Learning about new technologies through documentaries can be rewarding. The technological world is something exciting and within this area there is a whole range of exploration and entertainment in the different areas.
Fortunately, on-demand television platforms offer us good content, and, in addition, they have something interesting, the documentary section. At Comunicagenia we have selected five screenings so that you can learn more about the technological field and satisfy your curiosity.
1. Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World
This 2016 documentary is directed and produced by German director, Werner Herzog. Through 10 episodes, the filmmaker analyzes the past, present and constantly evolving future of the Internet and the impact of this technology on the lives of human beings.
The film features the participation of pioneers and prophets who have been relevant in the development of the internet over the years. The viewer, through interviews, will encounter the testimonies of Elon Muck (Co-founder of Paypal), the famous hacker Kevin Mitnick or Bob Kahn (inventor of the IP), among others.
These conversations revolve around diverse topics such as the origins of the Internet, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, addiction to video games or dependence on interconnectivity. In short, how the digital world is transforming reality, from education and business to space travel and medical care.
2. American Experience: Tesla
In 2016, under the direction of David Grublin, American Experience: Tesla was released, a biographical documentary that tells the life of the inventor Nikolas Tesla. This audiovisual was produced by the United States public television network, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
Nikolas Tesla was a great inventor of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Throughout his life he developed more than 700 patents which include: alternating current, neon light, loudspeaker, wireless electricity, radar or the bases of the microwave oven, among many others.
Despite this, the scientist who revolutionized technology did not have good business skills and many businessmen took advantage of him, contributing to history leaving him forgotten, being one of the characters to whom we owe many of the advances that we enjoy today.
3. Rise of the Robot
Rise of the Robot began as a cyborg game released for computer in 1994, but it is also a magnificent scientific documentary that was released in 2016 and is directed by Terri Randall and presented by Craig Sechler.
This audiovisual focuses on the human aspect of engineers who work in the field of robotics, creating the pieces that will be part of the future. In addition, it analyzes how these robots can help humans, entering into ethical debates on several occasions.
A documentary that discusses the impact of technology and the challenges we face, giving answers to how scientists are investigating the advancement of robotics like never before.
4. The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney brings an almost two-hour tape that reviews the rise and fall of the Theranos case. Elizabeth Holmes, known as the “Steve Jobs of medical technology,” started a company that aimed to revolutionize primary care.
In 2014, Theranos was developing miniature blood laboratories called “Edisons” and was worth nine billion dollars. Two years later the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Theranos of being a major fraud and the company lost all its value, turning a small crisis into a large bubble.
5. HAK_MTL
Privacy scandals on social networks are the order of the day. In this documentary directed by Alexandre Sheldon the user can see how the Internet has become the massive Big Brother, based on a simple mentality: the user is the product.
In this film we will discover how our information is stored and made available to governments and corporations, something that catches the attention of the hacker community and that only a battle with technology can defeat. Another story that gives us perspective about privacy, or the lack thereof, on the internet.
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