Good thought. Yesterday I looked at some of the videos peterfarrow linked. I made it all the way through only two, both featuring drifting cars. Even though I was interested in the series about the 1965 New York blackout, my short attention span took my mind away somewhere between 5 and 7 minutes into the video. A complex topic needs to be subdivided into several short videos. 5 to 7 minutes is about all that my mind can transmit in a single session too. Some days it's far less than that.
It is usually difficult for a advanced speaker to talk on a basic level since it is difficult to judge the experience level of the recipient. This is true of this forum as well. It is impossible to adequately cover a complex topic at a basic level especially if the audience has a wide span of experience levels. In this case that is true, since the audience is unknown. It is therefore necessary that some lectures or demonstrations be targeted at certain audiences.
That is the whole point of doing this. The few highly experienced among us, tend to have strong opinions about how things should be done, and are rarely open to change. Most of us know how to blow up a tube, and don't need or want advanced lessons
Some theory is needed but it should be the minimum needed to convey the message. Ditto the math. The theoretical details can be explained in a static web page. In fact there should be a web page to go with many videos. That's where the whiteboard / Powerpoint slides are kept for "digging into the details" after watching the video.
I can only deal with English here. I grew up in a Spanish speaking community, and Spanish is still very common here, but it hasn't sunk into my head in 59 years, so it's not going to. I try to explain everything using simple, common words. Not a problem for me since my vocabulary isn't very detailed. Technical words will be defined on the web site.
I appreciate you dissected my message.
I will be one of the most avid users of these videos should they ever come out!
In terms of language I just felt that the narrator should try to keep in mind that for the sake of non english speakers but obviously english is the language to use. Just don't use "pop your clogs" as a substitute for "die" or anything of the sort
For the most part people will never "create" new designs. For the most part people are concerned with making things work and understanding why they work. So I think a good "problem based approach" could do wonders to help people out in understanding the most important aspects of tube design. If you know how to deal with oscillation you then have a much better grasp of what oscillation is. As much as logic dictates for theory to preced practice I think the videos will be sought for their practical approach rather than the purely theoretical content.
Anyhow I really wish you (or anybody else) luck with this endeavour. And as the great Albert once said:
I will be one of the most avid users of these videos should they ever come out!
In terms of language I just felt that the narrator should try to keep in mind that for the sake of non english speakers but obviously english is the language to use. Just don't use "pop your clogs" as a substitute for "die" or anything of the sort
For the most part people will never "create" new designs. For the most part people are concerned with making things work and understanding why they work. So I think a good "problem based approach" could do wonders to help people out in understanding the most important aspects of tube design. If you know how to deal with oscillation you then have a much better grasp of what oscillation is. As much as logic dictates for theory to preced practice I think the videos will be sought for their practical approach rather than the purely theoretical content.
Anyhow I really wish you (or anybody else) luck with this endeavour. And as the great Albert once said:
Hi George,
Explosions are always a good way to the keep things interesting. It works for Myth Busters, and I believe you are equally qualified in that regard. "On the schematic this capacitor is designated C4"...Boom! "Yep, that was C4 alright."
Electrocutions work too. I recalling watching a Gerald Weber guitar amp repair video because he reached into the chassis and touched his finger to the input lead and faked being electrocuted while the amp buzzed like crazy, until he pulled his finger out. At least I remember his name because of that.
I agree with you, a talking head or a lecture without demonstrations is dry, boring stuff, but watching a hands-on lab demonstration can be riveting! An occasional short face shot (eye contact while driving home a point) is needed for shot variety and is important for giving the subject matter some life.
(Of course a mid-60's big block with twin 4-barrels perched on high rise manifolds with cams that barely idle, suddenly smoking its tires and shooting flames from open headers, could be added if you're really stuck for material. Oh, and some bikini babes here and there.)
..Todd
Explosions are always a good way to the keep things interesting. It works for Myth Busters, and I believe you are equally qualified in that regard. "On the schematic this capacitor is designated C4"...Boom! "Yep, that was C4 alright."
Electrocutions work too. I recalling watching a Gerald Weber guitar amp repair video because he reached into the chassis and touched his finger to the input lead and faked being electrocuted while the amp buzzed like crazy, until he pulled his finger out. At least I remember his name because of that.
I agree with you, a talking head or a lecture without demonstrations is dry, boring stuff, but watching a hands-on lab demonstration can be riveting! An occasional short face shot (eye contact while driving home a point) is needed for shot variety and is important for giving the subject matter some life.
(Of course a mid-60's big block with twin 4-barrels perched on high rise manifolds with cams that barely idle, suddenly smoking its tires and shooting flames from open headers, could be added if you're really stuck for material. Oh, and some bikini babes here and there.)
..Todd
OP chiming back in. Glad to see there is some interest in this. I'm glad I put the idea out there though I won't pretend for a millisecond that I "own" any part of this.
A few thoughts:
I would be excited as heck to see videos from George...and from Anyone else. It would probably be best if you know what you are talking about but even if you don't somebody will watch it and say, "Hey, this is wrong!!" and maybe we'll still have a learning opportunity there.
Generally -- perfection is superfluous to getting 'er done. You can pound a nail with a rock more easily than with the plans for a perfectly balanced titanium and carbonfiber hammer.
Audience -- geeks / enthusiasts. it doesn't have to interest anyone else. would anyone without an interest make it through 5 pages of any of your favorite books on tube amp design? probably not. same applies here.
Content -- I am personally not interested so much in how to build an amplifier as I am in why a particular amplifier is built the way it is built. Why choose this tube or that, why these operating points, why this layout, etc.. This could of course be wrapped up with the construction of a particular amplifier, whether it be a 5-20 or a ES elpmiS ('cause apparently we aren't supposed to say it forwards, right?). I'm also all for general stuff like, How To Read A Datasheet, How To Draw A Load-Line for a (PP / SE) Amplifier and What Does it Tell You, How to Use an O-scope to do X, How To Discharge Power Capacitors (which should probably be done very early), etc., etc.. Some of this is already stuff I have figure out and some not but I'm sure that almost anything decent that gets produced will be of value to somebody.
Production value and format -- anything is better than nothing. the most important thing is what you are saying and how it is said. if you can convey ideas in a way that helps some folks (doesn't have to be everyone) understand something more clearly than they otherwise would then it is good. If you can devise a clever analogy or connect the abstract to the intuitive then you have done something amazing. Perhaps you can think of five different ways to explain the same thing -- perhaps different because of the analogy or level of knowledge of the intended audience or whatever. Make five short videos! Lots of short videos mean you don't have to invest a whole lot in any one of them. The MORE content that is out there the better. Think of them as legos. People will be able to choose what is appropriate for them and the cream will rise to the top. I mentioned two examples in post #1. They are quite different from each other in style, neither very fancy, and have both been valuable sources to me at some point in my learning. The only point at which production value really becomes an issue is when it is so poor that it detracts from the substance of the content.
YouTube -- perhaps we should think of YouTube (or Vimeo or whatever...) simply as the file system. The best way to find and access those videos won't be from searching YouTube but will come from links to them from outside of YouTube (like from here or from Tubelab's page or most likely from 100 different places frequented by tubegeeks.) [Wandering off topic here...] My personal take on YouTube is that it is an amazing phenomenon that has provided a truly massive outlet for creativity, information, and opinion. It is also just a small peek at where things are headed. We are at the beginning of the "data age". The "way it used to be" will be exactly that. I am 40. I am pretty sure that I own both more tube amps and more tiny digital audio players than anyone else in my town. I just finished a CS degree. I am pretty sure I have a better grasp on how technology will change society than 95% of the kids that were in my program. Science fiction becomes reality before our eyes. This explosion of both the creation of and access to data / content is currently a wave that nobody has gotten really good at surfing. It will get a lot better. Someday in the not so distant future your augmented reality glasses will know what you (personally) want to see in your field of view before you even ask for it.
OK, I have code to fix...
A few thoughts:
I would be excited as heck to see videos from George...and from Anyone else. It would probably be best if you know what you are talking about but even if you don't somebody will watch it and say, "Hey, this is wrong!!" and maybe we'll still have a learning opportunity there.
Generally -- perfection is superfluous to getting 'er done. You can pound a nail with a rock more easily than with the plans for a perfectly balanced titanium and carbonfiber hammer.
Audience -- geeks / enthusiasts. it doesn't have to interest anyone else. would anyone without an interest make it through 5 pages of any of your favorite books on tube amp design? probably not. same applies here.
Content -- I am personally not interested so much in how to build an amplifier as I am in why a particular amplifier is built the way it is built. Why choose this tube or that, why these operating points, why this layout, etc.. This could of course be wrapped up with the construction of a particular amplifier, whether it be a 5-20 or a ES elpmiS ('cause apparently we aren't supposed to say it forwards, right?). I'm also all for general stuff like, How To Read A Datasheet, How To Draw A Load-Line for a (PP / SE) Amplifier and What Does it Tell You, How to Use an O-scope to do X, How To Discharge Power Capacitors (which should probably be done very early), etc., etc.. Some of this is already stuff I have figure out and some not but I'm sure that almost anything decent that gets produced will be of value to somebody.
Production value and format -- anything is better than nothing. the most important thing is what you are saying and how it is said. if you can convey ideas in a way that helps some folks (doesn't have to be everyone) understand something more clearly than they otherwise would then it is good. If you can devise a clever analogy or connect the abstract to the intuitive then you have done something amazing. Perhaps you can think of five different ways to explain the same thing -- perhaps different because of the analogy or level of knowledge of the intended audience or whatever. Make five short videos! Lots of short videos mean you don't have to invest a whole lot in any one of them. The MORE content that is out there the better. Think of them as legos. People will be able to choose what is appropriate for them and the cream will rise to the top. I mentioned two examples in post #1. They are quite different from each other in style, neither very fancy, and have both been valuable sources to me at some point in my learning. The only point at which production value really becomes an issue is when it is so poor that it detracts from the substance of the content.
YouTube -- perhaps we should think of YouTube (or Vimeo or whatever...) simply as the file system. The best way to find and access those videos won't be from searching YouTube but will come from links to them from outside of YouTube (like from here or from Tubelab's page or most likely from 100 different places frequented by tubegeeks.) [Wandering off topic here...] My personal take on YouTube is that it is an amazing phenomenon that has provided a truly massive outlet for creativity, information, and opinion. It is also just a small peek at where things are headed. We are at the beginning of the "data age". The "way it used to be" will be exactly that. I am 40. I am pretty sure that I own both more tube amps and more tiny digital audio players than anyone else in my town. I just finished a CS degree. I am pretty sure I have a better grasp on how technology will change society than 95% of the kids that were in my program. Science fiction becomes reality before our eyes. This explosion of both the creation of and access to data / content is currently a wave that nobody has gotten really good at surfing. It will get a lot better. Someday in the not so distant future your augmented reality glasses will know what you (personally) want to see in your field of view before you even ask for it.
OK, I have code to fix...
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.