[…unrelated to current events] (that is of course my redacted paraphrase of @solost’s comments after the ellipses.
In the past, when I’ve wanted something to watch to take my mind off… whatever is all over the media (social or otherwise) at a given moment, and especially when I can’t handle even the superficial or farcical resemblance to our current world found in popular streaming shows (like, I don’t think I could even handle season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones right now), I have found these YouTube channels to be helpful:
^They cover a range of health and science topics, but I particularly like the videos on their human origins playlist.
^Lots of physics/biology/medicine/chemistry/etc-related videos.
^It is exactly what it says it is: videos of complete courses… from Yale. Some of them might be a bit too close to home for comfort, but the course titles are descriptive enough you should be able to avoid anything too relevant to… whatever it is you want to avoid thinking about.
I’d be interested to see other people’s ideas, now and in the future, but carefully keeping the comments focused to the suggested streaming content, not… whatever current event happens to have provoked the media-holiday (this is posted in Cafe Society for a reason).
There are (at least) two YouTube channels that just have 24/7 live streams of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 going. I was taking advantage of them to keep my nose off the news sites.
I’d link but it’s a pain on my phone and they should be easy to search for.
What this really is: black and white footage of bats hanging upside down from a ceiling grate, swaying and jostling in the breeze.
What the video is: the camera footage has been turned upside down so it looks like the bats are standing upright and moving rhythmically, while goth music plays in the background.
The missus and I have become addicted to Max Miller’s Tasting History channel on YouTube. He meticulously researches historical recipes and recreates them, and includes all sorts of facts related to those recipes. We recently picked up his recipe book, and it’s gotten us into making mead.
Here are a few of my favourite YouTube channels - specifically, the kind that make you feel better:
Florian Gadsby - Ostensibly just a guy making pottery, but he has such a chill and mindful approach to it, and to his video production, that each episode feels really meditative.
James Hoffman - Weird Coffee Person (in his own words) - award-winning barista, explores the world of coffee with calm, understated wit.
LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER - Madcap tinkering with analogue musical, telephony and audiovisual equipment.
Mudlarking with Kit and Caboodlers - A mother and daughter duo, scratching around on beaches and in the woods, looking for treasures that were once trash. In particular, their endless excitement and joy over some of their finds, can really rub off and change your mood.
If you like soccer, you’ll be interested in the award-winning* documentary series about Ryan Reynolds and Rob Macklehenney buying Wrexham football club.
There are 3 current series and another one in production.
It has humour from our famous stars, action clips, clear explanations of the promotion and relegation system in the English football League, interviews with supporters, club staff and locals.
All episodes of Taskmaster are free to watch on YouTube. There are few things more distracting than very funny British comedians performing very silly tasks.
I like Let’s Game It Out. The host does “Let’s Plays” of various computer games, with the twist that he does so in the most absurd, inefficient and gamebreaking way he can while making amusing commentary. I got into his channel when someone on another forum posted one of his videos on the game Satisfactory (his “conveyor-belt tornado” is actually one of the images used on its Steam storefront).
You will NOT be disappointed. Saving seals from netting wrapped round them. On a huge beach filled with hundreds/thousands of seals. It’s an amazing thing to watch. Much more athletic than most sports. It’s a wild ride, check it out.
