Skip to Content

AOL Tech

YouTube posts

Web

Teens Create Pop Song With Help of YouTube Community

As the de facto spokes-band of the U.K. once suggested, "Get by with a little help from your friends," a notion four British teenagers took to heart, becoming a YouTube sensation in the process.

Charlie McDonnell and his buddies don't fancy themselves musicians, songwriters or producers, but the boys know the power of online communities. According to Mashable, these teens created a song that was completely crowdsourced by people on YouTube. Entitled "I've Got Nothing" (video after the break), it's the boys' shot at BBC's ChartJackers competition, which encourages participants to crack the U.K. music charts without using traditional means. YouTube users sent in comments, which were compiled and tweaked into the song's lyrics by another user. The lyrics were made public, and users wrote melodies and sent those to McDonnell and Co. Then, the boys auditioned a band, found a producer, and somebody to shoot a video (featuring the YouTube nation, of course) all using the site.

Read more →

Video Games

Girl Plays 'Rock Band' With a Flute

Move over, Jethro Tull. There's a new master of the flute. A girl known only as MsFrizzyHair found a way to play her flute along with songs on her brother's copy of 'Rock Band 2.' Bored with regular flute practice, this clever gal discovered she could play her flute into the video game's microphone in lieu of singing lead vocals. She's pretty good at it, too. In the posted video, she plays along with Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife" on expert difficulty. The result? She scored a 98-percent with a 22-phrase streak and four gold stars, which is significantly better than we'd score attempting to sing the tune.

What can we learn from this? Other than the fact that this girl has some serious flute skills, Harmonix probably shouldn't invest in a woodwind version of its best-selling franchise. This young lady stumbled on a neat parlor trick, not a new idea for a video game. Then again, 'Flute Hero' or 'Rock Band: Xylophone' might just be the sleeper video game hit of 2010. [From: YouTube, via Neatorama]

Read more →

Web

Quietube Provides a Portal for Censored Vids in the Middle East


Back in March, James Bridle designed a bookmarklet called Quietube, a script that allows users to "watch web videos without the comments and crap." As a minimalist reversal of the hyper-glut that is YouTube, Quietube is a welcome departure from all the typical sidebar claptrap that we've grown to accept.

But Bridle has recently observed that Quietube, as an external proxy for viewing video, has an unexpected function: the ability to play material that may be otherwise censored on the host site by restrictive governments. Bridle wrote on his blog, "So it turns out, I think I accidentally created a YouTube proxy being used by tens of thousands of people in the Middle East." He noted that nearly 65-percent of his traffic in one week originated from Saudi Arabia, with Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt following in the top 10. The top videos were both religious and secular in nature, but the inbound links originated from private emails, suggesting that the videos were being shared by individuals.

After this summer's tumultuous Iranian presidential election, we saw the necessity of spreading information online, as images and accounts of the bloody protests in Tehran were transmitted via Twitter -- one of the few sites not blocked by the incumbent regime. We're not suggesting that Quietube will necessarily be the epicenter of the next Middle Eastern (attempted) revolution, but the point is that such a basic script allows thousands, if not millions, of people to join in information sharing. Bridle, who says that his script is easy enough for others to reproduce, remarks on his blog, "Information does indeed want to be free." [From: Book Two, via Clusterflock]

Web

United Airlines Messes With Wrong Traveler... Again

A near celebrity in the eyes of anyone who's logged onto YouTube (or Switched) in past months, Canadian singer David Carroll was less than pleased when United Airlines baggage handlers broke his guitar last summer. United initially refused to pay the $1,200 repair fee, but -- after Carroll's song 'United Breaks Guitars' (video after the break) attracted millions of YouTube viewers and got nearly all of them riled up -- United finally tried to cut its losses by paying Carroll back. The strong-willed Canadian declined. This was, after all, about the corporation's inappropriate treatment of all its customers, not just his broken guitar.

Well, Sunday, at the Denver airport, Carroll was treated just like the rest of United's customers when his bag was "delayed," the New York Times reports. Apparently unaware of his Internet stardom, the United employees told him that he couldn't leave the terminal until it arrived. An hour later, they finally proclaimed the luggage lost and sent him packing. Carroll, who ironically enough was in Colorado to speak about customer service, did not get his bag back until yesterday. Now supplementing his musician's wages with such speaking engagements, Caroll spoke on the mistreatment of airline passengers like the 21st-century, mobile-class Woody Guthrie that he is: "It crosses all income levels and languages and geographies. We all don't like feeling disrespected or insignificant." [From: The New York Times]

Read more →

Web

Grandmother Loses It in Violent YouTube Smackdown

It's obviously stereotyping, but the British have definitely earned a reputation for being prim, proper, polite, and reserved. An English video (after the break) currently blowing up on YouTube captures a volatile disagreement between a 63-year-old grandmother and a 37-year-old man, but you might be surprised which participant actually adheres to those ingrained social stereotypes.

Enraged that her neighbor continually moved his "wheely-bin" (which definitely sounds better than "dumpster") through a common driveway, Valerie Dunningham vehemently accosted Luke Warr. Admitting that she "lost her rag," Dunningham cornered Warr before pummeling him with a newspaper. She even rears back and attempts to kick the remarkably restrained Warr right in the bum.

Read more →

Web

Types of YouTube Videos That Shouldn't Exist

So apparently Cracked.com has hopped on the blog-as-TV train and is turning its amazing lists into quick, montage-laden rundowns meant for our viewing pleasure. Watch (video after the break) as your glib host Michael Swain counts down the types of YouTube videos that take up far too much server space. The turtle romancing a boot has turned into a popular video, but now, thanks to Swain, viewers have learned that turtle love (especially turtle-on-inanimate object love) is a large part of the YouTube-video makeup. Other vids that we now know about, but wish we didn't: emo boys (?) making out, and adorable, but definitely illegal, videos of small dogs behind the wheel.

Let us add to Swain's list, if you will, a couple types that we ourselves have stumbled upon, much to our own chagrin. The masochistically large selection of children losing teeth via doorknobs, for instance, makes 'David at the Dentist' look like a walk in the park. Also, the number of 'Final Fantasy' tributes is absurd. Just pick a style of music, and there's a tribute video set to it. Johnny Cash? Here it is. Bon Jovi? Check. Enya? Got it covered. [From: Cracked.com]

Read more →

Audio/Video, Web

U2 Streaming Rose Bowl Concert Live on YouTube

If you weren't lucky enough to snag a ticket for U2's concert at the Rose Bowl this Sunday, don't worry; you don't have to be in Pasadena, or even reside in the United States, to catch the band's performance. According to BBC News, the show will be streamed live in 16 countries via YouTube, and clips from the concert will be archived on the site -- just in case you miss it the first time around.

The band's manager, Paul McGuinness, says Bono and the boys decided to stream the show in order to give back to their fans, who often travel thousands of miles to see the band live. Besides, cameras were already set to capture the show (which will begin at 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time) for an upcoming concert DVD, according to the Los Angeles Times. Fans will be able to not only discuss the show while watching it on U2's official YouTube channel, but will also be able to donate to Bono's RED charity campaign at the same time.

Read more →

Google

Google Wave Used to Illustrate 'Pulp Fiction' Movie Scene

Google Wave Used to Illustrate Famous Movie Scenes
Several of us here at Switched have been playing with Google Wave for a few days now. And we have to admit that our fervent anticipation was quickly replaced by confusion as we tried to figure out what, exactly, this thing is good for. Thankfully, between our bouts of hair-pulling and trying to make sense of the mess that our Waves quickly became, we still had time to check our Twitter feeds and caught this post from Gina Trapani, founder of Lifehacker and Smarterware.

It seems that Joe Sabia, of whirled interactive, has figured out a great use for Google Wave -- making viral YouTube videos. Sabia dreamed up Google Wave Cinema, where he uses Wave to illustrate famous scenes from films like 'Pulp Fiction' (after the break) and 'Good Will Hunting (here).' The scenes are definitely NSFW, or children's ears, so if you're at your desk you might want to bookmark this for later.

Read more →

Web

Med Students Tweeting and Blogging Patient Details



Medical students learn a lot of things at school, but apparently, discretion may not be one of them. Fox News reports that a number of recently surveyed medical school deans said they know of students posting "unprofessional content" on sites like Facebook, Youtube and even personal blogs.

Whether intentional or not, this content ranges from alarming examples (identifying patient details on Facebook) to more minor ones (use of profanity). The survey's leader, Dr. Katherine Chretien of the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center, told Fox News that the real problem is that most medical schools lack guidelines on what's acceptable for students to post online. According to the survey, 47 of the 78 participating deans were aware of such conduct, but only 38-percent of participating schools have a set of guidelines in place.

Read more →

Web

Is Viral Video 'World's Longest Basketball Shot' an Editing Hoax?


A troupe of six students have created something of a mini-sensation with the above video, which just may capture the most impressive shot in basketball this side of Dr. J.

Maybe.

In the video, a member of the group "Dude Perfect" (brilliant name) launches a basketball from the upper deck of Texas A&M's football stadium, and -- if we are to believe our eyes -- sinks it into the basket, which is situated on the field, itself. The shot, the students claim, is the longest in the world. The video has been widely disseminated and its validity hotly debated.

Read more →

Web

YouTube Graffiti Celeb Gets Jail Time for High-Wire Hijinx


Over 500,000 people have watched the YouTube clip of graffiti artist "Buket" tagging a Los Angeles freeway sign while perched, without a harness, 20 feet above flowing traffic (see video above). At least a few of those 500,000 viewers, though, happened to be cops who harbored a serious desire to put an end to the street artist's brazen attempts to bring color to a drab urban landscape.

According to the LA Times, police identified Buket, aka Cyrus Yazdani, arrested him in May, and then sentenced him on Thursday to almost 4 years in prison, ordering him to pay over $100,000 in restitution for damaging public property. While Yazdani was obviously breaking the law, the sentence does seem somewhat harsh, particularly considering other YouTube related arrests that involved (alleged) budding serial killers, farting-on-food, and even rape.

Read more →

Audio/Video, Web

Brain Injury Researchers Watch YouTube Videos for Trauma Research


YouTube's vast repository of videos offers video of just about anything imaginable -- from rare concert footage to gadget reviews. But, according to a report from the University of Kentucky posted on LabSpaces, brain injury researchers are using the site for something more noble: head trauma research. Best of all, they've actually made some concrete findings that could help coaches make safer decisions for their injured players.

The findings revolve around what Jonathon Lifshitz, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, calls the "fencing response." After watching hundreds of hours of YouTube videos showcasing various head impacts, Lifshitz and his team noticed that, after a player suffered a severe blow to the head, his forearm would involuntary assume an "en garde" fencing position -- sometimes before he even hit the ground. (One of the videos watched is shown above.) Believe it or not, this behavior was noticed in rats as well.

Such a physical response indicates trauma to a part of the brainstem that controls balance. If left untreated, such an injury can lead to permanent brain damage and death. Internal damage is hard to assess by simply looking at a person, so if a player displays the fencing response after an impact, a coach should have her treated immediately instead of sending her back onto the field. Score one for YouTube! [From: U.K./LabSpaces]

Audio/Video, Cell Phones, Cameras, Computers

'Good Enough Technology' Means Cheap and Easy Always Wins



America, home of the faster, better, brighter, louder. Or it once was. Now, two factors -- the tight economy and the increased reliance on mobile everything -- mean that some shoppers favor cheap, simple, and easy gadgets. Wired.com calls this "The Good Enough Revolution," meaning that consumers want a product to get the job done, not be exceedingly cutting edge, turbo fast, or needlessly high end. Wired writer Robert Capps gives a great example of the Flip video recorder, a cheap, easy, and fairly low-quality hand-held that now has 17-percent of the video market share. He writes, "We now favor flexibility over high fidelity, convenience over features, quick and dirty over slow and polished." Another example he gives is the compressed sound of the MP3, which is nowhere as rich as the tunes played using CD (or as warm as vinyl). Bottom line: Average users don't notice, or particularly care about megapixels or RAM, but they do want ease of use.

With tuned-in generations getting younger and younger, the amount of gadgets the average individual owns increases, but not the amount they pay to obtain them. Parents, or twenty-somethings striking out on their own, don't want to reach deep for must-have tech. Now, we need cell phones, MP3 players, clear TVs, quick cameras, lightweight entertainment, fast Internet. Paying for the high end version of all of these devices and services would render the average consumer broke, so something low-end that "gets the job done" suffices. The market, initially reticent (for instance, the record industry laughing off MP3s), is now embracing the fact that buyers will cut corners if it means a lower price.

Read more →

Audio/Video, Google, Web

YouTube to Stream Rental Movies?


DVD sales plummeted in 2008, as some companies, specifically Warner Bros., watched their numbers drop by as much as 24-percent from the previous year. Many analysts attribute the decline to the economy, believing that people are foregoing hefty price tags for films that are freely available, legally or not, on the Web.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that in an effort to combat declining DVD revenue, several prominent movie studios have approached Google's YouTube with a plan to rent movies through the currently free video-sharing site. Reportedly, Lions Gate, Warner Bros., Sony, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are all investigating the feasibility of charging users to stream new movies, with prices similar to those on-demand television or iTunes.

Read more →

Computers

Web-Slinging SpiderBot Might Give Spiderman a Run for His Money


Watch out, Spidey! If the above video is any indication, everyone's favorite web-slinging superhero might have some competition. Apparently, wall-climbing isn't just for comic book heroes anymore.

According to DVICE, the 'SpiderBot' climbs walls and hangs from ceilings by shooting tethered plungers onto the surface. Removing the plungers, it reels in the 'web', aims, and repeats the process to climb farther. The robot crawled out of the robotics lab at Ben Gurion University in Israel and, of course, found its way to Youtube.

Read more →

Switched Video

Follow Switched on Twitter

Deals of the Day

Latest Reviews from CNET.com

CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

Top Product Reviews

  • Home Audio Reviews

    9.0 out of 10

    Definitive Technology BPX
    Works great with Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Digital. Full Review

    9.0 out of 10

    Denon AVR-4306 (black)
    Incredibly well-featured 7.1-channel receiver; excellent sound quality; three HDMI inputs; converts analog video to HDMI output; upconverts analog video to 720p/1080i HD resolution; iPod and USB MP3 player connectivity; Internet radio and MP3/WMA streaming audio via built-in Ethernet port; XM Satellite Radio compatible; touch-screen remote; multizone, multisource operation; browser-based control via home network; accurate autocalibration routine. Full Review

    8.8 out of 10

    KEF KHT3005 (black)
    The KEF KHT-3005 is one compact, beautifully designed speaker package with solid aluminum satellites that feature unique driver technology to produce incredible clarity. Meanwhile, the equally astounding dual 10-inch, 250-watt powered subwoofer delivers ultradeep bass. Full Review

  • Cell Phone Reviews

    8.7 out of 10

    SignalBoost Mobile Professional Amplifier Kit
    The Mobile Professional Amplifier delivers a powerful signal boost to your cell phone. Also, it offers a compact design and easy setup. Full Review

    8.6 out of 10

    Wi-Ex zBoost YX510-PCS-CEL cell phone signal extender
    The Wi-Ex zBoost YX510-PCS-CEL significantly boosts your cell phone reception and is easy to operate. Also, it uses a wireless connection to your phone. Full Review

    8.3 out of 10

    LG VX6000 (Verizon Wireless)
    Compact and stylish; impressive battery life; solid audio quality; sharp color screen; built-in camera; USB ready; affordable. Full Review

  • Digital Camera Reviews

    9.3 out of 10

    Canon EOS 1D Mark III
    Extremely fast, 10-megapixel continuous shooting; very low noise; highly customizable; well-designed body with weather sealing; 3-inch LCD; abundant optional accessories. Full Review

    9.3 out of 10

    Nikon D3 (body only)
    Full-frame sensor; well designed, pro-level weather-sealed body; very low noise, even at extremely high ISOs; fast. Full Review

    9.0 out of 10

    Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
    Very low noise, high quality images; 21.1 megapixels; live view shooting; pro-level build-quality and performance. Full Review

  • Desktop Reviews

    8.9 out of 10

    Velocity Micro Edge Z30 (Intel Core i7)
    Best value among midrange gaming PCs; Velocity Micro's consistently high build quality; compact case makes few sacrifices; second graphics card slot previously uncommon at this price. Full Review

    8.5 out of 10

    Apple iMac (24-inch, 2.8GHz)
    A minor specification update results in some significant performance gains; graphics upgrade an option on this 24-inch model; sleek, polished design didn't receive an update, but we won't start clamoring for a new design until the current one is at least 12 months old. Full Review

Featured Galleries

Nissan Land Glider
Vintage Keyboards
Retro Computer Logos
Vintage Computer Festival
Motorola CLIQ
iPod touch
iTunes 9
Video iPod Nano
The Beatles: Rock Band

 

Switched Desktop

Get the New Switched Desktop

Latest tech news, Switched mail, and more.

AOL Tech Network

Resources

Autoblog

Daily Finance

Download Squad

Engadget

Joystiq

Urlesque

Fanhouse Main

WalletPop

Gadling