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I myself only saw this video quite recently and like many in the YouTube comments my first thought was, "What has changed in the way we teach things that this v

I myself only saw this video quite recently and like many in the YouTube comments my first thought was, "What has changed in the way we teach things that this video looks so refreshingly simple?" The first thing that comes to mind is the focus on visual intuition and simplicity, so that if you dragged someone randomly off the street, showed them this video, they could be able to understand it, what else?

AndrewOMartin 4y ago
I love this video like most people here, but it must be recognised that that demo apparatus was probably quite expensive to design and build such that it makes everything so clear. It might be one of those things where if it's done right, you don't see any of the effort. Edit: I assumed the video was this [0] one about how a differential steering works (containing an awesome demo) Now I've flicked through the video it seems really expensive and I assume that big budgets just want to get higher viewing figures and so lean on the flair. - [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYAw79386WI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYAw79386WI
- jaclaz 4y ago
  In the (good ol') times, to get a driving license (here in Italy) you had to have a basic understanding of how cars worked, including the engine, the gearbox, clutch, etc. and driving schools would have had a "fake" car with all the mechanisms visible (and working) so that the teacher could explain in practice how everything worked. They were "pieces of art", examples: https://www.museomotori.unipa.it/img/main/180.jpg https://www.museomotori.unipa.it/img/main/180.jpg https://www.dannatavintage.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/0001_autotelaio-scuola-guida_anni-70_036602440_11513.jpg https://www.dannatavintage.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/00...
  - qsort 4y ago
    You still do (to a lesser extent). How a transmission works is a typical driving test question.
    - jaclaz 4y ago
      Yep, but only a very few (old) driving schools have these models (that would be anyway largely obsolete), and those that still have them keep them only for decorative/historical reasons. Now what is (usually) taught is not "how a transmission works" but rather "how to answer the questions on how transmission works" (which is different).
dusted 4y ago
I think someone prided themselves in understanding the principles in such a degree that they were able to explain it to others in an intuitive way. Kind of the opposite of what we're doing today, where most people are bullshitting to some degree and need to hide that..
jasode 4y ago
>my first thought was, "What has changed in the way we teach things that this video looks so refreshingly simple?" I think your perception that the teaching method has changed is just "availability bias": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic People have always been making models and filming it to explain concepts. Today's examples on Youtube : - toy models to demonstrate hydro engineering phenomenon (e.g. sinkholes) : https://www.youtube.com/c/PracticalEngineeringChannel/search?query=model https://www.youtube.com/c/PracticalEngineeringChannel/search... - models to show science topics: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheActionLab/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/TheActionLab/videos - CGI models to show various technology: https://www.youtube.com/c/animagraffs/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/animagraffs/videos - ... hundreds of other educational channels like the above ... And before the internet, you had tv shows in 1980s with models to explain machines: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=secret+life+of+machines+tim+hunkin https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=secret+life+of+... That transmission differential video should be notable because it is old and still relevant and not because nobody teaches like that anymore. The limiting factor even today as it was in 1936 is that it takes a ton of extra effort to build models to teach rather than write dry boring text.
- cricalix 4y ago
  I love that Tim was able to post all the episodes of "Secret Life of...", and then continue with new ones too. I enjoyed his book (https://www.timhunkin.com/40_rudiments_book.htm https://www.timhunkin.com/40_rudiments_book.htm) as a child, and still have it.
  - mark_undoio 4y ago
    Tim Hunkin is great and I've enjoyed revisiting his Secret Life of Machines on YouTube. Actually, the original TV programme has a distinct flavour of YouTube to it - in the best possible way it has the feel of talented amateurs. Clear, entertaining and no excess polish covering up the personality of it all.
- MontyCarloHall 4y ago
  Don’t forget survivorship bias. I’m sure there were many terrible, unintuitive models in 1936–this is one of the few that was so good it managed to survive almost 90 years later.
iakov 4y ago
I really liked the fact that the video started with a basic principle - levers! It showed the viewer how levers work on a example that is easy to grasp to layperson, then went on to gears and their interactions. During the whole video the pictures were up-close, no clutter, no distracting cuts. Really nice.
mbg721 4y ago
One thing that changed is that appliances that used to be simple and worked by using mechanical parts that you could see and replace are now just one more thing with a chip inside. Watching a toaster work with the bimetallic strip that suddenly pops is appealing to the human mind in a way that "enh, it's just magic, like your phone" isn't.
jollyllama 4y ago
I'm gonna guess that corporate resources were allocated to the production of this video, as opposed to someone trying to churn out content for a second rate youtube channel. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good new stuff being made, but I think there's increasingly more junk content.
JKCalhoun 4y ago
No you're right. If YouTuber's did the same it would be mostly a talking head and perhaps a quick sketch on a whiteboard or equivalent. There is a certain quality to these.

AndrewOMartin 4y ago

I love this video like most people here, but it must be recognised that that demo apparatus was probably quite expensive to design and build such that it makes everything so clear. It might be one of those things where if it's done right, you don't see any of the effort. Edit: I assumed the video was this [0] one about how a differential steering works (containing an awesome demo) Now I've flicked through the video it seems really expensive and I assume that big budgets just want to get higher viewing figures and so lean on the flair. - [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYAw79386WI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYAw79386WI

jaclaz 4y ago
In the (good ol') times, to get a driving license (here in Italy) you had to have a basic understanding of how cars worked, including the engine, the gearbox, clutch, etc. and driving schools would have had a "fake" car with all the mechanisms visible (and working) so that the teacher could explain in practice how everything worked. They were "pieces of art", examples: https://www.museomotori.unipa.it/img/main/180.jpg https://www.museomotori.unipa.it/img/main/180.jpg https://www.dannatavintage.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/0001_autotelaio-scuola-guida_anni-70_036602440_11513.jpg https://www.dannatavintage.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/00...
- qsort 4y ago
  You still do (to a lesser extent). How a transmission works is a typical driving test question.
  - jaclaz 4y ago
    Yep, but only a very few (old) driving schools have these models (that would be anyway largely obsolete), and those that still have them keep them only for decorative/historical reasons. Now what is (usually) taught is not "how a transmission works" but rather "how to answer the questions on how transmission works" (which is different).

dusted 4y ago

I think someone prided themselves in understanding the principles in such a degree that they were able to explain it to others in an intuitive way. Kind of the opposite of what we're doing today, where most people are bullshitting to some degree and need to hide that..

jasode 4y ago

>my first thought was, "What has changed in the way we teach things that this video looks so refreshingly simple?" I think your perception that the teaching method has changed is just "availability bias": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic People have always been making models and filming it to explain concepts. Today's examples on Youtube : - toy models to demonstrate hydro engineering phenomenon (e.g. sinkholes) : https://www.youtube.com/c/PracticalEngineeringChannel/search?query=model https://www.youtube.com/c/PracticalEngineeringChannel/search... - models to show science topics: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheActionLab/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/TheActionLab/videos - CGI models to show various technology: https://www.youtube.com/c/animagraffs/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/animagraffs/videos - ... hundreds of other educational channels like the above ... And before the internet, you had tv shows in 1980s with models to explain machines: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=secret+life+of+machines+tim+hunkin https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=secret+life+of+... That transmission differential video should be notable because it is old and still relevant and not because nobody teaches like that anymore. The limiting factor even today as it was in 1936 is that it takes a ton of extra effort to build models to teach rather than write dry boring text.

cricalix 4y ago
I love that Tim was able to post all the episodes of "Secret Life of...", and then continue with new ones too. I enjoyed his book (https://www.timhunkin.com/40_rudiments_book.htm https://www.timhunkin.com/40_rudiments_book.htm) as a child, and still have it.
- mark_undoio 4y ago
  Tim Hunkin is great and I've enjoyed revisiting his Secret Life of Machines on YouTube. Actually, the original TV programme has a distinct flavour of YouTube to it - in the best possible way it has the feel of talented amateurs. Clear, entertaining and no excess polish covering up the personality of it all.
MontyCarloHall 4y ago
Don’t forget survivorship bias. I’m sure there were many terrible, unintuitive models in 1936–this is one of the few that was so good it managed to survive almost 90 years later.

iakov 4y ago

I really liked the fact that the video started with a basic principle - levers! It showed the viewer how levers work on a example that is easy to grasp to layperson, then went on to gears and their interactions. During the whole video the pictures were up-close, no clutter, no distracting cuts. Really nice.

mbg721 4y ago

One thing that changed is that appliances that used to be simple and worked by using mechanical parts that you could see and replace are now just one more thing with a chip inside. Watching a toaster work with the bimetallic strip that suddenly pops is appealing to the human mind in a way that "enh, it's just magic, like your phone" isn't.

jollyllama 4y ago

I'm gonna guess that corporate resources were allocated to the production of this video, as opposed to someone trying to churn out content for a second rate youtube channel. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good new stuff being made, but I think there's increasingly more junk content.

JKCalhoun 4y ago

No you're right. If YouTuber's did the same it would be mostly a talking head and perhaps a quick sketch on a whiteboard or equivalent. There is a certain quality to these.