YouTube isn’t the only show in town. In fact, aside from the population of videos aside, there are quite a few that can give YouTube a run for its money and even bring it down a peg or two in terms of sheer quality of content. Vimeo is on that list and it’s not only for its clean and uncluttered visual appeal either, though that helps. In my opinion, Vimeo has a more professional community; it reflects in the quality of the videos and in the comments.

Vimeo isn’t the place to upload a video and make some money. It is also probably not the place where your video will go viral and cause a riot or two. But it is definitely the place to catch some well-made stuff. Like geek culture and technology for instance.

So, let’s stop singing hosannas and get down to exploring some interesting channels which the geek in all of us should enjoy.

FAT Lab

[EMBED_VIMEO]https://player.vimeo.com/video/16163258[/EMBED_VIMEO]

Total Number of Videos - 158

No, FAT is not what you think. It is an acronym that stands for Free Art and Technology and this is where Open Source and pop culture comes together. It is an organization that’s involves itself with “enriching the public domain through the research and development of creative technologies and media”. Their motto is - Release early, often and with rap music. You can also catch them on their website. They are a community of free-spirited thinkers and apparently have artists, engineers, scientists, lawyers, musicians and Bornas in their midst.

Interesting videos? Try out the Noisy Typewriter for your laptop. I also liked the video where an artist used his web browsing cache to turn out a portrait.

Robots!

[EMBED_VIMEO]https://player.vimeo.com/video/39864844[/EMBED_VIMEO]

Total Number of Videos - 154

Well, this channel is all about robots and the love for those electronic and mechanized future citizens. The channel has been curated by collecting videos from around Vimeo on robots, so over time it has become a specific destination for anyone interested in robotics and anything to do with that kind of automation. Check out the super stop-motion animation using toys that has been used to create a ‘love story”.

Tech Art

[EMBED_VIMEO]https://player.vimeo.com/video/47095462[/EMBED_VIMEO]

Total Number of Videos - 523

This channel could be a bit addictive as most of the videos are visually stunning. The Tech Art channel on Vimeo showcases creative uses of technology, or you can say that art and technology come together in a stunning mix. Take the above video for example: The "Water Light Graffiti" is a digital canvas made up of LEDs and illuminated by contact with water. You can use anything damp, even your finger, to draw on the light canvas. I got seriously distracted here as most of the videos showed how light and physics can interact to create stupefying patterns.

EXPM

[EMBED_VIMEO]https://player.vimeo.com/video/49484255[/EMBED_VIMEO]

Total Number of Videos – 1502

I will start with the video that demonstrates the sonification of everyday things. That is to say that every object around us can be described with sound. Watch the video to learn more, and then explore the channel as it takes you through a visual journey of inanimate objects and how motion design can change them into art and create interesting interactions. EXPM is very similar in concept to Tech Art, and you will see quite a few videos common between both channels.

Datavisualization

[EMBED_VIMEO]https://player.vimeo.com/video/39639342[/EMBED_VIMEO]

Total Number of Videos – 395

This channel demonstrates the future of information and how it should be presented, because these days information is taking the visual route and statistics is no longer the dull science it used to be. Take the above video for example. It is a visual depiction of the history of Titanic made for the BBC. There are loads of videos on animated infographics. If you are into visual design or image facilitation, this is inspiring stuff. I like the way the channel is described - Research findings in data visualization captured, streamed, animated… beautified!

It is easy to enjoy the uncluttered Vimeo video watching experience. Do you frequent Vimeo, or does YouTube keep you too busy? Which channels or videos would you recommend that stirs up the geek inside you? Put it down in the comments.