YouTube creatorMichael MJD’s videos investigate forgotten or unusual pieces of technology, from tiny computers to consumer internet devices. Surfshark appears during an experiment installing Windows on an Intel Compute Stick, with the host describing his own VPN use and its device coverage. Linode is introduced in a retrospective about the i-Opener, connecting the device’s Linux references to a cloud environment for hosting projects. Both sponsor reads sit alongside the channel’s curiosity about how technology works.
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Michael MJD × Surfshark
Installing Windows 11 on an Intel Compute Stick but Everything Goes Wrong...
BRANDS IN THE VIDEOS
Linode leads the sponsor relationships shown here, with 29 sponsored videos. Surfshark follows with 15.
11 of 15 brands (73%) appear in more than one sponsored video in Sponsorbook’s history of Michael MJD.
The brands, creative choices and product connections worth paying attention to.
As the Compute Stick is connected for a Windows 11 installation, Michael pivots to Surfshark with a joking line about how fun sponsor reads can be. He says he has used the VPN for years and names changing a device’s location, Alternative ID email masking and unlimited simultaneous connections. The read also mentions the service’s server network and a plan offer.
The sponsor break ends with a return to the hardware on the desk, where the host plugs in an Apple keyboard and continues troubleshooting. That handoff suits the channel: a short utility message arrives while the main experiment is being prepared, and the episode quickly returns to the odd little computer.
In the i-Opener history video, Michael uses the device’s links to Linux and virtual machines to introduce Linode. He describes using cloud virtual machines for Linux environments, from small websites to larger applications, and mentions infrastructure such as data centers, load balancers, object storage and Kubernetes. The promotion invites new users to test the service with a stated credit.
The integration grows from the subject itself: a piece of internet hardware prompts a reflection on how cloud computing has developed. Michael closes the sponsor message by thanking the provider, then returns to the i-Opener’s history.
Surfshark supports the everyday device side of the channel’s interests; Linode supports the infrastructure side. Each sponsor is introduced through a concept viewers have already encountered in the episode. A tech campaign can use that same logic: connect the product to a real task the creator is about to attempt, then let the experiment remain the main attraction.
Watch how the product becomes part of the video.
Sponsor at 4:06Surfshark31 Aug 2025Before continuing a Windows 11 installation on an Intel Compute Stick, Michael introduces Surfshark and describes his VPN use, location changes, Alternative ID and unlimited device connections. He then returns to the hardware setup. The installation resumes immediately after.
Sponsor at 24:12
Linode26 Aug 2023In a history of the i-Opener internet appliance, Michael links the device’s Linux references to Linode virtual machines and hosting projects, naming cloud infrastructure options before returning to the device story. The history then continues from there.
Explore sponsorship histories, discover who works with whom, and build a shortlist in Sponsorbook.
