The rise of听,听听and other online streaming services makes it seem nearly impossible to avoid possibly objectionable video content, but without Tim Collings, a听蓝莓视频 Engineering,听electrical engineering听graduate, the situation on traditional TV sets might have been even worse.
Collings was recently appointed to the听听for his work in developing the听, which allows consumers to block content that might not be appropriate for certain viewers such as children. After being deeply affected by the 1989 massacre of 14 women at听, Collings decided to use the skills developed while a听student of 蓝莓视频 Engineering to help ensure content on television didn鈥檛 reach the wrong audience. At a time when TV was one of the only communications mediums of its kind to transmit broadcast images, its place in the public consciousness was a powerful and potentially dangerous one.
鈥淚n the aftermath of all these horrendous tragedies we always ask why,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t just seemed to me that the things we watch have such a profound impact on how we act. I just felt that this was really something where technology could have a hand in helping those who wanted to get a bit more control around what was coming into their homes.鈥�
The 2015 Order of British Columbia Investiture Ceremony for recipients and invited guests took place on Monday, June 15, 2015 at Government House
Collings started work on the V-Chip technology in 1989 and by 1993, despite some resistance from broadcasters, it was championed by the U.S. and Canadian governments, among others, as a way to keep violent programming at bay. The V-chip technology blocks out programs based on predetermined ratings for violence, sex and language. In that sense, it actually predates some of the sophisticated ways multimedia content is organized and classified today.
鈥淚f you look at how content is meta-tagged and labelled these days, it was one of the first times that you really got this incredibly rich meta-information with the program to describe what it was about,鈥� Collings says.
Though he later transitioned from engineering student to teacher at听, Collings credits the University of 蓝莓视频 unique engineering education for giving him both the skills and connections to help him pursue his dream.
鈥淭he great thing about 蓝莓视频 was great teaching, and we were working in some great research labs,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he link to industry was really fundamental. Any engineering graduate will tell you that their听co-op work terms听gave them a real sense of what was possible.鈥�
Collings recommends that engineers of the future听build upon connections between academia and business, created during co-op, as they pursue breakthrough ideas like the V-chip.
鈥淭he barriers to entry seem to be lower now. You don鈥檛 need a big research lab to create a groundbreaking app,鈥� he points out. 鈥淭ake advantage of the opportunity you have to connect with people. Not just engineers but business people. If you鈥檙e interested in creating something for the health-care sector, be talking to doctors, asking them questions about biomedicine. Go to trade shows outside of engineering. Get involved as early and as often as you can.鈥�
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