How Has YouTube Saved Your Day?

As a mechanically disinclined person, YouTube has been invaluable. Within the last few weeks alone I used a few good videos to replace a brake cable on one bike and tune up another. I have to admit that I prefer articles to videos most of the time, but there are some circumstances when it really helps to watch someone doing it.

It's also invaluable for determining whether or not I should just call a professional to do said work. If it's going to take me twice as long as the guy doing it, or if the repair could have disastrous consequences (like jacking up a house or attempting to fix a roof) the pros come in.

Speaking of the latter, I found this one during my roof repair searches. I still get stressed out watching it.

I still get stressed out watching it.

Me too. Two things I have great respect for are electricity and gravity, both of which will kill you if given the chance.

Stressed? that roof has no pitch. It's practically a sidewalk next to a ditch.

That guy invokes my late uncle Lenny.

Yup, I agree. With a good Youtube video, you can learn all kinds of things without having to stay at Holiday Inn Express.

All kidding aside, a picture is worth 1000 words, a video worth maybe a million, especially when the words are second language English.

YouTube is one of the greatest learning tools ever devised, if not the greatest....Amen Brother...I have at least 3 YouTube tabs open at all times....and just think, it's still relatively new!

Like Wikipedia and the invention of the personal computer, YouTube has fundamentally changed the way we obtain information and learn and even changed the way society works in general (both positively and negatively).

C'mon the Sun is out it's a good day for the beach....get on the treadmill and let's take a walk...

I went on a snorkeling trip 4 years ago from Miami to key west. That was the first and last beach we went to. Good memories. We didn't snorkel in Miami. Just drinking and swimming etc. Very chill scene. Great views!

I remember construction all around the airport making it very difficult to find an entry into the car rental area.

I had to circle the area multiple times and we almost missed our flight!

Drone or Hatcam Beachcomber Video. Plus, YouTube Comment Improvements.

That is how I spent all of my teenage summers. Wow, do I miss it !

For a while I thought the chunky guy being followed had a drone on follow-me-mode.

I guess this must have been a human piggyback hatcam since a drone would have had a bit more elevated perspective.

Here in Austin some guy has a rig with a camera boom sticking way out behind him and the user wears VR goggles to watch himself from behind. I tried it out. It was very surreal.

You-tube REALLY NEEDS a service that provides searchable prose for what happens in any (especially the longer) video. One can spend way too many hours finding out that the exact item needing elucidation is not even in the videos with titles leading one to believe that it contains that content. A wikipedia type text layer summarizing the content covered and search engines designed to thumnail the desired video segment content sought would be sooooo helpful.

Also, the comments are tedious to review with the preponderance of links one might click on returning from the video author an anti-climactic "Thanks" rather than additional depth related to the topic of the acknowledged comment. A size of the reply at the link (1 reply 7bytes) might let the reader skip clicking these terse content-free author replies. Perhaps an overall "search expanded comments" could also be easily provided since the numerous links goof-up searching for keywords across the comments.

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thewildotter

A couple of years ago a local guitar maker was showing me a French polished guitar he had just completed. Done right, a French polish is one of the most beautiful wood finishes - and his guitar showed it. In admiration of his work, I asked, "Where did you learn how to do a French polish?" His answer, "I just watched a few YouTube videos on the subject, and jumped in."

Yeah, it's very useful. I adjusted the low flame on my gas hob courtesy of Youtube... mind one has to watch out for the "armchair experts" .
I bought myself a blues harmonica for something to do during lock-down, and youtube has allowed me to have fun straight out of the box.
For my part I add to resource with my channel which is mostly making bows.
Del

Whatever needs fixing, it is often the case that someone has done it beforehand, and posted it on YouTube.

Exactly... I take pride in editing out the dead space in my vids and NOT monetising it
Del

please share.. I could use a point and click tutor on how to make a point and stick shooter.

It's hard to not smile while watching these grown men gush with enthusiasm for this cheap Chinese ..car? It's pretty great.

..

I hear monetized channels are now paid for duration of view instead of views..

One more reason the drivel is never ending.

. . . taking apart the dashboard.

enough said.

YouTube is wonderful I hadn't used it much until lately. However unfortunately it is plagued with free energy devices and perpetual motion, and other BS forgive my French. That does not present much of a problem for someone that has a mechanical background however for the uninitiated it's laden with landmines.

The other thing is misuse, YouTube , presents the same shortcut as this site does. How many times have we been doing a post and then figured out that it was some student cheating on his homework.

Years ago I have never charged Ultima battery that was more or less completely dead . There was a 20-something YouTube groupie hanging around in my garage that told me "you can't use that charger" the instant I put the charger on the battery it max out the the charging rate .When I was his age I was too poor to afford a second charger for my motorcycle. A spool of number 14 wire in series made it great resistor in both cases the motorcycle that is and the optima battery, however my young friend was clueless as to the magical act I had just performed.

I've been involved with many projects where the person that engineer the project had absolutely no idea of what he was doing, I won't go into specifics. I worked hard to realize that I know nothing. So while I regularly use YouTube videos so that I will know something.My long-winded comment is it's absolutely wonderful I just wish they had an entrance exam before you could get to the good technical stuff.

Rosinante, a 1996 F150

I inherited an old Ford F150 inline 6 when my father passed. I left her sitting idle for many years but when my 2005 Honda Element blew its head gasket, I started using the F150 as my primary transportation. Since the inline 6 has and deserves a reputation for running reliably longer than most other vehicles, I have been able to coax it into running well enough to pass inspections year after year despite not having much time or money to devote to automotive maintenance. From the first revival years where I had to take a heavy mall to separate the seized shoe brake drums from her back axle, to intermediate years when I had to interpret OBDII diagnostics such as "too lean" Pcodes meaning the dry, cracking vacuum lines have a bunch of small leaks, to the recent how to rework a junkyard smog pump when the dealer and aftermarket suppliers no longer sell replacements, YouTube has always provided the exact info I needed to succeed in keeping the vehicle legal in short order on pocket change.

I have also been watching videos on how to diagnose the underlying potential causes and how to replace my Honda head gasket but I have never come up with the parts/tools/time/garage to jump on that larger task and get-er-done so the Element is now the fallow automobile. After retiring I have had to live on less and so have not had the cash to just buy a new car nor the inclination to buy yet another maintenance intensive used car. Older life continually presents interruptions, health issues, and higher priorities than catching up on automobiles so YouTube has been the means that I have been able to use to squeak by without desperation and sacrifice to remain mobile without disaster level re-prioritizing of my resources. I am profoundly grateful to those who have documented their F150 experience to make my casual research adequate to keep my loyal Rosinante(an affectionate name for the faded red, reliable, hand-me-down, F150 pick-em-up truck) breathing. Off now, to other windmills.

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thewildotter

I built a UVC disinfectant box

The wood was all lying around; the "speed bump" on the top is half a bucket (£1 = $1.3 from DIY shops)

The light itself was £21 ($27), and, came with a remote which I've placed in the box for the picture

In the hope that you can see that it's held about 4" (10cm) above the bottom so that anything in the box gets "done" on all sides at once.

So here's the bit relevant to this thread I had to make a net out of nylon to make the suspended floor. How do you make a net? Youtube.

A word of warning: monofilament nylon is not a good choice for netting, but, served the purpose in this case, and I managed.

What's it for? We're paranoid about coronavirus; everything delivered to the house is picked up with a plastic bag and placed in the box (with the plastic bag to one side). Close it turn it on and set it for 30 minutes,

I've got something big arriving today: the good thing is I can stand it in front of the open box; leave the room run it for 30 minutes; turn it over, and, repeat. Not sure how I would have managed if the light didn't come with a remote control.

Ooops...

https://hackaday.com/2020/04/15/buyer-beware-this-led-bulb-sold-as-germicidal-doesnt-emit-uv-c/

https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/390NM-UV.pdf

Real deal...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087CFQ6HC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks Solar, the instructions were very specific about the use of the light as a disinfectant, but, there was no data sheet specifying wavelength distribution. I guess they were just lying: I'm afraid I am a bit too trusting.

You're not alone, thousands of people bought these believing the advertised 254nm claims of germicidal light...I bought 2 of them....sent them back though and got a refund....Then through research discovered that the only 254nm LED's available were over $100 each, just for one LED!! ...and even those don't work very well because of the low efficiency...So I opted for the florescent tube type I was familiar with....

Thanks again

YouTube is a great resource as long as the user has enough sense to filter passed all the click bait and inaccurate stuff, there is a lot of excellent stuff. Great for kick starting a brainstorming session.

be well everyone

Every time I have to work on a vehicle I look it up on Youtube, even if I've done it before. I have found new ways to do the job or simple tricks that make things go much faster or easier.

I especially like to look up stuff I haven't done before just to get a feel for it and maybe an understanding of the gotchas before I get got!

I work on appliances all the time, but I am not taking them apart all the time as I am installing rather than repairing. Pro-made repair videos are a must if you are going to LP convert that new model dryer or adjust the low flame on a new cooktop with the newer-better controls.

While I appreciate the tips and tricks that people have learned when maintaining vehicles, there are more than a few U-toobers out there who need to invest in a freaking tripod!!! I can only take so many Dramamine.

It's gotten to the point that I check YouTube every time I try to fix something on a newer vehicle. They all have some sort of snap-together trim pieces, pop-off dashes, door panels, etc. You'll break that plastic stuff if you don't do it the right way, which YouTube provides.

Probably the greatest invention in the history of the planet.

Ever.

So far.

That is a bit over the top. Can YouTube even be called an "invention"? Surely it is an inevitable development that emerged from pre-existing technologies - the computer, the internet, the videorecorder. Judged by inventiveness, it isn't in the same category as the wheel, the compass, the clock, the printing press, the light bulb, cinema, the airplane, steam engine, internal combustion engine, electric generator, electric induction motor, telegraph, telephone, radio, television, transistor, the computer...

YouTube would more accurately be called a product. It is a product made possible by certain inventions. In the same way, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth is not an invention, it is a product made possible, even inevitable, by two inventions - vulcanized rubber, and the weaving machine. So let's not get carried away. YouTube and raincoats are good products, not good inventions.

That's a bit over the top as well.

Maybe he should have just said it's the greatest thing ever.?

Unless you're going to say it's not a thing because it's an inanimate object.

In either case I don't think the compass is a great invention. It's merely the observation of existing components arranged in just such a way to prove useful.

Kind of like YouTube.

Alright, I concede. YouTube is a thing - and it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

U.S. Patent Law. a new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical skill or craftsmanship.

A new, useful improvement, non-obvious to one skilled in the art, is also how an invention is sometimes described. Thanks to J E in Chicago's rebuke, I freshly view your hyperbolic praise of YouTube as being in the same spirit as, "Mom, that's the best apple pie that anyone has ever baked, ever!" It would be as foolish to criticize the apple pie lover's imprecise use of language, as it was to criticize yours. Can I blame the lock-down for my ungracious comment? It is a beautiful day here. I just want to sit on my favourite café patio, in the dappled sunlight, and enjoy a good coffee.

You may blame the lock-down. As well as enjoy your coffee. ..Now that you've conceded of course..

Before the sliced bread? What did they say?

This is the best thing since the steam locomotive?

"I freshly view your hyperbolic praise of YouTube as being in the same spirit as, "Mom, that's the best apple pie that anyone has ever baked, ever!" "

You're right I do tend towards extreme enthusiasm about the platform when I'm watching a cool thing on there that I would probably never have got to see without its conception. (You might need to click through to the YouTube site to view this or check it out here: Incredible Krakatoa volcano eruptions at night | anak krakatau 2018)

I wasn't aware that an erupting volcano can generate its own lightning. Amazing.

My viewing choices are usually less spectacular - news, politics, philosophy, art and artisans, cars and motorcycles - but whatever your interest there is something there for you. The advent of platforms that enable the uploads of videos by anyone with a camera and a computer is an information revolution for future historians. They will know exactly what was going on and what things looked like from this time on. It will be as if we could watch video footage of Moses demanding of the Pharaoh, "Let my people go!" and then listen to later interviews with him as he describes the burning bush on Mount Sinai and the sound of the voice of God. I bet there would be a high 'click' rate on those videos.

YouTube constantly saves me from boredom

I know exactly what you mean.

These are a few of my own favorites for those moments when nothing else works.