5 TV Shows to Watch While You Code
As someone who has a really hard time working with no audio in the background (but also can’t listen to music I know the lyrics to) I love having a good show that touches on some of what I’m learning (analytics, coding, etc).
Here’s a quick list of my favorite shows to enjoy while you code. Now open Netflix and finish your project.
Numb3rs
If you’ve never seen this it’s a great crime drama. The show covers two very different brothers, one FBI agent and one statistician.
This is a great show that will mention a couple familiar algorithms and mathematical theories per episode.
2. The IT Crowd
If you’ve ever worked to fix someone’s device, the phrase “Have you tried turning it off and on again” will sound familiar.
This is a great British comedy that’s less mathy, but will help you crack a smile while coding.
3. Silicon Valley
As a startup nerd, I love, love, love this show! Follow the stories of regular guys trying to make it in nowhere else but the valley. They talk VC, getting funding, algorithms, AI, and plenty of laughs to keep you watching.
Check out the soundtrack for some awesome music to get pumped up and release your MVP to.
4. Star Trek: Discovery
I had high hopes for Star Trek Discovery and the first season did not disappoint. I appreciated the little mentions of algorithms and machine learning here and, plus it has beautiful graphics to see when glancing up from your IDE.
Mentions of using data to solve problems of war are an interesting topic as well. Requires a CBS All Access subscription, but SOMEBODY in your incubator has to have one.
5. Person of Interest
This amazingly well-done show with an awesome cast including Taraji P. Henson and Jim Caviezel covers mass government surveillance. This show will talk about the need for advanced AI and facial recognition algorithms.
This is another great drama that will also make you think about the ethics and privacy in using data to predict future crimes.
If you prefer to have audio on in the background but get distracted by the words in songs and podcasts, check out the myNoise app. They’ve got some great white noise settings including a Warp Speed setting that sounds exactly like the bridge of the Enterprise.
