tech company. tom constable�*s the developer who's created the vr tech being used today.
12:41 pm
in 2018, tom started a company building training tools for the military, based on the 0culus rift s headset. i connected the dots between my military background, my degree in computer games design and also the new technology that's coming out, and there's really clear military application for virtual reality training. in 2020 the uk government's defence and security accelerator announced that tom's company would be given a series of trials using his vr technology known as saf—tac. it's these trials we've come to see, and the results will determine whether his vr tech will be adopted by the british military. big day for you, how are you feeling? nervous, but yeah, looking forward to it. are you ready to get involved in saf—tac? i think so, let's do it. now, i'm the wrong person to train you on military tactics, so, happily enough i've got sergeant minshall here who's going to helpfully take you through some skills and drills. if you look down and grab your hands, you should reach forward and you feel the controllers as you grab them. this is a really
12:42 pm
surreal thing to do. so normally when i look down at my feet i see high heels and a handbag and now i have an assault rifle. you've got all of your kit you need to take on an enemy position, which is great. so now for a crash course in military training. you can grab the grip on the rifle. i've got it. brilliant. oh, my word! face it under... oh, no, ijust dropped it. drop the rifle now. oh, god, ijust fired it. wow, it's a terrain that i'm not at all familiar with, but i think is a training exercise actually it's pretty good so far. training over, it was time for the section attack. you've got enemy within. for most of us, the closest we get to being shot at is in video games, but for these young gunners, being shot at could be a reality. for them, this vr experience is no game. but the software used to create this experience has been influenced by gaming. tom's vr training tool is based on software called the unreal engine, which was created by the makers of the popular game fortnite. you've now been transported
12:43 pm
to a whole new domain. the platform allows developers to create and run 3d virtual worlds using ready—made parts, for example, like the in—game physics to make bullets fly the right way. think of it as flat pack furniture for gaming software. the benefit of the unreal engine for game designers is that it can be constantly updated, improved and added to by everyone, something tom has made the most of. that airfield, for example, that we've been training on today, that was bought from the marketplace for, i don't know, say $50. i then took that, i optimised it, i then changed it for the specific use case that these guys wanted, but within a day i had that airfield ready to go within saf—tac, which i think again is probably new to defence, they're not used to that kind of rapid iteration process. this type of rapid development means that environments could be specifically created for each mission. ah, and here's...oh, smoke, smoke, smoke! the time had come to use my new—found military tactics in the vr section attack.
12:44 pm
i'm going round this corner. and now i'm going forward, i'm going between these two hangars. charlie, when delta's in position, move in. ok, so now, iam nearly... i am so nervous. this gun is actually shaking in my hand. all right, start moving now. hands in the air! please, please don't shoot! hands in the air! don't shoot! oh, my god. on your knees! 0k, stop, stop, stop, troops, well done. 0k, well done. that is, you've played through the scenario. i tell you what i found, i found the controllers quite difficult. it's taken me a little while to get the hang of, you know, holding on to the weapon when there's so much else going on. trying to stay stood still while you're moving. yeah! that's weird, isn't it? so i have yet to compare it to the real thing but, you're going to look after me tomorrow as well? so now to the moment of truth. would any of what i'd experienced in virtual reality actually prepare me
12:45 pm
for the real thing? apparently i'm going to need a bit more kit this time. thanks, 0z. gunfire. drop down! enemy down! for the raf regiment, when the bullets start flying for real, any mistakes could lead to lives being lost and so there can never be enough training opportunities. being in the thick of it really hammers home how virtual reality can never totally prepare you, but that doesn't mean it can't be a useful training tool that complements these exercises. vr could never simulate the shockingly cold temperature in this hangar, but on the other hand, in vr, the raf regiment gunners can learn what to do when enemy shells are exploding during an attack, something that can't be easily recreated on the training field.
12:46 pm
well, cold or not, my heart is pumping. just need a second. you can't really explain the adrenaline, i think, what you don't get in the vr isjust how, you know, how loud that gunfire is. even though i felt prepared coming here, i was thinking, i'm doing it, i did it yesterday, it looks kind offamiliarto me, i'm going to be ok, and i am 0k, but you just can't beat the intensity, i think, of that physical world experience. it's been completely on another level. but of course, i'm not the expert here. for tom, what the troops think is crucial. you really need that buy—in, don't you? absolutely, yeah, fundamental. this is not going to get off the ground without buy—in from the personnel. and, yeah, if i didn't get invited back after the first one, then i'd know my answer. so, time to find out what the professionals thought. i'm not particularly au fait with gaming or virtual reality
12:47 pm
but if the truth be told, with, in, probably a couple of minutes of wearing the equipment, the benefits of undertaking virtual reality training were immediately apparent to me. but ultimately, there's one person who has to see the value in vr for the armed forces, and for that, you have to go right to the top. i think in all of the environments in which we use synthetic training, there's real operational advantage in doing so. i mean, it feels like the genie is already out of the bottle. it's obviously the way forward and we're excited about integrating it even more into the way we do our business.
12:48 pm
i mean, it feels like the genie is already out of the bottle. it's obviously the way forward and we're excited about integrating it even more into the way we do our business. when i left tom, i said, you know, we don't know whether his dream is going to come true and this is going to get the investment. can i phone him up and give him some good news after this? well, you can tell him that all appears to be going very well indeed. i don't think we have made a final decision yet. but it's a product that has been very, very well received by those who have used it so far. the vr concept, i think, is accepted as the way that we're going, but exactly which product we buy is a decision for others to make. but i'm not sure the company could have done any more. so it's good news for tom. and it looks like virtual reality is indeed part of the future of military training. while vr can't yet come close to the real experience,
12:49 pm
it seems widely accepted it's a very handy supplement. ultimately, on the battlefield, fine margins mean life or death, so the extra preparation vr training provides could be critical. zoe kleinman there. now, spencer, something's been bugging me for all this time. what's going on with your click sign? ah, yes, i was wondering when you would notice. are you ready? one, two, three! 0h? it's not the real one! look at this! laughter. it's a cardboard version! it's been sent to me. i've also been sent something else, which is absolutely beautiful. this is a cardboard version of a very important part of my life — the bbc micro. isn't it lovely? wow. that's really cool. so, both of these have been made by a former computing teacher, now a stem champion who has been teaching technology in a very unusual way, namely, using cardboard. hello, i'm alan 0'donohue! i'm here in my home at the cardboard museum of computing! for me, it started with this cardboard mac classic. one of the first computers that had a mouse with a graphic user interface. yeah, i certainly do remember the first apple macintosh computer, debuted by stevejobs back in 1984. so, i had no idea when i built this cardboard version that it might lead to some more cardboard computers, and then maybe even
12:50 pm
a whole museum? and this is just such a beautiful bbc micro. so i started making these during the lockdown, and i think it's a really nice activity to get you away from your screen, to be thinking about computers and technology, but in a different way. and if you fancy making your own models, then these paper cut—outs are available online. we have a microzbit, codebug, a memory device, an arduino. it's a very small, pocket—sized museum that people can download. and the inspiration seems to be catching. since i started sharing some of these projects online, other people have been inspired to build some themselves, just using cake or lego... inspiring technology doesn't have to be all coding and computer chips. we've got to be careful that we're not forcing too much technology on ourselves
12:51 pm
and our children. just spend some time unplugged, away from the computer, and see what you can create. though, i'm not sure i've got space at home for the largest piece in alan's home museum — a section of what's widely regarded as the very first programmable electronic digital computer. that's a lot of cardboard! but i do know where it lives in real life, over in the uk's bletchley park — alex humphreys has been to check it out. you may have seen bletchley park in the movies — yep, that one with benedict cumberbatch playing alan turing. during the second world war, this was the home of the codebreakers. beeping and whirring the uk's smartest minds, who, through sheer determination and extreme intellect, managed to break the secret code the germans used to send tactical messages from berlin to forces
12:52 pm
on the ground. this is the very latest, the bbc microcomputer... but i'm here to celebrate a different hero, perhaps one of education — the bbc micro. it's turning a0 this year! these computers were launched back in the 80s, and the aim was to get kids programming. and it worked! it was so successful. and as a result, many in the uk would have started on one of these. it was made by acorn computers, the so—called apple of the united kingdom. around 1.5 million units were sold. and thanks to a government subsidy, it went into more than 80% of primary schools in the country. tom is the man in charge of the bbc micro exhibit at the national museum of computing. he told me a bit more about why
12:53 pm
it was so successful. it had a very good programming language with it, bbc basic, and that meant it was really good in education and was used well by industry as well. it was one of the fastest industries about, for its time when it launched, so streaks ahead of the competition for a very low price point, really. ok, so i'm getting to play on a real micro. i am playing chuckie egg. it's taken me about a quarter of an hour to work out the controls. this is so cool, i love it. but i'm not the only one playing. the museum invited gamers across the country to take part in the microlympics, giving players a chance to play classic bbc micro games like repton, citadel and elite on emulators online. a far cry from the likes of fortnite and roblox, but it gives kids a chance to experience what their parents might have played back in the 80s. they're very different!
12:54 pm
like, the overall concept, and also the controls, you've got to be more focused. i normally play, like, games like mario kart, like, the graphics are quite different. it was a lot more simplistic and also like, the sounds. it was still interesting and just as fun. i find the controls quite difficult. - very. i thought they were quite random, like, you have 0, s and t, which are far apart on the keyboard. thousands of kids and adults alike have since found inspiration for coding in its descendants, the bbc micro:bit, and its version two, which launched in october. and so the legacy of this great british computer lives on. 0h! that brings it all back, it really does! chuckie egg, repton, elite, brilliant! honestly, the bbc micro is the reason that i do what i do today, and why i fell in love with computers. so, happy birthday, bbc micro, mwah!
12:55 pm
from all of us here at click — that was probably a bit too much, but there you go. and that's it from us for this week. as ever, you can keep up with the team on social media — find us on youtube, instagram, facebook and twitter, at bbc click. thanks for watching and we'll see you soon. bye— bye. the weather for most of us today is not too bad — there's certainly plenty of bright, even sunny, weather around but it is not like that everywhere and in fact we are expecting further rain across parts of south—west england, wales and eventually northern england, too.
12:56 pm
a stubborn front has been moving in from the south and brought a lot of rainfall to places like southern wales in the last 2a hours. we've seen in one or two spots over 100 millimetres of rain, the river levels are pretty high so flood warnings in force from the met office. you can see it's got a discrete area of heavier rain for some parts of south—west england but more especially the hills of wales and some of that range sneaking into parts of north—western england in the pennines but for the vast majority of us actually a dry day bar the odd shower in western parts of scotland. a mild day in the south—east and it will stay mild and clear for east anglia and the south—east overnight. temperatures will be around eight or nine degrees, whereas in scotland and northern ireland clear skies and alsojust about cold enough for a touch of grass frost here and there, for example in belfast. that weather front is stubborn. if anything, you can see the rain becomes a little more widespread across this more sort of central swathe of england through the course of monday but then, by the time we get to the afternoon, that rain should mostly fizzle out leaving a legacy of cloud.
12:57 pm
fresher in the north—west, still mild tomorrow in the south—east of the country. 0n tuesday's weather map there's a big low pressure out in the atlantic and stronger winds and also heavier rain sweeping into western parts of the uk. so ireland, northern ireland, scotland, heavier rain and coastal gales are expected. some rain also nudging into the western fringes of wales but for central and eastern england a dry day and actually some sunshine for places like east anglia and the extreme south—east. around 15 degrees expected on tuesday in london. the air is coming in from the south in the middle part of the week and you can see this plume of milder air stretching almost from the canaries, certainly coming in from portugal, spain and france and spreading all the way into scandinavia. not everybody will get the milder weather which will affect more southern parts of the country and here it could even nudge up to 18 degrees at one point. but in the north—west of the uk it is always going to be more unsettled.
12:58 pm
12:59 pm
1:00 pm
good afternoon. the prime minister has promised all adults in the uk will be offered their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by the end ofjuly. so far, more than 17 million people have already had a jab — that's around one in three adults. the vaccines offer protection against the two most commonly found variants in the uk — but it's not clear yet how they work against the south african variant. a single case of that strain has now been confirmed in brentwood in essex
1:01 pm
and surge testing is being expanded there. 0ur health correspondent laura foster reports.

29 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on