steven antonucci
I think YouTube represents a very unique opportunity to learn, for both the presenter and the viewer. I cannot overemphasize that ALL YouTube videos should be treated as an episode of "World's Dumbest" by everyone.

There is a huge disconnect between seeing and doing. Just because someone can record their actions and upload a video doesn't make them an expert. They may be an expert, but the viewer may not be able to do what they do? There is also the possibility that what they are doing is dangerous or stupid.

I saw the video that you mention and I think that people need to mentally categorize videos into at least two buckets: instruction and demonstration. In a demo, I show you how I do something. I am not trying to teach you how to do it. In an instructional video, I am attempting to convey knowledge for the purpose of the viewer understanding it.

There are videos of people jumping off of cliffs, driving 200 mph, fighting wild animals. I don't think any of these would be considered instructional. I think we need to categorize this type of video as demonstrative and just agree that the guy was a beginning turner who should probably spend more time at the lathe and less time making videos.

Who knows? Perhaps someone that knows him sees the video and offers help to make him a better turner?

Steve