Hacker News Reader

Hacker News

Comment by xanderlewis | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

xanderlewis

James Hoffmann talking about this yesterday: https://youtu.be/nLnB99VJ0HE?si=LIoZP0lwfsxvrqON

View on HN

Lance made a video too, but in more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuqVUsMPs-U

Yes! he also interviews Christopher Hendon one of the paper's authors.

Lance Hedrick too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuqVUsMPs-U

He doesn't mention if he used WDT, which is a strange oversight.

Hoffman is a big proponent of using one, so I'd assume that he did.

He is also a content creator, so his main goal is to milk youtube views.

My understanding has been that youtube is more pet project for him, and square mile is what really pays the bills

He's done a video before on what his normal process looks like, and its always had both the water spritz and WDT, so while annoying he didn't clarify, I'd assume he's still doing WDT in these results.

My completely unscientific guess is its possible that WDT is redundant or solving a different problem, given WDT wouldn't be breaking up much of the static charges between smaller particles, just mechanically separating larger clumps that are visible to the naked eye. Still very keen to see someone rule it in or out because I personally loath WDT first thing in the morning

There is no square mile without James Hoffman the personality.

He's about the classiest content creator out there right now, so it's a bit disingenuous to attack him like that. He's like a cross of James Burke and Alton Brown, but focused on coffee. Dude is a veritable YouTube national treasure.

Being classy is part of the milk. He puts a lot of work into his youtube videos and image, it's not an attack. It's just the reality of being a content creator.

So what’s your point? ‘Person who does job X does job X’?

I can’t stand the majority of YouTubers, but James manages to come across as respectable and genuine. That’s perfectly compatible with him trying to be successful and playing the YouTube game a bit. In his position (and I don’t think he intended to become a ‘YouTuber’), you’d have to be either stupid or utterly uninterested in success not to.

I think what I am trying to say is pretty straightforward. I don't think he used WDT because he is trying to produce content and not conduct science.

I'm not here to defend Hoffmann specifically -- I don't personally know the guy -- but I also don't understand the point you're making here. He makes youtube videos, so of course he wants views. Is there some dishonesty in what he does that you'd like recognized?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com