> For a long time, building shitty robots meant Giertz never had to face failure, even if the robots themselves failed. “One of the things that I've been trying to figure out is: Was building shitty robots in some way a method for me to minimize myself, to make myself smaller?” Giertz says. “Because that's what I notice—a lot of women being really scared to step up and be an expert.”
This rings really true, and as funny as the shitty robots were, I really have been enjoying her later videos a lot more than those. She's really funny and talented and deserves a lot more than shitty robots. And I hope she'll be ok.
I have a lot of mixed, mostly melancholy feelings about her self reflection there. The talk about imposter syndrome and self deprecation is something that rings true to a lot of talented people, not just women, and the power of her videos is that she demonstrates that failure is a part of success.
With most media you usually see a carefully choreographed final product that appears flawless and intimdating. You don't get to see the process or what lead up to it. What her videos demonstrate is that failure and imperfection are ok and part of the process.
A good example of this is Bon Appétit Magazine, it arrives as a finished product that appears, on the surface, to be perfect and unassailable. If you watch their videos on Youtube you get a much different perspective and get to see all the flaws and mistakes in the process that leads up to the magazine. Giertz brings that to engineering and that's what's so powerful about her work.
I agree that there are a lot of people, not just women, who are afraid to step up and be an expert. I believe that fear is what drives people to become experts, while simultaneously holding them back. Her growth and self actualization are both powerful and inspiring, and at the same time sad because it means she probably can't create more of those early videos that were very special. Even still her growth and continued aspirations will produce ever more inspiration for others.
On the contrary, it's a bit sad that she failed to see the real value she was offering - she didn't have to worry about the robot failing, but she most definitely had to worry about the VIDEO failing. An uninteresting video with a flawless robot is far less interesting than a video from Simone about a knife chopping robot that can't really chop, because it was still funny and insightful.
She started the genre but it's now bigger than her, with interesting characters like Michael Reeves. Apparently he's not bogged down by the same insecurities as her, which just sucks. I'd rather have dumb but interesting robots from both of them and not just one.
I can see how it was true, but I thinnk the shitty robots had real value -giving people 'permission' to experiment, and much about with robotics without havin to worry about 'success'.
I don't think her shitty robots are something to look down at, she not only used a decent amount of technology but also had imagination, creativity, fun and had a talent to get the viewers involved.
It takes an expert to get to her level, and a lot of guts.
I wish her luck and success in every way she chooses, but I find the new Giertz more bland and less fun (and I don't like the fact she has left Sweden when I moved in)
Allowing ourselves to fail (and learn and have fun) is a powerful thing. I discovered this a few years back playing a (new to me) board game with friends. I didn't know it well enough to win, so took the point of view that I'd probably lose, but have fun at the same time, learning this new game. All too often we are told that we have to win, succeed, make a passing grade. This definitely puts in a level of not fun and anxiety. But once you give yourself permission to fail, that dynamic changes.
>She's really funny and talented and deserves a lot more than shitty robots.
Why? There's nothing wrong with moving onto other things and pursuing other interests, but she has this perplexing perspective (which you echoed in this statement) that somehow the 'shitty robots' content was something to look down on. It was good stuff, and if she wanted to continue, it would have been perfectly fine and something you could build a career around.
I think you're missing an overarching lesson, that she may be really funny and talented, but perhaps she is that now because when she started she was allowed to make "shitty" things? I'm of the opinion that people need space to fail before they can become good at things, and public spheres of expression sometimes don't allow time for that period of growth.
I do hope we still get to see her failures. I watch a lot of hobby/project channels and I like to know about the hurdles they faced. When a project becomes a complete failure and no product whatsoever is created I like to watch the postmortems.
My daughter, who is interested in science and engineering loved the shitty robot videos. It was a form of engineering comedy. I guess if she wasn't a women, creating shitty robots would be just funny and inventive way that she figured out how to make money. Comedians make people laugh using inventive and unexpected constructions, she was no different. A lot of comedians do things that are in one way or another demeaning to themselves or showing a lack of self-respect, but they do it because they actually incredibly confident in themselves that they can stand up and make those jokes.
How was her videos not that different than the stchick that is Mr Bean. Rowan Atkinson is definitely not an idiot in real life, but that stchick sure got him attention he wouldn't have gotten any other way, because it was unique and over the top and funny.
It is also fine for her to move on to other topics. No one is forced to stay in any specific role they have invented for themselves, no matter what fans think.
Would like to mention Mehdi (ElectroBOOM) here as he seems to match the description, but with electricity and physics: https://www.youtube.com/user/msadaghd
> A lot of comedians do things that are in one way or another demeaning to themselves or showing a lack of self-respect, but they do it because they actually incredibly confident in themselves that they can stand up and make those jokes.
Many struggle with anxiety and depression, and are self deprecating as a defense mechanism because the criticism of others is less harsh when you've already done it to yourself.
I have to admit that I am surprised that neither the article nor any of the HN posters have mentioned Rube Goldberg, whose humorous cartoons involving improbable contraptions to solve everyday problems seems to me an obvious predecessor to Simone Giertz.
I have a random observation about the comments sections of the types of videos she makes. In videos that feature female makers, commenters seem to address them by first name far more often than happens in the male maker videos. I am not sure why it bothers me but it feels off.
You're right, and it's not just youtube comments. There was a large study at Cornell last year; it generalizes to society at large, and has detrimental effects for women [1].
This is the story of most comedians. Good comedy is easier than good drama and deep art and invention. It's a young person's game. Good to move on to something bigger and better.
Yes, Simone is a better robotocist than most of us. That's not a compliment to her, because her dreams aim higher.
The sexist fear angle of the story is unfortunate, though. People shouldn't hold themselves back because of imagined differences in what they are allowed to do.
>"There are so many things that are amazing that are not perfect. And there are so many things that are perfect that are fucking boring," [Giertz] says. "Perfect is a corset. It doesn't let you breathe. It doesn't let you roll around. It's a small pen to be in."
They did invite her to the launch event but then told her not to bring the Truckla. She did a funny video looking a bit baffled at the event. They should have let her drive it on stage before the real thing. That would have been funny and I'm sure she'd have been up for a stunt like that.
I don't think Tesla needs to license her design as there is no trademark or patent. They can start manufacturing mini-pickups any time they want to. They probably aren't because the market for small electric pickups with miniature beds is a small one. The direction they are going seems like the right one to me; big, powerful, featured, luxurious vehicles that absolutely out-class ICE vehicles and leave us wondering why we spent a century going the wrong way, is the correct market to address. Musk being a dick driving around LA in his hulking machine is also correct and brilliant marketing.
DagAgren|6 years ago
This rings really true, and as funny as the shitty robots were, I really have been enjoying her later videos a lot more than those. She's really funny and talented and deserves a lot more than shitty robots. And I hope she'll be ok.
cptskippy|6 years ago
With most media you usually see a carefully choreographed final product that appears flawless and intimdating. You don't get to see the process or what lead up to it. What her videos demonstrate is that failure and imperfection are ok and part of the process.
A good example of this is Bon Appétit Magazine, it arrives as a finished product that appears, on the surface, to be perfect and unassailable. If you watch their videos on Youtube you get a much different perspective and get to see all the flaws and mistakes in the process that leads up to the magazine. Giertz brings that to engineering and that's what's so powerful about her work.
I agree that there are a lot of people, not just women, who are afraid to step up and be an expert. I believe that fear is what drives people to become experts, while simultaneously holding them back. Her growth and self actualization are both powerful and inspiring, and at the same time sad because it means she probably can't create more of those early videos that were very special. Even still her growth and continued aspirations will produce ever more inspiration for others.
ramraj07|6 years ago
She started the genre but it's now bigger than her, with interesting characters like Michael Reeves. Apparently he's not bogged down by the same insecurities as her, which just sucks. I'd rather have dumb but interesting robots from both of them and not just one.
Angostura|6 years ago
2rsf|6 years ago
It takes an expert to get to her level, and a lot of guts.
I wish her luck and success in every way she chooses, but I find the new Giertz more bland and less fun (and I don't like the fact she has left Sweden when I moved in)
bynkman|6 years ago
macspoofing|6 years ago
Why? There's nothing wrong with moving onto other things and pursuing other interests, but she has this perplexing perspective (which you echoed in this statement) that somehow the 'shitty robots' content was something to look down on. It was good stuff, and if she wanted to continue, it would have been perfectly fine and something you could build a career around.
ambicapter|6 years ago
sixothree|6 years ago
bhouston|6 years ago
How was her videos not that different than the stchick that is Mr Bean. Rowan Atkinson is definitely not an idiot in real life, but that stchick sure got him attention he wouldn't have gotten any other way, because it was unique and over the top and funny.
It is also fine for her to move on to other topics. No one is forced to stay in any specific role they have invented for themselves, no matter what fans think.
throwaway-9320|6 years ago
macspoofing|6 years ago
What do you mean? This is exactly how it played out for her as well. It was a funny, inventive way of creating entertaining sciency-videos.
I have no idea why she sees it any other way.
>It is also fine for her to move on to other topics.
Of course ... everyone evolves. But there was never any need to look down on the content she produced that got her a level of fame.
cptskippy|6 years ago
Many struggle with anxiety and depression, and are self deprecating as a defense mechanism because the criticism of others is less harsh when you've already done it to yourself.
uname_a|6 years ago
sixothree|6 years ago
Miraste|6 years ago
[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180702145605.h...
eshyong|6 years ago
stronglikedan|6 years ago
lonelappde|6 years ago
Yes, Simone is a better robotocist than most of us. That's not a compliment to her, because her dreams aim higher.
The sexist fear angle of the story is unfortunate, though. People shouldn't hold themselves back because of imagined differences in what they are allowed to do.
romwell|6 years ago
I highly disagree. Good comedy, especially one that stands the test of time (and not just wit du jour) is hard.
>It's a young person's game.
I thought I couldn't disagree more, but I actually do.
From Leslie Nielsen to George Carlin, a lot of my favorite comedians were grey-haired, old people.
dredmorbius|6 years ago
IA WBM: https://web.archive.org/web/20191210130453/https://www.wired...
6gvONxR4sf7o|6 years ago
Oof. That hits the perfectionist in me hard.
shrimp_emoji|6 years ago
unknown|6 years ago
[deleted]
exabrial|6 years ago
jillesvangurp|6 years ago
bdamm|6 years ago
jvanderbot|6 years ago
Jemm|6 years ago