Geek Author
Geek Author
Intermation
Geek Author presents educational series covering computer organization, computer architecture, and embedded system design. Each episode is a concise step taking the listener on a journey from the foundations of digital logic up to computer architecture and finally to system level input and output. The series is presented by engineer, author, and educator David Tarnoff. After a career in industry designing motherboards and BIOSes, David began teaching hardware concepts to students of computer science. Twenty-five years later, he’s taking that content and providing it to anyone with an interest in what makes a computer tick.
Episode 8.01 - Intro to Error Detection
Digital data has many benefits, but what happens if it's in error? Moreover, how can we tell if a bit has been flipped? Our discussion begins with parity.
Jul 12, 2020
11 min
Episode 7.06 - Stupid Binary Tricks
Having learned how to program bitwise operations, it is now time to flex our bit bashing muscles by investigating some creative ways to perform common programming functions.
Jun 3, 2020
19 min
Episode 7.05 - Flipping Bits using the Bitwise Inverse and Bitwise-XOR
Inverting or flipping the bits of an integer is the third and last method of "bit bashing" we will discuss. There are two ways to invert bits: either flip all of them at once or use a mask to identify which bits to flip and which to leave alone.
May 26, 2020
12 min
Episode 7.04 - Setting Bits using the Bitwise-OR
The ability to set bits may not seem important at first, but many algorithms in computing depend on just that. Join us as we control bits and build integers from scratch using the bitwise-OR.
Apr 19, 2020
10 min
Episode 7.03 - Coding Bitwise Operations
Discussing how to use bitwise operations to manipulate the bits of an integer would be academic if we couldn't perform the operations in our code. The good news is that we can!
Apr 12, 2020
10 min
Episode 7.02 - Clearing Bits using the Bitwise-AND
Clearing bits within an integer is important if we want to isolate bits or set them to zero before we insert a new value. The bitwise-AND does this for us.
Mar 21, 2020
17 min
Episode 7.01 - The Need for Bitwise Operations
All areas of computing, from data compression to web design, from networking to digital image storage, from system administration to high-performance computing, benefit from bit manipulation.
Mar 11, 2020
11 min
Episode 6.10 - Demultiplexers
A demultiplexer takes a single data stream and routes it to a selected output channel, a bit like one of those old A-B printer switches we used to physically select which printer we were sending data to. In this episode, we show how to design one.
Mar 5, 2020
10 min
Episode 6.09 - Multiplexers
A multiplexer, sometimes referred to as a data selector, allows us to select which digital stream to route to an output. Designing this circuit is a lot easier than it sounds.
Feb 27, 2020
9 min
Episode 6.08 - Binary Decoders
What does it take to switch on a device? In some cases, like getting a soda from a vending machine, a number of conditions must be just right. That's where binary decoders come in.
Feb 21, 2020
8 min
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