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18:48Connecting Solar to the Grid is Harder Than You Think
2.4M views • 2 years ago
Practical Engineering
Practical Engineering explains why connecting solar and other inverter-based generation to the grid is hard. It covers grid stability, load balancing and the behind-the-scenes engineering challenges of renewables.
12:23Xanadu Basics 1a - VISIBLE CONNECTION
20K views • 8 years ago
TheTedNelson
Ted Nelson explains the original Xanadu hypertext idea of visible connection, the notion that links between documents should be shown and preserved. He argues that the Web and current document standards lost this concept.
35:15Heat Pumps: the Future of Home Heating
4.8M views • 5 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how heat pumps work as reversed air conditioners and why they can deliver several times the heat of resistive heating per unit of energy. It also tackles common myths such as poor cold-weather performance.
18:28The Antique Toaster that's Better than Yours
3.4M views • 7 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections takes apart a 1940s Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster. It senses the toast's own browning and lowers and raises it automatically using purely mechanical parts and no electronics.
18:31The LED Traffic Light and the Danger of "But Sometimes!"
4.2M views • 8 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how LED traffic lights, which do not melt snow, drew complaints and were blamed for accidents. He uses it to illustrate the 'but sometimes' fallacy against new technology.
50:09Old pinball machines are amazingly complex
3.5M views • 3 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections takes a long, detailed look at how a 1970s electromechanical pinball machine works, from relays to stepper motors and mechanical logic. It is the first part of a series.
1:32:00You are being misled about renewable energy technology.
5M views • 9 months ago
Technology Connections
A long Technology Connections video arguing that public understanding of renewable energy is distorted. It covers solar economics, land use compared with ethanol corn, and battery myths such as cobalt.
36:29Drip Coffee Makers — super simple, super cheap
4.7M views • 4 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how the simple American drip coffee maker works, including the bimetal valve and bubble-pump heating, and compares the original Mr. Coffee with modern machines.
27:47Your dishwasher is better than you think (tips, tricks, and how they work)
8.4M views • 2 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how dishwashers work and how to use them well, including detergent use, the prewash cycle and why pre-rinsing hurts. It follows his earlier dishwasher videos.
57:50A Complete Beginner's Guide to Electric Vehicles
2.1M views • 4 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections' hour-long guide to electric vehicles, covering costs, trade-offs and especially how little home charging power most drivers need.
18:15So... the minute hand shows progression — apparently we think of time in wildly different ways
706K views • 4 years ago
Technology Connextras
A Technology Connections video essay on how analog and digital clocks shape different mental models of time, with the minute hand acting as a progress indicator.
13:14How Analog Color TV Works: The Beginnings
503K views • 8 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains the early history of analog color television, from the 1954 start of modern color broadcasting, and how shadow masks work in CRTs. It is the first in a series on how analog color TV works.
32:51Thermoelectric cooling: it's not great.
6.4M views • 2 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains in 33 minutes why thermoelectric (Peltier) cooling is far less efficient than compressor-based refrigeration.
22:05Forced-air Furnaces: The What, Why, and How
1.7M views • 6 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains what forced-air furnaces are, how they work and why they need electricity. He covers combustion, airflow and the parts of a modern furnace.
22:15Awnings: a simple cooling tech we apparently forgot about
2.1M views • 2 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections looks at why awnings disappeared from houses and how effective they are at cutting solar heat gain and cooling costs. It argues they are a simple, forgotten cooling technology.
37:16Why it's not possible to synchronize turn signals (but also absolutely is)
3.3M views • 5 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains why car turn signals appear to drift out of sync at stoplights and how thermal and other flasher designs work. It also covers how synchronization could be achieved.
22:52A simple water heater is more clever than it seems
2.6M views • 3 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how an ordinary tank water heater works, including twin-element designs, and why it is cleverer than it looks.
43:00The step-by-step, mechanical logic of old pinball machines
1.1M views • 2 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections takes apart the step-by-step electromechanical logic of a 1970s pinball machine. He shows how relays, steppers and switches track state and score without electronics.
21:48Lessons from a Can Opener
3M views • 4 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections spends 22 minutes on the humble can opener and what its design shows about products and why people don't know what to look for. It uses an everyday tool to draw broader lessons.
22:19The Weird World in RGB
2.7M views • 7 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how RGB light and color work, from hue and saturation to color vision and how objects appear under different lighting. It uses a studio setup with colored lights to demonstrate the effects.
17:24The touch lamp; a neat idea, and older than you'd think!
1.8M views • 6 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how touch lamps work and traces them back through patents to the 1950s, far earlier than most people assume.
19:22LED Christmas lights still annoy me. Let's try some more fixes.
1.2M views • 2 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections complains about the harsh, overly blue color of modern LED Christmas lights and tries more fixes for them. It follows earlier videos by the same creator on holiday lighting.
32:35Detergent packs are kinda wishy-washy (Dishwashers Explained)
6M views • 5 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how dishwashers work, why detergent pods underperform powder, and how to use the pre-wash and main-wash compartments. It argues you don't need to pre-rinse dishes.
21:03Why Heat Pumps are Immensely Important Right Now
1.4M views • 4 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains why heat pumps matter right now, covering their efficiency, how they hold up in cold weather and the energy savings over burning fuel. It follows his earlier explainer on how they work.
48:25I messed up. You're using too much detergent.
5.4M views • 5 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains dishwasher detergent use, arguing people use too much and that powder beats pods and gels. It follows an earlier dishwasher video and covers enzymes, bleach, rinse aids and when salt is needed.
21:15Brown; color is weird
5.3M views • 6 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains why brown is not a spectral color but a context-dependent perception, essentially dark orange seen against brighter surroundings.
33:33Longer-lasting light bulbs: it was complicated
2.3M views • 3 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections examines why light bulbs have the lifespans they do, including the real history of the Phoebus cartel. He shows that bulb life trades off against brightness and efficiency rather than being simple planned obsolescence.
28:04Ground Source / Geothermal Heat Pumps and Other Info
1.2M views • 5 years ago
Technology Connections
A Technology Connections video on how ground-source (geothermal) heat pumps work and why they hold efficiency in winter. It also covers related heat pump information, and the description notes air-source heat pumps have since improved.
11:11Old-fashioned rice cookers are extremely clever
3.2M views • 6 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains how old-fashioned non-electronic rice cookers work, using a magnet and spring switch tripped by the Curie point. It shows the thermodynamics and magnetism behind a simple appliance.
46:33Heat Pumps are Not Hard: Here's what it will take to start pumping
1.2M views • 4 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections' long closing video in his heat pump series, arguing that adopting heat pumps is well within reach. It explains how they work and what it takes to start using them.
24:55Why don't Americans use electric kettles?
5.3M views • 4 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains why electric kettles are uncommon in the US, centering on 120V circuits limiting power. He tests ways of boiling water on gas, electric ranges and kettles.
27:19Electric car chargers aren't chargers at all – EVSE Explained
2.2M views • 6 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains that the so-called EV charger in an electric car's charging cable or wall unit is really an EVSE, a smart switch that safely delivers AC power. The actual charger is inside the car. The video covers the safety signaling and mechanisms involved.
16:39Portable Air Conditioners - Why you shouldn't like them
10.4M views • 7 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains why single-hose portable air conditioners are inefficient and often a poor choice compared with window units. It details how the single hose pulls in warm outside air and wastes energy.
28:34Humidifiers: Simpler is better?
3.4M views • 5 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains why humidity matters and compares the main types of humidifiers, including evaporative and ultrasonic designs. It covers how and why you would add moisture to indoor air.
25:48Perhaps the weakest link in the US electrical system
5.1M views • 5 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains weaknesses in the US electrical system, centering on how cord and circuit ratings can mismatch and cause fires. It covers extension cords, power strips and plug history in about 25 minutes.
24:26The US electrical system is not 120V
3.1M views • 6 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains that US household power is split-phase, with two 120V legs that combine to 240V for large appliances. It covers the breaker panel and how the system works.
25:21Old car headlights were all the same — which was a fairly bright idea
2.5M views • 4 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains why American cars all had the same standardized sealed-beam headlights until 1957. It covers the regulations behind the design and the effect on night visibility.
12:31The Superheterodyne Radio: No really, that's its name
987K views • 7 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections explains why the superheterodyne radio has its name and how mixing frequencies lets it tune stations well. It walks through the underlying wave phenomena and algebra and why the design solved a hard tuning problem.
14:21The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours
2.7M views • 5 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections examines an old feature-rich microwave and shows how it uses a humidity or steam sensor and lookup data to cook food well, arguing it beats many modern ones.
23:04The Computer-free Automation of a Jukebox (Electromechanics)
1.3M views • 6 years ago
Technology Connections
Technology Connections takes apart a 1970 Wurlitzer 3400 jukebox to show how electromechanical relays and switches automated its behavior without a computer.