Recommended for a decade or more
A recommendation that still comes up ten years later is the closest thing to a verdict the internet produces. 761 videos, widest span first.
- HN refers to it for the moment where Knuth asks a question and addresses the Steve Jobs anecdote, a favorite geek moment.
- HN returns to it repeatedly as the best single introduction to understanding clinical depression.
- Recommended as a brilliant, hilarious talk, though not the most educational.
- TheRichterScales music video recommended in 2 different months by 3 HN users, 2009–2026Resurfaces in threads on startups, valuations and hype cycles as a funny, prescient bubble satire.
- HN suggests it as a free lecture for beginners that eases them into writing readable, reusable code.
- New Scientist demo recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2009–2026It is the go-to demonstration HN links whenever traffic shockwaves, phantom jams or cascading failures come up.
- Used as the primary source for what Go's creators originally promised, such as fast compiles, systems-language framing, safety and generics.
- dftube demo recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2007–2024Commenters cite it as an early example of projectional or intent-based programming tools when discussing alternatives to text-based code.
- Mostly posted as a joke or reference when threads touch on status, difficulty or jobs.
- dftube demo cited on HN 4 times, 2007–2024HN cites it as an early demo of projectional, AST-based programming whenever editors, code views or non-text programming come up.
- Cited to argue that people do not know what they want and that markets should be segmented.
- InsaneNutter comedy video cited on HN 4 times, 2009–2026HN cites it as a darkly funny, often-quoted take on police encounters, referenced in policing and parenting threads.
- HN repeatedly recommends it as the iconic explanation of why git is designed as it is and why distributed VCS beats centralized ones.
- HN has recommended it for years as the most useful and entertaining talk on sleep, often to people struggling with tiredness or productivity.
- BUTTONTANG demo recommended in 7 different months by 7 HN users, 2009–2025HN repeatedly holds it up as the benchmark for what procedural generation and size-coding can achieve in 4K.
- CappyNJ comedy video recommended in 7 different months by 7 HN users, 2010–2026HN keeps linking it in threads on clutter, storage units, real estate and consumerism as a perfectly apt comic take.
- HN commenters call it a favorite introduction to Valley history and cite it whenever government and military funding of tech comes up.
- Question Copyright music video recommended in 6 different months by 6 HN users, 2010–2026Linked constantly in copyright and piracy debates as a short explainer of the difference between copying and physical theft.
- HN treats Cliff Click's talks as an excellent source on JVMs, garbage collection and hardware-assisted Java.
- Alex Felker interview recommended in 5 different months by 5 HN users, 2009–2025HN returns to it constantly as the definitive critique of adversarial TV punditry, still seen as relevant to polarized media and online discourse.
- HN points to it as an example of ambitious, practical-effects creativity in music videos, made without CGI.
- Andrea Dorfman video recommended in 5 different months by 6 HN users, 2010–2026HN commenters point lonely people to it as a moving, comforting piece of art about getting comfortable with solitude.
- Johnny Lee demo recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2010–2026It is the classic reference for head-tracked parallax displays, cited whenever new 3D or holographic display tech appears.
- HN returns to it as the original Wave pitch, both for its wow factor and as a case study in a hyped product that was later shut down.
- kb demo recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2010–2026HN recommends it as the demoscene showpiece to show someone what extreme size-limited real-time graphics look like.
- HN cites it whenever money as an incentive comes up, as evidence that rewards can backfire for creative white-collar work.
- Matt Mayfield Music explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2009–2025HN keeps linking it as the shortest clear explanation of over-compression and brickwalled mastering.
- smalin music video recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2010–2026Recommended as a music visualization that makes the structure easier to follow than sheet music.
- Cited as a watchable early introduction to deep learning from its pioneer, and remembered as a mind-blowing moment in the field.
- HN commenters cite it for Pinker's analysis of profanity and of why talking about taboo words differs from using them.
- Ji Lee video recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2009–2025Cited as evidence that ordinary users often don't understand basic technology like browsers, as a reminder for designers and developers.
- HN mentions it mainly for Conan's roasting of the interviewer and Google's leadership, not for any informational content.
- Lizzie Steven comedy video recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2007–2023HN mostly posts it as a joke whenever someone says things were harder in the old days.
- Shared as a charming historical look at children learning computing, including kids acting as register bits.
- Manuito demo recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2010–2026Linked in aviation threads to show that engines are designed to contain a failed fan blade.
- HN uses it mainly as the place where Stephenson addresses criticism of his novels' endings, plus as a fun author talk with jokes.
- HN mentions it as a joke or a shared favorite Onion classic when tech frustration or The Onion comes up.
- HN uses it as the standard illustration of animal tool use and adaptive intelligence in crow threads.
- 1doony4u comedy video cited on HN 4 times, 2008–2024HN uses it purely as a joke, quoting the chant when threads discuss how much a company or platform depends on developers.
- Steve Packard video cited on HN 3 times, 2010–2026Linked in missile defense threads as a striking illustration of the Sprint's acceleration and its interception tests.
- politiclips news clip cited on HN 5 times, 2010–2026Used as a joke or cautionary example of confident financial punditry that proved wrong, often referenced during bank scares and bubbles.
- feraldarryl comedy video cited on HN 5 times, 2010–2026Used as a joke reply in threads with 'how to' titles, not as a recommendation.
- Landon Proctor documentary recommended in 11 different months by 15 HN users, 2011–2026A perennial HN recommendation, brought up whenever sampling, copyright or music history comes up, often described as a must-watch.
- Carnegie Mellon University lecture recommended in 12 different months by 12 HN users, 2008–2023Perennially recommended as an inspirational talk for people facing setbacks or choosing a direction, and a source of oft-quoted lines like the brick wall.
- wonderingmind42 lecture recommended in 10 different months by 13 HN users, 2010–2025A perennial HN recommendation for building intuition about exponential growth, cited whenever endless growth, energy or population come up.
- HN recommends it as an accessible, widely shared critique of schooling, and cites it in threads on ADHD, creativity and education reform.
- Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science lecture recommended in 7 different months by 7 HN users, 2009–2024HN regards it as a famous, mesmerizing talk, especially for the point that distant galaxies will become unobservable.
- HN commenters return to it for perspective, comfort and Sagan's soothing voice, and suggest watching it periodically.
- HN returns to it constantly as a prescient talk, cited whenever threads cover DRM, locked-down devices, app verification or restrictions on running your own software.
- HN regards it as the best introduction and advertisement for Org-mode, and many say it was enough to get them started with it.
- Michael Lawrence interview recommended in 5 different months by 5 HN users, 2010–2025HN uses it as the source of the 'bicycle for the mind' quote, which commenters cite in discussions of computing, programming and LLMs.
- HN points to it as the best account of what Self made possible and what its team went on to do.
- Brant Walsh comedy video recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2011–2026HN commenters bring it up whenever Microsoft product naming, branding or marketing is confusing, pointing to it as a long-running self-aware critique.
- steffyweffy777 music video recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2011–2026Posted as timeless, comforting life advice in threads about careers, aging, and uncertainty.
- It is the go-to viral demo whenever HN discusses vibration, acoustic attacks, or sound affecting hard drives.
- Alamo Drafthouse comedy video recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2011–2026It is cited as a viral example of Alamo enforcing its no-talking and no-texting rules with humor.
- HN commenters recommend it as the key talk on why game AI is built to be fun rather than to win.
- HN commenters recommend it for Stoll's infectious enthusiasm and his case for teaching kids science, and often mention it in threads about him and his Klein bottles.
- Brought up whenever threads touch on mimicry, voice cloning or bird vocalization, and people say the ending is startling.
- HN uses it as the go-to evidence for Toyota pickup durability, and as a benchmark in discussions of truck toughness.
- Recommended as a condensed version of Kay's ideas on education and computing, showing kids using software to explore physics and robotics.
- teraera08 explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2011–2026Remembered fondly as a fun, memorable animated explanation of how perpendicular disk storage works.
- budagum interview recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2011–2026HN quotes it as a prescient take on industry decline and on how young, hip managers can be more conservative than the old guard.
- Greg Granito video recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2010–2025Mostly used as a joking or nostalgic reference in threads about nuclear war, AI and security exploits.
- rlcarnes comedy video recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2010–2025HN uses it as a joke whenever jargon-heavy or meaningless technical pitches appear, and praises it as a masterclass in technobabble.
- batxg3 interview recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2009–2024HN returns to it as a reminder to stay humble and as a source of Feynman's view on awards and prestige.
- People Like Us - The CNAM Channel documentary recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2010–2025HN uses it as the standard audio example of the Tangier accent in discussions of archaic or colonial-era English.
- Posted as a joke and a reference whenever threads discuss newspaper bias and media pandering to readers.
- HN cites it as a model of emotional product storytelling and as inspiration for visualizing one's own search history as a narrative.
- Old Spice comedy video recommended in 1 different month by 1 HN user, 2010–2025Used as an example of a viral ad that worked through humor and clever in-camera production.
- bagheadinc comedy video cited on HN 9 times, 2011–2026Used purely as a joke reply when someone misuses a term.
- rylxyc comedy video cited on HN 4 times, 2008–2023Used purely as a joke reference to bad translation and phrasebooks.
- John Rearick video cited on HN 15 times, 2010–2025Used as a recurring gag or jab at Stallman's social eccentricities; not recommended for its content.
- Mostly invoked as a joke when nerd stereotypes come up, and once for a trivia card visible in the video.
- Duncan Robson comedy video cited on HN 11 times, 2010–2025Used as a joke or critique whenever someone expects impossible image upscaling or recovery of detail.
- Chris Vertonghen talk cited on HN 4 times, 2009–2024HN people cite it for the Ise shrine metaphor, that function rather than original material defines identity.
- David Mitchell's Soapbox comedy video cited on HN 14 times, 2010–2025HN uses it as the go-to link, often jokingly, whenever someone writes "could care less" instead of "couldn't care less".
- NRK comedy video cited on HN 5 times, 2009–2024HN drops it as a joke whenever threads touch on new interfaces, books or technology confusing users.
- FraternityPaddleTime comedy video cited on HN 3 times, 2010–2025Used only as a joke reply, typically when someone willingly accepts punishment or abuse.
- Rezende comedy video cited on HN 3 times, 2011–2026Mostly quoted as a joke or a snapshot of Microsoft's dated marketing style rather than recommended.
- Used as a punchline whenever commenters see consensus-driven decisions, politicians chasing public opinion, or metric-driven content.
- HN commenters use it as a joking reference when discussing privatization, outsourcing and absurd bureaucracy.
- One of the most consistently recommended lecture series on HN, praised as fascinating, funny and eye-opening about human behavior across many scales.
- University of California Television (UCTV) lecture recommended in 12 different months by 13 HN users, 2010–2024The most-linked YouTube video on HN, recommended as an in-depth explanation of fructose metabolism.
- HN repeatedly names it the best resource on API design, a staple answer to any 'how do I design an API' question.
- Recommended whenever APL or array languages come up as the quickest way to see why the paradigm is so striking.
- The Qualcomm Institute talk recommended in 10 different months by 12 HN users, 2010–2024Recommended for years as the best technical introduction to memristors from the person who found the physical device.
- powerfuloutlet talk recommended in 11 different months by 10 HN users, 2012–2026A staple on must-watch lists, recommended as a starting point for Kay's thinking and for why software is often poor and ahistorical.
- UMBCtube lecture recommended in 9 different months by 9 HN users, 2009–2023Repeatedly recommended in education threads as the definitive talk on why lectures fail and what works better.
- Radical Discourse explainer recommended in 10 different months by 10 HN users, 2010–2024HN recommends it as a funny, accurate and easy primer on Keynesian versus Austrian views of the business cycle.
- Russ Cox tutorial recommended in 10 different months by 11 HN users, 2012–2026HN points people to it as the best introduction to Acme and its very different take on editors, shells, and GUIs.
- Ben Woodhams comedy video recommended in 11 different months by 15 HN users, 2012–2026Recommended as the standard companion to any Adam Curtis film, since it lampoons the style and gives reasons to take his claims with skepticism.
- HN points to it as the definitive, entertaining account of Sun's fate under Oracle, and quotes its Ellison lawnmower advice whenever Oracle behaves badly.
- University of California Television (UCTV) lecture recommended in 10 different months by 10 HN users, 2008–2022HN cites it often in debates on inequality, cost disease and stagnant middle-class income, praising its data-driven approach.
- HN returns to it for motivation and perspective, and quotes it constantly, especially the connect-the-dots and remembering-death passages.
- HN returns to it as the canonical footage of persistence hunting in threads about human endurance running and evolution.
- It is HN's go-to reference whenever device lockdown, DRM, or restrictions on installing software come up, with commenters noting how prescient it was.
- HN cites it in discussions of language evangelism, community dynamics and zealotry, as an accessible account of how a good language can die for non-technical reasons.
- Micky Thompson interview recommended in 5 different months by 5 HN users, 2010–2024HN commenters cite it whenever someone asks whether to quit a job or start a company, as a simple decision heuristic.
- MC Frontalot music video recommended in 5 different months by 5 HN users, 2012–2026HN shares it whenever Zork or text adventures come up, as a fun tribute for geeks.
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