Very surprised it hasn't already been mentioned, but Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" is fantastic (although not technical): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
Such an epic lecture this!
Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
31–40 of 80 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#32If you like the business of running software companies, these are probably my two favorite business-oriented talks ever:
Long Slow SaaS Ramp of Death (Gail Goodman): http://businessofsoftware.org/2013/02/gail-goodman-constant-...
Wide-ranging; covers why SaaS companies are brutally difficult to build and how ConstantContact very gradually achieved escape velocity while on the titular long slow SaaS ramp of death and eventually got to the fabled hockeystick growth land.
Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped [Software] Business (Jason Cohen): https://vimeo.com/74338272 Jason presents a framework for how to find a product which will get you to $10k in monthly recurring revenue.
(If you liked these two talks and just want More Like That Please go to the Microconf video page and queue up every talk by Rob Walling, preferably in order.)
And, on an entirely different subject, Developers, Entrepreneurs, and Depression (Greg Baugues): http://businessofsoftware.org/2013/11/developers-entrepreneu...
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#33Sir Ken Robinson's talk on Do schools kill creativity? Its worth watching. https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_cre...
Aaand... 2 hours gone watching all Ken Robinson's talks. Brilliant stuff!
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#34J.B. Rainsberger — Integrated Tests Are a Scam: https://vimeo.com/80533536
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#35Rich Hickey's talk on simplicity is a must watch. https://www.infoq.com/presentations/Simple-Made-Easy And one of the most useful talks of all time for building organizations is by Ed Catmull (of Pixar) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k2h2lvhzMDc
I saw Simple Made Easy live, in person, in Saint Louis (where I live), back in Fall 2011. I remember the experience very well ~ forever changed the trajectory of my personal and professional efforts at software development. I was so under-exposed to non C-family languages at the time that I asked the guy next to met whether the code used to demo the ideas "was Haskell or something else?" I felt embarrassed at the sho…
The Front End Architecture Revolution by David Nolen is one of my all-time favorites, and was probably the biggest single influence on the trajectory of my own development career: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/61483785
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#36Conal Elliott on denotational design: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmKYiUOEo2A
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#37Noam Chomsky on Power and Ideology and the Myth of American Exceptionalism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_X5czMVKT8
Transcript: http://www.democracynow.org/2015/9/22/noam_chomsky_on_the_my...
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#38Developing Expertise: Herding Racehorses, Racing Sheep :: https://www.infoq.com/presentations/Developing-Expertise-Dav...
Talk by Dave Thomas which gives a interesting look at software engineering expertise.
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#39Mike Monteiro on the importance of a contract: "Fuck you, pay me."
Re: Ask HN: What are some 'must watch' talks?
#40The Birth & Death of JavaScript. A talk by Gary Bernhardt. https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/the-birth-and-death...
The man is funny :)