TL;DR
Joshua Wise presented a Teardown 2025 talk titled "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of the Fourier Transform" and published a collection of resources from the talk. He shared a recording, slides, a Jupyter notebook of his plots, implementations including a DVB-T decoder, and references ranging from an OFDM patent to a classic essay by Eugene Wigner.
What happened
At Teardown 2025 Joshua Wise delivered a talk exploring the practical reach of the Fourier transform and posted notes and supporting material online. He made a recording of the talk available on his YouTube channel and provided a PDF of his slides plus the Jupyter notebook he used to generate numerous plots during the presentation. Alongside educational links, Wise linked to technical references: the OFDM patent (US3488445A, filed 1966, expired 1987), Eugene Wigner’s essay on mathematics in the natural sciences, a research paper on jointly estimating carrier and time offset (which he implemented), and an explanatory video on the Fast Fourier Transform. He also published a DVB-T decoder he wrote and encouraged feedback, listing personal and work contact information and a Fediverse handle for follow-up.
Why it matters
- The material collects practical code, slides and references that connect theory (Fourier methods) to real-world signal processing implementations.
- Providing a runnable Jupyter notebook and a published decoder supports reproducibility and learning for engineers and researchers.
- Linking historical and foundational sources (the OFDM patent and Wigner’s essay) situates engineering practice alongside mathematical and historical context.
- The included implementation notes and references may shorten the path for others trying to reproduce carrier/time-offset estimation and DVB-T decoding workflows.
Key facts
- Talk titled "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of the Fourier Transform" delivered by Joshua Wise at Teardown 2025.
- A recording of the talk is available on Joshua Wise’s YouTube channel.
- Slides for the talk were published as a PDF for reference.
- The Jupyter notebook used to generate plotting examples was shared; Wise notes it as working code though not claiming it as high quality.
- The OFDM patent referenced is US3488445A, filed in 1966 and expired in 1987.
- Wise links to Eugene Wigner’s essay "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences."
- He implemented an algorithm from a paper on jointly estimating carrier offset and time offset and reports that his typed-in implementation worked.
- A DVB-T decoder authored by Wise is available alongside the other resources.
- An educational video breaking down the Fast Fourier Transform algorithm was recommended as a recurring reference.
What to watch next
- The recording of Joshua Wise’s Teardown 2025 talk on his YouTube channel (linked from his resources page).
- The explanatory video on the Fast Fourier Transform recommended by Wise — cited as a useful, recurring reference.
- Whether Wise will publish follow-up code refinements or additional talks — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Fourier transform: A mathematical operation that decomposes a function or signal into frequency components, widely used in signal processing and analysis.
- Fast Fourier Transform (FFT): An efficient algorithm for computing the discrete Fourier transform and its inverse, commonly used to speed up frequency-domain computations.
- OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing — a modulation method that divides a signal across multiple orthogonal subcarriers to improve spectral efficiency and resistance to interference.
- DVB-T: Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial, a standard for terrestrial digital television broadcasting that uses digital modulation and channel coding techniques.
Reader FAQ
Is the talk recording available?
Yes — Wise published a recording on his YouTube channel, linked from the resources page.
Are the slides and code available?
Yes — a PDF of the slides and the Jupyter notebook used to produce the talk’s plots were posted.
Did Wise provide working implementations?
Yes — he published a DVB-T decoder and reports successfully implementing a joint carrier/time-offset estimation algorithm from a paper.
Where can I send feedback or questions?
Notable contacts listed are personal and work emails and a Fediverse handle; specific addresses are provided on the resources page.
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of the Fourier Transform Notes from Joshua Wise's talk at Teardown 2025. New: You can now watch a recording of my talk on my YouTube channel! Or…
Sources
- The Unreasonable Effectiveness of the Fourier Transform
- The Unreasonable Effectiveness Of The Fourier Transform
- Radio Telecommunications
Related posts
- Ushikuvirus discovery adds clues to giant viruses’ role in eukaryote origins
- Decades in the Making: Chandra’s Supernova Remnant Video Release
- Patching UNIX v4’s su Buffer Overflow the 1973 Way, Rebuilt in 2025