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Hello Internet

H.I. #4: Feedback on Feedback

 

00:00:00   Well I was going to amaze you and say that I have prepared notes but it's more a case of I started to prepare notes. [TS]

00:00:09   So since we last spoke. Much has happened. [TS]

00:00:13   Yes nots has happened and I know we traditionally start with what I always accidently call feedback [TS]

00:00:20   but you call follow up and this is going to be a very exciting follow up because the podcast is now like public [TS]

00:00:28   and people have to listen to it. [TS]

00:00:30   Yes that's no longer it's no longer just you correcting yourself and flogging yourself on mistakes you've made. [TS]

00:00:36   You can F. Love yourself of mistakes other people have found. [TS]

00:00:39   Yes that's true I can I can get feedback from everybody out there in the world [TS]

00:00:43   but yes it is it is public it is out there which is a big relief to finally have it kind of out in the world instead of [TS]

00:00:51   just a little project between the two of us. [TS]

00:00:55   So what are some of your some of your notes that let's start out with your preparations are you done. [TS]

00:00:59   Well I thought we might event maybe talk about some of the content of the episodes [TS]

00:01:03   but first do with some of the sort of general fade back and follow up [TS]

00:01:08   and I guess I mean I guess a lot of it has to Spain has been really positive. It's been amazing. [TS]

00:01:14   I mean it's mainly pain. [TS]

00:01:17   You know people saying how wonderful you are which is fair enough [TS]

00:01:21   but there are Brady fellows I have you there in the comments Brady fans. [TS]

00:01:25   Yeah there are a couple out there but there isn't a has been a criticism of me and I'd like to [TS]

00:01:31   and I think it's something worth addressing. [TS]

00:01:33   Guessing at least and this was this feeling that it's basically me asking you a bunch of questions [TS]

00:01:41   and you talking a whole lot and I thought we should discuss that [TS]

00:01:45   or what you have to discuss about that OK I'm curious from your perspective. [TS]

00:01:48   Well there's a few points the first point is I completely agree it is [TS]

00:01:54   but it is for the most part me just ask any questions but. [TS]

00:02:00   I think that's kind of the way it should be to a large extent and I think you [TS]

00:02:04   and I discussed this before we even started the nature of whether or not you know I'm asking you questions and [TS]

00:02:10   and how much I read on myself and [TS]

00:02:13   and for the record I mean you've always You've always said you want to hear a lot from me you know you don't just want [TS]

00:02:20   me to ask you questions but I think it was always going to be that way this plays to our strengths. [TS]

00:02:28   This is this is the way we are isn't that I mean you were like a talk communicator type person [TS]

00:02:35   and then you used to be a teacher for goodness sake. [TS]

00:02:37   Yeah I know I am a question ask you know and I'm I'm a journalist by training so you put two of us in a room. [TS]

00:02:45   One guy he has lots of things to say and you know Legion likes to communicate [TS]

00:02:49   and another guy he likes to like ask questions and find things out from people. [TS]

00:02:54   Of course it's going to it's going to happen now isn't there. [TS]

00:02:57   Yeah I think you're partly right [TS]

00:02:59   and part of the reason that that I wanted to work with you on this is that you think that you are the best interviewer [TS]

00:03:05   person I have ever come across [TS]

00:03:08   and for that for those of you who have ever seen Brady's You Tube videos you know he's always interviewing somebody [TS]

00:03:14   else and he does the editing and he often cuts out his own questioning parts [TS]

00:03:18   but I have I have seen it happen live a couple of times [TS]

00:03:21   and you really work some magic with the interviews like that that is just your skill but even [TS]

00:03:28   when we're just hanging out and just talking not recording you know for just you know having a drink together [TS]

00:03:33   or something. [TS]

00:03:34   You're still the same way I like that that is fundamentally your personality is to ask questions and it's [TS]

00:03:41   when you hear you describe me as a talker because I normally think of myself as a very quiet [TS]

00:03:46   and reserved person because I spend most of my time not talking [TS]

00:03:49   but I am also completely aware that I can I can get on a roll that is just a little too long [TS]

00:03:55   and so I can I can definitely need someone to help guide me through the part. [TS]

00:04:00   That are terribly uninteresting I mean you are you are a quiet person [TS]

00:04:04   and you are like a reserved guy straight up once you're weak inmates [TS]

00:04:07   and people you're friendly with I think you know you're pretty comfortable talking [TS]

00:04:11   and I blossom I did I did read one comment in a review though that I did find funny where someone sort of said that [TS]

00:04:18   they felt like I was here to ground you. [TS]

00:04:21   Yes I think I saw that I saw that same one and I thought that is exactly right. [TS]

00:04:27   I think really all I see are kind of funny for another reason because you must be one of the most grounded people I [TS]

00:04:34   know. Whereas I'm you know I'm a bit all over the place. [TS]

00:04:37   So the idea of the idea of me granting you actually made me chuckle whereas your normally sort of the calming influence [TS]

00:04:44   in the past someone who gives me good advice [TS]

00:04:46   and things that say I like the idea of meeting this calming influence all of a sudden. [TS]

00:04:51   Anyway anyway that they were the things I had to say about the in the questioning what if you thought one of you. [TS]

00:04:56   You've been obviously raging through some of the you know early comments and feedback is anything sort of. [TS]

00:05:03   We caught your eye. Yeah I mean it's been interesting. [TS]

00:05:07   It's always really nerve racking when you have a new project and you want to launch it out into the world [TS]

00:05:13   and see what people think about it [TS]

00:05:15   and I have to say it has been a much more positive experience than I was expecting that we were doing really well in [TS]

00:05:22   the download numbers and we're just getting a lot of positive comments [TS]

00:05:26   and we have a ton of positive reviews on i Tunes and if you want to discuss any of these episodes in particular [TS]

00:05:33   or to leave a comment on one of the episodes for now we're having all of the discussion happening on my sub reddit so [TS]

00:05:41   if you go to read it. R.T.D. D.I.T.C. [TS]

00:05:44   Dot com slash R the letter R slash C G P Great discussion thread in there for each of the episodes that we can put up. [TS]

00:05:55   And if you want to leave feedback for now that is probably one of the best places to do so. I do go. [TS]

00:06:00   Through that and read all the comments [TS]

00:06:01   and I'm very interested to see what people what people have to say about the project so far. [TS]

00:06:06   You're really interactive there too I've noticed I think I think we might talk about sort of comics [TS]

00:06:10   and say that like can we get time [TS]

00:06:11   but I have noticed on the separate if you're very you're very interactive it's you know with the with the people with [TS]

00:06:18   the community as well. [TS]

00:06:20   Yeah I think that's why the reason why I'm very happy to direct feedback because unlike You Tube unlike other places I [TS]

00:06:28   find it really manageable to try to have conversations with a larger number of people we do have it scheduled at some [TS]

00:06:35   point I want to talk about common systems in general so I don't want to discuss that too much right here [TS]

00:06:39   but the short version is that it's really easy on Reddit to get a sense of what people are saying [TS]

00:06:45   and to have feedback [TS]

00:06:47   and interactions with a bunch of people so I think it's I think is a better place to go for now it's a good community [TS]

00:06:54   tell you the Reddit community like it's like you know you get you get funny stuff and you get love [TS]

00:06:59   and you get height but it's always quite smart and quite like the they seem like good people on Reddit [TS]

00:07:06   and a lot of ways they say my blessing that my kind of people when I read the comments as opposed to comments [TS]

00:07:11   and a lot of other social media. [TS]

00:07:13   Yeah as with absolutely everything it always depends on the section that you're going [TS]

00:07:18   but I would agree with you as a general statement actually that stream I read it quite narrow [TS]

00:07:23   and I read it in the sump and it's like I should be careful what I say. Let me ask you about something else. [TS]

00:07:30   The hello internet logo you mean. The artwork. [TS]

00:07:34   Yeah the little the little that I know I know you sort of sent me a few ideas for hand [TS]

00:07:40   and you know then you kind of went off [TS]

00:07:42   and did you think I believe what happened was I said to them you didn't like them and then I used it anyway. [TS]

00:07:47   It's I think that is actually the process that unfolded I don't like to mock what like I quite like the H.I.I. [TS]

00:07:55   when You've gone and I'm glad because I sometimes look at you know how when you look at something. [TS]

00:08:00   For a long time you suddenly see it differently [TS]

00:08:01   and I certainly see that the sort of the gray lines going up into the white block to make their the high [TS]

00:08:08   and stuff like that. I'm not too sure about the little pool you've got on. [TS]

00:08:12   Yeah the border I might have to change but I listen to a lot of pod cast as a as I've mentioned before [TS]

00:08:18   and I'm always aware that the artwork seems to be designed for a really big screen. [TS]

00:08:25   But you actually look at it as like a little one centimetre by one centimetre image on your phone. [TS]

00:08:29   So I just I was trying to go for something that was very visually immediately recognizable [TS]

00:08:34   and sort of try to catch people's attention and I think I think that kind of works [TS]

00:08:38   and also the dark gray color was not really used by very many pod cast so I thought I'd go with that for obvious [TS]

00:08:45   reasons but I would say it did look good to the good when we were sort of dominating the i Tunes charts for a while [TS]

00:08:52   and you can just see like all the little high logos all over the place for the number one podcast in various [TS]

00:08:57   and I thought that it worked very well like that I thought it was really eye catching. [TS]

00:09:02   Well if anyone wants to put any comments about it I'd be really interested to read it because at the moment it's you [TS]

00:09:07   and I talking but yeah I do wonder what people think of that. [TS]

00:09:10   So I see some some feedback sorry some follow up from episode three which was the work life balance. [TS]

00:09:20   Yeah a light bulbs. Yes you have your four lightbulbs faces. [TS]

00:09:26   Yeah I don't have any reflections on any anyone said anything to you about it. Well I. [TS]

00:09:30   Just what I want to start off by saying it was really interesting listening to that [TS]

00:09:35   when I was editing the podcast for release listening to it a second time it was really clear how we each think about [TS]

00:09:43   work in very different ways. [TS]

00:09:45   Do you think it came across very much to me anyway that that you were dealing much more with with kind of work in [TS]

00:09:55   parallel with other things maybe than I am and I was thinking of work as. [TS]

00:10:01   Chunks of time like very clearly dedicated to one task [TS]

00:10:06   and I just I think it's interesting that whenever whenever we hear other You Tube You Tube [TS]

00:10:10   or guys get together it's it is interesting how we're all sort of doing the same thing [TS]

00:10:16   but each one of us does it in very different ways [TS]

00:10:19   and I think you can hear that a little bit in the in the previous episode [TS]

00:10:24   but I don't know how much of that might be the extent to which I was being devil's advocate at times [TS]

00:10:29   but I think it's interesting that you say that. [TS]

00:10:32   I don't know what to make of it I think I would just say is that I get from the Reddit thread it was it was interesting [TS]

00:10:38   to see there's this issue with analogies and like boys [TS]

00:10:44   and I think I said it a little bit at the beginning of a boy that analogy. [TS]

00:10:48   There are definitely a lot of problems with that analysis. You might have to revisit it and refine it. [TS]

00:10:56   Yeah I figure you know well you know it's productivity is probably I think we're going to come back to at some point so [TS]

00:11:00   I don't know what had well on it. Yeah I'd like to say Tenet will be doing that for us. Yes. [TS]

00:11:08   Well I just want to say that my wife my favorite piece of feedback came from Henry. [TS]

00:11:14   He of the Minute Physics fame and he just sent me a little email [TS]

00:11:19   and all it said was I think you forgot that light bulbs can be wired in parallel which is like a devastating remark to [TS]

00:11:27   make to someone who has taught physics. [TS]

00:11:30   Like yes I totally understand that this analogy does not work like a straight up I actually have a battery [TS]

00:11:36   and I actually consider the light of some light bulbs. Very Henri comment there isn't that right. [TS]

00:11:41   Yeah and a very funny thing is I'm going to just slowly embarrass him as well is later on actually just today [TS]

00:11:48   but it was a couple days later he wrote me a much more in-depth e-mail about how the analogy also fails because I [TS]

00:11:55   should really be thinking about it in terms of electromotive force and voltage and the resistance in the air. [TS]

00:12:00   Individual light bulbs and so he was he was really thinking that one through to its absolute conclusion [TS]

00:12:08   but he was here [TS]

00:12:08   and he was doing the advanced version of what I saw many people in the in the common thread talking about which is that [TS]

00:12:15   there are lots of problems with that analogy and I will I will I will fully I will fully admit to some of those [TS]

00:12:21   but I still think my my core idea of the trade off still holds [TS]

00:12:24   but what if it isn't the latest Minute Physics video that just went up in the last day or two about light bulbs. [TS]

00:12:30   Oh I don't know how it is I think I think I don't know I think you may have inspired him I know you've been in a heap [TS]

00:12:35   in a cave in not looking but I think his latest video is about light bulbs. Check I could be wrong. [TS]

00:12:41   The My favorite comment in relation to you know [TS]

00:12:46   and taking the argument to discussing the merits of the light bulb analogy was someone who pointed out that if you [TS]

00:12:53   improve aspects of your life like a health for example that actually increases the power of emotion [TS]

00:13:00   and that she do other things with you have a lot dogs which is something we never discussed. [TS]

00:13:04   Yes Yes And I saw a couple comments like that and I totally agree with that. Well I was and. [TS]

00:13:14   I think there's also something to be said that that people just have kind of intrinsically more [TS]

00:13:20   or less powerful motors then you know other innocent ology right. [TS]

00:13:24   Yeah and you know that's why I always look at you [TS]

00:13:25   and you from my perspective are just this incredible You Tube work machine [TS]

00:13:29   and I think like well I do not have the same kind of wattage output that you seem to have and but [TS]

00:13:36   but that now the one if you can watch me work for a day you would think differently. [TS]

00:13:40   I'm not so sure about that but but I did I did agree with those comments right that [TS]

00:13:44   and I was sort of working towards it at the end of the podcast that at a certain level you know you can invest more [TS]

00:13:50   into one area and then get more out in total [TS]

00:13:55   but I do think there are situations in which that's that's very hard to do. But yeah obviously. [TS]

00:14:00   If you're if your health is at its peak you were able to accomplish much more in all of the other areas [TS]

00:14:05   and the reverse of course is not true as well. So yeah good Mrs C G P Great listen to the podcast. [TS]

00:14:13   She has at this point she has listened to the first two [TS]

00:14:17   but she has not yet listened to the third one that I want I want to listen to I know I know it's time I mentioned her [TS]

00:14:23   in that one and I tried to prod her a little bit but I was like you know I mentioned you in the third one [TS]

00:14:28   but she has been she's been very busy with some other projects. [TS]

00:14:31   At this point so she was into it at some point but has not yet at this stage. [TS]

00:14:35   Well let me tell you Mrs periodic videos are number follow ever. [TS]

00:14:40   I'm supposed to call my much better half did listen to it for say three. [TS]

00:14:45   We went for a drive that by coincidence coincided with the exact length of the podcast so I said let me play this. [TS]

00:14:53   So we played it for the drive and I was as a silence throughout. [TS]

00:14:58   I think I think the only time she spoke during it was at one point admiring Mrs Gray's patience for the patient women [TS]

00:15:06   especially I think I think that was during the time [TS]

00:15:09   when you were talking about how you completely blank for three days when you're putting a video that has just happened. [TS]

00:15:15   Yes Yes And then And then amazingly it just finishes we got to the Kathak where we were going to which was nice timing [TS]

00:15:23   so we pulled up and I said tend to her and said What do you think what do you think about that. [TS]

00:15:29   The main thing that came across was that she said she would quite like to sit down with you [TS]

00:15:34   and discuss a few of the items in a positive way. [TS]

00:15:39   But you know because she's into all that stuff you're into a lot workflows and sleep patterns and things like that. [TS]

00:15:45   But fundamentally I think she she disagreed with your faces and her best argument which she didn't really make [TS]

00:15:53   but she didn't need to make against your argument was her herself she's just sort of fitting. [TS]

00:16:00   And we're talking here about how you can't do all four things at once right and then I kind of I look at her [TS]

00:16:06   and she works really hard in a really demanding job and she's like you know she's got this amazing job [TS]

00:16:14   and she gives so much. She always every day makes time for her friends and wrings them and talks to them. [TS]

00:16:22   She's a brilliant family person and talks to her mom and dad all the time and takes great care of me. [TS]

00:16:28   But she's incredibly healthy [TS]

00:16:30   and goes to the gym all the time in a personal trainer every way you can she watches what she eats [TS]

00:16:34   and she always looks amazing and she does all these things like to the maximum [TS]

00:16:41   and then she's just been spending an hour listening to you and I grumble about home healthy and do my job [TS]

00:16:48   and I think I think embodiment of the argument against. So if you know me Mrs number file is the counter argument. [TS]

00:17:00   Yeah. But maybe I will try to defend myself I will go back to the some people's engines are more powerful than others. [TS]

00:17:07   Yeah you're not just putting a log on the bottom of a car [TS]

00:17:11   and she's a Rolls Royce This is I think I think that might be the conclusion that we need to come to them [TS]

00:17:16   or file as a very powerful motor compared to you. [TS]

00:17:22   So that might very well be the case but I think I think she does want to sit down and talk to a few points. [TS]

00:17:27   We'll arrange that sometime. [TS]

00:17:29   OK I tell you what most of what I was able to say three way you did that you clarified this whole infringement versus [TS]

00:17:37   theft thing when it comes to copyright I'm still that still bothers me a bit. That still bothers you. [TS]

00:17:43   Yeah I think you're being so you're being a bit overly cautious so it's not fair to say if I could I could not disagree [TS]

00:17:50   with you more at this point I fully understand that I can be overly present think about things like this [TS]

00:17:55   but I'm going to very strongly disagree with you there. So if someone comes into my house. [TS]

00:18:00   Takes my Teva a and and watches a few programs on it and then put it back later that day. Have they infringed on my T.V. [TS]

00:18:08   or If I stole them. [TS]

00:18:11   OK well what the person breaks into your first what they broke and entered into your house [TS]

00:18:17   but if they didn't take any money [TS]

00:18:18   or break anything have they just infringed into my house I don't think that's an appropriate analysis I don't think so [TS]

00:18:24   clogs up at all I think Janet stacked the deck in your favor with that one buddy. [TS]

00:18:29   Well well you've already you've already said that you're not good with the analogy. [TS]

00:18:36   Anyway I did listen back to and I think our guy won this stealing from me. This stealing thieves I disagree I think. [TS]

00:18:45   I think infringement is a word that the Internet culture needs to it needs to make happen as a as a common understood [TS]

00:18:54   word like theft is a common understood word [TS]

00:18:56   but I think infringing is like using the word infringing is like dressing something bad up to make it sound not as bad. [TS]

00:19:05   Why can't we give a more emotive word why do we encourage infringing is just like it's such a delicate thing like you [TS]

00:19:12   know you know Germany didn't infringe on Poland didn't like you know it like you don't you don't know [TS]

00:19:18   but there's also another comparable analogy you know what I'm saying [TS]

00:19:21   when Germany said with French It makes a terrible thing sound sound. [TS]

00:19:26   You know somewhere in a more acceptable and I think it is acceptable [TS]

00:19:29   or not I think we should be giving them this this delicate word [TS]

00:19:34   when they're doing a bad thing to us as if the word unfortunate his words aren't perfectly comparable [TS]

00:19:39   but you do also have the word piracy which is a similar kind of thing that's an emotive. I like that. [TS]

00:19:45   But yeah it is a more motive word [TS]

00:19:47   but that is usually piracy is talking about individuals making copies for themselves you know [TS]

00:19:55   and so they are they're engaged in piracy which it is more emotive but it. [TS]

00:20:00   That was my motive in a very cool kind of way. Right like pirates have a lot of social cache these days. [TS]

00:20:07   Though I'm not sure it's really dissuading the kids you know don't you know don't be an awesome cool pirate [TS]

00:20:14   but I'm going to I'm going to we're going to have to disagree on this I want to point I want to put the challenge out [TS]

00:20:20   there that I want to I want a new word to describe what you call infringing that is more a motive you know it doesn't [TS]

00:20:29   cross swords with stealing [TS]

00:20:31   and theft which isn't his you know all right sacred anyway they will you know we'll see we'll see if people in the [TS]

00:20:37   Reddit thread for this video can come up with a better word. [TS]

00:20:40   So you want do you want something that just it just sounds mean I want to word to describe the the practice of other [TS]

00:20:48   people or organizations taking content and using it for their own purposes. [TS]

00:20:55   Yeah we'll see if we'll see someone from a comes up with something. [TS]

00:20:58   Sorry I had to get it off my chest anymore but I think that that is the point to follow up Brady right. [TS]

00:21:03   There's always going to be something that's sticking in your mind and this is the this is the time to discuss it now. [TS]

00:21:11   A low internet state sponsor is audible dot com a leading provider of spoken audio information [TS]

00:21:16   and entertainment to listen to audio books whenever and wherever you want. [TS]

00:21:19   It's my job to recommend something interesting to you to listen to [TS]

00:21:22   and this week that's going to be a walk in the woods by Bill Bryson. [TS]

00:21:26   Bryson is a travel writer [TS]

00:21:28   and this is his experience walking along the Appalachian Trail which for those of you who are unaware is a path in the [TS]

00:21:33   woods in America that goes from Maine to Georgia and it's incredibly long [TS]

00:21:37   and actually genuinely dangerous because it is of course nature. [TS]

00:21:41   The thing that I like about this book is that Bryson is not like a professional adventurous guy he was a kind of normal [TS]

00:21:48   homebody sort of person [TS]

00:21:50   and so his experience walking along the Appalachian Trail is a lot like what I would imagine if I tried to walk along [TS]

00:21:56   the Appalachian Trail basically kind of a disaster from. [TS]

00:22:00   Beginning to end about a very entertaining story for other people to hear [TS]

00:22:03   and it really is an enjoyable tale just from start to finish with him [TS]

00:22:07   and this friend of his cats trying to do this adventure that they are both clearly not prepared for in any way. [TS]

00:22:14   I personally had the enjoyable experience of listening to this book on a road trip. [TS]

00:22:17   A number of years ago when I actually intersecting paths with the Appalachian Trail which I decided to get out [TS]

00:22:22   and explore and also got briefly lost and terrified. But that's a story for another time. [TS]

00:22:27   They're going to highly recommend this book [TS]

00:22:29   and the copy on a bill is also read by Bill Bryson which he has a good narrating voice [TS]

00:22:34   and as I've said in a previous spot I like it [TS]

00:22:37   when the author reads their own thing they put a different spin on it then the professional narrator might. [TS]

00:22:42   So if you want you can listen to a walk in the woods for free with audible all you need to do is go to audible dot com [TS]

00:22:50   slash hello internet that's all one word [TS]

00:22:52   and sign up for a thirty day trial by using the audible dot com slash hello internet link. [TS]

00:22:57   That's how they know you came from us which is one of the ways we're going to figure out if this pod casting experiment [TS]

00:23:03   is a success. [TS]

00:23:04   So if you want to listen to it audible has it with over one hundred fifty thousand titles in virtually every genre [TS]

00:23:09   you'll find what you're looking for get a free audio book [TS]

00:23:11   and thirty day trial today by signing up at Audible dot com slash hello internet. [TS]

00:23:16   That's Audible dot com slash hello internet. All one word. [TS]

00:23:20   What's been going on what's been going on in the in your life or in my life [TS]

00:23:23   or any it's been quite a lot has been crazy. [TS]

00:23:27   Yeah life has been crazy for both of us for the past week [TS]

00:23:30   and for you crazier I think because you just got back from Vietnam did you not. I did I did. [TS]

00:23:37   And what were you what were you doing on the other side of the world. [TS]

00:23:40   I don't know how much you know about my my dad but he was a on a on a strike as you know [TS]

00:23:49   but know many people not many American people even seem to realize that a stray alien soldiers fought in the Vietnam [TS]

00:23:56   War So you know. [TS]

00:24:00   It's a sort of it was an allied force a lot of people it was really surprised and I tell them that [TS]

00:24:03   and my father fought in the Vietnam War So I've kind of grown up you know knowing knowing this [TS]

00:24:10   and knowing that some places have these stories. [TS]

00:24:13   So basically the purpose of this trip was to go with him to Vietnam [TS]

00:24:18   and travel around to some of the places where where all the stuff went down which is really interesting it's it's [TS]

00:24:24   especially interesting for me because there are two things about my dad that are unusual in this respect. [TS]

00:24:30   One was he did two tours of the Vietnam War [TS]

00:24:34   and the first twelve months which I think was in one nine hundred sixty eight I thank him [TS]

00:24:39   and then he did another eight month tour towards the end which I can't remember the year it was seventy one I come in [TS]

00:24:46   with terrible that that on that first tour he was a dog tracker let me he was that dog that he was a dog handler [TS]

00:24:55   and that of a tracking dog. [TS]

00:24:57   So his war experience was quite different to a lot of other people in so far as his role was to lead this dog around [TS]

00:25:05   sniffing and what with the over the dog doing. The dog was sniffing. [TS]

00:25:12   Enemy forces the Cong [TS]

00:25:15   or North Vietnamese soldiers So a typical scenario would be that would be a contact it would be a battle. [TS]

00:25:22   And then my dad and his dog which was called Caesar would be brought in to sort of sniff [TS]

00:25:29   and follow the retreating troops and try [TS]

00:25:33   and reengage with them from a combat sense he had quite an unusual experience [TS]

00:25:38   but he also had a personally very interesting experience because his relationship through the war was was more with the [TS]

00:25:45   dogs than with other soldiers in many ways so it was a very it was a very unusual and special relationship. [TS]

00:25:51   But also my dad went on to become a journalist and a writer [TS]

00:25:55   and once he finished his sort of journalistic career he settled down to Russia. [TS]

00:26:00   Books and he's written a number of books about Vietnam War [TS]

00:26:03   and his first one of the most successful on school track at this is about him and the dog. [TS]

00:26:09   So I'd heard some of these stories but not all of them [TS]

00:26:12   but then I read this book which is just crammed with amazing stories that I didn't know. [TS]

00:26:17   So suddenly I had all this you know all these stories [TS]

00:26:20   and all the stuff that's who never seen the place up in there so that's what last week was if it was about going to [TS]

00:26:27   going to the site of these places and of course maybe a man died quite wanted me to I took my camera along [TS]

00:26:34   and he sort of retold a lot of these stories. And Mike that's a really good story teller. [TS]

00:26:39   He retold a lot of the stories in the places where they happened [TS]

00:26:42   and I wrote the camera I've written quickly will get around to editing them at some point we're going to see these [TS]

00:26:47   videos on one of your many channels at some point yeah I'll probably just put on my life on my channel called Brady [TS]

00:26:53   stuff which just channel where I just done. [TS]

00:26:56   As I believe I don't read the left but I don't know for a while [TS]

00:27:01   and this is like yet another channel of yours that I have never even heard of existing Well this is a channel where I [TS]

00:27:06   put things I haven't got a channel lyrically there are some topics that I haven't got a channel for say so I was [TS]

00:27:13   surprised that you don't have a dedicated Vietnam war chant for example that's not a bad idea actually maybe I like now [TS]

00:27:19   so I don't know I'll probably pop in on their side anyway. [TS]

00:27:22   Anyway as you know by the by I mean for me it wasn't so much about making videos it was about you know spending some [TS]

00:27:29   time with your dad and hearing it on with my day and it's always good to put you know to visit places [TS]

00:27:37   and really it gives you a different understanding of stuff whether it's something intense like the Vietnam War [TS]

00:27:42   or going to the Eiffel Tower you know when you visit the real place you kind of can take on. [TS]

00:27:47   Now I understand the geography and yet so is fundamentally different to matter how much you hear about a place [TS]

00:27:52   when you go it's just a different experience. [TS]

00:27:55   Yeah there's a much more human experience to be there and to and to stand in the in the. [TS]

00:28:00   Place where something actually happened. Yeah exactly. So anyway that was that's kind of crazy but it was good fun. [TS]

00:28:07   I'm glad I'm glad you came back alive. [TS]

00:28:09   Yeah you described we wouldn't finish the series if I got some malaria or something right here. [TS]

00:28:14   Yeah that is true and I was I was nervous when you tweeted that menu that had intestines [TS]

00:28:19   and a bunch of other terrifying foods on it. Yes and I thought if I don't make them on it didn't. [TS]

00:28:24   Yeah that's what it was it was it was rectum and I was thinking these Brady do not become terribly sick [TS]

00:28:31   or die on this trip and I've never ate so much squid in all my life that I love this clip there. [TS]

00:28:41   Oh yeah the thing that was really interesting that I was that it was it was really interesting to go to a place in that [TS]

00:28:50   kind of military tourism context where I deny for lack of a better term you're on the losing side. [TS]

00:29:01   I mean I'm in I'm in the US and Australia is in the allies withdrew from Vietnam in the North Vietnamese came down [TS]

00:29:07   and and took took the country so to speak and you know it's now describe this country that is this communist country [TS]

00:29:14   and the war is a great victory for them to go and to go there [TS]

00:29:19   and be doing this ought to be taken around by to a guide [TS]

00:29:22   when of the force that was not victorious was very interesting and [TS]

00:29:26   and so it's a different you know we're used to going to sort of. [TS]

00:29:30   Places where terrible things happen to ultimately you know in a victorious context I'm right [TS]

00:29:36   and this was the opposite which was really interesting. [TS]

00:29:40   When I thought about that but that's a good point normally normally [TS]

00:29:43   when you're doing that like the war monuments that we know and a strain on American would tend to go to or are there. [TS]

00:29:52   There are monuments of triumph and doing a tour where that was not the case is a different experience. [TS]

00:30:00   Yeah I was also arranged in going to the Vietnamese museum about a penny you know. [TS]

00:30:07   It's probably there's only so much we could talk for [TS]

00:30:10   and in a podcast that's more about I dunno what's podcasters about this probably not about war stories. [TS]

00:30:16   This punk is about what we want to be about. [TS]

00:30:19   So totally count but I was glad I didn't [TS]

00:30:22   and I did make videos there so it is about it is about filmmaking I tell you what from a filmmaker perspective it's [TS]

00:30:28   really hard to make videos of your dad. I do know that right now. Why. [TS]

00:30:34   Because well partly because of the way my dad is [TS]

00:30:37   but also just because there's a different dynamic coming up you know when I'm interviewing someone [TS]

00:30:43   or filming something. [TS]

00:30:44   The video is them but I can take control to an extent and guide them with the questioning [TS]

00:30:49   and if they've got a certain point they want to make or a way they want to tell the story [TS]

00:30:54   and I don't think it's going to work. [TS]

00:30:56   I can either delicately Shepparton with my questions or I can I can be more frank and slap them around the years [TS]

00:31:02   and so now we need to do it like this. [TS]

00:31:05   But my dad obviously had you know stories he wanted to tell in ways he wanted to tell them [TS]

00:31:10   and they didn't always fit with what I thought would work in a video [TS]

00:31:14   and all the different techniques I know Billy you on on people to get what I want just didn't work it was like he says [TS]

00:31:22   he knows you do well is blowing off all your tricks. [TS]

00:31:25   Now they had enough it was that I felt like I felt like there was kryptonite in the air in terms of my ability to steer [TS]

00:31:37   the interview either way I sometimes can't it was [TS]

00:31:40   and I must because it was my dad because it never happens with anyone else. [TS]

00:31:43   Yeah I guess you were not in a position of authority when it is your father on the other end of the camera right. [TS]

00:31:48   I guess that's I guess that's it I mean I don't feel that he was in authority [TS]

00:31:52   and they are as I mean I don't have that kind of relationship with my dad but yeah that was just something different. [TS]

00:31:58   There was and. [TS]

00:32:00   I would stop and ask him questions and he would he would not so them or [TS]

00:32:04   when he saw that with everyone he'd stick to his questions. [TS]

00:32:06   Cracks on with his stories but you know maybe that's maybe maybe he didn't feel sufficiently intimidated [TS]

00:32:15   or respectful of me as the as the filmmaker was everyone else at least has that modicum of respect for me whereas I was [TS]

00:32:21   still just pray to him that he was going to he had a story he wanted to tell [TS]

00:32:26   and you know I stopped the camera cut the Tom said not listening to me you have to answer this question was likened to [TS]

00:32:32   being a politician when they have what they want to say. [TS]

00:32:35   But anyway he is a really good storyteller he's famous for his opinions. [TS]

00:32:40   So he still told the story well but it was a really interesting interesting thing as a filmmaker for me well how [TS]

00:32:47   and when you when you get the videos up you know. [TS]

00:32:51   Long time it could be a while because I'm actually jumping on another plane now and I'm going away for a month [TS]

00:32:56   and I don't know if I'm going to be able to edit them on the road so it could be a wild eyed launched at him saying [TS]

00:33:03   well when it whenever you get around to them mention it again we'll put them in the description for the podcast. [TS]

00:33:10   Yeah I think today will have a description for you or will have a link to your dad's book. [TS]

00:33:15   People want Yeah yeah it is it is actually you know it is a really good book actually and I'm not [TS]

00:33:20   and I mean his other ones are not so much into it because there are others out just the one about him I really enjoyed [TS]

00:33:26   anyway. So put it in people can check it out if they want to thank you thank you for that. [TS]

00:33:31   What's been any news in your world you had a video at which is always a big do. [TS]

00:33:35   Yeah that is really the biggest news ever. [TS]

00:33:39   As always I felt like my whole life just narrows down the oh production in the in the first four [TS]

00:33:45   or five days before it actually goes live and just everything everything gets postponed [TS]

00:33:51   and so there's there is this cycle in my life where I use this this program called Omni Focus to track all of my trip. [TS]

00:34:00   Use And maybe about fourteen days before I'm expecting a video to come out. [TS]

00:34:05   I start delaying everything in my little program to like after when I think it's going to come out [TS]

00:34:11   and so I'm working on the video when stuff comes up in my program and I delay delay delay delay delay [TS]

00:34:16   and then if I'm experiencing right now and what I was doing before I was I was talking to you [TS]

00:34:21   and suddenly there's just this monster has a number of things to do after the video comes out [TS]

00:34:28   and so I'm just I'm sort of overwhelmed with just of a very large number of things but. [TS]

00:34:33   But you either get a video out is the biggest deal [TS]

00:34:36   and it was goodbye jury nullification alotta Yeah yeah it's well I have to say it's it is done successfully. [TS]

00:34:45   And let me open up right now and it was one point two million last time I looked at. [TS]

00:34:51   Yeah that's a someone's check so I have nothing to see there isn't that's just my hello I'm not going to say so [TS]

00:34:56   actually as you might not be surprised I have an objective measure about the success of the videos that I used to deem [TS]

00:35:06   whether or not they have been successful and so I take [TS]

00:35:11   and take whatever my subscriber number at the time of release is as a starting point so let's just make the numbers [TS]

00:35:20   easy I have about a million subscribers at this point [TS]

00:35:24   and if I have a video that gets less than a third of that number in a week I would consider that to be just like a [TS]

00:35:32   total abject failure. [TS]

00:35:35   If it's more than a third to sort of equal to the number of subscribers I consider that to be kind of satisfactory [TS]

00:35:43   and anything that gets more than the total number of subscribers that to me is like a very successful video because [TS]

00:35:50   that means that people are really sharing it [TS]

00:35:53   and it's like it's going to more people then have signed up to get my videos that that's. [TS]

00:36:00   No it's for me the real crossing point is like Ken the video get more views then subscribers that I have within a week [TS]

00:36:07   and I think it's it is it's been five days [TS]

00:36:11   and it is just under the number of subscribers that I have now so I think this one will will limp across that threshold [TS]

00:36:18   probably before the week because out of this to come up with a couple of your videos likely actually that the talk [TS]

00:36:26   shows have been a little bit more T.V. Work a bit more. [TS]

00:36:32   Is this a coincidence [TS]

00:36:33   or is this a deliberate a deliberate thing we're seeing now they're more like notice about you know I'd like to low you [TS]

00:36:39   won't be told and this will come out [TS]

00:36:41   and OK so I'm fine that you picked up on that because if the answer is it is partly just a coincidence. [TS]

00:36:49   The previous leader that I did on the CBOE effect the opposite opposite of the placebo effect. [TS]

00:36:55   I have a demonstration in the beginning that just does not work if you know what the video is going into it so I have [TS]

00:37:03   to not say the name of the thing in the in the title. In that case with this one it is a much more T.V. [TS]

00:37:11   Title with a lot you won't be told and that is only half a coincidence but I came across a camera exactly where. [TS]

00:37:20   But some study that was talking about click through rates for titles and [TS]

00:37:26   and they were basically saying that T Z kind of titles have surprisingly large click through rates for what you might [TS]

00:37:34   expect. [TS]

00:37:36   And so I thought well let me just let me just try something that's a little bit different I don't think I will normally [TS]

00:37:40   do it I just happen to have two topics that it works very well with and so I don't mind having that back to back [TS]

00:37:48   but I do I am a fan of the straightforward title. Also because the partly does a lot of introduction for you. [TS]

00:37:55   Like I don't necessarily have to set up as much. Yeah if the title just straight up says. [TS]

00:38:00   Here is what we're going to talk about it is just a bit of a bit of a coincidence although I will say just as a person [TS]

00:38:07   experienced policing this video I think in the second episode [TS]

00:38:11   or somewhere I mentioned how I probably will not do a medical topic for a while because that put me under a lot of [TS]

00:38:17   stress about sort of being feeling like her need to be correct. [TS]

00:38:20   I am going to add a lot to the whole I'm not cover any time soon again if I can possibly avoid it. [TS]

00:38:28   And it's for a slightly different reason but you. [TS]

00:38:33   So this isn't entirely a problem with me and also my eyes make this a theme. [TS]

00:38:37   Talking about analogies I tend to think of the law as a kind of computer code for human society. [TS]

00:38:46   We hear all these rules and we formalize these rules about what should happen under what circumstances [TS]

00:38:51   and here he's all the exceptions for the consequences of the laws the rule didn't work out in a particular way. [TS]

00:38:59   But I know this is not the case when I sit down and think about it [TS]

00:39:03   and it's partly because my my father is actually a lawyer in the States [TS]

00:39:07   and I know through him just how much of the law depends on interpretations of what happens in the courtroom. [TS]

00:39:17   And it's so much more situational and like it depends then you think of the law as being you know really clear. [TS]

00:39:27   I think of it as being that way yeah. [TS]

00:39:31   And so I cannot tell you how many rounds the script went through where I had very definitive statements that kept [TS]

00:39:38   having to be kind of modified and qualified and toned down [TS]

00:39:44   and changed changed a lot so I hope I will not do a lot topic again if I can possibly avoid it partly because of that [TS]

00:39:52   like it's difficult to make definitive statements [TS]

00:39:55   and there's a number of places in the video where I'm talking about situations. [TS]

00:40:00   It might occur and it is like yes that might happen the majority of the time [TS]

00:40:03   but that like there's there's always going to be a really long list of exceptions. [TS]

00:40:07   Never mind the fact that in America the rules are different in all fifty states for how things are handled. [TS]

00:40:13   So I was I was trying to talk about them like the most general possible case but yes it was stressful. [TS]

00:40:22   Do not expect a lot topic anytime soon people they have even been to which I have never been to a trial in person [TS]

00:40:30   though. You got to tell you one day we must do an episode. Notation could stories not trials up into. [TS]

00:40:37   Yeah OK I says Court cases good fun that sounds good. [TS]

00:40:40   That's only let let me let me do a clever clever segue here which will both follow on from what we're talking about. [TS]

00:40:49   Promote something [TS]

00:40:51   and lead to something I want to discuss that trick of hat trick a segue speaking of click Baity touch was a video is [TS]

00:41:02   the video that I put out today is called the world's greatest autograph book. [TS]

00:41:08   And it is about something that you and I went to see of course a couple of weeks ago [TS]

00:41:14   and I want to talk about that day trip so that either I go three together you [TS]

00:41:19   and I went to the Royal Society in London which is somewhere I've been wanting to take you for ages [TS]

00:41:26   and then pestering me about it. [TS]

00:41:28   We finally had the chance to go there and I didn't want you to do the the typical two [TS]

00:41:31   and we went down into the into the vaults to see all the treasures and things. [TS]

00:41:37   I deliberately haven't asked too much about your impression of the visit because I wanted to ask you here on the [TS]

00:41:42   podcast. [TS]

00:41:44   What did you think I thought it was great it was it was great to visit so I think first why don't you do your better at [TS]

00:41:52   summarizing with the mayor. [TS]

00:41:53   Why did you give a quick summary for people who don't know like what is the Royal Society the Royal Society. [TS]

00:42:00   This organization that's been around since the sixteen hundreds [TS]

00:42:04   and it was set up by Charles the Second I think I think he was the king was one of these one of these kings that sounds [TS]

00:42:11   right. [TS]

00:42:11   Yeah and basically it was for the sort of the scientists of the time [TS]

00:42:15   when science was in its infancy it was kind of a club and I've been going ever since. [TS]

00:42:21   And basically they they Alecto decide to make people fellows of the society and join the club [TS]

00:42:31   and it's been going on for you know three hundred fifty years or something like that. [TS]

00:42:36   And basically every year and you intake of ten or twenty people joins this club the scientists still going today [TS]

00:42:45   and it's just got all this history that they've also been involved in you know publications they have their own journal [TS]

00:42:52   and they have meetings and they have all these other functions it's not just a place where they go [TS]

00:42:55   and have a cuppa tea smoke a pipe but I should let him out longer anyway. I mean there are more English fans anyway so. [TS]

00:43:07   So this club has been going for years got all this history you know [TS]

00:43:09   and any scientist who's anyone has been a Fellow of the Royal Society. [TS]

00:43:17   You know all those all those guys Hawken Boyle back then all the way through to your modern greats you know Einstein [TS]

00:43:24   was a was a fellow it was bore all the way through to Peter Higgs and people like that today. [TS]

00:43:31   Watson and Crick there oh that will be part of this club so it's got this incredible history. [TS]

00:43:37   The thing about the autograph book is of course anyone whose sons he becomes a fellow they all signed the same book [TS]

00:43:43   which has been around since the start. [TS]

00:43:45   So that's why I call it the world's greatest autograph book because everyone from Isaac Newton through to owe your [TS]

00:43:51   modern day scientists all citing this one book which is incredible. [TS]

00:43:55   Yes And of course any king or queen that comes to the throne is automatically the picture. It's a role society. [TS]

00:44:01   Every famous Royal has signed as well as this amazing document anyway because of this history [TS]

00:44:07   and basically all the paid scientists involved. [TS]

00:44:12   Their interactions are OK and all their papers and artifacts are kept there in these votes. [TS]

00:44:18   It's this real treasure trove of material as well and I know you love old stuff and I know you love source documents [TS]

00:44:27   and things like that you know you don't you know what you don't want any secondary sources [TS]

00:44:30   when you say no of course not. [TS]

00:44:33   So I thought I'm going to get gray in there to say stuff because I know you like hanging out libraries [TS]

00:44:38   and stuff as well. Yeah no we finally went there and I thought it was going to blow your mind. [TS]

00:44:44   I don't know if you just think oh you have. [TS]

00:44:50   Q What do you think use kind of oh no I think I really liked it I thought it was it was really interesting to see. [TS]

00:44:57   So yeah when we when we went on a tour we got to go downstairs into the vault blow [TS]

00:45:06   and basically see all of the original documents [TS]

00:45:09   and it's almost hard to describe because it was such a great variety of things down there [TS]

00:45:16   but if you if you imagine this huge vault [TS]

00:45:19   and it would just have the original written letters from all of these famous scientists write to the Royal Society [TS]

00:45:26   or from explorers who were writing in about you know what they were seeing in new places [TS]

00:45:33   and it was almost just very overwhelming in the amount of stuff that is what I had written to. [TS]

00:45:39   Yeah that yeah that was that that was the thing is like a letter from Isaac Newton what's he got to say from I mean you [TS]

00:45:45   know I did I did tell my wife we came back I know it was all in this vault. [TS]

00:45:50   But it was like shockingly casual some of the stuff that was just laying around. [TS]

00:45:55   He was he was nice enough to give us a tour I kept saying to him like it makes me nervous like looking at all. [TS]

00:46:00   It's stuff you know the one example you know was the death mask for Isaac Newton. [TS]

00:46:06   So the clay I guess it was I'm not sure what the material was that they put over his face after he died you know to get [TS]

00:46:12   a print of his face just like there on the shelf you know waiting to be knocked over by you know some clumsy idiot like [TS]

00:46:20   me because he's wandering around and not paying attention to tell you a quick interjection here. [TS]

00:46:25   Yeah but who's the other guy that works in the library. [TS]

00:46:27   He spoke briefly but he doesn't want to come down as he normally is that God has to handle that mask [TS]

00:46:32   and he's done a few times Mayfair videos and things like that [TS]

00:46:35   and he has a recurring nightmare the time that he drops that mask and it shatters like a haunt him. [TS]

00:46:42   Yeah and every time I ask him to pick it up like he he goes a little bit why didn't it was me you know about my dreams. [TS]

00:46:48   So you know the only one who marries into that. [TS]

00:46:50   Yes that was that was one of my prevailing feelings there was just like worry for all of these objects [TS]

00:46:58   and we did we were talking about how you know some of the stuff like that mask has been digitized [TS]

00:47:03   and they've done high resolution three D. [TS]

00:47:04   Scans of that but there's just so many papers [TS]

00:47:09   and documents that they don't have any other copies except the ones that are in that vault and that's it. [TS]

00:47:17   It was very interesting [TS]

00:47:19   and you know one of the examples that was given is is like you don't know necessarily how this stuff is going to be [TS]

00:47:26   valuable in the future. [TS]

00:47:29   And the example that was mentioned was talking about the have you know all these records of of the weather you know [TS]

00:47:34   coming back for hundreds of years just sounds like the most boring thing in the whole wide world right until you know [TS]

00:47:39   that stuff starts to matter when people are doing research for the global weather system. [TS]

00:47:45   And now you actually want that kind of data to be ample [TS]

00:47:48   and you can see levels from Australia from you know I mean hundreds Yeah all of the stuff that just seems just so [TS]

00:47:56   random it's bizarre like I can't remember what was. We looked at that book. [TS]

00:48:02   Maybe you can remind me what the deal was but it was it was a book [TS]

00:48:05   and it had collections of drawings of a volcano that some member of the Royal Society had paid a monk to try it was [TS]

00:48:13   because you know it wasn't it was yeah it is. Yes that's right it was. [TS]

00:48:16   Yes And one of the members had paid this month you know in the days before photography to go outside every day [TS]

00:48:23   and gets what the what not pursue peace look like what the volcano looks like in a plume of smoke. [TS]

00:48:29   Yeah engine shape and things and handed to him the way it was it was like the seven hundred version of a web cam. [TS]

00:48:35   Yeah right where the webcam takes a picture every thirty minutes but it can have a webcam you just have a monk [TS]

00:48:41   and you pay him some money and he sends you a sketch every day and that was just you know collected in this book. [TS]

00:48:47   So it was it was very it was really interesting to see. [TS]

00:48:52   It was funny we went with a friend Angela from Google and I did find it funny [TS]

00:48:57   when we were down there because I just level that out stuff and as the romance of that you [TS]

00:49:02   and Angela who are both much more kind of digital people all you could think about was Has this been scandal. [TS]

00:49:09   Who should scale in there somewhere. [TS]

00:49:11   Could this be preserved electronically and whereas I was like oh that's touch this [TS]

00:49:14   or doesn't this metaphor that it is true that is true you had your hands all over everything [TS]

00:49:19   and I was surprised to know that it is OK to handle these materials just like with your gross monkey hands like with [TS]

00:49:29   all their sweat all of them and dirt [TS]

00:49:32   and it all not to worry you know you pick up these these letters from Robert Hooke that's totally fine don't worry [TS]

00:49:37   and the originals we don't have any extra copy but we're going to let you to touch them [TS]

00:49:41   and they prefer you to not use gloves which is the secret no one tells you. [TS]

00:49:46   Yeah because because if you gloves you kind of lose that dexterity and touching him or like you know something [TS]

00:49:53   or something you want to be more like a dowager which is also which is surprising. And another example of how. [TS]

00:50:00   Things in T.V. [TS]

00:50:00   In movies are not accurate representations of real life the one thing that was a very almost overwhelming moment was [TS]

00:50:08   being able to see the kind of original edition of Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica. [TS]

00:50:15   You know the book the book that is basically the founding stone of much of modern physics. [TS]

00:50:23   And that was that was really amazing to be able to see and to be able to actually hold in my hands [TS]

00:50:30   and I made you take a picture of that and I knew I knew you liked that when you asked for a photo. Yeah. [TS]

00:50:34   And honestly it was only because I saw you going around touching absolutely everything and handling stuff [TS]

00:50:41   and like whoops almost dropped it you know. [TS]

00:50:45   That I had I had the bravery to ask if I could hold that book and I could not believe it [TS]

00:50:53   when I said yes you can you can hold it because to be clear Isaac Newton's seminal work [TS]

00:50:59   and that copy it wasn't just a first edition that was his hand written copy in big sections with notes to the printer. [TS]

00:51:08   Yeah so it's like that you know he actually sleeved over that book for who knows how long [TS]

00:51:17   and that was the copy that got sent off to the printer you know to make the first edition so it's almost like the [TS]

00:51:22   zeroeth edition of that book is pretty much my own so that I have to say that was that was an amazing moment. [TS]

00:51:28   But my hope was that you know that you would say oh I could make a few videos here using all the source material [TS]

00:51:35   or I want to see some great videos you know using using all these old documents from hundreds of years ago with some [TS]

00:51:43   new spin on some country or some border or something we'd never realized before. [TS]

00:51:48   Yeah I've got to say it's been it's been running in the back of my mind how to take advantage of that. [TS]

00:51:55   So I have I have some thoughts. And I'm I'm also again like. [TS]

00:52:00   I'm really glad to know that resource is there it's you know it's amazing to be able to see the original original stuff [TS]

00:52:05   but it's also often it's you just you come across strange surprises when you're dealing with original materials [TS]

00:52:14   and so I'm going to mention something slightly something slightly nerdy here but [TS]

00:52:21   when I was in college I was really reading The Lord Of The Rings series [TS]

00:52:28   and I thought oh let me start beginning I'm going to start with The Hobbit [TS]

00:52:32   and by the way people if you haven't read The Hobbit yet spoiler warning coming up here so you should pause your [TS]

00:52:37   podcast now I have my headphones off because I haven't read the whole you haven't read The Hobbit Are you kidding me. [TS]

00:52:43   Yeah I haven't read the whole book. Are you serious. I haven't read Lord of the Rings either. Well I think less of me. [TS]

00:52:51   I'm just surprised actually. [TS]

00:52:53   I don't it's not that I think less of you I'm just I'm so honestly surprised that you have not read it. [TS]

00:52:58   Do you know the basic story of The Hobbit. Yes I know the basic story. [TS]

00:53:01   OK so I'm not going to ruin anything with the basic story [TS]

00:53:04   and so now you're just going to have to listen to this anyway because you know this is what we're doing now. [TS]

00:53:10   So I figured I'll start the beginning or read The Hobbit and reading The Hobbit and I had read it once as a kid [TS]

00:53:15   and I'm going through the book Everything is totally normal until the pivotal scene between Bilbo and Gollum [TS]

00:53:24   and it's the pivotal scene in the book where Bilbo. [TS]

00:53:28   He sort of steals the ring from Gollum and you know makes his way out of the underneath this mountain and escapes. [TS]

00:53:36   I did see that in the film I have seen the first film. Yeah so there's like a fight right there. Yeah. [TS]

00:53:41   Battle which in a way it was yeah. [TS]

00:53:43   Well there's a there's a preceding thing about it but there is a like a skirmish over the ring. [TS]

00:53:48   OK And I'm reading the book and everything is going along totally fine [TS]

00:53:53   and then in the book that I'm reading I was I was completely blown away because Gollum just hands over the ring. [TS]

00:54:00   Right like no questions asked. [TS]

00:54:02   None of this skirmish nonsense just basically straight up gives it to Bilbo and Bilbo walks away [TS]

00:54:08   and I was so incredibly confused until I realized that my library actually had a first edition of The Hobbit [TS]

00:54:16   and it turns out that this is a change in later editions of The Hobbit. So in fiction this is called a retcon. [TS]

00:54:25   When the author goes back [TS]

00:54:26   and changes something in the earlier material like a director's cap yet to make it match later on with with the [TS]

00:54:33   following stuff. And so this is this was a case of the first the very first edition of The Hobbit. [TS]

00:54:39   There is not this this epic struggle over the ring and in later editions there is and talking went back [TS]

00:54:45   and changed it because he realized that it just didn't make any sense given the books that he was writing in the future. [TS]

00:54:53   So like the original copies of things can have very interesting information [TS]

00:54:57   but some of the trouble sometimes is like is knowing that this even exists. [TS]

00:55:03   You know like I would never have discovered as if it just wasn't just for a total just a total accident. [TS]

00:55:08   And so a source original materials are just just amazing. [TS]

00:55:12   But as always libraries like knowing where to look is half the battle. [TS]

00:55:16   Well valuable that book if it was some First Edition sitting in your local library it's one of the things I've wondered [TS]

00:55:21   about later on like did they not realize that this was a first edition because I'm a member of a library that has a [TS]

00:55:26   first edition of The Hobbit here and that that's like kept under lock and key. [TS]

00:55:31   You know you can't you can't directly action as far as that bad boy not returned and take a hit on the fire. [TS]

00:55:37   I should have if I was looking at there I think I was really just more confused about the inconsistency in the story. [TS]

00:55:42   Derailing my whole brain. Why doesn't this match up with what I expected to be. [TS]

00:55:47   But yes I will definitely take advantage of them [TS]

00:55:50   when I come across something where I want I want to be able to see the original written stuff like that have a couple [TS]

00:55:56   things in mind I don't want to say anything in particular that I know that it was. [TS]

00:56:00   I have to say it was a it was a great trip and I'm really glad that that you were able to bring me down there [TS]

00:56:07   and to sort of get access to this because your whole person I should say by the way as well like you know by way of [TS]

00:56:12   thanks to the to live because the Law Society anyone can go there anyone can go there [TS]

00:56:18   and look at any materials I mean no Anyone can go down to the vault. But anything from the vault can be brought up to. [TS]

00:56:24   So he go there and and you know join up and go through the process. [TS]

00:56:27   No money just like you know proof that you're a real person and not some cowboy [TS]

00:56:33   and you want to look at some old handwritten document from Isaac Newton. [TS]

00:56:37   They'll bring it up to you though showing that they're all they want they want people to go there [TS]

00:56:42   and use this resource you know they want this stuff out there so if if you're ever in London or you're from London [TS]

00:56:49   and you want to go see this stuff it's not some exclusive club. Anyone can have a look. [TS]

00:56:54   Yeah [TS]

00:56:54   and the library is really worth seeing as well you just it's a it's a beautiful room where they'll bring you all the [TS]

00:57:00   materials that is deafening where thing go. [TS]

00:57:06   Do you know what we were going to talk about some stuff today we prepared a topic and we're going to do it. [TS]

00:57:14   We've been going out nearly an hour I think that I'm totally up for doing something that is an actual topic [TS]

00:57:19   but it depends entirely on you. [TS]

00:57:20   Let's turn them in the first couple of podcasting are going to allow for this no rows about this is that no this is the [TS]

00:57:27   Internet stuff you know as long or as short as you want to be there is absolutely no limits on that [TS]

00:57:33   and some of the pod cast you've been putting me on tape because I wasn't as much of a podcast junkie as you so I've [TS]

00:57:40   just been listening to once you tell me to listen to what you typically go for like two hours. [TS]

00:57:44   Yes some of them are very long and my personal favorite [TS]

00:57:49   but sadly defunct now podcast hypercritical was legendary for coins like they have shows I'm pretty sure they had shows [TS]

00:57:56   the top three hours because. John thank you for the star of that show. [TS]

00:58:02   Just had interesting things to say and could say them forever. [TS]

00:58:05   I tell you I tell you what we have to be in a future episode do a podcast about pod cast because there's a few things I [TS]

00:58:12   want to discuss with you especially about the podcast you put me on to because I've been listening to them a lot [TS]

00:58:17   and I've got lots of questions and comments and I want to I want to do more about it but that's not what today is. [TS]

00:58:22   No that's not that's not exactly for today we will we're going to talk about feedback because I think I think the rough [TS]

00:58:30   thinking was because we've been getting so much feedback in the last week. [TS]

00:58:34   Yeah i Pod cast to take a chance to talk about feedback in general. [TS]

00:58:38   Yeah I think I I suspect this is going to be a relatively short topic which is why I don't mind doing it now [TS]

00:58:45   but I was just thinking about it earlier and I think my note says feedback on feedback [TS]

00:58:50   and I think that there is there's some some things to be said here. [TS]

00:58:57   And so I guess I mean I guess just to start it off [TS]

00:58:59   but I was thinking about is how you know we're in this we're in this amazing world with the Internet you know [TS]

00:59:07   and people can put stuff out there [TS]

00:59:10   and anybody can comment on it if they want you know like an anybody can make a You Tube video tomorrow [TS]

00:59:15   and upload it right and you can get some comments [TS]

00:59:17   and I think it's it's a very weird situation to have feedback from people that you don't know. [TS]

00:59:28   And how as the creator of some things you actually interpret that feedback I think is that there's a lot of of [TS]

00:59:37   weirdness that happens here. I don't know because I'm kind of I don't actually know. [TS]

00:59:44   I mean look at the You Tube comments for your own videos very much. [TS]

00:59:48   I mean you're so busy making videos you probably don't have time to actually you know especially especially on a new [TS]

00:59:55   video. So for the first I'll talk about this a bit more in a minute when when. [TS]

01:00:00   I sort of talk to you a bit about some of Mark some of the things I've been doing lately [TS]

01:00:03   but in general terms I would say I look at the viewer comments on the video for the first day or two days [TS]

01:00:13   and then that starts to subside then because because I do a video almost every day or every two days [TS]

01:00:19   and you kind of become So the favourite of my attention [TS]

01:00:24   and you know now I have a couple of thousand videos I don't go back and read all the feedback on all of them. [TS]

01:00:29   Yeah but for the first day or two and that's [TS]

01:00:33   when you getting the most comics anyway I am quiet I am very much across what's being said. [TS]

01:00:38   For better or worse and tell you what if. [TS]

01:00:44   Yeah well I know obviously e have comments on the video and then you also run your You'll read some credits. [TS]

01:00:51   Yeah you'd like the feedback to happen at this point. [TS]

01:00:56   At this stage I don't pay any attention to the comments on youtube [TS]

01:01:00   or some of the changes that they made I don't really like that format so we won't even look at all the work of just you [TS]

01:01:04   and even look. [TS]

01:01:05   Yeah I mean I know you know we're talking twenty fourteen in a couple months ago You Tube changed the way their comment [TS]

01:01:15   system works. Yes they did and I was never a huge fan of the current system before. [TS]

01:01:22   And I wouldn't necessarily say that this this this new system is worse. [TS]

01:01:28   But for me for various reasons I just find it not really workable. And so I would say it's worse. Yeah yeah yeah. [TS]

01:01:38   We'll have a full conversation about this at some point but [TS]

01:01:41   but for now I I really I don't really look at the You Tube comments at all [TS]

01:01:47   and I look entirely at the Reddit comments and that's that's what I'm interested in and why. [TS]

01:01:53   Why do you look at the comments what do you what do you what are you looking for in them. Well it's. [TS]

01:02:00   Interesting to me so I have it again on Reddit I have a section where I can post the videos [TS]

01:02:04   and people can discuss them. But I'm very interested also on Reddit. [TS]

01:02:09   When the video gets posted in other sections so people who don't necessarily subscribe to me on You Tube who have never [TS]

01:02:15   seen one of my videos before they will comment on a video and that can be interesting to read [TS]

01:02:23   and see like someone who's not familiar with my video style. Yeah you know what. What might they say. [TS]

01:02:31   But what I was one of the reasons why I think the feedback on feedback thing is is interesting because it it changes at [TS]

01:02:38   different scales. When someone starting out when they're making things for the first time on the Internet. [TS]

01:02:45   Anonymous feedback from strangers is kind of an amazing thing. [TS]

01:02:51   Now you know people people can just be total jerks on the Internet there's no denying that. [TS]

01:02:59   But it is it's difficult in real life to ever get genuine honest feedback from people you know in your life. [TS]

01:03:13   So you know you have friends and you have families [TS]

01:03:16   and because you have social obligations to the people in those groups it's hard to get one hundred percent honest [TS]

01:03:23   feedback from from those people in your life [TS]

01:03:27   or has some random person who's seen whatever you've made on the Internet and who has no connection to you [TS]

01:03:33   and isn't even using a real name. There's no reason for them to hold back. [TS]

01:03:39   You know they they have permission to just be really straightforward in their feedback [TS]

01:03:44   and that can be very very valuable. [TS]

01:03:50   And I think if if you're paying attention to that kind of feedback in the right sort of way especially in the beginning [TS]

01:03:58   you can really try it. Two direct whatever it is you're making in a more positive way. [TS]

01:04:05   But how much should you allow yourself to be guided by faith that I mean it's the politically correct thing to say is I [TS]

01:04:15   look at the sate back and my audience is really important and I want to make what they want and I will shape [TS]

01:04:22   and tailor what I do to them and you know I take all their opinions on board because they're really valuable to me [TS]

01:04:30   and to an extent that is true [TS]

01:04:33   and only a fool will completely ignore feedback on what the audience is saying because we do this for the audience you [TS]

01:04:41   know it's a relationship with the audience but at the same time. [TS]

01:04:46   You've got a kind of believe in yourself as well and [TS]

01:04:50   and your vision Otherwise you just become some diluted you know designed by committee. Piece of generic rubbish. [TS]

01:05:01   Yeah and the example I often use in this respect is in. [TS]

01:05:07   The number follow videos I make which of these mathematics videos often we need to write on something [TS]

01:05:13   and for various reasons which I've outlined in a blog. Great a trial and it was very much thought out. [TS]

01:05:19   I have people write on these pieces of brown paper with America now with the first three [TS]

01:05:26   or four number fall videos went up they had they had a quite large audience from the start because I already had an [TS]

01:05:32   audience from other channels so I was getting a lot of faith that crop from the stuff [TS]

01:05:36   and overwhelmingly like you wouldn't believe all the feedback was negative about the brown paper. [TS]

01:05:44   Really you've got to get rid of it. It's rubbish. [TS]

01:05:47   BLOCK And trust me that was what all the comments were about and it was very strong [TS]

01:05:53   but I really believed in using this brown paper I got such a trademark of yours now I did not imagine the number of [TS]

01:05:59   file videos. [TS]

01:06:00   Exactly and I feel really strongly about it for various reasons that it was a good idea and it would work [TS]

01:06:05   and there are just two people that don't like it but they're very much in the minority now [TS]

01:06:09   and I rarely hear anything about it but there are lots of people who really really love it. [TS]

01:06:13   They were really into it and they have really adopted it [TS]

01:06:17   and that was an example of something where if I was going to go with the feedback [TS]

01:06:21   and be shaped by out of brown paper very quickly. [TS]

01:06:26   Definitely but I was not I think I think I'm right here and I think if you are starting out [TS]

01:06:35   and you get shaped by feedback too easily you lose your distinctiveness [TS]

01:06:40   and you know I think I think you've got a you could look at it and take what you want from that. [TS]

01:06:47   You can't listen to it too much. You gotta pay your own man a woman. [TS]

01:06:52   Yeah and I wouldn't I wouldn't be arguing for follow the feedback entirely. [TS]

01:07:00   But I agree that you're kind of foolish to not pay attention to it particularly in the beginning [TS]

01:07:07   but I think that the brown paper one is a good example because there are there are things that you have to consider as [TS]

01:07:14   a creator that might not be obvious to the people watching something. [TS]

01:07:18   Yeah and I don't know if this was your thought process [TS]

01:07:20   but I might guess that you wanted something that was distinct for a visual look [TS]

01:07:27   or you wanted something that you're dealing with an abstract channel so that people were writing on a thing [TS]

01:07:34   and you could see them doing it I mean was there some part of that that that's I mean there are probably six [TS]

01:07:39   or seven raisins but that is a strong one. [TS]

01:07:40   I want it to be sort of yeah something tactile and physical and topics that are here. Yes anything. [TS]

01:07:48   Yeah there's definitely considerations that you have to have as as the maker of the thing that are not obvious to the [TS]

01:07:52   audience but I think for you know for example in some of my earlier. [TS]

01:08:00   Those There were a lot of comments about how the audio quality was just terrible. [TS]

01:08:06   And there is no denying that like that that was entirely true. [TS]

01:08:10   And it's funny because it was not something I was aware of when I made the first couple videos. [TS]

01:08:16   The very first one was done just by talking straight into the laptop microphone which I just unbelievable to me today. [TS]

01:08:24   But the comments about the audio quality were something that made me realize like I need to put some time [TS]

01:08:31   and thought into this if I'm going to make more of these. And so it's like I just bought a cheap U.S.B. [TS]

01:08:36   Microphone and already that makes it so much better. [TS]

01:08:39   You know now I have a bit more professional gear [TS]

01:08:42   but I so I think that feedback for rough edges like that can be very useful. [TS]

01:08:47   Or yeah feedback on people's delivery so you know if you're doing something like we're doing [TS]

01:08:52   and you're making an explanation video you want to see how many people seem confused by this in the comments. [TS]

01:09:01   And that that's an indication that maybe this isn't this isn't going very well [TS]

01:09:08   but I think on the flip side of it as well what's really useful when you're starting out is like positive comments. [TS]

01:09:15   Do people actually leave comments who seem to like the thing that you're doing. [TS]

01:09:21   And if you're getting just no positive feedback at all like that that's a that's a kind of feedback as well like you [TS]

01:09:27   need to adjust what you're making for the world and [TS]

01:09:31   or do something in a very different way to try to catch people's attention. [TS]

01:09:37   But what I think is this is this is a comment that was made by Derek of Veritasium who might be listening right now I [TS]

01:09:47   don't work if you are listening to Derek I hope you. What are you wearing this touching. [TS]

01:09:55   He probably is wearing his tight jeans. For those of those of you who haven't seen the. He's very pretty. [TS]

01:10:02   Definitely the prettiest of the educational You Tubers I think but he always wears low and he always with a T. [TS]

01:10:08   Shirt of your channel when he meets you which is a class act but I met him for like a coffee [TS]

01:10:14   and he turned up wearing a pin that has a price and then like I'm sure [TS]

01:10:19   when he meets you you can at least see that's that's attention to data and that's why he's a successful guy. Exactly. [TS]

01:10:29   Thank you. [TS]

01:10:30   Yeah it was that he made a comment [TS]

01:10:32   when we were talking once about how the value of positive feedback goes to zero as you are more and more successful. [TS]

01:10:42   Yeah and I don't know if you think that's the case but he said that [TS]

01:10:46   and I was like man I could not agree with him more strongly when he mentioned that to me. [TS]

01:10:50   Yeah I mean it doesn't mean I want no I want you know who want to start leaving positive feedback [TS]

01:10:55   but I mean yeah I mean you look at you kind of preaching to the choir. [TS]

01:10:59   You know after a while in terms of you know people watching are watching because they like what you're doing. [TS]

01:11:06   Yes And it's it's very interesting it just it just as a little bit of a phenomenon that you have if you get just like [TS]

01:11:14   lots and lots and lots of positive comments it sound it does sound weird [TS]

01:11:18   but after a while if you if you have tons of them. [TS]

01:11:21   They're not necessarily valuable right these are these are like in aggregate right individually they are [TS]

01:11:27   but what can you draw from that is very hard to say. Like there's not necessarily anything actionable in that. [TS]

01:11:34   Right whereas negative comments may still contain information for something that you can change [TS]

01:11:40   or that you can improve upon. [TS]

01:11:44   And also the thing is that you know negative comments are the ones that just really stick with you sometimes you know [TS]

01:11:51   especially if there is a kernel of truth the kernel of truth to them. [TS]

01:11:56   Of course that's that's that's the thing isn't it. Yeah. [TS]

01:12:00   There was a see if I can find it for the description [TS]

01:12:02   but there was a little web comic that I saw once where it showed like a guy at work [TS]

01:12:07   and he's surrounded by all these little speech bubbles of people saying really nice things about him this twenty nice [TS]

01:12:11   things and there's one negative thing and then the second panel is him after work at dinnertime [TS]

01:12:17   and the one negative comment is still crystal clear but all the positive ones are sort of faded away slightly [TS]

01:12:23   and then the final panel is him you know it's at nighttime when he can't get to sleep [TS]

01:12:27   and the only thing that remains is that negative comment and all the positive ones are sort of disappeared [TS]

01:12:33   and I think that that's partly like what ISN'T was engaged in a statement like positive feedback trends to zero that [TS]

01:12:39   like the negative stuff really sticks with you especially if it if it has some kernel of truth [TS]

01:12:44   and you know that can be can be very very hard to deal with sometimes. Have you ever had a negative comment. [TS]

01:12:51   Stu sticks with you now. [TS]

01:12:55   People Yeah I mean people can people can leave comments that really do kind of stick with you [TS]

01:13:03   but I thought what she would want and I asked a person a question and I also don't want to encourage people to go [TS]

01:13:11   and give you a hard time [TS]

01:13:12   but yeah what sort of area of criticism will stick with the more than others will say you know I don't like the sound [TS]

01:13:19   of your voice or your argument is poor or not you must be very ugly. [TS]

01:13:26   I thought what what what are the ones that stick with you. [TS]

01:13:29   I think I think there's a kind of come in that I do see on videos especially [TS]

01:13:34   when I'm away like if it's on a section on Reddit for example where people don't know who I am. [TS]

01:13:41   I would say that the one that I'm OK talking about that I see the most is people will say that I found really [TS]

01:13:48   condescending in the videos [TS]

01:13:50   and that that always gets me because like why am I like my whole point is to not be condescending I come. [TS]

01:13:58   I'm sort of assuming. [TS]

01:14:00   That the person watching this video might not know very much about this topic [TS]

01:14:04   and I want to I want to try to be friendly about that and that is something that I do think about [TS]

01:14:10   when I'm recording the actual audio for the video is to try to get takes where I'm not I'm not like being an authority [TS]

01:14:19   talking down to a person especially because very often like I knew almost nothing about this topic five weeks earlier [TS]

01:14:27   and so I come. [TS]

01:14:28   I am by no means an authority you know I've just done a whole bunch of research [TS]

01:14:33   but I'm very sensitive to coming off as condescending to people who might not have watched a whole bunch of my videos. [TS]

01:14:39   So that's a kind of negative comment that I do you see repeatedly that I'm aware of it kind of sticks with me [TS]

01:14:47   and does affect how I how I how I work a little bit. [TS]

01:14:50   I mean you're always going to have that problem because if you tell people a lot of clever information that they didn't [TS]

01:14:59   know before very very quickly which is what you do. [TS]

01:15:04   It makes you appear very intelligent and knowledgeable [TS]

01:15:09   and that immediately puts you in a position where people will feel that you're being condescending. [TS]

01:15:16   You're not and I know you get around in all those other ways [TS]

01:15:18   but you're always going to be always going to struggle with. [TS]

01:15:22   Yeah I am like lucky if someone goes on a quiz show [TS]

01:15:24   and I happen to know all the answers like well OK then I will be up some people I think now [TS]

01:15:29   and feel really negatively towards them. I mean yeah sorry I just happen to know the answers and I said to him quickly. [TS]

01:15:35   Yes but I but that's I totally agree with that [TS]

01:15:39   but it is something I'm very sensitive towards about yet thinking of ways to minimize that in the videos in various [TS]

01:15:48   ways. [TS]

01:15:48   Yeah but I was just like I have a couple of other little little thoughts here [TS]

01:15:54   and there is you know who's a frank is yeah. Yes I met Frank. [TS]

01:16:01   They'd come over to his room [TS]

01:16:03   and they Frank for for those who may not be aware is sort of the the father of the modern Internet blog. [TS]

01:16:12   You know the the scene a video where there's a person's face talking at a camera very quickly [TS]

01:16:16   and they do jump cuts like they Frank was the guy who started that back in the day he sort of I think the green brother [TS]

01:16:23   he's a real hero of the grammar of this. [TS]

01:16:24   Yeah yeah he used to do this amazing thing called the show which is so old now in internet terms [TS]

01:16:31   but it was just amazing and then he disappeared mysteriously for a number of years [TS]

01:16:36   and has recently come back on You Tube [TS]

01:16:39   but he did a video which I'll try to find for the description where he was talking about comments on videos on You Tube [TS]

01:16:47   and he made an excellent point which I thought was it was interesting which is that of course the only people who [TS]

01:16:53   comment are the people who have a strong reaction to the video or whatever it is you've made. [TS]

01:16:59   In one way or another by people who really liked it [TS]

01:17:04   or really hated it pretty much by definition the people who watch a video [TS]

01:17:09   and were kind of met they're probably not going to leave a comment. Yeah. [TS]

01:17:14   And so I had I had not really thought about that [TS]

01:17:17   but it's an interesting point that feedback on anything that you put on the Internet is is going to be intrinsically [TS]

01:17:24   biased in two completely opposing directions. [TS]

01:17:28   Yeah you know people who love it and people who hate it [TS]

01:17:31   and I think this is you can also see this just in in any kind of Web site that has a five star rankings where almost [TS]

01:17:40   all the reviews are either five stars or their one star [TS]

01:17:45   and there's almost no three star reviews because who is the person leaving the three star review. [TS]

01:17:54   Yeah and I like you know I kind of liked it and I didn't like the change in life for that. There are a lot yeah. [TS]

01:18:00   Break the day you got it and you want to. [TS]

01:18:02   That's exactly kind of like that [TS]

01:18:04   but I think I'll spend twenty minutes writing a review of this thing that's kind of like whatever nobody does that [TS]

01:18:10   nobody at those I think this is interesting to keep in mind whenever you're looking over feedback of anything that you [TS]

01:18:16   thought that means that's interesting you should bring that up I mean I guess there is there is one respect where I [TS]

01:18:23   know I have to. [TS]

01:18:24   I hadn't thought of this before actually but there is a respect in which I have to follow a feedback [TS]

01:18:30   or interesting way and to analyze it more than you [TS]

01:18:34   and that is the respect in which most of my videos have a third party in them who is often someone maybe not used to [TS]

01:18:43   the kind of exposure you get on these You Tube videos. [TS]

01:18:46   Yes And of course they read the same back and I I then have to cancel them in some way. [TS]

01:18:53   Yes So that that whole thing about you know the silent majority is something I'm always forced to bring up with people [TS]

01:19:03   when they've read two or three of those elements that are very harsh [TS]

01:19:07   and withstand that speech bubble for days I have to tell them you know a million people have watched this video. [TS]

01:19:16   You know some of them didn't like it but yeah that's that's like twenty people out of a million [TS]

01:19:22   and there's a whole bunch that did like it and so [TS]

01:19:25   but in general that that is the biggest problem of comments from a liberal is that is those third parties who are [TS]

01:19:31   honest and who are always almost volunteers and not the sort of people that put themselves out there for criticism. [TS]

01:19:40   They're doing me a favor they're doing the viewers a favor by lending their expertise and knowledge [TS]

01:19:48   and suddenly they're exposed to this this harsh world [TS]

01:19:52   and you know I can accept I can accept that myself if someone wants to say that I'm a terrible filmmaker [TS]

01:19:57   or a bad person or have a big nose. [TS]

01:20:00   This sort of rubbish I have to accept that I know if I've chosen I've chosen this world [TS]

01:20:06   but these other people I don't think I've chosen to the same degree and I feel quite protective of them. [TS]

01:20:12   Yeah and it's it has just very recently reached a tipping point for me when I'm no I'm no longer willing to accept it. [TS]

01:20:24   And particularly with the new comment system [TS]

01:20:27   and a few other things that have been going on like it's just become it's become very vicious towards these volunteers [TS]

01:20:35   and you know so you know I can accept if someone says I disagree with your argument Oh I think you made a factual [TS]

01:20:43   mistake or if they start saying things that are personally offensive or racist or you know or sexual. [TS]

01:20:53   Against these volunteers and I can't police you know I can't police it all because there are so many videos. [TS]

01:21:01   I've just had enough [TS]

01:21:02   and so just recently I'm experimenting with having the comments to approval which is a huge road for my back I remember [TS]

01:21:13   when I met the guys that eat Sesame Street You Tube videos they do the same thing because of this they got together on [TS]

01:21:19   those sites I don't know but I'm very aware that schools use my videos too. [TS]

01:21:22   Yeah I don't want to talk comment to be some racist attack against the person who's in the video. [TS]

01:21:27   So I've been experimenting with approving them and it takes me loads of time [TS]

01:21:34   and I'm not particularly censors in terms of you know if someone doesn't like the video. [TS]

01:21:38   Like Tico prove that if I like the video ticket if they [TS]

01:21:43   but if that thing abusive you know I don't have it anymore because it's also some of these people in the videos you [TS]

01:21:54   know have a rating and they've become scared to read comments. Yeah because of you know their site. [TS]

01:22:00   Now I won't even look at the comments now it's too hurtful [TS]

01:22:02   and I don't want that to happen I want them to go into the comments so they can enjoy the praise [TS]

01:22:08   or they can look at the constructive criticism and think about it. [TS]

01:22:14   I've always really provided the comment section under my videos as a place where the debate goes on you know you can be [TS]

01:22:22   it can be vigorous debate but you know a healthy place and I like the people in the videos to go and they tell you [TS]

01:22:30   and at least read some of them actually engage with it and write comments to you but at least read it [TS]

01:22:35   and be part of it. [TS]

01:22:37   So those people writing the comments don't feel like they're talking to the void [TS]

01:22:41   but it got to a point where that just wasn't feasible anymore. [TS]

01:22:44   So I've had to of gone down this approval route as an experiment for now [TS]

01:22:50   and I've never been able to go to the people in my videos [TS]

01:22:53   and say don't worry don't worry don't be scared of coming into the comments any more if someone writes something that [TS]

01:22:58   is horrific. I'll try to you know I'll try to stop. [TS]

01:23:03   Yes and some and you know I know we live in a world where free speech is greatly valued [TS]

01:23:09   and I greatly value free speech as well but they can go and do their free speech somewhere else free not on. [TS]

01:23:16   A video one page that I've created and I'm given the administration right page for various reasons [TS]

01:23:23   and you know if I want to if I want to have their free speech and say something vicious [TS]

01:23:28   and horrible about some poor academic who's volunteered their time to go into a new home page I don't write for the [TS]

01:23:36   audience that I have come to the same video that we've created. [TS]

01:23:40   Yeah I mean I would guess you know this is a function of audience size. [TS]

01:23:48   Yes right and so I obviously like as as your videos have grown more popular and you have more people subscribed. [TS]

01:23:54   You can do nothing but expect the average comment quality to go down. It's like a mathematical function. [TS]

01:24:02   You're almost guaranteed that that is going to be the case that as you widen the pool the discussion quality drops [TS]

01:24:11   and you know when like you say [TS]

01:24:13   when you bring in some third party who is not necessarily used to that it can be a very upsetting experience [TS]

01:24:22   and I do think that you know these for you Do you know don't read the comments is not is not is not bad advice [TS]

01:24:29   and it's partly because the barrier to commenting is much lower. You know here it is it is easier. [TS]

01:24:37   And yeah it just you know I don't know about you approving the comments because my my only guess is that is your as [TS]

01:24:49   your channel continues to grow that fundamental underlying math is not going to be any different care. [TS]

01:24:55   Right and like you or maybe it's just handleable now but anymore it's not it's not. [TS]

01:25:01   I mean OK I need to work on some different solutions on their own. [TS]

01:25:04   Yeah there are filters and things you can put in place but it's just a temporary experiment. [TS]

01:25:08   I figure out how to protect these people I care about [TS]

01:25:12   and the thing the thing that is is the tricky thing with feedback. [TS]

01:25:17   Because his advice for anybody who makes up on the internet this is this is vices like probably the best advice that I [TS]

01:25:24   can give about negative feedback and particularly aggressively negative feedback [TS]

01:25:29   but also sometimes the most hard to find hard to follow through with it is just do not engage. [TS]

01:25:37   Right you have you have nothing to gain from engaging with extremely negative commenters [TS]

01:25:46   but it is also just so so hard not to do and I yeah I know I don't want to go into any details I said I ran into. [TS]

01:26:00   Or a very negative commenter on Reddit recently who who doesn't like me for personal reasons you know doesn't know me [TS]

01:26:08   but like you know just me and the man you just want to respond but I literally had to sit there [TS]

01:26:16   and think like I do not engage do not engage you have nothing to gain from this example using your time [TS]

01:26:22   but it is it is very frustrating and I can see sometimes on the Internet that like with little conversations unfold [TS]

01:26:31   or people wonder like oh why hasn't this prominent person responded about this particular particular talk on them [TS]

01:26:37   and it's like because the correct answer is do not engage like you just can't win in writing never in a land war in [TS]

01:26:45   Asia. Yeah exactly. [TS]

01:26:49   Yes and like negative and [TS]

01:26:51   or crazy comments are like a land war in Asia like not you're not going to win on this one right there is no there is [TS]

01:26:58   there's no way there's no way to come out. Yeah I mean there are lots of reasons to not engage like. [TS]

01:27:06   One is you know it just validates someone who you shouldn't really be validating. Yeah but also I like the stranger. [TS]

01:27:17   They there are lots of people in your life who are important he should get your time or your lot pokes [TS]

01:27:24   or whatever you want to give them and there are people who you shouldn't [TS]

01:27:29   and they're also they don't know they don't know you they don't have anything about you [TS]

01:27:34   and you've just got to remember they're strangers. [TS]

01:27:38   That's why I always get told so they're Whether they're saying they're saying you're great [TS]

01:27:43   and you make the best videos in the world or they're saying you're terrible and your rubbish and they hate your guts. [TS]

01:27:49   Both of those people they don't know and they're not that great you're not you're not as good as they say [TS]

01:27:55   and then you're not bad as bad as they say and who's got a script. What you doing and doing what you enjoy. [TS]

01:28:01   Yeah yeah both of those both of those both those comments are definitely true that you are if you're not as as often [TS]

01:28:07   or as terrible as people say but it is it is so hard not to really read the comments sometimes [TS]

01:28:14   but you know I do I do value feedback [TS]

01:28:18   and hearing what people have to say yes you know sort of in particular circumstances [TS]

01:28:24   and that's why I use Reddit so heavily for me that works really well [TS]

01:28:27   and you know you really need to say it is a really good thing about a job that we get we get the level of faith that we [TS]

01:28:34   like a lot of people who do jobs and no one ever tells them anything whether they like what they're doing it [TS]

01:28:41   or not what they're doing and we are lucky here winching because it comes with a it comes with a sting in the tail. [TS]

01:28:47   But overall overall I quite like to say one other thing about comics that just popped into my head. Drives me crazy. [TS]

01:28:56   Tell me Brady and that is inevitably. [TS]

01:29:00   Things will come up in a video like say stay the course up something that kind of needs something that needs addressing [TS]

01:29:08   or something that someone's noticed and there is nothing you could do to stop people commenting on that. [TS]

01:29:15   If if you like to clarify something with an annotation or you write something in the description [TS]

01:29:21   or you write a bunch of comments in the comment section yourself to say look I realize that this isn't clear [TS]

01:29:26   or something you used to have hundreds and hundreds [TS]

01:29:29   and hundreds of people pointed out as if no one else pointed it out like they were saying and written [TS]

01:29:36   and it does make me wonder what percentage of people who write comments even glance at the video description [TS]

01:29:45   or see other people's comments before they write something and not even be a mistake. [TS]

01:29:50   It might be what is the piece of music you used that you'd want to comment about it [TS]

01:29:55   and everyone else will say oh he's used this piece of music and you put it in everything. [TS]

01:30:00   You can tell people he could be in the video and into the video in big bold letters and used to have hundreds [TS]

01:30:07   and hundreds and hundreds of people writing what was the music or do you realize this is wrong or something. [TS]

01:30:12   You're wondering who these people are but I know that I have done OK. [TS]

01:30:17   I have definitely sometimes left a comment on something only seconds later to see that it was in the description [TS]

01:30:22   or something and just feel like a total idiot. I would never I would never. [TS]

01:30:28   I probably do all the time [TS]

01:30:29   and I would be reluctant to write a comment to put something into writing until I've checked. Yet it's not available. [TS]

01:30:36   Maybe maybe you're not as reactionary as something to let the keyboard fly like a [TS]

01:30:42   but it was the right you told me three seconds later. OK I was looking at that as a as a final thing here right. [TS]

01:30:49   I'm looking at our our feedback on our own podcast and our star ratings follow exactly what I was saying before. [TS]

01:31:01   Yeah so what we have at this point. Two hundred ninety five five star rating. [TS]

01:31:07   Wow that sounds impressive It does sound [TS]

01:31:09   but I don't have any sense of how now you know I like that because I have no idea what that is [TS]

01:31:14   but that's a number two and if I have five siblings and then we have three one starvation. [TS]

01:31:21   And even just looking at that right it's like and we have No three star ratings and five four star ratings [TS]

01:31:30   but you know the only ones I want to read what the three stuff so that's what I want I want to be I don't know what [TS]

01:31:37   they said that is exactly like I'm looking at this at like your mind you cannot help [TS]

01:31:43   but like my mind is totally drawn immediately to three one star ratings like what did that person have to say [TS]

01:31:52   and it's well you booking a holiday look at some amazing resort in the most days [TS]

01:31:57   and it has ten thousand five star reviews. One one star review. [TS]

01:32:01   Yes and you read the one star review and the service was terrible and there are facts [TS]

01:32:05   and you have a lot more going there is no way I'm going to that was up to thousands of people who said it was the most [TS]

01:32:11   wonderful place in the brain. [TS]

01:32:13   Oh I almost forgot to mention the four records [TS]

01:32:16   and I think the thing that got me started about this whole topic I forget until the very end. [TS]

01:32:23   But going back to what you were saying the beginning how you have to trust your own judgment about something you know I [TS]

01:32:27   was looking at the comments for this pod cast and this happened to be on You Tube to see what everybody had to say [TS]

01:32:35   and the favorite thing that I came across was two comments one that was right after another [TS]

01:32:42   and so it's this is on on You Tube in the first one is from a guy called Talk this. And he complains. [TS]

01:32:50   Here is his suggestion is that he doesn't like the podcast because we don't let the conversation flow naturally [TS]

01:32:58   and you know where we're sticking strictly to our theme for this round of feedback he doesn't like it because we're [TS]

01:33:04   stupid to stick with sticking to the theme of today's episode mediately after the user called unpronounceable [TS]

01:33:13   and he has the exact reverse feedback right. [TS]

01:33:17   He doesn't like it because we're just talking about whatever [TS]

01:33:20   and you should really have some kind of centralizing seem right to focus the discussion. [TS]

01:33:26   And this is this is the kind of thing that can just drive you crazy on the internet is [TS]

01:33:31   but I love it I love it that there are literally one right after the other. [TS]

01:33:35   Feedback going in just completely opposite direction on the screen grabs [TS]

01:33:39   when that happens I collect some comments I discuss this actually [TS]

01:33:42   but I collect some comments for various reasons one of the main reasons is I often go [TS]

01:33:46   and give talks to people each even having having a nice collection of comments good [TS]

01:33:52   and bad is you know quite good for powerpoint presentations but whenever I see two side by side like that I like. [TS]

01:34:00   Keep them as little like little twin primes or something then I fiddled a little treasures [TS]

01:34:05   when two people say exact opposite things back to back but I find that happens a lot [TS]

01:34:09   when I do the polarizing videos like something different like song something of that [TS]

01:34:16   and you get this is the best video I've ever seen on the Internet followed by this is the worst piece of trash. [TS]

01:34:21   Yes and I should die. [TS]

01:34:23   Either of those pairs it is great [TS]

01:34:25   and so we have we have one of those for the excellence it involves It is both too structured [TS]

01:34:29   and not structured enough which is why you have to you have to make decisions [TS]

01:34:33   and what are we headed we fix that what do we do now. Well well here here's what I'm going to do right now. [TS]

01:34:38   And this is also there's also a cunning plan I have left this to last for a very reason so we have a bunch of reviews [TS]

01:34:45   from different countries around the world. And so here is a list of places where we have gotten reviews. [TS]

01:34:53   It's Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Canada Denmark Finland Germany Greece Ireland Mexico the Netherlands Norway [TS]

01:35:00   Poland Saudi Arabia Sweden Switzerland the United Kingdom and the United States. [TS]

01:35:06   So what I would like is to get more different countries. [TS]

01:35:11   This is this to me is like poking on the right like you gotta catch em all. [TS]

01:35:16   I would love to eventually at some point have a review from every one of the countries where this pod cast can be heard [TS]

01:35:24   if you're hearing if you're hearing the sound of my voice right now [TS]

01:35:28   and if you like this pod cast which if you have listened this long you must like this podcast. [TS]

01:35:37   And if you are listening this long and you don't like this podcast I'm very worried [TS]

01:35:41   but I'm going to assume anybody who has listened this long. [TS]

01:35:44   By definition has to be enjoying this broadcast and you are from one of the places that I have not mentioned. [TS]

01:35:49   I would really like you to go lever of UN i Tunes even if it's a one star. [TS]

01:35:55   I'm assuming the people who have listened long are going to leave positive reviews. [TS]

01:36:00   As I say I should have put a review in when I was in Vietnam. You should have yes I guess I'm not sure how that works. [TS]

01:36:06   That's OK anyway but yeah just out there. Gray has spoken. [TS]

01:36:11   So what if I want to see if we can collect all [TS]

01:36:13   and I can't afford to I can't just tally up how many countries there are [TS]

01:36:18   and of course my own video on the number of countries media is ambiguous anyway you know [TS]

01:36:21   but there are a bunch of places so if you can hear my voice and you are not [TS]

01:36:25   or you are in a place that was not mentioned I would love it if you have to review [TS]

01:36:28   and maybe next time I'll follow up and see how many additional places we have gotten since that last time [TS]

01:36:35   but I will say I think this is been long enough my friend I think I feel like I didn't ask enough questions [TS]

01:36:41   and I expected much out I'll do more questions next time. [TS]

01:36:45   I know it's going to be chatty but you know what people will complain. [TS]

01:36:48   Both ways will get me back that people loved it and the people didn't like it [TS]

01:36:53   and I guess we'll just have to make some judgments about that. I see a lot of talk again. Bye bye. [TS]