A Quick and Hearty Tribute to YouTube

I just wanted to take some time out and give a tribute to YouTube.

Everybody knows that it is perhaps the coolest, most revolutionary technological development in recent memory, matched perhaps by the advent of the Internet itself.

Again, everyone who is familiar with what YouTube is knows this already. What sparked the sudden introspection was viewing my YouTube profile for the first time in a long while and realizing that I've watched 1,421 videos since I joined about one year ago. That's a lot of time mining the vast troves of YouTube video obscurity. I've come to the conclusion that I can find nearly anything that I might want, and even some things that I didn't.

A few examples.

Let's just say, I wanted a prime cut of Ron Hextall's first career goal. Famous in the hearts of Flyers fans, Philadelphia and perhaps in NHL circles and the sports world, but not to the world at large. YouTube's got it.



How about...some pirated video of North Korean work camp, which is leaked from a country that has no Internet, antique phone lines, few real connections with the outside world, a totalitarian communist dictatorship, and an oppressive atmosphere for a stray video camera. A place where information is not supposed to escape from. YouTube's got it, with a purported translation in the comments.



John McCain farting and laughing at an obviously confused Hillary Clinton? Heh.



How about something historical? Say, Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" stemwinder?



How about the wall itself coming down?



George Gershwin playing I Got Rhythm?



The laughtastic Futurama clip: Global Warming (or None Like It Hot!):



And...this guy:



You get the idea. I just wanted to accurately convey the notion that you can find almost anything if you dig enough. You used to be able to get even more before the crackdowns on pirated content began. The underbelly of YouTube is a terrifying and mysterious place where only the bravest and most bored souls travel.

But it's there if you seek it out. And I have. Oh, yes.

Nevertheless, YouTube has replace television or me in many ways. I watch what I want, when I want, at no cost. Any time, any where. It is truly the giant video Borg of our time.

But you already knew that.

So carry on, brave children.

Keep digging for those gems.