Over the last decade or so, there has been a shift towards video content managed by a very small number of video hosting sites. I find myself following more creators for the topics and emerging technological trends I want to stay up to date with.

Although it’s an excellent educational resource, its ad-driven funding model makes it a distraction. So how can you reclaim your own mind?

Chrome & Chromium-base, including Microsoft Edge having Manifest V3 and Alphabet (aka Google) possibly playing silly buggers with the streaming of YouTube content.

Mozilla Firefox delayed the implementation of Manifest V3 for a bit. Allowing the modification of its extension system.

Add-ons used

So I’ve added the following extensions/Add-ons to my Web Browser.

1. For Ad-Blocking. uBlock Origin should be enough, but I also have AdBlock, and AdBlock Plus.
2. Unhook, can reduce the additional distractions on the page.
3. PocketTube to cluster subscriptions by topic.

The following video has some good points to remember when making a tutorial. it is the kind of stuff I prefer, Quick & to the point, which also applies to the classroom. So onwards …

Points for making tutorials

1. Remember the 3 rules of Youtube
   1. Title & Thumbnail get people to click
   2. First 5 second, to hook people (get them to watch)
   3. The rest of the video get them to comeback
2. The title os the video should be quick and to the point
   • How to do <x> with <Y software> in <Z> minutes
3. Video Thumbnail is directly related to the content of the video.
   • It should be the final product, not a random Photoshop image. Use High-quality free assets in the project for better polish.
   • Include the software’s icon in the thumbnail, just not in the bottom right, because of Youtube’s timestamp
4. Use the first 5 seconds for useful information and to cut to the chase.
   • “Links to all the assets/resources are in the description.“
5. All links in the description
   • Make them free and easy to access on a common public website. This way they will be available “forever” (or a long time).
   • Have a link to the final version of the project
   • Code/Software: github.com
   • Text Assets: https://pastebin.com/
   • Audio Assets: ???? freesound.org
   • Video Assets: ???? www.youtube.com
6. The video itself
   • Clear through each step of the tutorial, until done.
   • Practice a few times for smoother delivery and reduce editing
   • Target to your audience: ie noobs vs XPerienced, etc.
7. Wrap-up. Now it’s done, some self-promotion…
   • Support me via short courses, Patreon, etc. “Links in the Description”
   • Feed the algorithm with Like, Subscribe, & Bell.

Rummaging thru the shed I found an old Logictech QuickCam from 2005. I had tried it on my Windows10 laptop with no success, so I thought I’d give it a go on Linux. I only follow 2 steps from this tutorial, installing cheese and opening the cam in VLC.

It’s strange but this seams to be the case with some hardware. Microsoft maintains backwards compatibility, but not all hardware or software creators keep things up to date. Generally, Linux has a vast library of old drivers that still work with the modern kernel, and it’s developing a reputation on running on almost anything.