video thumbnail 17:35
These pixels count themselves.

2025-07-31

[public] 185K views, 8.41K likes, dislikes audio only

channel thumbStand-up Maths
4K

Go to https://surfshark.com/standupmaths or use code standupmaths at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

Try out Christian’s self-referential pixel generator here: https://matt-parker-count-black-pixels.think.somethingorotherwhatever.com/index.html

And get your birthday cards here: https://matt-parker-count-black-pixels.think.somethingorotherwhatever.com/birthday.html

The original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/mathpics/comments/1g45j1r/this_image_contains_76018_black_pixels

And the tiny pixel font: https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelArt/comments/ppcd19/smallest_legible_pixel_fonts/

CaryKH’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMogvkogvhE

The XKCD comic: https://xkcd.com/688/

And the blog investigating it: https://blog.wolfram.com/2010/09/07/self-description/

Laura’s interview of Randall: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gku69d8vxdsvygola5xg2/The-mathematichs-behind-xkcd.pdf?rlkey=72s84n5udb909du1msqrtjfre&dl=0

You know I'm at the Edinburgh Fringe and on tour again! https://standupmaths.com/shows

Huge thanks to my Patreon supporters. I can always pixel count on them. https://www.patreon.com/standupmaths

CORRECTIONS

- None yet, let me know if you spot anything!

Filming and editing by Alex Genn-Bash

Written and performed by Matt Parker

Produced by Nicole Jacobus

Music by Howard Carter

Design by Simon Wright and Adam Robinson

MATT PARKER: Stand-up Mathematician

Website: http://standupmaths.com/