NOT just you.

I feel it has gotten worse the past 10 years.

I feel it myself, I am dumbed down too. Having trouble even formulating this as I never type formally anymore.

Our state TV SVT buys in documentaries from BBC, Showtime, PBS and some of their own production. Some of their own are still good. The BBC ones are absolute garbage dumbed down now.

The world the aristocrats warned about in the 60s and 70s are here now.

What are 2 or 3 feature length documentaries you watched produced in the last 5 years? I’m curious what you’re watching and what made them so bad. I saw several excellent ones over the last few years. They’re out there and they’re not obscure IMO.

> What are 2 or 3 feature length documentaries you watched produced in the last 5 years?

Since GP mentioned TV, I suspect the ones he's complaining about are the ones I complained about: one-hour TV documentary-style shows like BBC Horizon or PBS Nova.

The ones I've seen from recent years contain interesting stuff, but the presentation is too rapid, to flashy, too repetitive yet not enough time to let things settle.

Feature length documentaries are better I agree.

>one-hour TV documentary-style shows like BBC Horizon or PBS Nova.

Yep, these must be them, but our Swedish state TV buys them and somewhat rebrands them, but the BBC logo is usually there at the end.

Yes they are much more flashy and "americanized" compared to 10-15 years ago. Sadly. I still appreciate them.

The youtube channels are nowhere near the style and depth of documentaries like the ones above...

> The youtube channels are nowhere near the style and depth of documentaries like the ones above...

My friend, if you enjoy long format, deep diving documentaries written, produced and narrated without AI about Space, Physics, Human evolution or planet Earths history, then I insist you head over to the History of the Universe YouTube channel and start watching!

This specific video is probably my favorite (I'm a sucker for contemplating "time"and what it actually is) and was the one that got me hooked on their channel. They go way deeper into the details without becoming a formal lecture and it's genuinely captivating. https://youtu.be/ZSmNii0uOmw?si=3Jaty3XcMGlryhh2

https://youtube.com/@historyoftheuniverse https://youtube.com/@historyofhumankind https://youtube.com/@historyoftheearth

Check out Technology Connections. This is way, way, way more in depth than anything one can find on TV.

Thinking about it I have to revise my statement somewhat. I have seen The Great War, Technology Connections etc and my Youtube algo is after 15 years very tuned to me.

The issue is somewhat that this stuff needs to be pushed more into peoples feeds and not pregnant spiderman videos.

If anybody wants some more encouragement to check out Technology Connections ... the vibe is hour+ long Andy Rooney pieces.

Damning with faint praise. He was never a first-rate reporter, AFAIK. More like Paul Harvey.

Depends on what you follow. For example, look up The Great War.

At least where I live, basically everything that's on discovery, national geographic and the history channel now is just "experts" talking (reading a script) about "hitler's secret sex life" or some such thing, interspersed with a re-enactment shot or one of the "experts" walking around a slightly relevant building.

That is fair, I have checked out some The Great War videos. Not to mention podcast stuff like Hardcore History. They are very good an in depth. There is also full MIT/Harvard courses on Youtube. So yes it is all about what one looks up.

Close to style, naturally styles are different

Lack of depth? Wrong. Just go beyond the usual pop-sci stuff on YT.

You can go as deep as you want. Surely it won't be "as fun" or "tiktok sized" but if you want depth it's there

That is fair, I have checked out some The Great War videos. Not to mention podcast stuff like Hardcore History. They are very good an in depth.

There is also full MIT/Harvard courses on Youtube.

So yes it is all about what one looks up.

If that’s what you got from James Burke’s body of work, may be worth a revisit.

I have not seen it but compared to today I see a white man mentioning Verner Braun in a positive note.

Made today it would be a woman or MtF person screeching about it and a disclaimer in the beginning.

Sir, this is a Wendy’s.

I love this style of documentary, I feel like we had it even when I was a kid in the 90s - 00s and as an adult in the 10s, but now is totally a dead style.

Sadly, it is not produced anymore. The producers chase a style and person that no longer exist, so they get their panties in a twist and make TikTok style and "true crime" style interviews is all I see from newer documentaries sadly. Women love "true crime" so 50% of new docus are just true crime drama slop.

I used to watch all or most of our state TV ones but they are no longer as good (They do some of their own buy buy in most from BBC, Showtime and PBS.)

I have been watching World at War and The World at War and such. Should watch Civilization and How should we then live?

The point is that is was included in Windows.

Already enterprise approved on the MS stack.

I know HN is all startups with macbooks on local admin, but in bigger companies even devs cannot just install whatever they want.

VB was never included in Windows (although it did include the runtime files).

Windows did include other BASIC-related stuff, like GW-BASIC, QBasic, and VBScript.

Yes, not to program it but to run. But that makes the IDE and such an easy approval for management and IT to push out/install.

Also batch. aaah, I love cmd.

Perhaps the VBRUNxxx.dll files were distributed with Windows later, but not at first. You had to include them in your install diskettes.

WiFi is always a compromise. Wife factor maybe, but for now, cable.

Modern LED lights really draw no power at all in the grand scheme of things

They’re pretty incredible, 200+ lumens per watt for LED lighting vs 16 lumens per watt for incandescent, 12.5x more efficient. Commercial LED fixtures have rated lifetimes of 50,000+ hours.

The residual problem as ever being the rebound effect, AKA Jevons paradox. Let's hope that humans find a way not to want everything 12.5x brighter.

The pain experienced by looking at bright source of light seems to be fairly effective?

I guess it's unlikely to be 12x, but people probably do consume more light, by way of being less worried about switching them off.

Have you seen modern car headlights?

I try not to, on account of the pain.

Interiors are trending brighter with LED lighting, but it's not exactly a 10x multiplier.

Yes but LED lights need to be connected to some electricity source, which is inconvenient in some scenarios.

Who are you and what is this about?

Who am I? Given that I've been reported as dead, that's a good question...

Read the post, click the link!

Is burning man still the hot cool rich tech thing or have you people moved on?

I think the next upswing will be forests, lakes and such.