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How to Learn Everything: The MasterClass Diaries

74 points by conanxin 5y ago

platz 5y ago
I would absolutely watch a MasterClass from Steve Ballmer on how to give technology presentations.
- HideousKojima 5y ago
  1) Get sweaty 2) Clap 3) Shout
  - itisit 5y ago
    4) “Developers, developers, developers”
- royjacobs 5y ago
  I would argue that every technology presentation he has done is, in fact, a masterclass on how to give technology presentations.
- onemoresoop 5y ago
  Not sure if you're being sarcastic or would simply love to get entertained and see it as a comedy. I personally found Steve Balmer to be too obnoxious to watch for a whole presentation.
ghaff 5y ago
What this article really emphasizes (intentionally or not) is that MasterClass is really about entertainment and inspiration--not really a class in the way we normally think of the term. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's always struck me that a lot of the classes, e.g. Aaron Sorkin on screenwriting, are perhaps the worst things to teach via a celebrity on camera.
- enkid 5y ago
  I think the best classes are about inspiration for self learning.
lordnacho 5y ago
Often you don't need someone at the pinnacle of a field to teach you, you need someone who is just a little ahead of you. I still remember in uni one of the best tutors was a phd student. MC to me always looked a bit like the Discovery Channel: interesting stuff, but will you really be any better afterwards? It's interesting that maybe the thing that satisfies her the most was the cooking, in other words the class where you actually practice the thing you're learning. How many of the other teachers even asked for that? Say you had a programming class on MC. (Maybe they do?) Do they tell you to actually write code and debug it? Are there exercises? What I'm getting at is sometimes the teacher doesn't teach, but the student learns.
- ModernMech 5y ago
  A masterclass isn’t really about about learning the subject as a novice, it’s about learning from a master as an expert/advanced student. I don’t need to be taught how to write code or do exercises. I know how to do all that stuff already. What I need now is wisdom gained from decades of experience. That’s what a masterclass is for. For example, I would love a masterclass by Linus Torvalds. But I don't want him teaching me C, that's a waste of his and my time. Instead, I want to understand his method and process. Something only he knows and which he gained from experience, not a textbook. All that said I don’t know if that is the purpose of the Masterclass service.
- glanzwulf 5y ago
  Programming per se is tricky like you said, but I could see them have a course on how to be a programmer. I'm currently reading "The Pragmatic Programmer" and I could totally see that be a masterclass. It fits their theme.
poulsbohemian 5y ago
The cooking classes are really good, especially the Thomas Keller ones. Some of the ones from writers / creative types are interesting just for the insight into their personalities in a format different from their usual presentation - for example Steve Martin basically talking about being Steve Martin. That said, the vast majority of what's on Masterclass is just fluff. In fact I'd say that as time has gone on, it feels like the subject matter is getting more and more nebulous "Famous person teaches creativity!" Also, at least on my Roku the app has gotten much harder to actually find content and visualize the full scope of what's available. It ain't glamorous, but I really like Wondrium (formerly The Great Courses). Some of them are clearly quite dated (look like they were filmed 20+ years ago) and the professors don't always have great presentation skills, but the actual content is generally strong.
- suifbwish 5y ago
  This is what I’ve noticed about TED talks as well. In the beginning they were amazing. Now amazing is rare. Perhaps it’s just because even amazing becomes boring if you are inundated with it.
  - lancesells 5y ago
    Agreed. Also I think TEDx has a pay-to-speak component which then makes me just ignore anything TED-related.
dfxm12 5y ago
That one thinks they can learn something like directing, acting, screenwriting, etc. by watching a few videos has got to be hubris. The prices are really high for what you get, too. I saw Aaron Franklin's masterclass about BBQ. For $90, you get a (admittedly nicely produced) rehash of one of his $15 books + free content he puts on YouTube. Even if you're just getting it for inspiration or entertainment, you can get better value elsewhere.
- ilamont 5y ago
  The marketing is over the top, too. "David Lynch teaches creativity." Really? The segment I watched had some tips and tools that he uses as a creator, but "teaches creativity" is a major stretch.
999900000999 5y ago
My issue with Master Class is your locked into a 1 year commitment. The Nas hip hop class is the only one of interest to me and it's only like 2 hours. I love Nas, and consider him to be one of the greatest musicians of all time. I'm not paying 200$ for a 2 hour movie of him
- surajs 5y ago
- ChrisLTD 5y ago
  Yeah... I thought you used to be able to buy a particular class, but that option seems gone now.
alexpotato 5y ago
The Chris Voss class on negotiation techniques is fantastic. Specifically the mock sessions with the salary negotiation in particular. I read his book (which is also excellent) but seeing him "live" and playing both sides of the negotiation was really an eye opener into how basic techniques, simply delivered can lead to large impacts. I highly recommend it to engineering folks. The "mirroring" mock session is also excellent for learning basic people skills.
TigeriusKirk 5y ago
Dan Brown's class on writing thrillers was the most helpful writing instruction I've had. Really helped me organize my process. I think it's a result of three things- He's very good at what he does, he understands in detail how he does it, and he knows how to explain what he does. The downside is I think very few people meet all three of those points. Most Masterclasses fall short.

74 points by conanxin 5y ago

platz 5y ago

I would absolutely watch a MasterClass from Steve Ballmer on how to give technology presentations.

HideousKojima 5y ago
1) Get sweaty 2) Clap 3) Shout
- itisit 5y ago
  4) “Developers, developers, developers”
royjacobs 5y ago
I would argue that every technology presentation he has done is, in fact, a masterclass on how to give technology presentations.
onemoresoop 5y ago
Not sure if you're being sarcastic or would simply love to get entertained and see it as a comedy. I personally found Steve Balmer to be too obnoxious to watch for a whole presentation.

ghaff 5y ago

What this article really emphasizes (intentionally or not) is that MasterClass is really about entertainment and inspiration--not really a class in the way we normally think of the term. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's always struck me that a lot of the classes, e.g. Aaron Sorkin on screenwriting, are perhaps the worst things to teach via a celebrity on camera.

enkid 5y ago
I think the best classes are about inspiration for self learning.

lordnacho 5y ago

Often you don't need someone at the pinnacle of a field to teach you, you need someone who is just a little ahead of you. I still remember in uni one of the best tutors was a phd student. MC to me always looked a bit like the Discovery Channel: interesting stuff, but will you really be any better afterwards? It's interesting that maybe the thing that satisfies her the most was the cooking, in other words the class where you actually practice the thing you're learning. How many of the other teachers even asked for that? Say you had a programming class on MC. (Maybe they do?) Do they tell you to actually write code and debug it? Are there exercises? What I'm getting at is sometimes the teacher doesn't teach, but the student learns.

ModernMech 5y ago
A masterclass isn’t really about about learning the subject as a novice, it’s about learning from a master as an expert/advanced student. I don’t need to be taught how to write code or do exercises. I know how to do all that stuff already. What I need now is wisdom gained from decades of experience. That’s what a masterclass is for. For example, I would love a masterclass by Linus Torvalds. But I don't want him teaching me C, that's a waste of his and my time. Instead, I want to understand his method and process. Something only he knows and which he gained from experience, not a textbook. All that said I don’t know if that is the purpose of the Masterclass service.
glanzwulf 5y ago
Programming per se is tricky like you said, but I could see them have a course on how to be a programmer. I'm currently reading "The Pragmatic Programmer" and I could totally see that be a masterclass. It fits their theme.

poulsbohemian 5y ago

The cooking classes are really good, especially the Thomas Keller ones. Some of the ones from writers / creative types are interesting just for the insight into their personalities in a format different from their usual presentation - for example Steve Martin basically talking about being Steve Martin. That said, the vast majority of what's on Masterclass is just fluff. In fact I'd say that as time has gone on, it feels like the subject matter is getting more and more nebulous "Famous person teaches creativity!" Also, at least on my Roku the app has gotten much harder to actually find content and visualize the full scope of what's available. It ain't glamorous, but I really like Wondrium (formerly The Great Courses). Some of them are clearly quite dated (look like they were filmed 20+ years ago) and the professors don't always have great presentation skills, but the actual content is generally strong.

suifbwish 5y ago
This is what I’ve noticed about TED talks as well. In the beginning they were amazing. Now amazing is rare. Perhaps it’s just because even amazing becomes boring if you are inundated with it.
- lancesells 5y ago
  Agreed. Also I think TEDx has a pay-to-speak component which then makes me just ignore anything TED-related.

dfxm12 5y ago

That one thinks they can learn something like directing, acting, screenwriting, etc. by watching a few videos has got to be hubris. The prices are really high for what you get, too. I saw Aaron Franklin's masterclass about BBQ. For $90, you get a (admittedly nicely produced) rehash of one of his $15 books + free content he puts on YouTube. Even if you're just getting it for inspiration or entertainment, you can get better value elsewhere.

ilamont 5y ago
The marketing is over the top, too. "David Lynch teaches creativity." Really? The segment I watched had some tips and tools that he uses as a creator, but "teaches creativity" is a major stretch.

999900000999 5y ago

My issue with Master Class is your locked into a 1 year commitment. The Nas hip hop class is the only one of interest to me and it's only like 2 hours. I love Nas, and consider him to be one of the greatest musicians of all time. I'm not paying 200$ for a 2 hour movie of him

surajs 5y ago
ChrisLTD 5y ago
Yeah... I thought you used to be able to buy a particular class, but that option seems gone now.

alexpotato 5y ago

The Chris Voss class on negotiation techniques is fantastic. Specifically the mock sessions with the salary negotiation in particular. I read his book (which is also excellent) but seeing him "live" and playing both sides of the negotiation was really an eye opener into how basic techniques, simply delivered can lead to large impacts. I highly recommend it to engineering folks. The "mirroring" mock session is also excellent for learning basic people skills.

TigeriusKirk 5y ago

Dan Brown's class on writing thrillers was the most helpful writing instruction I've had. Really helped me organize my process. I think it's a result of three things- He's very good at what he does, he understands in detail how he does it, and he knows how to explain what he does. The downside is I think very few people meet all three of those points. Most Masterclasses fall short.