Back in 1978 I was a happy 9 year old, eager to play in the fields, climb trees, build dens and construct dams across streams and ride my bike. Science lessons were best when they used Bunsen burners to ignite stuff like aluminium, sodium or magnesium. Evenings were spent watching things like the Good Life, the Two Ronnies and Secret Army with my mum. When James Burke started his new science series – Connections – I was instantly hooked. He told such stories, revealed where things came from, showed why two totally different inventions led to things we took for granted in the 70s like digital watches, pocket calculators and flymos – all with passion and infectious enthusiasm. He made the world seem like a wondrous place of multidisciplinary discovery, innovation and possibility.

And now he is back again with a new series. In a way, the world has caught up with his polymath systems way of thinking, but I do wonder how his unique take on things will address AI and other hot topics of the 2020s. He seems from the trailer in the linked article to think we will all become adept at making our own video-d » Continue Reading.