8 votes

Can animals commit crimes?

15 comments

  1. [14]
    mrbig
    Link
    I kinda wish this was text. I almost always wish videos were text.

    I kinda wish this was text. I almost always wish videos were text.

    8 votes
    1. [4]
      Algernon_Asimov
      Link Parent
      I agree. I always feel like video makers are deliberately wasting my time by presenting the information... as... slowly... as... possible... I'm trudging through a video at snail's pace......

      I agree. I always feel like video makers are deliberately wasting my time by presenting the information... as... slowly... as... possible... I'm trudging through a video at snail's pace... while... the... presenter... takes... their... time... getting... to... the... point...

      It's like their goal is to take up as much of my time as possible, as if they're making money by charging per minute of viewing time (which I know they're not, which makes it more puzzling and more frustrating).

      Meanwhile, I'd probably be able to read an article that presented exactly the same information in less than half the time - even with the quirky little digressions that video makers always seem to want to include (to waste even more of my time).

      I often give up on videos partway through in sheer frustration.

      4 votes
      1. [3]
        mrbig
        Link Parent
        On the other hand, well-produced videos that are to the point and really uses the medium to enhance my understanding are a joy to watch! But they’re in the the minority.

        On the other hand, well-produced videos that are to the point and really uses the medium to enhance my understanding are a joy to watch! But they’re in the the minority.

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          UniquelyGeneric
          Link Parent
          Time spent on a video is a proxy for engagement. More engaged viewers means higher ad cost, and therefore more money. Not sure if this is factored into YouTube algorithms, but I can see a reason...

          Time spent on a video is a proxy for engagement. More engaged viewers means higher ad cost, and therefore more money. Not sure if this is factored into YouTube algorithms, but I can see a reason for keeping people around.

          That being said, as a user, many times I want to skip through the video like I would while skimming a book, but it’s so much more tedious to go backwards in a video to figure out where was the key section you missed.

          3 votes
          1. MimicSquid
            Link Parent
            My wife watches everything on YouTube at 2x speed. It's still intelligible, and doesn't waste so much time.

            My wife watches everything on YouTube at 2x speed. It's still intelligible, and doesn't waste so much time.

    2. [4]
      Nodja
      Link Parent
      youtube-dl --write-sub --sub-lang en --skip-download https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALWLELLlv6E Video format is more profitable for the creator and reaches a wider audience. Lots of writers that...

      youtube-dl --write-sub --sub-lang en --skip-download https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALWLELLlv6E

      Video format is more profitable for the creator and reaches a wider audience. Lots of writers that used to work for publishers have gone independent by translating their works into videos. You also end up creating a more focused work because you're not crunching 2-3 articles every week and focus on a single article sometimes for a whole month.

      Sure it's not as convenient for power consumers of knowledge, but we're not the target audience of these videos.

      3 votes
      1. [3]
        mrbig
        Link Parent
        I suppose these content makers write scripts for the videos. It doesn't take a lot of work to make such script into a nice article for antiquated folks like me. Thanks for the youtube-dl formula.

        I suppose these content makers write scripts for the videos. It doesn't take a lot of work to make such script into a nice article for antiquated folks like me.

        Thanks for the youtube-dl formula.

        1. [2]
          Nodja
          Link Parent
          They do, some of them even have it as a perk on their patreon page. As an example the What I've Learned channel used to post the transcripts on his blog, but he makes it a patreon perk now.

          They do, some of them even have it as a perk on their patreon page. As an example the What I've Learned channel used to post the transcripts on his blog, but he makes it a patreon perk now.

          2 votes
          1. mrbig
            Link Parent
            I appreciate that they do this! Kinda wish it was open but it’s their content, they can do whatever they want with it. It’d not be feasible for me to be a patron to every random video maker I...

            I appreciate that they do this! Kinda wish it was open but it’s their content, they can do whatever they want with it. It’d not be feasible for me to be a patron to every random video maker I find, though. So I’ll inevitably pass on a lot of video content.

    3. [5]
      unknown user
      Link Parent
      It's sad that the only discussion this submission generated was this. This channel generally does videos where historical events, especially wars, are illustrated with relevant diagrams and...

      It's sad that the only discussion this submission generated was this. This channel generally does videos where historical events, especially wars, are illustrated with relevant diagrams and graphics. This one is a slightly relevant, interesting piece of history that they did. English captions are available, and @Nodja even show how to easily download them. Also, in reply to them:

      Sure it's not as convenient for power consumers of knowledge, but we're not the target audience of these videos.

      What is a "power consumer of knowledge"? Am I a lazy consumer of knowledge (whatever "consuming knowledge" may mean) because I like watching these sorts of interesting videos as a pastime? Can't I care more about some topics and other stuff, meh, just an interesting thing to learn about? Do we need to be all analytical and academic for all the subjects all the time? Well, I am an academic in the making, trying to initiate my career as a linguist, and I make a lot of use from stuff delivered in video format, with hands on explanations and examples, or as overviews or reviews of stuff I read in books. Does that make me a lesser learner?

      It's sad that I end up regretting posting this and feel like deleting it. Just don't watch it if you don't like videos. You don't have to learn everything. This whole discussion is wildly meta and off-topic, and nobody will post anything if all they'll have is this sort of---quite annoying, tbh---long irrelevant discussion under it.

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        mrbig
        Link Parent
        I'd say Tildes, right now, is heavily pro-text. That's even a guideline for the interface. From my anecdotal observation, text links of medium length draw the most attention. Videos not so much....

        It's sad that the only discussion this submission generated was this.

        I'd say Tildes, right now, is heavily pro-text. That's even a guideline for the interface. From my anecdotal observation, text links of medium length draw the most attention. Videos not so much.

        English captions are available

        I'll sound like a choosing beggar, but I downloaded the captions. It's not an easy format to read, and I was not willing to figure out the regex to make it presentable.

        Sure it's not as convenient for power consumers of knowledge, but we're not the target audience of these videos.

        I never heard this term before, and it sounds pejorative to me. I'm definitely not a power consumer.

        Am I a lazy consumer of knowledge (whatever "consuming knowledge" may mean) because I like watching these sorts of interesting videos as a pastime?

        Does that make me a lesser learner?

        Absolutely not.

        Do we need to be all analytical and academic for all the subjects all the time?

        From a cognitive standpoint, it's wrong to assume that reading a text is necessarily an analytical activity, and watching video is necessarily a passive one. That's an old preconception that has been proven wrong. See Narration in the Fiction Film, by David Bordwell.

        It's sad that I end up regretting posting this and feel like deleting it.

        It was not my intention to make you feel that way. Nevertheless, this is a social network based on ranking, and it's only natural that some of our contributions will not be well received. I understand it's hard to not take it personally, but one must be prepared for that eventuality.

        Just don't watch it if you don't like videos.

        I could do that, but instead, I chose to give an indication of the type of presentation I'd prefer in that particular case. Which might come across to the content makers. I know it's a long shot, but I suppose they have ways to know where their videos are being shared. And, AFAIK, you could have made the video yourself!

        This whole discussion is wildly meta and off-topic, and nobody will post anything if all they'll have is this sort of---quite annoying, tbh---long irrelevant discussion under it.

        I disagree. IMHO forums such as Reddit and Tildes thrive on meta-discussion. Their mechanics are clearly devoted to allowing the coexistence of several sub-threads, sometimes with vastly distinct derivations. What seems to be the issue here is that, sadly, the resistance to the video format was so great that few people actually watched it, and the only top comment was mine — an admittedly grumpy complaint. Which I only made because, despite the format, the subject was actually interesting.

        2 votes
        1. unknown user
          Link Parent
          I disagree here. First of all, the thing has 8 votes on it, and the number of commenters that clearly take an issue with the format is 3. So there is no "great resistence" and quite a few people...

          I disagree. IMHO forums such as Reddit and Tildes thrive on meta-discussion. Their mechanics are clearly devoted to allowing the coexistence of several sub-threads, sometimes with vastly distinct derivations. What seems to be the issue here is that, sadly, the resistance to the video format was so great that few people actually watched it, and the only top comment was mine — an admittedly grumpy complaint. Which I only made because, despite the format, the subject was actually interesting

          I disagree here. First of all, the thing has 8 votes on it, and the number of commenters that clearly take an issue with the format is 3. So there is no "great resistence" and quite a few people reacted positively.

          Then, this discussion is on topic indeed, but not here, under ~tildes. Congesting topics with meta discussion discourages people from posting which is harmful to a nascent community like ours. I'm not taking it personal or anything. I actually tend to agree with your view here, but why not start a thread at ~tildes?

          There was also a reason I posted this under ~misc and not ~humanities: meant this as a fun and interesting little thing that was scarcely informative.

          1 vote
      2. mrbig
        Link Parent
        Hey buddy I was expressing a predilection over here. I don’t agree with the prejudices you mentioned regarding video content. I’m actually a film major. Maybe this makes me more demanding, but I...

        Hey buddy I was expressing a predilection over here. I don’t agree with the prejudices you mentioned regarding video content. I’m actually a film major. Maybe this makes me more demanding, but I also appreciate well-made content. I just don’t think that was a particularly good video, and it would probably be better as an article. I scanned for a link but couldn’t find it. Anyway, no judgment. Videomaking is hard.

        1 vote
      3. Algernon_Asimov
        Link Parent
        As I said elsewhere in this thread, I often give up on videos partway through in sheer frustration. This was one of those videos. That meant I couldn't discuss the video's content. Sorry.

        It's sad that the only discussion this submission generated was this.

        As I said elsewhere in this thread, I often give up on videos partway through in sheer frustration. This was one of those videos.

        That meant I couldn't discuss the video's content. Sorry.

  2. unknown user
    Link
    Can they? Turns out they used to!

    Can they? Turns out they used to!