HackerTube

THE VIDEO SHELF · paper towel waste

How to use one paper towel | Joe Smith | TEDxConcordiaUPortland

A short TEDx talk by Joe Smith teaching how to dry your hands with a single paper towel. It shows a simple technique for cutting waste.

Why HN readers recommended it

HN treats it as a tiny practical life hack some adopt for good, while others mock it as peak TED.

This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.

Video & recommendation details

Creator / channel
TEDx Talks
Topic
paper towel waste
Format
talk
Level
general
HN recommenders in dataset
3
HN mentions in dataset
5
Recommendation years in dataset
2016–2025

These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.

From the original HN conversations

Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.

  • Best TED talk I’ve seen: [VIDEO] I think about this every time I wash my hands in a public restroom with paper towels.

    snowwrestler on Hacker News · 2025-02
    In Chris Anderson Is Giving Ted Away to Whoever Has the Best Idea for Its Future
  • Two quick things from back when TED talks were actually interesting/useful: 1. How to tie your shoes the right way (so the knot doesn't come undone): [LINK] 2. How to dry your hands with a single paper towel (so that you prevent unnecessary waste): [VIDEO]

    leto_ii on Hacker News · 2019-11
    In Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?
  • People are very negative about these kinds of TED talks, but I actually improved my hand drying technique after the TEDx on it: [VIDEO] That and using the back of my hand/arm to push off the water from my body after a shower keep our …

    Someone1234 on Hacker News · 2021-04
    In The “Granny Knot”

Summaries, classifications and recommendation records are from the HackerTube source dataset. Read about this library and its limitations.