I love long-form videos that tell information and stories. Documentaries about most any topics, especially ones that last an hour or more, are my bread and butter. But when I’m using YouTube on my TV, I can’t tell from thumbnails what the quality of a channel is. Sometimes I find gold, but other times it’s obvious they’re using an AI voice over or AI imagery and I immediately turn it off. I’m so tired of trudging through the slop, even though it’s just beginning.
So for now, I figure I’ll check with y’all - do you have any preferred/recommended channels that make the sort of video I’m looking for, that are still human-made? I’d love to hear about them.
I like:
Technology Connections. Alec is a refrigeration cycle enthusiast from the American Midwest in a tweed jacket who talks about gadgetry. He’ll change your understanding of dishwashers.
History For Granite. Join him to explore ancient Egypt. A no bullshit no ancient aliens channel focusing on old kingdom Egyptian monuments, particularly the pyramids of Giza and Dahshur. His hot takes include “The ascending passage of the Great Pyramid is built of lower quality limestone, possibly because the higher quality Tura limestone used for most passageways wasn’t available. As the passage ascends, you can see the work getting more consistent and gaining quality, as if the masons were gaining skill working with this inferior material.” And he casts solar eclipse quantities of shade at Zahi Hawass. It’s hilarious.
Cathode Ray Dude. A computer and video hardware enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest. He’ll find some electronics artifact and explore its quirks and features, including a whole series on weird old laptops.
Paul Fellows. Bri’ish astronomer type who delivers short-ish briefings on astronomical objects. “Once Around: The Large Magellanic Cloud.” I’m getting to where I prefer his content to SEA or Astrum.
TierZoo. Animal documentaries in the style of video game commentary. Animals are player characters in a massively multiplayer game called Outside. A typical video will be titled “Are snakes OP?” and he will rank various snakes on a tier list. “Next we have the rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes have spent evolution points on the rattle ability, a mid-level intimidation and area denial attack intended to evade encounters with carnivore mains.” The fact he’s been able to keep up this shtick so long is the most entertaining part.
Technology Connections is the bomb. It’s the kind of content that makes you more knowledgeable in a meaningful way by the time the video is over.