
Ask HN: What are the best computing-related videos you've watched recently? - kick
Everyone talks about books and sites they read all the time, but I barely ever see videos talked about on HN, despite videos containing some of the most interesting (and, unlike text, unsearchable) bits of computing history, information and anecdotes.
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kick
Two of the most interesting ones I've seen this year:

Brian Kernighan (of K&R fame, and much more) interviewing Ken Thompson
(initial author of UNIX, though you probably already knew both of these): lots
of interesting anecdotes, like getting a chess machine seized by the US
government:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6q5dv_B-o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6q5dv_B-o)

Drew DeVault, (sway/sr.ht/much more author) hacking on his Wayland VR desktop
inside of his Wayland VR desktop (don't believe the people who say you can't
do programming inside of VR yet!):

[https://spacepub.space/videos/watch/f60bee0e-31d3-4aca-9e49-...](https://spacepub.space/videos/watch/f60bee0e-31d3-4aca-9e49-6fcdc87ad40d)

NB. the second video is on a PeerTube instance. PeerTube is a federated and
decentralized YouTube alternative.

~~~
pergadad
The second video is truly impressive. On the other hand I'm getting a bit
scared for the expectations for the average office worker 10-20 years from
now.

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khoacao
Anything by Bret Victor.

Inventing on Principle:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QiPFmIMxFc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QiPFmIMxFc)

Future of Programming:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pTEmbeENF4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pTEmbeENF4)

------
helph67
The following documentary is an important record of the early days of the
BBS/comms world of computing. Particularly as in most cases it includes
interviews with the individuals responsible for creating so many of the
standards used.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBS:_The_Documentary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBS:_The_Documentary)

~~~
mtmail
I watched the old
[https://archive.org/details/computerchronicles](https://archive.org/details/computerchronicles)
a while back. First reactions on Windows 3.0 or the Pentium, discussing
different flavors of Unix, calling anything that fits onto a desk a micro
computer. And any interview with
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kildall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kildall)
may he rest in peace.

------
GoodDreams
Good explanations of low-level computing by Ben Eater
[https://m.youtube.com/user/eaterbc/playlists](https://m.youtube.com/user/eaterbc/playlists)

------
ArtWomb
Quantum supremacy using a programmable superconducting processor

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FklMpRiTeTA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FklMpRiTeTA)

~~~
valand
Can't wait for the change Quantum computing will bring to humanity

------
ACE_Recliner
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8d77KV__gI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8d77KV__gI)
Peristent Virtual Memory in the Great New Operating System In The Sky --
probably the only video on YouTube talking about KeyKOS besides Norm Hardy's
ocap talk in 2017.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEDCXTpx0R8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEDCXTpx0R8)
OCAP 2017 Keynote Norm Hardy -- Much oral history about KeyKOS and successor
systems by Norm Hardy (sadly now deceased), who was one of the main
originators of them.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVm938gMWl0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVm938gMWl0)
RustConf 2017 -- Closing Keynote: Safe Systems Software and the Future of
Computing by Joe Duffy -- Joe Duffy's retrospective talk on the Midori project
at RustConf 2017.

There's a lot of stuff out there, but I thought I would drop these three in
particular because they don't have particularly high viewership compared to
their historical value as anecdotes.

------
slifin
How to be agile:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtkouFS-
GSQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtkouFS-GSQ)

Inventing on Principle:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QiPFmIMxFc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QiPFmIMxFc)

REST/GraphQL alternative:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS3i3DTUnAI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS3i3DTUnAI)

------
kratom_sandwich
Not an instructional video, but I rewatch the Facemesh scene from "The Social
Network" over and over:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSKoVsHs_Ko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSKoVsHs_Ko)

IMO, everything about this scene is fantastic, starting with the fact that the
bits of text are taken from actual court proceedings.

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cjbprime
Infosec CTF walkthroughs e.g.
[https://youtu.be/ozqOlUVKL1s](https://youtu.be/ozqOlUVKL1s)

------
farrelmahaztra
An excellent conference video explaining the event loop in Javascript
([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aGhZQkoFbQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aGhZQkoFbQ))

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snidane
Lean and Functional programming.

Especially the first part where he explains history of lean during and after
WW2.

[https://youtu.be/5s55LA2Renc](https://youtu.be/5s55LA2Renc)

------
fold_left
David Khourshid - The Visual Future Of Reactive Applications With Statecharts:

[https://youtu.be/o84Xw8qiTCw](https://youtu.be/o84Xw8qiTCw)

------
valand
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh9WXPu0hw8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh9WXPu0hw8)

------
meatsock
curiousmarc's videos on repairing an apollo guidance computer.
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-_93BVApb59FWrLZfdli...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-_93BVApb59FWrLZfdlisi_x7-Ut_-w7)

