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The Electrowetting Display3:38

The Electrowetting Display

118K views • 13 years ago
IEEE Spectrum
IEEE Spectrum interviews Samsung display researcher Johan Feenstra on how electrowetting displays work. He explains why they can match LCD capability while being about three times more efficient.
Why Grocery Shopping is Better in Amsterdam3:47

Why Grocery Shopping is Better in Amsterdam

1.3M views • 7 years ago
Not Just Bikes
A four-minute Not Just Bikes comparison of grocery shopping in Amsterdam versus car-centric North America, arguing that frequent small fresh-food trips beat bulk shopping. It ties this to land use and reduced food waste.
(1/4) Intro/History: Introducing a 100-year-old mechanical computer3:39

(1/4) Intro/History: Introducing a 100-year-old mechanical computer

476K views • 12 years ago
engineerguy
The first of four short videos from Bill Hammack (engineerguy) introducing and giving the history of a 100-year-old mechanical computer, Michelson's harmonic analyzer. The series goes on to explain Fourier synthesis, analysis and operation of the machine.
Paul Otlet, visioning a web in 19341:20

Paul Otlet, visioning a web in 1934

102K views • 18 years ago
Attila Gárdos
A one-minute clip about Paul Otlet, the Belgian bibliographer who in 1934 imagined users accessing a remote database through an electric telescope over a phone line. It presents his vision as a precursor of the web.
The Dutch Solution for Safer Sidewalks - Continuous Sidewalks3:45

The Dutch Solution for Safer Sidewalks - Continuous Sidewalks

452K views • 6 years ago
Not Just Bikes
A short Not Just Bikes video on continuous sidewalks in the Netherlands, where the sidewalk runs unbroken across side streets so cars must visibly cross pedestrian space. It places them within Dutch sustainable safety and Vision Zero efforts.
Why is the Solar System Flat?3:12

Why is the Solar System Flat?

9.5M views • 12 years ago
minutephysics
A minutephysics explainer on why the planets orbit in a flat plane. It shows how conserved angular momentum flattens a collapsing cloud of matter into a disk.
Making an international standard cup of tea3:34

Making an international standard cup of tea

2.7M views • 8 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott follows the ISO 3103 / BS 6008 standard to make an international standard cup of tea, using specialist tasting equipment. The video shows how precisely the standard is specified.
Are You Eating a Credit Card Every Week?3:52

Are You Eating a Credit Card Every Week?

256K views • 4 years ago
vlogbrothers
A vlogbrothers video tracing how the claim that people eat a credit card of plastic every week spread. It walks through the funded talking point, the misleading amplification, and the peer review that missed it.
Why Britain Uses Separate Hot and Cold Taps2:58

Why Britain Uses Separate Hot and Cold Taps

6.8M views • 12 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott explains why Britain historically has separate hot and cold taps rather than mixer taps, tracing it to how water was stored in tanks. He notes why the hot tap is not safe to drink from.
How Highways Almost Destroyed Amsterdam - Plan Jokinen3:26

How Highways Almost Destroyed Amsterdam - Plan Jokinen

408K views • 7 years ago
Not Just Bikes
A short Not Just Bikes video on the 1960s plans (Plan Jokinen) to cut highways through Amsterdam to accommodate cars. It shows how radically different the city would look had they succeeded.
If money was no object, should you run every medical test?2:52

If money was no object, should you run every medical test?

263K views • 8 years ago
Medlife Crisis
A doctor from Medlife Crisis explains in under three minutes why even a rich patient should not simply order every medical test, touching on pre-test probability and Bayesian reasoning. False positives make blanket testing counterproductive.
Sample Breakdown: Daft Punk - One More Time0:51

Sample Breakdown: Daft Punk - One More Time

2.2M views • 6 years ago
TRACKLIB
A short Tracklib video visualizing the disco sample that Daft Punk's One More Time is built from. It shows how the track is composed from the original material.
Why Do Reversing Trucks Not Beep Any More?1:45

Why Do Reversing Trucks Not Beep Any More?

1.6M views • 12 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott stands by a construction site and explains why reversing vehicles now use a white-noise hiss instead of beeping. The sound is easier to locate directionally and less annoying to neighbours.
Gender Neutral Pronouns: They're Here, Get Used To Them3:49

Gender Neutral Pronouns: They're Here, Get Used To Them

4.6M views • 13 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott argues that grammatical gender is a silly concept and that the singular 'they' is an established gender-neutral pronoun. The description carries later corrections and reflections he added in 2019.
Why Web Filters Don't Work: Penistone and the Scunthorpe Problem3:37

Why Web Filters Don't Work: Penistone and the Scunthorpe Problem

3.6M views • 10 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott visits Penistone to explain the Scunthorpe problem, showing why naive web and profanity filters block innocent words.
Your Coffee Addiction Is Probably Good for You3:47

Your Coffee Addiction Is Probably Good for You

9.6M views • 15 years ago
CGP Grey
CGP Grey's short explainer arguing that caffeine addiction is mostly harmless and may even be beneficial. It covers what caffeine does in the body.
What is a rocket mass heater?2:27

What is a rocket mass heater?

508K views • 9 years ago
paul wheaton
A two-minute explanation of what a rocket mass heater is, starting from how a conventional wood stove works and why creosote and chimney fires occur. It shows how burning hot and storing the heat in thermal mass makes for an efficient heater.
Two Is the Wrong Number of Days Off2:45

Two Is the Wrong Number of Days Off

14.1M views • 6 years ago
CGP Grey
CGP Grey argues that the two-day weekend is poorly structured and proposes taking days off midweek, such as Wednesday and Sunday, instead.
I can't show you how pink this pink is.3:52

I can't show you how pink this pink is.

9.7M views • 9 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott explains why a vivid pink pigment by artist Stuart Semple cannot be fully shown on a screen, and touches on the dispute over exclusive rights to the blackest black pigment. It is a short explainer on color gamuts and pigment politics.
The Shortest-Splitline Algorithm: a Gerrymandering Solution [Bonus Video]3:38

The Shortest-Splitline Algorithm: a Gerrymandering Solution [Bonus Video]

692K views • 15 years ago
CGP Grey
A short CGP Grey bonus video explaining the shortest-splitline algorithm, which draws electoral districts by repeatedly splitting a state along its shortest dividing line while balancing population. It is offered as a neutral, algorithmic fix for gerrymandering.
mRNA Translation (Advanced)3:04

mRNA Translation (Advanced)

1.5M views • 16 years ago
DNA Learning Center
A short animation from the DNA Learning Center showing how mRNA carries a gene's message to the ribosome, where tRNA and codons are used to assemble amino acids into a protein.
Explained: New Navy UFO Videos2:54

Explained: New Navy UFO Videos

284K views • 6 years ago
Mick West
Mick West explains the three Navy UFO videos (FLIR, GIMBAL and GOFAST) released in 2020, giving mundane explanations such as a distant plane and camera artifacts. He notes the videos were not new and had been circulating since 2017.
Why “No Problem” Can Seem Rude: Phatic Expressions3:51

Why “No Problem” Can Seem Rude: Phatic Expressions

5M views • 7 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott explains phatic expressions such as hello, thank you and how are you, which carry social meaning rather than information, and why replies like no problem can seem rude to some people.
What is Bitcoin? (v1)1:44

What is Bitcoin? (v1)

10.3M views • 15 years ago
WeUseCoins
A two-minute animated introduction to Bitcoin from 2011, explaining it as a peer-to-peer digital currency. It was widely shared in Bitcoin's early days as the standard newcomer explainer.
Why does PUNCHING Sonic 3D trigger a Secret Level Select?3:05

Why does PUNCHING Sonic 3D trigger a Secret Level Select?

510K views • 6 years ago
Coding Secrets
A short Coding Secrets episode explaining why hitting a Sonic 3D cartridge triggers a hidden level select. The cause was a custom crash handler that redirected CPU error interrupts to the level select screen.
Hitting the Sun is HARD3:13

Hitting the Sun is HARD

3M views • 10 years ago
minutephysics
A three-minute minutephysics video on the orbital mechanics of why crashing into the Sun takes far more energy than leaving the solar system.
The centuries-old debt that's still paying interest3:58

The centuries-old debt that's still paying interest

9.3M views • 9 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott visits Yale's archives to look at a 367-year-old bond from a Dutch water authority that is still paying interest. Finance professor Geert Rouwenhorst explains how it works.
The 'duck curve' is solar energy's greatest challenge3:58

The 'duck curve' is solar energy's greatest challenge

2.7M views • 8 years ago
Vox
A short Vox explainer on the duck curve, the shape electricity demand takes in California as solar output grows. It explains why grid operators struggle to balance supply and demand with lots of solar.
pointerpointer.com's use of voronoi, canvas, and javascript3:45

pointerpointer.com's use of voronoi, canvas, and javascript

40K views • 14 years ago
Paul Irish
Paul Irish explains how pointerpointer.com works. It uses a hidden canvas of colored Voronoi regions to look up which photo matches the cursor position.
Music and Life - Alan Watts2:23

Music and Life - Alan Watts

2.6M views • 19 years ago
seandulac
A two-minute animation of an Alan Watts talk arguing that life is like music: it is meant to be danced to in the moment, not rushed toward a final goal. It is a short, accessible take on living in the present.
In Norway, Everyone Can Know How Much You Earn3:13

In Norway, Everyone Can Know How Much You Earn

1.3M views • 10 years ago
Tom Scott
Tom Scott explains how in Norway and other Nordic countries tax returns, and so individual incomes, are public. He looks at the effects of wage transparency and whether it is a good idea, with sources listed in the description.
Intersection design, the Dutch - cycle friendly - way2:22

Intersection design, the Dutch - cycle friendly - way

965K views • 15 years ago
BicycleDutch
A short BicycleDutch episode showing how Dutch protected intersections continue cycle paths through the junction without needing extra street width.
Feynman: Mirrors FUN TO IMAGINE 63:16

Feynman: Mirrors FUN TO IMAGINE 6

600K views • 18 years ago
Christopher Sykes
Richard Feynman, in a clip from the BBC series Fun to Imagine, takes on the puzzle of why mirrors seem to swap left and right but not top and bottom.
Feynman: How the train stays on the track  FUN TO IMAGINE 72:27

Feynman: How the train stays on the track FUN TO IMAGINE 7

820K views • 18 years ago
Christopher Sykes
A short clip from the 1983 BBC series Fun to Imagine in which Richard Feynman explains how a train stays on the track. He covers the geometry of tapered wheels that steer the train back toward the center of the rails.
Why Tipping Should Be Banned - Adam Ruins Everything3:55

Why Tipping Should Be Banned - Adam Ruins Everything

15.8M views • 11 years ago
Dropout
An Adam Ruins Everything segment arguing that tipping should be banned. It covers the history of tipping, its weak link to service quality, and why employers should pay a fair wage.
How our voting system (and IRV) betrays your favourite candidate3:35

How our voting system (and IRV) betrays your favourite candidate

35K views • 12 years ago
The Center for Election Science
The Center for Election Science explains favorite betrayal in instant-runoff voting: in some elections, ranking your favorite first can cause your least favorite to win. It contrasts this with plurality voting's spoiler problem.
The Loudness War1:54

The Loudness War

2.7M views • 20 years ago
Matt Mayfield Music
A two-minute demonstration of the loudness war, showing how heavy dynamic range compression in CD mastering makes music louder while degrading sound quality. It uses audio examples so you can hear the distortion.
Andreas Antonopoulos - 51% Bitcoin Attack2:16

Andreas Antonopoulos - 51% Bitcoin Attack

72K views • 11 years ago
Rodolfo Díaz
A two-minute clip of Andreas Antonopoulos explaining why a 51% attack on Bitcoin would not destroy it and what such an attack would cost. It is a succinct take on mining security.
Tea Consent2:51

Tea Consent

12.4M views • 11 years ago
Blue Seat Studios
A three-minute animated video that explains sexual consent through the analogy of offering someone a cup of tea. It is based on a blog post by Emmeline May.
Why I Cook With Induction3:01

Why I Cook With Induction

383K views • 5 years ago
Jon Kung
Chef Jon Kung explains why he cooks almost exclusively on induction, citing fast heating, cleanliness and precise temperature control. He shows a rounded induction wok burner.