Do you ever find yourself bored out of your mind? When alternating between your three favourite apps isn’t working, or there just isn’t anything interesting to watch, what do you do? Nothing much, right? Normally, we’d just sit around and wait for something interesting to happen – or just doze off.
Endlessly scrolling through your social media feed isn’t much help either, especially if you don’t know what would pique your interest. So if you want to get rid of boredom as soon as it starts – and get a little smarter to boot – here are five YouTube channels that’ll do just that.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed is a non-profit organisation that has been active for a decade, but you may be more familiar with their sister channels, TED and TEDx Talks. Though inspiring, it’s unfortunate that not everyone has the time or attention span to watch a 20-minute lecture. That’s where TED-Ed comes in, as they can teach you about history, maths, psychology, literature, and so much more, all in under five minutes, with stunning animation that better communicates their lessons.
If those aren’t your jam, they also have videos that explain niche facets of life that you normally wouldn’t stop to think about unless you’re actually pressed for answers. If you’re looking for a place to expand your knowledge quickly, then this channel is for you.
Game Theory (MatPat)
If you love games and have been on YouTube for, let’s say, 10 years now, you’ve heard of Matthew Patrick, better known as the face of Game Theory, a YouTube channel that uses real-life science and maths to explore your favourite games in a different way.
From the obvious games with hidden secrets like Five Nights at Freddy’s to more obscure ones like Just Dance(?), you can bet your top ringgit that he has a theory for everything. If you’re not into gaming, however, he also has a few more channels like Film, Food, and Style Theory for you to sink your teeth into. But with over 500 videos, getting through it all might be a Sisyphean task.
Ordinary Things
Ordinary Things is a special channel as, much like TED-Ed, it follows a similarly educational route in explaining the history of things. But it largely focuses on subjects that we don’t even think about until we’re asked a serious question about them, like cellars and onions. However, his videos always veer towards criticism of modern companies and redundancies.
What makes his videos entertaining is his satirical take, with a pinch of dark humour, that will just catch you off guard and make you question if you’re a good person or not. However, it is through this dry humour, among other things, that you get a whole new perspective on how to appreciate and criticise the world, all because he talks about the mundane in interesting ways.
Kurzgesagt – In A Nutshell
If you are a lover of space, science, and life in general, then this channel might be for you. Built from the ground up by illustrators, animators, and various other talents, Kurzgesagt explains the world around us through the eyes of optimistic nihilism. Again, similar to TED-Ed, they take learning to another level, often focusing on the scale of life, from the smallest cell in our body to the largest stars and black holes.
This channel is scared to break the bad news to you straight to your face, explaining in all sorts of ways how the universe can die out, or the terrifying viruses and bacteria we can get by simply existing – but they tell it all in a way that’s also eerily reassuring, if that makes sense. If you are in need of it, they also have a few self-help videos, but they will only post those once a year. And if you’re curious or find a topic just for you, you can read more and educate yourself, as they always provide sources for you to read through.
DankPods (The Trash Networks)
Who doesn’t love music? Almost everyone is on the hunt for the best headphones that won’t punch a hole in their wallet, and this is where a humble drummer from Australia comes in. Wade Nixon, better known as DankPods, is a man of many passions, one of which is drums. He has two different jazz degrees and worked as a professional drummer doing gigs before COVID. But, due to the pandemic, he almost became homeless until he started doing YouTube videos. DankPods is known for many things, and it’s what makes him so enjoyable to watch, not to mention the abrupt chaos his videos contain.
He has a variety of video topics and helps you be more informed in the music world – and watching a few of his videos is enough to make you an audiophile. From repairing old iPods to testing out new headphones in his collection – the garbage ones included – he tackles it all. If that doesn’t strike your fancy, he also has three other channels, with the fourth one on the way; he has one each for cars, drums, original music he made, and gaming. Not only that, you can also watch him play the drums live. Unfortunately, he recently announced a hiatus, at the time of writing, to take a break from burnout – but will be back in three weeks.
