| Gameheadz |
Since the first Pong
machine was launched three decades ago, computer games have evolved to
become the world’s second-largest entertainment industry, after music.
This fascinating program profiles the visionaries, mavericks, and
renegades of this addictive multibillion-dollar industry. Interviews with
Nolan Bushnell, Ralph Baer, and others illustrate the innovation and
creativity that went into the creation of Space Invaders, Pac-Man,
Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers, and Tetris, among
others, and the Game Boy system. A Discovery Channel Production. (51
minutes, color) (C)2003 |
VHS33513
DVD33513 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Understanding Computing |
Using everyday terminology,
down-to-earth analogies, and illuminating 3-D computer graphics, this
timeless program traces the history of computing—from the abacus, to the
ENIAC, to virtual reality and artificial intelligence—while explaining
how the PC, the mouse, and the Internet work. Interviews with technology
visionaries Douglas Engelbart, Marvin Minsky, and Nathan Myhrvold; David
Macaulay, author of The Way Things Work; convicted hacker Phiber
Optic; and others provide additional information on topics including
digitization, broadband, and network security. A Discovery Channel
Production. (54 minutes, color) (C)1995 |
VHS11936
DVD11936 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Driving Design |
Automobile design studios in
California fuel the passion and fantasy of today’s unique car culture
with the aid of high-tech computer programs used in the movie industry.
This program explores how art and science merge as designers team with
cinematic computer programmers and engineers, developing and using new and
emerging technologies to build tomorrow’s cars...today. Dr. Reef Karim,
from the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, examines how recently designed
cars act as "beauty stimuli," tapping into the brain’s rewards
circuit pathway. Interviews with Professor Geoff Wardel, from the Art
Center College of Design, and Greg Bernas, program manager at Toyota, are
featured. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes, color) |
VHS33605
DVD33605 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| The
Launch: A Product Is Born |
The challenge: create the
ultimate barbecue grill. The timeline: five weeks. The pressure: intense.
By focusing on one very concentrated case study, this program illustrates
the process of development that every new product goes through. Team
members from Pentagram, a well-known design firm, and client company
Design Within Reach take viewers on a wild ride that begins with a kickoff
meeting and ends, a mere 34 days later, with the launch of a prototype.
Field research, brainstorming, concepting, designing, model-making, and
fabricating are demonstrated as the designers, engineers, and
machinists—reacting to the ever-present unexpected—hurry to get the
job done. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes, color)
Click here to view a clip from The Launch: A Product
Is Born
low
bandwidth version
high
bandwidth version |
VHS33560
DVD33560 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Science
of Special Effects |
Filmmaking is an art, but special
effects are all about science. This program explores the dynamic link
between the sciences—from astronomy to zoology—and the film
industry’s finest special effects. Leading innovators explain many of
their techniques, illustrated with footage from dozens of movies and TV
programs, including Stuart Little, Fight Club, and The X-Files.
Experts include Stan Winston, Academy Award-winning creature creator whose
work includes Alien, Terminator II, and Jurassic Park; Phil
Tippett, special effects supervisor for Jurassic Park; Professor
Donald Hoffman, who specializes in cognitive and computer science; and
Nick Foster, software engineer for Antz. A Discovery Channel
Production. (51 minutes, color) |
VHS33193
DVD33193 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Robots
Rising |
Today robots are disposing of
bombs, cleaning up nuclear waste, clearing minefields, exploring both the
sea and outer space, and even doing spy missions. How far off is the
perfect android? And—perhaps most important of all—could robots take
over the world? In this program, robotics experts from Carnegie Mellon
University’s Robotics Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA,
and MIT discuss how they design and engineer robots. Nanotechnology and
self-replicating machines are also addressed. In addition, clips from Star
Wars, Terminator 2, RoboCop, and other movies offer insights into
humanity’s robot fantasies and nightmares. A Discovery Channel
Production. (53 minutes, color) |
VHS11929
DVD11929 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Digital
Cool |
This program is an outstanding
case study of how Korean high-tech powerhouse Samsung Electronics engages
and expands its target markets by continually designing, developing, and
reinventing its products in innovative ways. Topics include consumer
research, the design process, manufacturing, team-building, sales efforts,
and the ideas lab, where visionaries apply their expertise to items
ranging from cell phones, to digital gaming, to the digital home. Experts
include Vice Chairman and CEO Jong Yong Yun and MIT’s Nicholas
Negroponte, author of the best-seller Being Digital and cofounder
of Wired magazine. A Discovery Channel Production. (48 minutes,
color) (C)2003 |
VHS33539
DVD33539 |
129.95
129.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Eyes in the Sky |
This classic program looks at how
the same spy satellites that have monitored nuclear threats and military
maneuvers for over thirty years are now finding new commercial,
scientific, and environmental roles. Engaging computer animation and
photography illustrate a variety of peacetime applications, such as global
telecommunications, the tracking of weather patterns, and navigation and
cartography utilizing the Global Positioning System. Interviews with NASA
astronauts and the CEOs of Earthsat and Launchspace complement this
fascinating program. A Discovery Channel Production. (100 minutes, color)
(C)1996 |
VHS11924
DVD11924 |
129.95
129.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| The X Factor: Inside Microsoft's X BOx |
Microsoft owns the office, and
now it wants to take over the living room. Drawing on input from key
Microsoft decision-makers and the hotshot development teams behind Crimson
Skies, Halo 2, and Oddworld, this program illustrates the
challenges of video game development and marketing. Xbox architecture and
controller design, scripting, animatics, motion capture, programming, and
playtesting are touched upon as the creators pull all-nighters of
debugging, agonize through green light prototype meetings, and race to
meet E3 trade show and final delivery deadlines. Can Microsoft use the
Xbox to beat Nintendo and Sony at their own game? A Discovery Channel
Production. (51 minutes, color) (C)2003 |
VHS32764
DVD32764 |
129.95
129.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| American Car: A Marketing Case Study |
This program outlines the Nissan,
GM, and Ford strategies for dominating today’s light truck marketplace
as the Titan and Hummer H2 square off against the thoroughly redesigned
F-150. Making stops at the Detroit auto show, Nissan’s design studio,
the "Ford Tough" torture track, and the ad agency that launched
the H2, senior officers of these battling manufacturers openly discuss
Nissan’s comeback, Hummer’s push to broaden market penetration, and
Ford’s bid to stay on top. A Discovery Channel Production. (46 minutes,
color) (C)2003 |
VHS33559
DVD33559 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Driving Design |
Automobile design studios in
California fuel the passion and fantasy of today’s unique car culture
with the aid of high-tech computer programs used in the movie industry.
This program explores how art and science merge as designers team with
cinematic computer programmers and engineers, developing and using new and
emerging technologies to build tomorrow’s cars...today. Dr. Reef Karim,
from the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, examines how recently designed
cars act as "beauty stimuli," tapping into the brain’s rewards
circuit pathway. Interviews with Professor Geoff Wardel, from the Art
Center College of Design, and Greg Bernas, program manager at Toyota, are
featured. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes, color) (C)2004 |
VHS33605
DVD33605 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| International Space Station |
Using torqueless drills,
recoilless hammers, and the largest robot arm ever built, a futuristic
construction team is making history hundreds of miles above the Earth. In
this program, NASA’s Daniel Goldin; John Pike, of the Federation of
American Scientists; and astronauts and cosmonauts describe the challenges
faced during the initial stages of the International Space Station’s
construction. In addition, visits to the Johnson Space Center’s
robotics, neutral buoyancy, and virtual reality labs reveal the
engineering and training that underpin the project’s remarkable
successes. The contributions of the Salyut, Mir, and Skylab missions are
addressed. A Discovery Channel Production. (53 minutes, color) (C)1996 |
VHS30773
DVD30773 |
129.95
129.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Ultimage Guide: Planes |
At any moment there are 60,000
people in the air—this incredible feat, now considered routine, began
with what the Wright brothers achieved at Kitty Hawk in 1903. This program
takes a comprehensive look at planes, from their history and how they are
built and flown to the physics and aeronautical principles that keep them
in the air. Excellent computer graphics, flight demonstrations of
historical aircraft, and interviews highlight such topics as pilot
training, air traffic control, aeronautical design, and aerial combat. A
Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes, color) |
VHS11923
DVD11923 |
129.95
129.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |
| Understanding Cars |
First they revolutionized travel.
Then they reshaped American culture. This program, narrated by Jane
Curtin, traces the history of automobile technology and design through the
20th century. Stops along the way include visits to the Sandia National
Laboratories, the GM Design Center, the Detroit Car Show, and the Petersen
and Blackhawk Automotive Museums. The mechanics of four-stroke and
two-stroke internal combustion engines, energy-efficient vehicles that run
on electricity and fuel cells, automated highways and smart cars, and a
number of automotive curiosities are featured as well. A Discovery Channel
Production. (53 minutes, color) |
VHS29881
DVD29881 |
89.95
89.95 |
Call 800-776-8093 to Order |