Oddcast September 2023
In the absence of a new video on the channel this week here’s my Patreon exclusive oddcast for September 2023.
Note - this video suffers from brief audio drop-outs throughout. I was testing a new wireless microphone setup. It didn’t pass. I have ordered the new R0DE Wireless Pro mic set which should be arriving any day now and in future I’ll be using that one instead.
During the course of this video I mentioned some music videos - the links for those can be found in the video description over on youtube.
I’m not going to post an audio only version of the video this time as I think there are too many sections that rely on the visuals. I suspect it would be frustrating to listen to this.
As always, thank you for your continued support and encouragement and hopefully this Patreon only video provides you with a smidgen of entertainment.
Take care.
Comments (119)
DeArrow is a browser extension that eliminates shocked-face thumbnails and sensational titles from YouTube. It's a pleasure and highly recommended.
There was a class-action settlement between Porsche and Cayman owners for an overly reflective dash a few years ago. The result? Sunglasses.
Hi! I’ve watched you for years and I’m sorry you’re having a tough go. I love your videos, never miss one on Saturday morning here in the US. Don’t let the critics bother you. You have my favorite channel. It’s about stuff I love and you always make me laugh. Seriously, it’s a treat to have your videos. Critics can make their own channels if they know so much.
Thanks for the kind words. I’m doing ok - it could be worse, I could still be working at my old job instead. At least I enjoy this.
We salute you, sir!
Dude, last video I so strongly identified with what you said about being perfectly happy by yourself. And this time you talk about hating being a part of group. We also have the same glasses. I think I'm an ugly version of you?
I can’t believe that - the ugly part that is.
Fat Cat 🤭👍🏻
Why mute out a word at 42:55/56
this video suffers from brief audio drop-outs throughout. I was testing a new wireless microphone setup.
The heavier the car is, the more tires it will eat
What about clip on polarised lenses?
Well Matt it Would Seem You Have Covered Every Possible Tape Format Ever Invented With Just 1 Exception, Video Tape!!!! Is it Just A Matter Of Time Now Before We Get To Watch You Sink Into The Somewhat Devicive And Murky World Off Video Recordings.
I’ve done some things to do with videotape - there should be more to come.
“…I literally know the Mrs… and that’s it!” 🤣🤣 Bout the same circle of friends I have, Matt.
I don't even have that many.
You've covered a few video and record formats and even some tape changers. Now I imagine space/weight limitations are definitely a big obstacle. But have you ever looked into jukeboxes? I distinctly remember video jukeboxes being a thing, the thought just randomly appeared in my head the same time "Light my Fire" started playing in my head (someone at my local bar kept putting that video on all the time). I'm kinda interested to know how they worked. Example: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/1987-roweamis-model-r91-video-jukebox-jukebox-collector--99149629266724426/
I’d love a good old jukebox (or three) - but yes the first issue is space, the second one is price (although if the space was available I’d find a way to make it work - and the final one is the lack of jukebox repair people. I know a chap who is very clued in with doing repairs (more than myself) but once his ‘jukebox guy’ died - that marked the end of his jukebox acquisitions.
I worked in Germany in the late 90s. Pretty sure I could only get four terrestrial TV channels and they were bloody awful. I think these things varied quite a bit depending on your region.
It hasn't gotten any better since then…
I sooo agree with you about the "GUYS" thing! We just returned from a 2-week holiday touring around Scotland and I got quite uptight about waiters, waitresses, hotel receptionists, everybody in fact calling us "guys". I am in my 70s, my wife is in her 60s. We are NOT guys, we are "Sir and Madam" to you! And as for "No problem . . ." I never thought bringing us a cup of tea MIGHT be a problem! Grrrr. Love your attitude, Mat. Stick with it.
Didn't you get the memo? - Sir, Ma'am, Madam, Miss, Mr., and Mrs. are all so 20th Century (a bad joke). It's a damn shame, really. The language never had a very good casual term to address two or more mixed genders in a respectful manner. Not to mention, we get into political correctness, and it just muddies the waters even further. You're resorted to saying: 'y'all, all y'all, yous, youse, you'uns, you lot, you folks, you all, you people, you both, you two' and it drives me mad - because my bachelor's degree was in English Writing Communications. At my workplace (I take telephone calls) we're told not to address the caller as Sir or Ma'am unless they have chosen that particular suffix on the official name on file. It does surprise me this 'you guys' trend has extended to Scotland, though. I have this naive idea that proper speech conduct occurs in the Isles at all times.
I use a browser plugin that blocks the shorts.
In the US, 12 analog channels was not out of the question for the larger markets. Growing up in the Chicago area, we had 5 VHF channels and at least half a dozen UHF channels (though some barely came in). However, most of the UHF channels were not anything we would regularly watch - there was at least one that broadcast religious sermons, a home shopping channel, a couple of Spanish language channels, etc.
New York City area had 7 of the 15? possible VHF frequencies available as strong signal TV stations (2,4,5,7,9,11,13) plus a handful of UHF PBS channels as well.
1) Go ahead and call it a boombox, handle or no, batteries or no. 2) I don't know what you've got planned for this boombox. But there's a keen potential to create THE ULTIMATE VINTAGE TECH VIDEO - It's a cassette boombox - You've got a vinyl turntable plugged into an aux port - You've got an Intellivision or a Sinclair using the CRT as a monitor - And you're recording the video with a Fisher-Price camera plugged into a betamax My only fear is that if you pull this off, you'll have to retire the channel. Like Alexander when he reached the sea, there will be no worlds left to conquer.
When I'm a big fan of a channel, there are two video titles that make me feel itchy: "I quit my job!" - I'm legit happy that their channel has become so successful that the creator thinks they can make videos as their sole source of income. But I know what happens when a hobby becomes work. IT BECOMES WORK. Whereas they used to sort of make fun of other channels for their bug-eyed thumbnails, misleading titles, dippy sponsored videos, and for posting a video every Monday Wednesday and Friday whether or not they're happy with the subject or the execution...now they (understandably) kind of have to do those things. "NEW HOUSE TOUR!!!" - I'm legit happy that their channel has become so successful that they're not just covering personal expenses, but also raking in the stuff to such an extent that they can move to a bigger house on a better piece of land. But it inevitably means that the channel is going to stop making historical videos about the violence and drugs of the early 80s punk scene on Lansdowne Street in Boston and start making ones entitled "Pool guy took my $4000 and the jacuzzi STILL doesn't drain properly!!!"
Something which annoys me is certain channels, with a similar number of subscribers to Techmoan or LGR who keep saying that thanks to Youtube they can afford three Lamborghinis amongst other cars. I suspect that a loan or donation from the Bank of Mum and Dad is a more likely explanation.
YouTube recommended a restoration video to me recently. The thumbnail and title indicated that while restoring a (quite lovely) vintage leather courier bag, the creator found a secret compartment at the bottom with tens of thousands of dollars in it. I can't bring myself to click on it, even though I think I'll enjoy just watching a straightforward restoration process. As you say, one _hates_ feeling like a total chump.
I do wonder how a channel manages to repeatedly perform the bait and switch without losing their viewers. I feel if I promised something without a payoff that it might work for the one video - but no one would ever trust me again.
I share the distaste for clickbait thumbnails and titles, they sometimes make my youtube feed look like a full on tabloid assault. But I've learned not to dismiss channels outright if they are guilty of that practice, as I would've then missed some genuinely good content. I'm really trying to apply the old adage of "don't judge a book by its cover" to give YT creators a chance to win me over. So yes, I do follow some channels that have the kind of covers that would make my fellow Techmoan patrons run away screaming (which would actually make for a pretty funny thumbnail). Oh, and I'm also starting to enjoy some of the YouTube shorts as well. Yes, I'm turning into "them" - whoever they are.
Mat, nice choice for new profile picture. The storage unit background looks futuristic. I can't help but make this 13-year 3D device comparison 🙂 (sorry): https://ibb.co/T2xwJgJ
When it was pointed out that I could be accused of doing the ‘surprised face’ in my profile pic I had to quickly swap it - this was the only ‘selfie’ on my phone.
CAT IS IN
I'm a record collector, but any video that starts with "Yo, wassup vinyl community!" gets me reaching for the skip button instantly.
Call me old-fashioned, but I remember when presenters were trained to speak into a microphone as though they're talking to just one person. It's one of the oldest techniques in the media training book (it dates back to the earliest days of radio), and many of the best video and podcast creators use this technique to great effect. Mat does this, and he does it exceedingly well.
No complaints off me Matt. Love the content you put out, and I completely understand when you just can’t do one every week. My life is hugely difficult, challenging and honestly… a bit of a mess 🤣 so not always able to do the things I need to 100% of the time. I think most of us just appreciate the time we do get from you. It’s always a good day when I can get my Techmoan fix, and if I have to wait for it… I’m gonna appreciate it all the more! All the best Lee
I think you should start a cooking channel :)
I think he should start a 'handy-person' channel - he said he installed the kitchen himself - I think it looks great. Not 'brown-nosing' either, I truly think it looks nice. [Have you ever looked up where the phrase 'brown-nose' originated from? Don't. 😯]
on a completely random and dissasociative note - your fridge freezer looks like the type we are after would you recommend it, what's the make and model :)
I do like it - but I also got a pretty good deal on it which helped. It’s a Fisher & Paykel RF605QDUVX1 It takes up the same space as the old Samsung we had but holds a heck of a lot more and the drawers in the freezer make it a lot easier to access everything. One thing that wasn’t very clear in any of the info was how the ice section works - it’s automatic and drops the ice into a container in the top drawer of the freezer. It’s also plumbed in, although it was simple to attach it to the end of the existing water pipe used by the previous freezer. Oh - and it weighs about as much as a car.
Is nobody else wondering what car Mat has bought now ? Regarding sizes America is a completely different world. I had somebody reply to a comment saying that if a driver couldn't cope with driving a small pickup like a Ford Ranger on English roads they would have problems with any vehicle. Honda seem to have realised this and are selling what is considered to be the mid size Z-RV everywhere else as the compact H-RV in the USA to "meet the distinct needs of U.S. customers", one of which seems to be having a car that won't fit in a U.K. parking space.
He mentioned it was a Smart car. He's had them in the past. It's a spin-off company from Mercedes Benz.
It's interesting to hear people comment on the "exaggerated facial expression, pointing to something and for extra bonus points blur out something" thumbnail system that youtube promotes. I don't think about it anymore as it is part of the youtube game! When it comes to badly clickbaity titles I will actively stop myself from even clicking on the video as it sends me a bad feeling and makes me feel that it is a trap!
I promise not to mention it again.
I suggest you try microwaving the cup noodles to thicken them up. Back when Sainsbury's had their basics range, they had a very pleasant cup noodle, think it was Chinese curry flavour. I'd make it with kettle boiled water, then add a splash of soy sauce and microwave it for a minute. The noodles plumped up significantly. Might be worth trying on future runny noodles?
I had some of ALDI's own brand cup noodles the other day, and I thought they'd vastly improved to when I last tried them about a decade ago.
Thanks for the video Mat. I guess the Philips box was a VHF television. Perhaps somebody has a German PAL VHS you could use to see a picture.
Sparrowhawks are vicious killers, worst bit is when they leave half their meal to be cleared up. 🤢 Oh, and car doors - they’re not considering that some coupes and sports cars have long doors, which make it a whole new parking game.
Yes it’s definitely not easy squeezing a human body through a minus 2cm gap located one foot behind your right shoulder.
Fishing glasses? I’ve been using clip-ons for years! They’re hinged so I can flip up for a tunnel, but they don’t use circular polarisation just standard - but do work well!
I really hate Shorts. But Youtube has been saying they have upload Shorts or they'll be deprioritised by the algorithm.
Huh, I never realised just how limited the zoom on my iPhone is, this really showed that up. I didn’t expect to be considering a separate camera again but here we are… As for being worried about views, do you need to be? You get more than most channels I watch, have a dedicated fan base, and you don’t have to stoop to pretending to order from HelloFresh over NordVPN. I’d hope that’s a pretty good place to be.
Another entertaining video! Thank you for the effort that you put into these. I really do enjoy watching all of your content.
Oh, Mat... I could write an entire essay in response to this video, but that'd make me look like I have an unhealthy parasocial relationship. All I'll say is that in regards to how people apparently like YouTube Shorts and those "Home Alone" thumbnails, I'll leave you with this quote from the great early 21st Century philosopher, Super Hans: "People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people".
As a wise puppet once said: "Flippin 'eck!"
RE: Analog TV/over-the-air/antenna TV - We had channels 2 through 13, then a UHF tuner wherein you could pick up funky local channels (channel 18 in Los Angeles was once run by the Maharishi Yogi, transcendental meditation folks), and our public TV (Sesame Street, and such) channels. There were two channels - 3 and 6, that I assume were only for certain kinds of markets. When pay-TV became a thing in the late 70s/early 80s, you'd have a de-scrambler for channel 6 so you could watch 4 hours of premium content. Watching Star Wars on TV was a big deal back then! I would be curious to hear from other Americans who grew up with antenna TV... did your channel 2 (CBS here in LA) always have static such that it was almost unwatchable? Channels 4 (NBC) and 7 (ABC) were clear and lovely, but never got CBS clearly, despite it being one of the "Big 3".
For me ABC was always full of interference - CBS was the clear one, along with NBC.
I'd be curious what rule prevents unlisted videos. I use that feature all the time, and I don't recall anything against it in the T&C, but it might be time for me to rethink how I share such videos, I guess.
Perhaps the Patreon player will improve so that users don't lose casting functionality, and you can have the benefit of proper unlisted videos?
It’s not just casting. Many people prefer to watch videos on TV without the need to cast from another device.
Ha, I have that exact same dish sign.
"Hey what's up guyz... don't forget to SMASH the like button and subscribe..." False casualness. Fake friendliness. Shortcut to a personality. No, I don't want any part of that world. I like cooking videos, but now there are these clips of "attractive" women cooking absolute garbage that you wouldn't serve to a dog you hated... some dumber-than-hammers bro or dudette filming the thing wit mock "shock" ... endless piles of disgusting pre-shredded cheese. They are like a plague. Just the whole sense that someone is trying to put something over on someone else so they can get clicks and a clout. If only there were a universal "block all cynical, insincere content" setting.
Yeah... as an American, I'll just warn anyone outside of the US that if you buy any kind of mass produced US food item which claims "maple syrup"... it isn't. I'm sure that Canadian food is far more strict about calling something maple syrup, but from the US that's almost always going to just be chemically flavored high fructose corn syrup. Sorry everyone, sorry.
US packaging is usually better about that, at least when talking about a "bottle of syrup" - they usually call it "pancake syrup" or something. But yeah, HFCS with maple "flavoring". Bleah.
A great way to make it clear to everyone in the house whether the dish washer has clean or dirty dishes, is to put soap in it as soon as you're done unloading the clean dishes. So whenever you see soap in it, it means the dishes are dirty. If there's no soap, the dishwasher must have just finished running but no-one has unloaded it yet.
I moved to Atlanta in the USA in the early 1990s for university, and as I recall there were at least nine analog channels at the time: WSB (ABC), WAGA (CBS), WXIA (NBC), WATL (FOX), WPBA (PBS Atlanta), GPTV (PBS Georgia), WVEU (independent), WGNX (independent), WTBS (Ted Turner). A number of years back, one of your videos briefly featured a 1985 Boots electronics catalog, which brought back memories of flipping through that very catalog featuring British TVs with four preset buttons.
The idea with posting the unedited or crap version of videos can work if you were willing to add captions or annotations where it’s mention on screen what’s wrong may help mitigate complaints of those who call out mistakes, etc who fail to understand what a non-edited video means.
That’s way more effort than it’d be worth. I was hoping putting out the raw untouched video would be interesting - but it was just a hassle magnet. Better to move onto other less problematic ideas.
My wife the ornithologist was very unhappy with your characterization of the sparrow hawk as a "murderer" even though it's just a native bird going about its duties. And then she pointed out that your friend, Rocket J Squirrel, was an invasive species ... https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/controlling-grey-squirrel-population That's your "Nature Minute" ... :-)
It’s definitely not Manslaughter.
"....feel free to zone out every now and then." A great philosophy for life.
I'm a bit late to the party and I can't add much to what's already been said (not that it matters much). I can safely say that I pretty much agree with your views on the current state of YouTube. Your mention of Liverpool brought back a few memories. I was there five years ago (almost to the day) as a tourist. I enjoyed it very much. I took a trip across the Mersey on the Dazzle Ferry accompanied by the song "River Cross The Mersey" by "Gerry & The Pacemakers". I guess these boys were very eager to get to Birkenhead.... On my last day I visited the Rupert Lane Recreation Gardens, near the Everton Lockup. The walk there was quite steep, but I was rewarded with a phenomenal view: https://ibb.co/kGH1ndj Since you mentioned the "Lancashire Bananas" a while back, you are probably very familiar with this area.
As a tourist you’ve done way more than I have. I’ve never been on a boat on the Mersey or to Birkenhead or to where you took the photo. Perhaps I should add these to a to-do list.
Day out in Liverpool, great city for it, I'm sure you've done all the usual. Left field suggestion depending on where your garage is... Crosby beach and the iron men art. Alot of the car garages are near the northern line Merseyrail.
It’s been and gone now - my watch tells me I walked over ten miles. I did shoot some video and hopefully there’s enough worth adding together and putting out on Patreon at some time in the coming weeks.
Excellent chat as always - thank you, Mat. Are clip-on sunglasses no longer a thing? You used to be able to get sunglasses with no side arms that just clip over just the lenses of your spectacles and flip up out of the way when the sun goes in. Even more annoying than waiters who insist on addressing your dinner group of middle-aged diners as 'Hey Guys' are cold callers who immediately enquire after your the state of your health. The way to deal with them is to tell them all about your health in great detail..... Keep up the good work, Mat - you quite obviously hit the correct spot for a very specific, very discerning, demographic.
Clip ons - yes they’re still out there and I did buy some as well. That section was originally a lot longer (or at least it felt it) as I did talk about clip ins, flip ups and photochromic…but then I deleted it all as I felt I’d already made the point without labouring it so much. I will be taking my photochromic polarised clip ons on holiday though, as a backup.
I have to watch my sodium as well, and I love instant noodles, which I had to limit. So now I use a wok to stir fry my noodles with veggies, meats and basic sauces. When done right, it's like going to a Chinese restaurant. I learned much from Soup Up Recipes on YouTube during the pandemic. BTW, that's a killer boombox (or whatever it's called). Lastly, I picked up that hanging CD player (CP1) which is fantastic, and now I'm thinking of getting an Amadana (or lookalike) portable CD player because of its beautiful wood grain and style. Going down the portable CD rabbit hole! http://amadanamusic.amadana.com/cdp/
Am I the only one who thinks that Bee's Knees and Mat kind of resemble each other?
Absolutely love when you expose the level of audacity, stupidity and how out of touch people can be while commenting or recommending you stuff, especially when they seem to be regular viewers and still don't get what you're interested in, probably one of my favourite bits together with NoddleMoan or FoodMoan. Also, mandatory comment that the auto exposure didn't work at all.
You don't need to put anything out while you're away, obviously. But I expect I speak for a number of people here when I say that FoodMoan is one of my favourite segments. Man with no sense of taste or smell reviews food. It's a brilliant premise. (This is not sarcasm)
I'd expect nothing less than a critique on Boston and Canadian quisine upon return. 😃Please.
Of course Mr. Trebilcock has no idea of what is too long/wide for most folks; I can barely keep up with Mr. Dubiljohnson's opinions.
Putting the unlisted Patreon video on a "burner" VT channel might be a good idea.
Food! Mat can eat it but can't taste it, I can taste it but can't eat it! This video led to a 90 minute round trip to my nearest Waitrose in the hope that they still had some gluten-free egg-noodle-type chicken microwave meal that I like. It's almost impossible to get gluten-free egg noodles. I enjoyed the last half of the video though, eating a very late breakfast/lunch microwave dinner. Despite the food segments being a form of food torture because I want them and can't eat them, I still find them interesting.
In Austria we had 2 channels over antenna (ORF 1 & ORF 2 both national channels similar to the BBC) for quite a long time, ca 40 years. End of the 90s a third channel was added called ATV (private).
I just noticed the bees-themed fabric that Bees Knees is sleeping on. That's the sweetest thing I've seen in some time. This cat has the good life. 🐈🐝🦵
The thing with “hey guys” is that it seems very casual and familiar, which might be alright if you’re 16 watching videos from other teenagers or young adults about gossipy or pop culture stuff, but can feel a little out of place or plain creepy for other more informative video topics. Although with my customer service ball-and-chain (I mean hat) on, it’s a very easy way to slide into a conversation with a group of people because it’s less formal than “hello”, which I suppose is one of the goals of these larger channels; to keep people looped in with all the trickery they can rather than focusing on creating quality content. Hence the silly faces in the thumbnails and click bait titles. One thing I realised when you mentioned it was just you making the videos, is that it’s weird when you realise that a specific channel is a lot more than the person in front of the camera. When I know there’s a whole building full of people behind the scenes (like Linus Tech Tips for example) the whole thing loses its appeal to me, it seems like just another company whose sole aim is to make money to keep the staff employed, rather than a person who’s genuinely interested in the videos they’re making and the items they’re showing off.
Thanks for the video; excellent as always. Yes, you are definitely from the 'old-school' discipline of YouTube... and that's a compliment in my book. You started your channel when YouTube was a place where folk with a passion, and a knack for creatively putting together videos, would distribute their labors of love for the world to enjoy. If they managed to get a few coins on the side, so be it. Nowadays, YouTube is considered an industry. You can tell an industrial YouTube: The stupid screenshots, the 'paid-promotion', "I'd like to take a moment to thank today's sponsor...", the deluge of liking and subscribing and hitting the notification bell animations sprinkled throughout the video, etc. They think if they can get the formula right, no matter how crappy the content is, they, too, will be a success, make lots of money, for such little work. I had a nephew who graduated college a few years back. At his graduation party I asked him what he was planning to do with his degree. He responded, with full sincerity, "I want to start a YouTube channel and be an influencer." He then confided that he spent a good portion of his monetary graduation gifts to purchase a high-end digital camera and computer system, so he could upload videos in the highest quality. I don't need to add that he never achieved his goal of influencer, and is now living in Montana, doing a regular job, albeit with a really nice camera and computer system. One final comment on the American noodle cups: I remember when I used to buy those cup-o-noodles back in the day. I distinctly remember them saying 'soup' somewhere in the packaging. I personally don't appreciate all the water, nor the salt content. Thank God there are still a few 'old-school' creators that are putting out truly quality videos! Have a great vacation, Matt! Give my best to the missus, cat, squirrels. Boogers to the hawk.
Yes the US ones I tried did say Soup - seems that’s what must sell.
I have the feeling that I'm missing some syllables in your voice, could it be the mic, your editing, YouTube, or maybe may "ancient" iMac? And yes, I'm the next one to say that YouTube Shorts suck ;-). About the guys: I was once for 4 weeks in California, I heard so many times "Hey guys! How're you doing today?" that I almost wanted to answer: "We're not 'guys'!" (unfortunately, we are not 'hot chicks', so we couldn't finish that one...) Loved the Wallace and Gromit! And what's wrong with animals coming to you? I'm kind of a cat magnet, always fun ;-). The little TV remembers me so of the 1980s where I grew up... Of course, Philips was a huge player in the Netherland, but I grew actually up in the border region with Germany and Belgium (which happens also to be a the border between the Flemish and Walon parts of Belgium), so we got plenty of radio and TV stations in the air: - Netherlands 1, 2 and 3 - Belgium, Flemish: BRT 1 and 2 - Belgium, French: RTBF 1, Télé 21 - Germany, Nordrhein-Westfalen: ARD, ZDF, WDR - Some early German commercial stations: RTL, 3sat - and of course the VCR Counts up to more than 12 ;-). Of course, then cable TV came around... Starting around 16, ending in the analogue area around 35 channels, now they try to sell you digital TV (and I'm now in Switzerland): "over a thousand of channels!". Well, I don't care anymore :-P. By the way: the 3D glasses on the colour light head show a very cool effect: you can clearly see that one glass only lets the red light through, and the other one the green and blue ;-)
My B&W TV had 8 presets and a four button IR remote that only had a ‘channel up’ button (as well as standby and volume up & down). Since we only had four channels, I duplicated presets 1 to 4 on 5 to 8, which meant that I only had to press the channel button a maximum of three times to get to the channel I wanted rather than a maximum of 7.
Clip that mic where you once clipped your pager ;-) Remember pagers? Have you considered reviewing vintage software that may still be widely used? WinAmp is an example. I've been using it since the 90's. It's quite capable & has lots of awesome features.
That sparrowhawk is beautiful BTW, is it Scots? It looks like it's wearing a kilt
Rumour has it that YouTube promotes videos with a shock-horror face in the thumbnail. This was discussed on FranLab back in the day. I watch two channels where they "film" creating a stupid pose, as part of the video. Kinda "last laugh's on YouTube". Algorithms change. Good channels don't.
I'm not a regular YouTuber, but I post now and then videos of me playing a jazz tune on a big church organ, it's more for family and friend who could not be there. Sometimes I also put some pictures of the church and parts of the organ in there. Once I inserted a picture of me, making a "crazy" face, trying to show the (in my opinion rather huge) size of a detail on the organ's chest. After uploading, YouTube automatically choose that picture out of ht video for the thumbnail... (this one, click at your own risk :-P : https://youtu.be/qYLWmQQvi18?si=H7IZ8UEjVf1EaNd-)
That sparrowhawk is merely doing what it's meant to do, without sparrowhawks you would be overrun by wood pigeons. It is no more an evil bugger than humans are, eating chicken foetuses 😀 n.b. I am not upset 😉
I’m already overrun with Woodpigeons - and I’m not trying to diss the Sparrowhawk in any way - I don’t want to get cancelled by a Sparrowhawk fan club - but committing a murder in the middle of the day in the back garden, we’ll let’s just say it’s just not cricket. Out of eye and earshot - kill away - go on a spree - it’s all good with me.
I worked at Penny and Giles Data Recorders in Christchurch, Dorset for a long time mad. They manufactured flight recorders and I would be very interested in seeing a video on the one you own.
Maybe you’d be able to help me identify any mystery components.
wallace and grommet saved the wenslydale cheese industry. They were about to go broke when wallace and grommet mentioned it and then sales took off.
Northern Germany Lower Saxony: We had 6 analog programmes on TV back in the day: ARD (1st German TV, like BBC1) ZDF (2nd German TV, like BBC2) NDR3 (local TV, part of ARD, like a "BBC Liverpool" if that exists) WDR3 (local TV, part of ARD, like a "BBC Manchester", bit further away) DDR TV (East Germany enemy TV :) RTL (first private TV, about 1986 or so) SAT1 (2nd private TV, about 1987 maybe) And that was it.
I don't remember exactly how many channels we got in New Hampshire, but we had a controller that could rotate the roof antenna, and it came with numbered stickers you could paste around the dial to indicate where to point it for the best reception on each channel. There could have been 15 or so on there, so my father must have set that up at some point, going through the channels to see what was out there.
I don't like shorts either. Glad you don't make any.
Loved the animal action in the video. The look on that cat’s face. It knew it had picked the worse place to sit!
The Zaphod head thing is mesmerising - nice work👏. Thanks for the update.
Who said Oppenheimer was a slog? It's one of the best paced films I've seen. I'm no fan of three hour films, but this one earned it. Not worth seeing in IMAX though.
I doubt they'll suit you but I started doing proper YouTube videos and tried Hollyland microphones and they have been really good for me. In my videos, viewers are more likely to be told to piss off than be welcomed lol. Certainly no soy face or wojack face thumbnails. America isn't exactly the pinnacle of good food. The are the epicentre of Ramen noodles, cheese pizzas and macaroni and cheese. Agreed with the door openings. The smart is small but the doors are so long and thick that it makes it hard to get out of the car in car parks. How often did you hit your head on the hob extractor before you put the protector on that edge?
The R0DE pros just arrived this morning, so once I’ve unpacked and charged them they’ll become the new default option, barring any massive issue. As for the extractor - once was enough.
I feel exactly the same as you regarding YouTube shorts and silly faces but I try to tell myself that the people who do these things must be suitably embarrassed but believe they have to feed the algorithm by playing along. Separately, my personal bugbear is YouTubers who address their viewers as 'you guys'. I try to be forgiving of anyone who provides me with free(ish) entertainment. I've never seen that text block at the start of a video. Do YouTube Premium users still get it? Thanks for showing the Wallace and Gromit photos. I'd seen pictures of the crocheted figures before and wondered if they were generated by AI in the manner of the old ladies and weird giant cats that have been circulating.
The block of text is only something I’ve seen a handful of times and I think it was only in youtube on Safari on an iPad…but yes I pay for Premium, YT is practically unwatchable without.
• The auto exposure camera setting did not work (you already know). I am glad you mentioned you were testing it, because I thought my eyesight was failing. And yes, many audio cut-outs, but neither of the issues put me off watching this. When you talked about folding wing mirrors the cut sounded like swears. 😃 • You are not irrelevant. You maintain a semblance of professionalism on YouTube. Please continue. • 'Grilled Steak Pasta' - three of my favorite words combined. 🤤 Breakfast Noodles, no. • Yes, shorts - so annoying - alternatively, the written messages do not mess up the feeds. Vertical video pisses me off more and more, every day. • "hey/whatsup guys" has become the expected formulaic construct of YouTube video intros. Except for 'The Proper People' channel that I subscribe to, they come to mind as non-conformists.. • Ms. Naught the Squirrel wants to be your pet. Maybe the second squirrel is one of her children. And what animal wouldn't run toward you as you're very kind to the creatures. • Bees Knees you rascal! Your Mrs photo shows him screaming because he got caught. Love the cats in/out sign. Your close-up photo of him was beautiful. • "The guy's name is Oliver Trebilcock," and your face had me rolling, thank you. 🤣 • That Philips TV Stereo console thingy is sweet. Packing peanuts suck. • In 1990 in rural Iowa we could get 5 channels - ABC, CBS, Fox, IPTV, and NBC - over the antenna. I think that's it. (This comment was edited to remove idiocy and to clarify) Sincerely, take care - don't break yourself trying to get content out before you depart on your journey. 🤍
I’m with you on the group thing. How about we form a group for people who don’t like groups of people, and then we’ll organise regular meetings where nobody is required to turn up?
I had the same idea about an introverts group; and on further thought it occurred to me as not the most inspired concept. 😉
I'm in total agreement with the dislike of group activities.
Ditto; and I don't even like watching team events on TV. The only sports I can handle are tennis, golf, and bowling.
I don't like shorts either. I'm usually watching on a TV or a computer monitor, so why do I want to watch something in portrait? Okay it might be aimed at mobile devices, but mobile devices you can easily turn landscape. I hate it when they just seamlessly repeat, why? I read many people end up watching them twice without realising they are seeing it twice, just shows what all this must be doing to be peoples brains. Shorts are clearly designed to be addictive and keep you watching and scrolling through more and more of them, its the fast food of YouTube. Judging by the number of youngsters I see at the gym who spent 85% of their time on their mobile phones rather than exercising, it works.
This has just made waking up and getting the coffee on a little easier thanks Matt