Applied Science: the videos Hacker News recommends
Not the channel's most viewed videos: the ones HN commenters kept linking with real commentary. The top pick, "E-paper hacking: fastest possible refresh rate", whenever e-ink refresh speed or driving waveforms come up, HN points to this as the clearest hands-on explanation of how these displays work and how to hack them.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2021tutorialWhenever e-ink refresh speed or driving waveforms come up, HN points to this as the clearest hands-on explanation of how these displays work and how to hack them.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2023demoRecommended as an expert-made DIY build that explains why the apparatus is designed as it is, though one commenter notes a missing baseline run.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2023tutorialHN people recommend it as a fantastic maker project among Apollo anniversary builds.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2022tutorialRecommended as a hands-on introduction to glass melting and chemistry and to Krasnow's channel.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2024demoHN recommends it as a hands-on introduction to XRF and a fascinating teardown showing the x-ray tube and beryllium windows.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2015–2025demoUsed as an example of Applied Science pushing the limits of garage engineering, in DIY microscope threads.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2020explainerHN recommends it as an informative explanation of what those tags are, especially in threads about implants and RFID.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2025demoHN points to it as a cool demonstration of cheap precision laser measurement and the origin of hacks based on self-mixing.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2025tutorialCited as an accessible way to make lithographic masks at home, in threads about hobbyist chip fabrication.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2023–2025demoHN commenters link it for electron micrographs of fresh versus worn bristles when toothbrush wear comes up.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2026demoCommenters cite it as the clearest demonstration of hypercentric lenses and of looking around objects with optics.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2023tutorialHN points to it in superconductor and LK-99 threads as evidence that YBCO can be made in a modest home lab.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2026demoPointed to as proof that you can weigh micrograms cheaply at home, and as a clear breakdown of how such a scale works.
Questions
Which Applied Science video does Hacker News recommend most?
E-paper hacking: fastest possible refresh rate: recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users between 2018 and 2021.
Is this every Applied Science video?
No. Only videos that at least three different HN users linked, in at least three different months, with at least a sentence of their own commentary. That filter is what makes the list useful.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.