Recent favorites: first recommended 2024–2026
Everything here cleared the usual bar (three people, three different months) within the last three years, which for a new video is a strong signal. 259 videos.
- 17 HN recommenders 12 months 2024–2026Frequently recommended in autonomous vehicle and Waymo threads as the main counterargument, a long but worthwhile video essay on how self-driving cars could affect cities.
- 13 HN recommenders 10 months 2024–2026HN treats it as the go-to visual introduction to transformers, and many say it finally made attention and embeddings click.
- 10 HN recommenders 8 months 2025–2026HN's most frequent recommendation for a clear, approachable foundation in how LLMs work without heavy math.
- 11 HN recommenders 8 months 2025–2026B Better Software Conference · talkHN commenters recommend it for its source-based history of OOP, though some dispute its account of Alan Kay.
- 10 HN recommenders 7 months 2024–2026HN recommends it as a gripping story of single-minded persistence against the herd, and as the back story behind modern LED lighting.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2024–2026T The Movie Rabbit Hole · explainerStrongly recommended whenever HN discusses CGI, practical effects, or trusting behind-the-scenes footage.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2024–2026X xDahl · talkHN commenters in memory management and language design threads cite it as the best explanation of group lifetimes versus per-object ownership.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2025–2026P Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics · talkRecommended as a balanced take on AI and education, with the point that learning takes work that no technology can do for you.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2026Praised as the clearest visual explanation of transmission lines, impedance and signal propagation, with several commenters saying it made it all click.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2025–2026HN cites it constantly in US manufacturing debates as a vivid demonstration of how much domestic industrial capability has been lost.
- 12 HN recommenders 5 months 2026HN repeatedly recommends it as an up-to-date, fact-focused case for solar and batteries that readers can cite on land use and costs.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2025–2026HN users recommend it as an excellent, accessible overview of how modern chips are produced and why EUV matters.
- 7 HN recommenders 6 months 2024–2026C Cool Bug Facts · tutorialHN commenters call it an internet classic that makes you a more proficient Excel user, and note it is still relevant despite predating newer functions like XLOOKUP.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2024–2026J Jenny Nicholson · documentaryHN people strongly recommend it as the best overview of the Galactic Starcruiser and a case study in misaligned incentives and poor guest experience, engaging despite its length.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2025Offered as an accessible, well-made explainer to share in threads on scam texts, crypto fraud and scam compounds.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2025HN people link it as the go-to explainer for grid and inverter stability, especially in threads about blackouts and distributed solar.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2026HN people recommend it as the definitive, thorough guide to getting dishwashers to clean properly and often send it to friends.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2025Recommended as the best deep dive on tokenizers, worth the two hours for anyone working with LLMs.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2026C ChimiChanga · talkHN cites it as one of the best talks on data-oriented design, applying struct-of-arrays and compact data layouts to a real compiler.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2024–2025HN recommends it as a detailed, pilot's-eye summary of the whole MH370 story and the case for searching again.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2026HN people cite it in threads on vehicle size and safety as a clear explanation tying grille height to deaths.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2024–2026HN treats it as the go-to visual explanation of attention, recommended to people who find text-based transformer explainers hard to follow.
- 7 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026T tripflag · demoHN commenters call it a model demo video and the quickest way to see how much one developer packed into a self-hosted file server.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2025HN recommends it whenever zip codes, addresses or geospatial data come up, as a clear explanation of the hidden pattern in post codes.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2025–2026T The Ezra Klein Show · interviewHN commenters recommend it as a data-driven explanation of the 2024 election and voter trends.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2025–2026Pointed to as the in-depth talk on exception mechanics and code size for embedded C++.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2024–2025W Wes Bos · explainerHN points to it as the clearest frontend explanation of why McMaster-Carr feels so snappy, often contrasted with slow modern UIs.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026HN sends people here as the most straightforward and detailed starting point for understanding EUV lithography.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2025–2026R runevision · explainerHN recommends it as the original explainer for a clever dithering technique and the go-to video in dithering threads.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2024–2026HN links it whenever the Moon's orbit comes up, as a concise explanation of why the Moon always curves toward the Sun.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025HN recommends it as an excellent inside look at Valve's history, its technology and the games industry of the time.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026C Curt Jaimungal · interviewHN recommends it as a fascinating, mind-expanding interview on bioelectricity and non-reductionist biology.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026O OUTDOORS55 · tutorialRecommended by commenters who say its practical, scientific explanations finally taught them how and why sharpening works.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025M MangoJelly Solutions for FreeCAD · courseHN users recommend MangoJelly's thorough tutorials as the best way to learn FreeCAD properly, since trial and error doesn't work.
- 6 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025R Ruby on Rails · talkHN commenters point to it as a primer on modern Rails and as a rebuttal to cloud 'learned helplessness', worth watching even by non-Ruby developers.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024HN people recommend it for a first-hand view of how Tor holds up in practice, from someone who had to rely on it.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026P Polylog · explainerRecommended as an intuitive, animated explanation of P vs NP framed around reversing computation.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025HN commenters call it the best explanation of how holograms work, and one says it transformed their understanding.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026Recommended as a well-made documentary explaining Nortel's rise and the index-fund and bubble dynamics around it.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025HN readers recommend it as an intuitive explanation of neural networks that shifts how people think about AI and language.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2026HN commenters recommend it as the accessible deep-dive on EUV lithography and why chip manufacturing is so hard.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024S S3 | Science, Startups, & Stories · explainerHN commenters point to it as a clear, short tour of Terraform's synthetic fuel approach and goals.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024HN recommends it whenever 'why don't you just...' comes up as an example of arrogant, dismissive advice.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025HN commenters recommend it as a catchy, accurate piece of science edutainment, and admire its footnote practice.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026P Peter Attia MD · podcast episodeHN commenters point to it as a detailed primer on why US healthcare is expensive and where the money goes.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026Recommended as a good, accessible explanation of PFAS, its low safe limits and why regulation matters.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025HN recommends it as a sobering counterpoint to the Feynman myth for people whose view comes from Surely You're Joking.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025Recommended as a nuanced, up-to-date account of human prehistory from a leading researcher in ancient DNA.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026N Noodle · explainerHN recommends it as an entertaining deep dive on CRT versus LCD rendering of retro games and the case for CRT shaders.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026C !!Con · talkRecommended as an amazing blind-debugging story with deep detail on 1970s spacecraft computing.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024S Sasha Rush · lectureHN commenters recommend it for building intuition about state space models and the tradeoffs between transformer and SSM layers.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025J Jane Street · talkRecommended as a fascinating technical account of the optimizations behind uv's speed.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025Recommended as high-quality physics communication and as an introduction to Noether and energy non-conservation in cosmology.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025M Matthias random stuff · explainerUsed as evidence that CPU speed for branchy, dependent code has improved only modestly in 15-20 years, so software optimization matters.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026Recommended as a rare detailed look at how 3b1b videos are made, including live debugging of his rendering engine.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026B Business Insider · documentaryCited in threads on AI infrastructure as evidence of the water, power and community costs of data centers.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025HN recommends it as a methodical argument that many US city pairs make economic sense for high-speed rail.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2026D Dubmood · music videoHN commenters point to it as an impressive showpiece of the demoscene and a nostalgic career retrospective of a legendary group.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025P Projects With Everyday Dave · demoHN points to it as real-world, side-by-side data on vertical versus angled panel orientation.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026HN commenters recommend it for changing how they think about distributions and for showing how criticality shows up across earthquakes, wildfires and other fields.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026H Harvard Business Review · tutorialHN commenters share it as a short, practical resource for people who struggle with small talk.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026E Eager Space · explainerRecommended in orbital data center threads as a thorough, numbers-based assessment.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024HN recommends it as a long but worthwhile way to demystify how language models work technically.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025C Cathode Ray Dude - CRD · documentaryHN recommends it as an excellent history of the famous ABIT BP6 board.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026A Aging Wheels · explainerHN cites it as data-backed evidence that weight has little effect on EV range while air resistance from trailers does.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026HN recommends it as an accessible introduction to Gaussian splats, made by people who understand the subject.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025A Australian Phoenix CyberOps · documentaryRecommended as a documentary telling the early hacking and spy-hunting story, with the original people involved.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026HN points to it in Colorado River and water-use threads as an accessible explainer of why the Western water shortage keeps getting worse.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026HN readers point to it as an example of Tom7's ridiculous-but-brilliant programming projects, here tied to license parody and typesetting.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026HN people point to it for intuition about why some games are hard to navigate and for its Rush Hour and graph visualizations.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026HN recommends it as an excellent explanation of how we know cosmic distances.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026HN commenters recommend it as the physical-machine take on replicating handwriting, with plenty of explained iteration.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025HN people link it in threads on big vehicles and road safety as a comparison of US and Dutch fire department approaches.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026Recommended as detailed math on rent versus buy, showing the choice is often roughly a wash.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026Loved for its zoom-out tour of physical scales and recommended alongside other paper-size and scale-of-the-universe discussions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024HN points to her videos as a counterpoint to popular dark matter discussion, framing it as the discrepancy that needs explaining.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026HN recommends it as the best starting point for understanding the Wasm Component Model and WASI direction, straight from its designer.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2025HN commenters find the hypothesis elegant and the channel consistently thought-provoking, and point to it in threads on light, particles and wave functions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026J Jim Lill · demoRecommended as a systematic, surprising experiment, often cited in audio and gear-obsession threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026Recommended in regreening and desertification threads as an optimistic, constructive example of land restoration.
- 1 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026M Moon Channel · commentaryHN commenters recommend it, along with its sequel, as an enlightening explanation of the economic and cultural roots of gender friction in South Korea.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2025Recommended as a compact, practical summary of enterprise SaaS sales for technical founders.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025Pointed to in threads on CS skin economy and Valve as an investigation arguing Valve is complicit in underage gambling.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024HN recommends it as a gripping look at what nation-state attackers can do, used as the primary source in threads about iPhone security and Kaspersky.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026T The New Yorker · videoHN brings it up in threads about captchas, bots and AI agents as an excellent short film about being a robot.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026Recommended as a clear, evidence-backed introduction to the economics of animal welfare in meat and egg production.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026C Curt Jaimungal · interviewHN commenters point to it as a credible, clearly explained alternative take on quantum foundations from a Harvard physicist.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2025F fasterthanlime · commentaryPointed to in GitHub Actions threads as a well-argued critique of how brittle and confused the platform is.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024HN cites it for the argument that LLMs capture language form but not meaning, and for how the brain's language network works.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026F Fallopium Films · commentaryHN recommends it as the best video essay on the film's use of Pale Fire.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026HN points to it as an accessible explainer of AlphaFold and as an example of narrow, specialized ML delivering real scientific breakthroughs.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026D Dr Geoff Lindsey · explainerHN points to it as an expert correction of myths about vocal fry, showing it is a normal speech pattern across groups.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2025W WeberAuto · explainerHN recommends it as a clear explanation of a mind-blowingly simple power-split hybrid design.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026Commenters send it to people asking how engines survive such temperatures, and call it fascinating and worth watching.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026Recommended as a fun, informative rediscovery of a lost film-effects technique.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2026F Flight Software Workshop · talkCommenters recommend it for the remarkable remote reverse engineering done on decades-old hardware with no simulator.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026HN cites it in LLM randomness and number-picking threads as evidence that humans are also biased and predictable when asked for random numbers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026HN fans point to it as a fun, nerdy crossover of bird song acoustics and technology, and the story itself got its own thread.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2025A Alexander the ok · documentaryHN commenters recommend it as an amazing overview of the technical feats and history behind Elite, and cite it for what the 6502 could do.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026HN mentions it mostly as a source for the argument that sugar is toxic, though some commenters push back on claims like fructose being addictive.
Showing the 100 best-scored of 259. Use search to find the rest.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.