In it's infancy YouTube viewing was restricted to computers. Then along came smart phones and tablets. And now with the advent of Smart TVs and Roku boxes YouTube videos can be watched on the big screen via our televisions. This my friends is a double edged sword. ;)
While I've ever only uploaded three videos myself, I am a big fan of YouTube. The variety of video clips/tutorials/documentaries/comedic routines/music is mind blowing. And it's all right there at your fingertips. Find something you like? Well, YouTube will recommend something similar. Watch that and they'll recommend something else. It's a road with many forks and unless you drop some breadcrumbs you may find yourself lost in YouTube Land forever. Do I dare admit how I know this? Keep reading and you'll figure it out.
My first true experience with YouTube occurred when Meg was little. I was remininscing about a little Saturday morning "series" known as SchoolHouse Rock. After "Googling" it (yes, I do believe it is now a verb) I happened upon a plethora of video clips that transported me back to my childhood. Conjunction Junction and Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here were among my favorites. Another one that I really loved came in very handy just recently when Meg was studying for a Civics exam. The YouTube video clip of Preamble helped her get an A on her recitation of the introduction to our nation's constitution.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I go on music kicks that can be more like marathons, especially when the music takes me back to my younger days. For example, as a young teen in the 1970s I loved The Bee Gees. In the early 2000s (I'm guessing about 2004) I came upon a concert airing on PBS titled One Night Only, filmed in Las Vegas in 1997. I immediately bought the DVD which I watched incessantly while running many a mile on my treadmill. But was that enough? Heck no. A year or two later I spent many an hour in front of my computer watching YouTube clips that ranged from their early days to their most recent videos. I couldn't get enough and it was all there for the taking, for however long I was willing to sit at my computer.
Around 2008 a similar thing happened. I happened upon another PBS concert with yet another childhood favorite. The show? The Osmonds: 50th Anniversary Reunion Concert. Yep, you guessed it. I bought the DVD along with a few others and
A few weeks ago I happened upon this YouTube clip of Jimmy Fallon and Paul Rudd's Lip Synch Battle. Paul's final number (at about 4:25) immediately transported me back to high school and I was instantly on a Queen kick. The major difference between my current YouTube video marathons and those of the past is that now I can watch the clips on my Big Ass 60" TV via my Roku box. (Hence my "double edged sword" comment in my opening paragraph.) I watched Queen videos all evening and into the early hours of the morning. My favorite is this one... Queen - Live Aid. It's 25 minutes of Freddie Mercury at his best. Someday I'll pull out my 45s of Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You to show Meg and provide her with a little history lesson on music platforms while I'm at it.
Last weekend YouTube somehow remembered (imagine that) and recommended an Osmond clip for me to watch. Yeah, I took the bait which sent me on yet another Osmondmania Marathon. In addition to the music videos, I stumbled across this 50 minute documentary of the The Osmond's 1973 Tour in the UK. It left me feeling sad for just how lonely and stressful their childhood must have been. Two days later, as if reading my mind, YouTube recommended this Piers Morgan Life Stories with Donny Osmond. It's a fascinatingly indepth and sometimes quite emotional interview with Donny about growing up an Osmond. But by far my two favorite Osmond clips are this 1971 appearance on the Flip Wilson show -- Osmond Brothers Yo Yo and this 2012 clip of Donny dancing the same Yo Yo moves over 40 years later. Incredible. (The other guy in the latter clip is one of his Vegas background dancers. This particular performance took place on a cruise ship.) If you only follow and watch two of my links, it should be these. Oh wait...the Live Aid clip is also a must see. So many clips, so little time. *sigh*
Lest you think that my YouTube habit is solely musical driven, let me prove you wrong. I have found many fabulous scientific documentaries that I have watched several times each, in hopes of absorbing all of the minute details. A few of my favorites include The Naked Scientists, The Journey of Man, and Homo Sapiens: Who Are We .
Some of my most current favorite viewing items are crafting tutorials, specifically those that relate to cards and scrapbook layouts/supplies/techniques. I've watched these here and there for years but now with YouTube available on my BATV I find myself immersed in crafty videos while my DVRecording of zombie/werewolf/vampire shows "collect dust." WTH??? LOL! There is so much inspiration out there and I'm finding my creations not only getting easier but better because of it. But, as if I didn't have enough stuff to occupy my time, I've found a couple other areas of crafty goodness that I plan to delve into. More about that in a later blog post.
And while my obsessive tendencies steer me towards mini-marathons, for the casual viewer, I think YouTube is best enjoyed watching random clips of everyday people. So thank you Chad, Steve and Jawed for providing us with the opportunity to watch/learn/laugh at anything/anybody at anytime. For without YouTube the world wouldn't have been privy to such classics as The Evolution of Dance, Ain't Nobody Got Time for That and Charlie Bit Me.
So this, my friends, is a true Glimpse Into JulieWorld. And now that I've eaten away an entire
Happy
1 comment:
I'll have to check these out, although I have to agree--so many clips, so little time. YouTube really has something for everyone. :)
Post a Comment