Since my comments here some days ago I've now had time to follow your links in more detail and it's not only the info on Victorian Glass Fire Grenades that I've found interesting on YouTube's Our Own Devices but also the channel hosts a plethora of excellently produced videos that are both fascinating and diverse in topic.
I'd never come across Our Own Devices previously so I'm very pleased you posted the links as I reckon the channel ought to be more widely known to HN's audience. What's truly impressive about the channel is the sheer diversity of its subject matter and the depth in which each subject is covered.
From my limited search I find Our Own Devices is authored by a Canadian, a former mechanical engineer turned author by the name of Gilles Messier. What's stunning about Messier is that he has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the subject matter that he covers in his videos. Whilst that's not surprising of itself—as many YouTube-ers have a vast knowledge of their subject—what's amazing about Messier is the sheer diversity and range of his knowledge which spreads over many fields.
This became obvious to me when viewing Rotary Phones: the Call of History when Messier made
almost throwaway mention of a couple of obscure rather minor historical technical facts that would not be common knowledge to today's experts in telephony due to that they have been superseded and irrelevant for decades.
The only reason I know about them is because of my electronics background and that I'm considerably older than he is, thus I've accumulated historical knowledge that would be unfamiliar to younger viewers. Even then, the only reason that I'm aware of these facts is that I recall a decades-old conversation I had with a professional in telephony who mention them. (I won't bore you with the details except to say I wouldn't have expected Messier to be so very fluent and accurare in historical detail.)
Messier either has a photographic memory or he scrupulously researchs his topics, or both (he says he doesn't use a teleprompter when talking to camera so his memory must be excellent).
Every video I've watched on Our Own Devices I've found fascinating and informative, I always learn something new even with topics with which I am familiar. As a technology nerd I find this channel and Messier's presentation addictive.
I'd never come across Our Own Devices previously so I'm very pleased you posted the links as I reckon the channel ought to be more widely known to HN's audience. What's truly impressive about the channel is the sheer diversity of its subject matter and the depth in which each subject is covered.
From my limited search I find Our Own Devices is authored by a Canadian, a former mechanical engineer turned author by the name of Gilles Messier. What's stunning about Messier is that he has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the subject matter that he covers in his videos. Whilst that's not surprising of itself—as many YouTube-ers have a vast knowledge of their subject—what's amazing about Messier is the sheer diversity and range of his knowledge which spreads over many fields.
This became obvious to me when viewing Rotary Phones: the Call of History when Messier made almost throwaway mention of a couple of obscure rather minor historical technical facts that would not be common knowledge to today's experts in telephony due to that they have been superseded and irrelevant for decades.
The only reason I know about them is because of my electronics background and that I'm considerably older than he is, thus I've accumulated historical knowledge that would be unfamiliar to younger viewers. Even then, the only reason that I'm aware of these facts is that I recall a decades-old conversation I had with a professional in telephony who mention them. (I won't bore you with the details except to say I wouldn't have expected Messier to be so very fluent and accurare in historical detail.)
Messier either has a photographic memory or he scrupulously researchs his topics, or both (he says he doesn't use a teleprompter when talking to camera so his memory must be excellent).
Every video I've watched on Our Own Devices I've found fascinating and informative, I always learn something new even with topics with which I am familiar. As a technology nerd I find this channel and Messier's presentation addictive.