15.9M views · Jan 15, 2015 · 5:56 · 6 HN recommenders · 6 mentions · discussed 2015–2024
Will Stephen's humorous six-minute TEDx talk shows presentation techniques that make you sound brilliant while saying essentially nothing.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN recommends it as a funny deconstruction of TED talk style, and as a favorite example of the appearance of meaning without content.
“spent 6 minutes talking about nothing”HN comment, 2022
“is one of my favorites”
TED talk about nothing
That's why the "Ted Talk about Nothing" is one of my favorites: this video Their manner of speaking reminds me of American Dad making fun of Ira Glass. Why is pausing??! Doesn't he know what he's going to say next??? AAAAHH. link
“Personally the TED talk I liked the most.”
Shows appearance of meaning is not actual meaning
Obligatory meta TED talk: this video Personally the TED talk I liked the most. It's funny but I actually find it interesting, showing that appearance of meaning is not actual meaning.
“I absolutely love this TED talk”
Pseudo-intellectual consumerism, as I like to call it. How many people do you know who turn on the news on TV, sit in front and take notes? Who put on some music, relax in the sweet spot and immerse themselves? Who read a book, stop and ponder, continue? Versus people who turn on the TV while cooking, who put on headphones with music while working out for background noise, who put on sped up version of audiobook while driving to tick off another checkmark? It's form over substance all over the place. I absolutely love this TED talk: this video The more pseudo-intellectual consumerism infiltrates our collective psyche, the more the substance becomes irrelevant. Nuance requires thinking. "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" -- HL Mencken. But knowing this answer makes you feel smart.
“is a fun deconstruction of the pacing and process of most TED talks”
Fun deconstruction of the pacing of TED talks
Will Stephen's How to sound smart in your TEDx Talk is a fun deconstruction of the pacing and process of most TED talks: this video
“There are some great TED[x] talks”
There are some great TED[x] talks, like "Ducks Go Quack, Chickens Say Cluck": link And "How to sound smart in your TEDx Talk": this video
“spent 6 minutes talking about nothing”
Six minutes talking about nothing
I used to binge watch Ted Talks and then ran across How to sound Smart in your Ted Talk[1] Ted Talk where William Stephen spent 6 minutes talking about nothing. [1] this video
