8 ms·
Informative YouTube channels
- glxc 11y agoweight loss pills that really work!
- stefantalpalaru 11y agoErudition and intelligence are different things.
- kelukelugames 11y ago60 youtube channels that will make you think you are getting smarter.
- ching_wow_ka 11y agoIf you're going to say something like that, you might as well explain why you think that way. They seem to fill the void between in-depth study and knowing absolutely nothing.
- sheldor 11y agoI'm with you for the most part. However, learning bits and pieces of something without any indication that the source is credible (which is often the case with youtube videos), could be less helpful than learning nothing at all. Thus 'getting smarter' could be an overstatement in this case.
- mc808 11y agoA good experiment might be to watch 1,000 hours of educational videos and see if you've actually learned enough to test out of an introductory course on the subject. I could see that happening with, say, Khan Academy, but less so with the various popular "wow, science!" types of videos.
- legohead 11y agoI've watched probably 1000 hours of woodworking videos. I even bought a whole shop of tools. When I get an urge to make something, I go into the garage, and freeze. How do I put two pieces of wood together again?
- Namrog84 11y agoDo you think if you had read the 1000 hours of wood working books that you'd be any better off? There clearly comes a point that even in depth studying of a topic has limited ability to translate to real world skill. Very few things can translate well from study go skill.
- petawatt 11y agoJust like going to all the lectures and not doing any homework isn't going to prepare you for finals. Videos introduce and explain ideas, but you need to puzzle through problems yourself to gain a real understanding.
- ycosynot 11y agoIt's not about knowledge, it's about grasping. When the thing is made easy to grasp, you increase knowledge, not global understanding. To understand better, you have to practice understanding. (supposedly) And so rather than watching digested videos, I recommend reading the works and essays of great minds, and struggling (reasonably), to embrace their way of thought, while appreciating the content. Understand some, then go again, and understand more. Socrates taught Plato, and Plato taught Aristotles. Is it a coincidence? I would find the greatest mind I can find, first among other strategies. Personally, I've started reading Emerson, everyday, or Montesquieu. I write parts I like, on paper, and try to understand better along, why he says what he says, and why he writes how he writes. But this is supposing I'm smart, and have my word to say... Well, let us settle on the compromise then, and experiment? Because also, different people are at different levels of grasping, and also, they have different definitions for 'smart', so you should do depending on what you want to become, and which 'they' you want to be a part of. Personally, I don't care that much, it just feels good to be so near a great mind, though surely everyone has his own view of what that is.
- rancur 11y agothe ability to grasp is more valuable than the knowledge though-- this is why my alma mater didn't really worry too much about making the material digesting us. not joking. Frankly, it makes my degree more valuable
- ycosynot 11y agoI didn't say grasping is superior to knowledge, I said the optimum path to increase grasping (intelligence) may be different than the optimum path to increase knowledge, and that if this is the case, then I would train with hard-to-grasp material rather than easy-to-digest videos. I admit my first sentence was badly worded (I'm not English, though it's no excuse).
- mrspeaker 11y agoWhat's the difference?
- throwaway1967 11y agoThe difference is in the approach. Most YouTube channels are trying to make you think you are getting smarter because flattering your viewership's egos is a proven way to grow it. They work from a top-down perspective where they hold the information and you listen without questioning; much like a classroom; for people who mostly think "learning" is such process. It is an entirely different experience to watch a YouTube channel where the host is actually working hard to make you think, even when this forces the host to be stern with its listeners, to correct their incorrect patterns of thinking when they call in, and to be available for any corrections by their viewers and willing to publicly correct an error. For all that, I like Stefan Molyneux's podcasts on YouTube.
- effie 11y agoThanks, his videos are quite interesting and even fun.
- Houshalter 11y agoYou won't become a physicist from watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos, but I found it immensely educational. It's worth knowing what science knows about what the universe is and our place in it. Of course you aren't going to become an expert in astronomy, but you don't need to be. Many, certainly not all, but many of these videos are educational in the same sense. They give a layman a basic grasp of a complex subject. E.g. this video on the immune system won't make you a biologist, but it's still pretty informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s These are the kinds of videos that teachers might show in a classroom. Certainly they are way better made than the cheesy, poorly made educational videos I saw in school. And to be fair, all of this stuff is entertainment, even Cosmos. There's no practical value to me to learn about how stars are made, or how the immune system works. But I find these things interesting.
- drb311 11y agoDear HN... What's the best way to get smart? Watching? Reading? Or something else?
- jessriedel 11y agoRead textbooks.
- chestervonwinch 11y agoNo, battle them! :)
- ching_wow_ka 11y agoI've found reading the right books to be the best way. Lectures tend to be too broad for me, although they can serve as good overviews. My philosophy is that if I want to learn something, I get a few suggestions for books, briefly skim through their contents and pick one. After that I'll take notes in it and reread and basically squeeze every ounce of knowledge that I possibly can from it until it's engrained in my brain.
- hellbanner 11y agoPractice :)
- rayalez 11y agoFigure out your specific niche, the craft you would like to master, and learn everything about it, go as deep as you can. Watching vs reading - doesn't matter, whatever is most comfortable and has the info you're interested in. Don't forget audiobooks - they are very easy and fun to listen to, and you can do it in many situations when you would otherwise be wasting your time. Also try writing/blogging - it is hard, but it is amazing.
- dec0dedab0de 11y agoI personally learn best from some combination of a lecture, and a tutorial, followed up by my own trial and error.
- 11y ago
- rayalez 11y agoGreat list! The biggest channel that's missing is, obviously, khan academy. Here's my list that I would like to add(with the HN crowd in mind): - Khan Academy (https://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy https://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy) - Backyard Brains (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCICLIvkj29GG63NpA3K2Elw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCICLIvkj29GG63NpA3K2Elw) - DEFCONConference (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Om9kAkl32dWlDSNlDS9Iw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Om9kAkl32dWlDSNlDS9Iw) - DEFCON talks. - Emacs rocks (https://www.youtube.com/user/emacsrocks https://www.youtube.com/user/emacsrocks) - brilliant emacs tutorials. (watch older videos, recent ones are tutorials on Clojure). - MIT OpenCourseWare (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEBb1b_L6zDS3xTUrIALZOw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEBb1b_L6zDS3xTUrIALZOw) - MIT lectures - Y Combinator (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcefcZRL2oaA_uBNeo5UOWg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcefcZRL2oaA_uBNeo5UOWg) - startup interviews - How to Start a Startup(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxIJaCMEptJjxmmQgGFsnCg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxIJaCMEptJjxmmQgGFsnCg) - brilliant course about startups from YC Not HN-related: - Dean Leysen (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYDsDpSWZUJdTtQoRFRQZzA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYDsDpSWZUJdTtQoRFRQZzA) - Essays on science and trivia, very fun. - FZDSCHOOL(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdyjrrJAjDIACjCsjAGFAA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdyjrrJAjDIACjCsjAGFAA) - Fantastic painting tutorials. - Proko (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClM2LuQ1q5WEc23462tQzBg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClM2LuQ1q5WEc23462tQzBg) - Also great painting tutorials I hope you guys can suggest some more.
- deutronium 11y agoBen Krasnow's applied science channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/bkraz333 https://www.youtube.com/user/bkraz333 Should definitely be in there!
- prezjordan 11y agoYou need to check out Numberphile if you have even the tiniest bit of love for recreational math.
- mobiuscog 11y agoI'd like to add Making Games With Ben: https://www.youtube.com/user/makinggameswithben https://www.youtube.com/user/makinggameswithben A really nice paced (I think) set of tutorials going through modern C++ & Open GL.
- majani 11y agoIn a world where the blatantly fraudulent sixpackshortcuts[1] is the biggest fitness channel on YouTube, I feel that a list of informative fitness channels is paramount. The only ones I've found so far are ScottHermanFitness and JuggernautFitnessTV [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7YOSl4UkTU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7YOSl4UkTU
- logicallee 11y agoI was curious what you meant by "blatantly fraudulent", as in, I thought surely this must just be your own opinion. I clicked through, and it really is "blatantly" fraudulent, like they're not even hiding it a little bit. (Folks, picture "Imagine if you could literally live forever, as in, never die, not at age 70, not at age 90, and still look like you're 18 years old." type speech.)
- minikomi 11y agoCheck out Allan Thrall/untamed strength .. Great, Down to Earth informative videos. Awesome beard too.
- deathtrader666 11y agoI would add Athlean-X as one of the best fitness channels - "Putting the science back in Strength" - https://www.youtube.com/user/JDCav24 https://www.youtube.com/user/JDCav24 The guy, Jeff Cavaliere, is amazing!
- snake_plissken 11y ago'Bout to drop a real gem... mrpete222 AKA TUBALCAIN - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKLIIdKEpjAnn8E76KP7sQg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKLIIdKEpjAnn8E76KP7sQg I haven't come across anything as informative as this channel. This guy has a seriously badass machine shop and has videos about milling parts, how to use different tools, creating various things and general machine shop topics like how to care for drill bits. Among other things, he milled his own miniature steam engine: Part I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1t24sxjdZU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1t24sxjdZU
- e0m 11y agoConfreaks - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWnPjmqvljcafA0z2U1fwKQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWnPjmqvljcafA0z2U1fwKQ Is a really good collection of tech conference talks.
- icpmacdo 11y agoI like them but it seems like 75% rails, any other good channels of talks on other languages?
- e0m 11y agoAlso Xidnaf has super interesting videos about linguistics - https://www.youtube.com/user/Xidnaf/featured https://www.youtube.com/user/Xidnaf/featured
- spike021 11y agoPatrickJMT's channel, which is included on the linked list, is an amazing channel. Helped me through a few math classes in college so far. I highly recommend checking out that one.
- 100timesthis 11y agoReally interesting channel about Geopolitics: Kaspian Report https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwnKziETDbHJtx78nIkfYug https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwnKziETDbHJtx78nIkfYug
- legohead 11y agoI've been watching this YouTube channel phenomenon develop. Not quite sure how it's going to end up, but it's fascinating. One example: I don't watch TV, but I love watching late show clips on YouTube. Jimmy Kimmel, Conan, Jimmy Fallon. Their channels are pretty good. They upload portions of the show, and I can quickly gauge by the title if I'm interested. I would have never watched any of this footage if not for their YouTube channels. Fallon: https://www.youtube.com/user/latenight https://www.youtube.com/user/latenight Conan: https://www.youtube.com/user/teamcoco https://www.youtube.com/user/teamcoco Kimmel: https://www.youtube.com/user/JimmyKimmelLive https://www.youtube.com/user/JimmyKimmelLive I watched Smarter Every Day grow from a small userbase to giant, along with all these other "learning" channels mentioned in the article. These guys are setting up Patreons now and getting paid per video, some of them a lot of money, and so they are really incentivized to produce quality, which is also an interesting recent development. There is just so much good content on YouTube it's crazy. My daughters love watching How To Cook That (https://www.youtube.com/user/howtocookthat https://www.youtube.com/user/howtocookthat). The fact our children have access to such an enormous amount of interesting content is mind-boggling to me. And it's really only just beginning. Educational/learning channels that should have been included: AvE - metal&wood working, amazing tool reviews, hilarious guy - https://www.youtube.com/user/arduinoversusevil https://www.youtube.com/user/arduinoversusevil taofledermaus - stuff with mercury, shoots strange projectiles out of a shotgun - https://www.youtube.com/user/taofledermaus https://www.youtube.com/user/taofledermaus King of Random - lots of interesting random builds, nice quick format - https://www.youtube.com/user/01032010814 https://www.youtube.com/user/01032010814 Woodworking (&metal) Channels: Diresta - this guy... makes everything look easy - https://www.youtube.com/user/jimmydiresta https://www.youtube.com/user/jimmydiresta Izzy Swan - woodworker pro who has recently switched to doing YT full time - https://www.youtube.com/user/rusticman1973 https://www.youtube.com/user/rusticman1973 I Build It - personal favorite - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzGbp-rRVNwyFhn9gHoZr5g https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzGbp-rRVNwyFhn9gHoZr5g Matthias Wandel - everyone in the community knows this guy, can make anything - https://www.youtube.com/user/Matthiaswandel https://www.youtube.com/user/Matthiaswandel Marius Hornberger - similar feel to Matthias - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn7lavsPdVGV0qmEEBT6NyA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn7lavsPdVGV0qmEEBT6NyA AWE Me - pros making amazing weapons, nice quick format - https://www.youtube.com/user/AweMeChannel https://www.youtube.com/user/AweMeChannel Alain Vaillancourt - check out his workshop build - https://www.youtube.com/user/lgosseuxdbois https://www.youtube.com/user/lgosseuxdbois Shop Time/Peter Brown - does crazy projects - https://www.youtube.com/user/kludge1977 https://www.youtube.com/user/kludge1977 Make - maker channel, features lots of guys from other popular channels making stuff, and their own stuff - https://www.youtube.com/user/makemagazine https://www.youtube.com/user/makemagazine Slingshot Channel/Joerg Sprave - makes all kinds of crazy gadgets with wood - https://www.youtube.com/user/JoergSprave https://www.youtube.com/user/JoergSprave --- Anyway, that is more than enough to get started (I have a couple dozen more). I didn't find all these guys at once, they will mention each other, and provide links in the description.
- rwinn 11y agoAnother great channel is Cody's Lab. It's basically a guy doing Minecraft IRL, digging, mining ore, smelting it building tools etc. Even a video on how to make gunpowder from hay and your own pee! https://www.youtube.com/user/theCodyReeder https://www.youtube.com/user/theCodyReeder
- Namrog84 11y agoI'm glad numberphile was on there as its one of my favorites. They do a great job
- slaxman 11y agoI can't recommend Veritasium and CGP Grey enough. They are amazing YouTube Channels! Check out this video where Veritasium explains Quantum Entanglement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvK-od647c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvK-od647c It amazes me how he explains something so difficult in less than 10 minutes!
- blumkvist 11y agoI picked up https://www.youtube.com/user/thephilosophytube https://www.youtube.com/user/thephilosophytube Seems cool. Here's one of mine. It's about statistics (psychographics mostly) models implemented in R. Some undergrad level psychology lectures included, but the stats are pretty advanced. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMdihazndR0f9XBoSXWqnYg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMdihazndR0f9XBoSXWqnYg
- AndrewOMartin 11y agoGrandIllusions for gentle and peaceful demonstrations of toys. Lindybeige for minimal monologues to camera about historical and warfare misconceptions, and swing dancing.
- goldcountry 11y agoI'm surprised they left out The Engineer Guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp33ZprO0Ck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp33ZprO0Ck Not very prolific, but interesting and in-depth explanations of all sorts of engineering topics - from the function of microwave ovens (that's the link up there ^ ) to what keeps nuclear weapons from proliferating.
- Houshalter 11y agoHere's a few more: EngineerGuy: https://www.youtube.com/user/engineerguyvideo https://www.youtube.com/user/engineerguyvideo Really cool videos about the engineering behind all kinds of things. I'm surprised it's not on this list. C0nc0rdance: https://www.youtube.com/user/C0nc0rdance https://www.youtube.com/user/C0nc0rdance In depth videos about science, mostly. Some other stuff people on HN might find interesting: Shamus Young: https://www.youtube.com/user/ShamusYoung https://www.youtube.com/user/ShamusYoung Not many videos, but the some of the ones that are there are interesting. Some stuff on procedural generation and game design in general. Creature Mann: https://www.youtube.com/user/kjlg74 https://www.youtube.com/user/kjlg74 A lot of videos on computer simulations of evolution, but also some videos explaining computer science stuff. NitrogenFingers: https://www.youtube.com/user/NitrogenFingers https://www.youtube.com/user/NitrogenFingers This is really niche because he mostly does stuff with the computercraft mod of minecraft. But the stuff he does is really impressive. He has videos on doing all sorts of cool things with this mod, from building an email server, to 3d computer graphics, simple video games, a 3d printer, and a robot butler.
- douche 11y agoI hate watching video, generally - please just write up your points in an article or blog post. At the very least, post the script you obviously wrote up and read from. This is particularly infuriating for tutorials on how to use/configure a piece of software, especially if it involves running any sh commands. I really don't want to sit there and scrub through the youtube video to try and find the one point I can get the full command on the terminal in a visible, focused area. That being said, I do occasionally watch Computerphile youtube videos.
- armenarmen 11y agoI agree. Reading is so much faster, and control-f is my best friend, I might feel differently if videos were more easily searchable but probably not.
- slikts 11y agoI have YouTube set to 1.5x tempo by default (with an extension), and watch things at 2x if possible (Ctrl+> is the keyboard shortcut for upping the tempo). Reading is still faster, but not by that much. Ctrl+F is still a problem, though, but for that you can typically find a different source.
- slikts 11y agoThe shortcut is actually Shift+>.
- vacri 11y agoThese youtube channels are not "how to configure a software tool" channels.
- sremani 11y agoI know it is not for every one, but Stratfor (https://www.youtube.com/user/STRATFORvideo https://www.youtube.com/user/STRATFORvideo) has enriched my geo-political world view.
- rancur 11y agoI found Film Riot's humor to be sufficiently disjointed that it was destructive to my orderly-thinking habits. I also didn't like the lead presenter's personality. He has everything, except a compatible (to me) reason to live. So I protect myself from it, and chose more organized, humane content.
- deathtrader666 11y agoI would add Athlean-X as one of the best fitness channels - "Putting the science back in Strength" - https://www.youtube.com/user/JDCav24 https://www.youtube.com/user/JDCav24 The guy, Jeff Cavaliere, is amazing!
- slikts 11y agoAs someone who frequently watches videos, changing the tempo is very underrated, as there's usually no good reason to waste time watching people talk at their natural speed. I used to do this with VLC (it can stream YouTube), but YouTube's HTML5 player now implements tempo adjustment as well, and I use the ImprovedTube Chrome extension to set the tempo to 1.5x by default. It can be conveniently changed with the keyboard as well (Ctrl+< and Ctrl+>). Discovering this has been a game changer with regard to watching technical videos.
- slikts 11y agoThe shortcuts are actually Shift+> and Shift+<.