Game making tutorials in Python
http://kidscancode.org/lessons/ The above page is essentially a link to loads of videos which are going through making specific games. One series is a space shooter, one is a platformer, one is a zombie shooter. It covers a lot of really advanced concepts but shows you every line that’s being written. Useful for anyone interested in …. Read More
PC building mistakes
A lot of my students consider building their own computer at some point. It’s a fantastic exercise for multiple reasons. This series of videos (this is just number 3, it’s worth going back through the others) give you a few good tips on what to look out for. My advice would be the PSU part. …. Read More
Infrared camera hidden on Pixel 4
Biometric authentication is on the rise. Fingerprint sensors, iris recognition in airports, and face unlock on phones. Does it work if you just put a picture of the owner in front of the camera? It shouldn’t. Here’s a look at the technology hidden in a Pixel 4 which maps your face in 3D with an …. Read More
Create your own Crypto currency
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49826161 I was asked about creating a new currency, it is indeed possible but not easy. It starts touching on the essence of what money is. Facebook tried but didn’t get far. This article is an interesting one where someone tried to create a new currency, got lots of momentum, and then disappeared. The woman …. Read More
Hard drive disassembly
Want to take a hard drive apart and put it back together again? Want to take the data from a broken hard drive and put it into a working hard drive? Don’t. This video shows how an independent repair shop does it properly. A great look at the inside of a working disc. You can …. Read More
Making a CPU
This is a fascinating series that creates a computer from a single chip. It gets very deep on the electronics very quickly. Proceed with care.
Moonpig Hack
Customer details were hacked from Moonpig, this is a breakdown of what happened, but also important thoughts about what should be done when someone finds a vulnerability.
Who Invented the Keyboard and is the Dvorak Really Better than the QWERTY?
If you’ve done lesson 6 of the understanding computers module in year 8, you may have seen the history of the computer include the typewriter which is where the weird order of letters on your current keyboard comes from. If you’ve wondered why they’re placed in this weird order or if there’s a better way, …. Read More
CAPTCHA – When you get asked to copy some letters
You will have used some form of CAPTCHA, this is a nice break down on what it is and where it came from.
Game hackers who were sued
Blizzard, Activision, XBox, Playstation and several other companies decided to sue people who were hacking games. It’s worth a watch and figure out what you think. Were the companies justified? Were the hackers in the wrong?