Episode

The Pixel: From Cave Paintings to Toy Story

Podcast
Decoding Tech
Published
Feb 25, 2026
Duration seconds
4323
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/computer-history-museum/episodes/The-Pixel-From-Cave-Paintings-to-Toy-Story-e3fcmak
Audio
https://anchor.fm/s/ffa6cbb0/podcast/play/115808020/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-1-20%2Fa5e2787d-758c-51a3-334e-df8d9c1102ad.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/decoding-tech-7190029/episodes/the-pixel-from-cave-paintings-to-toy-story
Markdown
/podcast/decoding-tech-7190029/the-pixel-from-cave-paintings-to-toy-story.md

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Summary

The tiny pixel is the “big idea” that ties all digital imaging together. In this episode, computing‑graphics pioneer and Pixar cofounder Alvy Ray Smith shares insights from his book A Biography of the Pixel , on how this humble building block reshaped art, entertainment, and our digital world. Barbara Robertson , former Senior Editor of Computer Graphics World, moderated the conversation. This CHM Live event was recorded on August 11, 2022, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org