The call to learn | Clifford Stoll
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters recommend it for Stoll's infectious enthusiasm and his case for teaching kids science, and often mention it in threads about him and his Klein bottles.
What it is
Clifford Stoll's energetic TED talk, a wandering mix of anecdotes, a science experiment and thoughts on curiosity, education and technology. He is the author of The Cuckoo's Egg.
Recommended by 3 HN commenters across 3 different months, 2010 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Recommends thaumaturgy · 2010-11 · on “The time I hacked my high school”
Clifford Stoll has explained this far better than I could [1], but aside from the sheer intrinsic value and altruism of taking time out to be an amazing teacher for some students, it can also serve some really practical benefits: if you want the next generation of adults to have a firm grasp of science and technical issues -- whether they later operate a cash register, enter a career in politics, or build the next Amazon -- then it makes sense for us to find the time to teach these skills to students. If you want open source software to take over the world, teach programming to kids. If you want sensible social policies where science and technology are concerned, then teach science and techn
Recommends hrayr · 2015-06 · on “The man with 1,000 klein bottles under his house [video]”
I love this guy, I first saw him in his TED talk [1]. He kinda reminds me of Richard Feynman (similar mannerisms and enthusiasm for science). [1] [this video]
Recommends ColinWright · 2025-06 · on “Klein Bottle Amazon Brand Hijacking (2021)”
There may be some youngsters who don't know who Cliff Stoll is. He wrote "The Cuckoo's Egg" which is a riveting tale, capable of entertaining nerds and non-nerds alike. He sells glass Klein Bottles, huge, medium, tiny, earrings, and more. He's given a TED talk: [this video] He's brilliant, bonkers, and wonderful company. I spent a fantastic morning with him early last year (2024) and it was brilliant fun. I will for many, many years treasure my signed Klein Bottle and my signed copy of "The Cuckoo's Egg". Thanks Cliff
Cites ykl · 2015-06 · on “The man with 1,000 klein bottles under his house [video]”
Here's a link to the actual TED talk, since mattyohe's link is actually to one of Google's promo videos. [this video]
Cites JDiculous · 2019-12 · on “Cliff Stoll, the mad scientist who invented the art of hunting hackers”
I remember watching his TED talk 11 years ago [this video] and buying a couple Klein bottles afterwards. This brings back memories!