2025-09-12 –, C205 - FOIA arena
Language: English
In this talk, we'll learn how to stream blockbuster movies for free, without violating copyright. We'll also blow state-of-the-art video compressions out of the water, compressing movies to 0.06% of their original file size with minimal quality loss. And while we're at it, we'll also solve long-standing systemic social injustices with simple, technical solutions.
More seriously, this talk explores the fuzzy areas of copyright, plays with interesting open datasets, hacky python scripts, and pushes the boundaries of ffmpeg. We'll also discuss fascinating current research on bias and representation in movies, based on Bamman et al.'s paper on "Measuring diversity in Hollywood through the large-scale computational analysis of film".
In the process, we'll create what may not be the best, but hopefully your new favourite movie streaming platform — ultra light and coyright-free by design.
By day, Nils is pursuing a PhD in computer science at the Secure Mobile Networking Lab (SEEMOO) of TU Darmstadt. In the right circles, they are known for bringing Apple Watch support to Android phones. On the weekends, they like to blend art and science, building new, implausible, beautiful things: From embedded hardware jewellery to a Duolingo clone that teaches neopronouns and, most recently, a revolutionary approach to movie streaming that nobody asked for.