Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
This video by the French computer programmer Damien Henry is a clever visual demonstration of machine learning – a term coined by the US computer scientist Arthur Samuel (1901-1990) to describe an algorithm that gives computers the ‘ability to learn without being explicitly programmed’.
Using several videos recorded from windows during train rides, Henry trained an algorithm to predict what the next frame of a train ride should look like. Then, starting with a single frame chosen by Henry, the algorithm generated, to the best of its ability, scenes from an hour-long train ride, improving itself roughly every 20 seconds. The resulting video demonstrates machine learning in action through a dreamy, impressionistic take on the experience of observing flowing, fleeting landscapes passing by. Though machine-learning algorithms are used more practically in applications where adaptability is greatly advantageous, such as anti-virus software and driverless cars, there’s an undeniable charm to seeing a computer engage in a version of one of our more ephemeral but corporeal experiences – the train ride.
Via Kottke.org
Director: Damien Henry
video
Cosmology
Tiny, entangled universes that form or fizzle out – a theory of the quantum multiverse
11 minutes
video
Music
The peculiar beauty of a song caught between composition and improvisation
3 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
video
Astronomy
The history of astronomy is a history of conjuring intelligent life where it isn’t
34 minutes
video
Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
33 minutes
video
Love and friendship
Love looks a bit different for a chain-smoking couple in a small apartment
11 minutes
video
Metaphysics
Simple entities in universal harmony – Leibniz’s evocative perspective on reality
4 minutes
video
Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
13 minutes
video
The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
5 minutes