Page 42 - Winter 2026
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Industry Newslectronics News
I n s t i tu t i on o f E Institution of Electronics News
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
COMPUTERS -
MASTER OR SERVANT?
Community Radio ... fun, yes, but also a learning experience. Flame
CCR is a training centre, approved and supported by the Institution of
Electronics. But what is the training gain? As well as the enjoyment of
playing music, and playing with computers and technology, people
also learn TO TALK.
I am one of the generation of engineers who to solve the problem. Training videos are offered but
excitedly opened a package of “chips” in the form they do not address the specific issue. Somehow Sitting in front of a microphone, only being able to imagine a listener
of TO5 cans and DIL chips which provided simple persistence, patience and time enables progress or two, with music providing a timescale, focuses the mind in a
Boolean functions and bistable storage. up the ladder from novice to learner, to teacher, to challenging way. What to say, how to say it, on cue is surprisingly
consultant, to expert. Media is no longer tangible, easy difficult. Developing a patter with other people is a challenge - it is
We made them into simple computer processors
to hand, checkable or correctable. It is held in “the said that “good radio is a conversation between two people overheard
for communication devices. That was in the 1960s. In
cloud” which is probably deep in an icy cave miles
research laboratories I also donned the white coat, on a bus”. Presenters have to get used to the sound of their own voice,
away accessible when communication is available
head covering and overshoes and entered the clean learn how to speak clearly in a flowing manner, and how to engage in
and hopefully with a longer lifetime than my mere
room with its vacuum technology and diffusing conversation with other people - in an ordered manner not talking over
three score years and 30.
furnaces, plus the silicon discs that were the basis of each other (reading body language).
the computer chips we made. Some worked, most did The strive for perfection is helped by the computer,
Based on our experience in bringing many new voices to air, we believe
not. but nothing is 100% and experience, including today,
that radio does offer a training gain, to all ages. And in addition to
is that corruption does happen, so we humans are
I went on into the 1970s learning simple computer being live, radio can also be recorded and professionally produced,
not redundant after all. However, computers do want
languages, Algol based but with some machine code. and repeatable as podcasts. Give it a try .... there are hundreds of
to become masters, but we must strive to keep them
Computers came on the scene, in large air cooling community radio stations across the UK looking for volunteers.
as servants. In general conversation one expert film
racks. with a few Megabyte of storage on discs the size
director commented that instead of painstakingly Contact us at flameccr@gmail.com and find out all about Flame,
of a large dinner plate run on air bearings. I learnt the
directing what he wants to happen, he now lets the
necessary skill of thinking logically and ordering my listen to us or delve through our podcasts on flameradio.org.
computer do what it wants - but gets the computer to
thoughts.
do it a large number of times so that he can then select
The theory then was that a computer was a servant, which attempts best fulfil his requirements. Another
designed by ourselves to do what we wanted it to. We colleague commented that he spent 5 hours editing
were the masters. an AI spoken 15 minutes script to make it broadcast
able.
Jumping on 50 years, I still believe a computer is a Visit our website!
servant. But my current experience of software suites To anyone considering computerising their activities
with multiple windows acting as the heart of radio I humbly add my advice - yes, do it, but keep the
broadcasting is that my intelligence is stretched. computers as servants, keep a good number of Why not head down to our website and
The software is hired on an annual licence, so I do intelligent humans around to check the product quality,
not own it. In fact I have to accept it does what it and to maintain the service when something fails read more news in our blog section?
does and be grateful for support teams at email (which it always will at the most inconvenient time).
or phone contact, often in different time zones and
I hope that I have not offended any AI computer, I hope Updated daily with hand-picked articles
cultures, speaking a common language that does
that they stay safely out of the way in air-conditioned
not really have easy commonality of thought. There is from around the web...
cabinets, or devices in my pocket, and do not advance,
no handbook, or operating manual, just a multiplicity
like Daleks, with a mission to “exterminate him”.
of windows, menus, settings accessed via a jigsaw
of icons. Fortune enables discovery of a friend who Norman Polden, Station manager, Flame Christian Community
Radio. institutionofelectronics.ac.uk
has a bit more experience and can suggest a way
through the maze to discover the box to tick, or untick,
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