Live data from Hacker News

Tom Scott: After ten years, it's time to stop making videos [video]

youtube.com

21–30 of 249 posts

Re: Tom Scott: After ten years, it's time to stop making videos [video]

#21

What struck me was “it’s either keep growing and become a manager or stop and do smaller projects” As someone who many years back looked at a team of 40 developers I was leading and went “nah, I want to be an IC again” that resonates

Same same. I get the desire to manage more folks (status, money, org impact, joy of mentoring) but the ability to see what you directly build help solve problems... Well, that's hard to beat.

Re: Tom Scott: After ten years, it's time to stop making videos [video]

#23
What a brilliant bit of foreshadowing with the helicopter statement.

Given the other comments about the deep sea or space, maybe those are areas which he hopes he could've explored which he might end up tackling at some point!

I'm really glad I was around for his journey. Sometimes creatives will keep pushing a form of media long past the point where it's interesting or exciting. It takes a great deal of courage and creative integrity to let great things come to an end.

Re: Tom Scott: After ten years, it's time to stop making videos [video]

#24
post #15

What happened to the "Six months from now, this channel stops" video he posted? https://twitter.com/tomscott/status/1675158819629064192

Today is 6 months from then.

Yes, exactly. So why was it removed? The only reason I can think of is if he changed his mind, which he obviously didn't.

Re: Tom Scott: After ten years, it's time to stop making videos [video]

#25
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Today is 6 months from then.

Yes, exactly. So why was it removed? The only reason I can think of is if he changed his mind, which he obviously didn't.

He usually hides channel announcement videos after they're no longer relevant. I assume so he doesn't receive ideas/pitches he solicits in them.

Re: Tom Scott: After ten years, it's time to stop making videos [video]

#27

Tom is why I understand UTF-8 [1]. And it is not so much WHAT he explained but HOW he explained it, what really made it stick. It was his sheer unbridled genuine enthusiasm that put him on the map for me. One of the best to do it. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MijmeoH9LT4

And he's why I know I shouldn't roll my own time zone library.

https://youtu.be/-5wpm-gesOY?si=eL38cruwJZDiuHVS

Re: Tom Scott: After ten years, it's time to stop making videos [video]

#30

Tom is why I understand UTF-8 [1]. And it is not so much WHAT he explained but HOW he explained it, what really made it stick. It was his sheer unbridled genuine enthusiasm that put him on the map for me. One of the best to do it. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MijmeoH9LT4

This is a great video! I’ve been writing about UTF-8 on my blog and I noticed that many programmers don’t understand it, after 10 or 20 years

The main impediment seems to be that languages like Java, JavaScript, and Python treat UTF-8 as just another encoding, but really it’s the most fundamental encoding.

The language abstractions get in the way and distort the way people think about text

Newer languages like Go and Rust are more sensible, they don’t have global mutable encoding variables

Post reply on HN