Friday Five: Best. Videos. Ever?

youtube_340To commemorate YouTube’s fifth birthday (April 23 is the big day), Time recently posted a list of YouTube’s 50 greatest hits. The list is based on popularity, so you’ve got the usual suspects: Evolution of Dance, Dramatic Chipmunk, Susan Boyle’s debut and so on.

There’s nothing wrong with many of these selections (I could watch Dramatic Chipmunk all day long). But there is a difference between something that is “great” and something that is “popular.” The self-titled debut album by Ramones never even sold half a million copies, but music critics everywhere agree it’s one of the greatest rock albums of all time. So, on the theory that greatness is in the eye of the beholder, I give you five of my favorite YouTube videos.

Battle of the Album Covers
Great animation of album cover art as they fight to the death. Contains some graphic violence. (Get it? Graphic violence?)

Hitler finds out KU lost to UNI in the 2010 NCAA tournament
The latest — and funniest — in a series of parodies of the German film Downfall, about Hitler’s personal demise.

Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager
If you aren’t a Star Wars geek, you might not appreciate this series of videos about Darth Vader’s younger and less talented brother, Darth. Here’s the pilot.

Facebook abuse
Greg lays down the law to his office colleagues about appropriate use of Facebook. May not be safe for work.

Miss Teen South Carolina Calls 911
Must viewing for all US Americans.

Bonus (but not embeddable) music video: The Zimmers – “My Generation.” Great work by one of the world’s oldest rock bands, The Zimmers. And a great message.

What are your favorite YouTube vids? Please share.

Happy Birthday, Twitter (and personal Twitter timeline)

Twitter turns 4 years old today. Hard to believe that this social network that has become so much a part of my online life has only been around for four years. For a bit of nostalgia, check out the video news report below, created in March 2007, when Twitter was just a year old.


(Via @scobleizer)

My personal Twitter timeline:

Sept. 30, 2007 – I create my personal Twitter account, @andrewcareaga, and announce it on this blog.

Dec. 22, 2007 – I create @MissouriSandT as what I then called a university “outpost” on Twitter. Today, our little outpost has 823 followers and is on 52 Twitter lists.

Feb. 27, 2008 – I ask, Should universities tweet? It’s funny now, two-plus years later, to look back at the question and the responses.

July 27, 2008 – I post my thousandth tweet and blog about it as though it were somehow meaningful.

Nov. 11, 2009 – I dive into the discussion on whether or not it’s OK for universities (or other organizations) to simply push news and other institutional information through their Twitter feeds. In other words, whether it’s OK to be a “robot” on Twitter instead of being a human. I come down firmly on the side of the borg.

March 18, 2010 – My post Twitter faves: all the rave marks the 84th post on this blog to be filed under the Twitter category. This post is No. 85.