technologyconnections

An early/test draft of the Aztec sights and sounds video

As November rears its ugly head (multiple contexts there) I find myself in a bit of a pickle - I wanted to get this completed before I started earnest work on the freeze dryer video, but the first shoot of gameplay footage ended up being unusable. So I re-shot it, and knowing that I'm gonna be switching gears, I figured I'd upload this lightly edited gameplay.

https://youtu.be/6GS8Y97UoJI

One of the stra...

MP3 CDs - powering secret MP3 players that were all over the place

Thankfully the second unit arrived in one piece and worked!

https://youtu.be/WkIR23emsWY

So - this one went a bit overboard, didn't it? I mean I didn't think i could get this topic past the 30 minute mark but somehow I did. For those that didn't see the video update on this project's delay, I have a feeling a lot more of you here know about this than the general public. I might be quite wrong about that, though, ...

Duracell PowerCheck - a thing for the '90s kids

Remember how I was waiting for that thing in the mail?

WELL IT WAS BORKEN

Which meant... time to change gears! So I moved up a November topic and brought you this:
https://youtu.be/zsA3X40nz9w

I have a second stereo which was just delivered today, so assuming that one works and isn't banged up to all hell like the last one, I'll be moving forward on the MP3 CD project quite quickly. Then I'...

Update: The next video is far along but I'm missing a thing

Yeah, it's a bummer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh0YDsztLXE

In this video update I fill you in on the situation and other stuff.

A deleted scene! Cube fridge pull-down

One of the reasons the Peltier fridge video took so long was that the script was not gelling for me. I had initially thought a head-to-head test between the cube fridge and the Peltier "fridge" would be compelling, so I set about that testing. Ultimately, since even the giant American fridge needs less power, I realized I was putting way too much focus on that specific angle so I cut it.

But here's the data! (sorry it's a little blurry, I just grabbed it out of PDF report)

And her...

A video on thermoelectric cooling and how bad it is

Hello hello hello,

Since the dehumidifier video's been shelved until next year, and many of you suggested making this its own video topic, I decided to make use of the Peltier fridge now and made this video:

https://youtu.be/CnMRePtHMZY

It got delayed by roughly a week in part because the cube fridge wasn't initially part of the plan and once I had the idea I needed to do some testing with it, but also ther...

The Pinball Q&A video is now live

Here it is!

https://youtu.be/P3Y4d2aHnNE

This took me longer to make than I planned both because there were a lot of questions and because I thought it would be better to actually insert B-roll. So this is closer to main-channel quality than is typical for Connextras, although it's not scripted so captions will be auto-generated.

My plan is to make a main channel video before I make the sights and sounds vi...

Induction woks exist

Hello all,

Remember how in my last post I said I was trying to get something done before the end of August and that the quality wouldn't necessarily be great? Well, here's the result!

https://youtu.be/CzJKxUCKOBg

I bought this thing a long time ago originally planning to make a quick Connextras video, but I kind of forgot about it. It's been sitting in the box for months! And after finally getting the urge ...

Door closers. Yes, door closers.

Got something really exciting for you!

https://youtu.be/3-Q87w8uhwg

Hey so remember how I said in that update that a video on dehumidifiers was next? Ha! Ha ha! Ha ha huh HAA I fooled you!

Or rather, I discovered after about eleventy million rewrites that the actually interesting thing which needs to be talked about should not, in fact, be a fun fact among several which only appears 15 minutes into the vid...

the sublimator returns

Wanna see the end of the freeze drying process and then listen to me as I eat some random freeze dried food and tell you what it's like? Boy howdy is this the video for you, then.

https://youtu.be/7x_xM-fOQRY

I learned a lot from this, mainly that pre-freezing stuff is important, but also freeze dried canned grapes were a surprising delight. I'll have to get some fresh grapes and try that!

Update: I have obtained very cool thing

Howdy y'all!

I FORGOT TO WARN YOU ABOUT SOMETHING:
This topic can lead you down a YouTube rabbit hole that can lead to weird places (mainly prepper stuff). Unless you want to go there, you should probably ignore any recommendations it might throw at you based on the title.

so yeah, i bought a freeze dryer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyvVQZqSHfI

Passive infrared motion sensors

Hello all! I have a simpler (and sillier) video for you today:

https://youtu.be/XRCprhlz4D8

I was hoping to have this done yesterday so I'm going to do a rapid turnaround and publish it tomorrow afternoon. I have another video that's already pretty far along (it needed experimentation which I did last week) and I'll be moving right into working on that script. It's a topic that's related to home comfort, and sinc...

Awnings: an energy-saving idea sitting right over our noses

This may seem a bit out of left field, but I had one of those moments where I... connected something (sorry). Window awnings existed in my head purely as an old-fashioned ornamentation until suddenly I realized... wait. No, they block the sun! Why'd we stop using them? So I made this video.

https://youtu.be/uhbDfi7Ee7k

As I say early on, this isn't me trying to say "let's install awnings, everyone!" but more of a...

A Connextras video on a thing with Numitrons in it

https://youtu.be/XgzL05Gojfw

The next main channel video is pretty far along and I think I can have it done tonight. But in the meantime, here's a follow-up for the Numitron.

The Numitron: a minimum viable idea

It's time to make fun of RCA again!

https://youtu.be/YGT1EvmDJh4

In one of my video updates, I mentioned needing to build a clock and perhaps doing that as a livestreaming test. Well, this was the clock I had to build - but I quickly realized I am no good at talking while soldering, so I just cobbled it together off-screen.

I've known about these for a long time, but never got my hands on them until recentl...

And the connextras video

This is mostly just a weird thing my dishwasher does but of course there's some other trivia, too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kp3bjm55xw

Oh, and the captions are done on the main channel video!

That dishwasher video remake

Good evening everyone,

Since most people responded to the poll about this with "go ahead" - and since this was an easy thing to make in an otherwise busy month - I decided to give this a try.

https://youtu.be/jHP942Livy0

Honestly, this is equal parts "I want to be helpful," "I want to experiment with a remake on YouTube," and "I want to reorganize my thoughts." I put less emphasis on the detergent product t...

Update to be fixed - stay tuned!

Marked an in-point in the edit and I didn't realize it! Re-rendering now.

FIXED - A general update

Hello!

I've made another update video for you on things going on, the office, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flA4AXzT50E

(sorry about the earlier post, I didn't actually check the render before I uploaded!)

Pinball Part 3: Tilts, multiplayer games, and replays

Hi! So, here's what I've been up to lately:

https://youtu.be/XeDCCNFAULk

While I really enjoy making these pinball machine videos, they do take a lot out of me. I realize that I went a little too deep for many in part 2, so this stayed more surface-level. But it still took quite a lot more B-roll wrangling than I thought it would!

So - I'm about to head home for the day. Captions will take until to...

A poll about condensed remakes

Hello!

I have a question I'd like to put to you. The condensed version of the HVAC sizing video got a lot of positive feedback in the way I hoped it would: people felt it was more shareable and though it didn't get as many views, it's a useful resource.

So I'm wondering how you'd feel about me remaking the dishwasher videos into something shorter and more approachable. That would go on the main channel, and there are ways I could definitely condense it into a sub-30 minute video (...

Automatic Windshield Wipers

Holy crap, I did it! I made a simple video which didn't go off the rails!

https://youtu.be/TLm7Q92xMjQ

There's, uh, well there's not much to say in this here post. It's a pretty simple sensor after all, and all it took was looking up a few things and making a demo. So I hope you like it! Captions may take me a little while longer than usual since I have some other plans this evening, but I'll try to get them wrap...

The Simmerstat: Amazing tech in plain sight

Hello!

It's been a while. Would you believe that a script got out of hand? I know, unpossible. But that's what happened yet again.

https://youtu.be/ff04ecF9Dfw

This is something that I was genuinely delighted to learn about. I feel almost silly for not realizing that the same control strategy must have been used in older stoves, but I didn't! I had been wondering how exactly the power levels were modulated ...

Bright from the Start: GE's very odd light bulb

Good (time period)!

I've got a new video for ya today, and it was possible thanks to you in more ways than one! I was getting stuck in my research on why exactly enclosed CFLs had such poopy cold start performance, and folks in the Discord server were able to hook me up with a paper which confirmed the thread I was pulling on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcH0j7tOrDA

As ever, this started ...

An office update!

Hiya, some folks wanted an update so here you go! It's raw and real-life. Only a bit of tidying up occurred for the camera :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raV0p09SziE

A follow-up video

Hello all,

Some of the common misinterpretations from the last video are really getting stuck in my craw. For better or worse, I made this Connextras video to hopefully clarify this for anyone who needs it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA_EifQu6is

It's not scripted, so you'll have to wait for auto-captions, unfortunately. I'm planning to release this in an hour or two.

The condensed version

Hello! Here's a linky-dink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hAuKtoRxJI

I'm gonna be working on captions right now for this. And tomorrow will be release day for both versions. You'll notice I rearranged things a lot in this version - didn't want to bury the lede as I'm so prone to do and decided to talk about the experimental results before the manual J calculation.

okay toodles

Nobody's sizing HVAC systems correctly.

Hello there! It's a new video. File it under More Pumping More Now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTsQjiPlksA

So - there's a lot in this. There's drama. Angst. Snark! And exasperation. But also - hopefully lots of useful information.

As a programming note, the core concepts are applicable no matter where you are but this is very heavily focused on the reality in the US and Canada. I have a ...

It's a leap day update!

Hello all!

I wanted to fill you in on the progress of the next videos. Plural? Yeah, but no. Kind of. Maybe?

OK so I've combined a whole heckuvalotta of things into a mega video about HVAC sizing. While it's mostly about the experiment that I ran in January, you may remember from an update that I wanted to do something on some of the industry practices that are bugging me and getting in the way of More Pumping More Now. Some of that script got melded into this one and it's... long...

Project Soundproofing (and acoustics)

It's a behind-the-scenes video! Or should it be... above the scenes?

https://youtu.be/4R6okQ_3k1Q

Mucking about in the backrooms (er... uprooms?) to try and make the studio a little quieter.