"The Joy Of Data" is a witty and mind-expanding exploration with mathematician Dr. Hannah Fry.
It’s a word that crops up again and again in conversation regardless of subject, a guiding force in the decisions we make every day, a building block of modern society – and yet, very few of us actually know how “data” works.
Luckily, mathematician Hannah Fry (“Calculating Ada: The Countess of Computing”) is here to break down data for us and explain why it matters. With wit and enthusiasm, this program traces the origins of the still-unfolding information revolution.
A score of experts in fields varying from history to computer science, some of whom played a direct role in the development of the technology discussed, offer valuable insight.
Simplistic but engaging demonstrations and visual metaphors work to demystify a concept that can otherwise feel dauntingly abstract, providing a framework for understanding the world around us.
Although Fry indulges in her share of nerdy humor, you don’t have to be a mathematician to appreciate the natural and scientific patterns this program seeks to highlight.
The titular joy, Fry argues, comes from the bridge data builds between the chaotic, physical world that can be directly experienced, and the clean, dependable world of mathematic equations and laws that lay underneath it.
Not only does “The Joy Of Data” reveal surprising connections between concepts as disparate as marmalade and the boy band One Direction, it also serves as a testament to the important role information technologies play in human philosophy.
In an interconnected world, data no longer just explains, but also defines what we are.
Hannah Fry is on Facebook and Instagram. Follow @FryRsquared on Twitter.
Credits:
Wingspan Productions for BBC Four. Acquired by American Public Television, from DCD Rights Limited for syndication to public television stations nationwide.
