Happy 10th anniversary, You Tube. Here are my Top Ten You Tube moments. My moments are based on entertainment value, number of hits, and/or impact on the nation and world.
10. 2015 State of the Union: It’s true You Tube delivered this annual address since 2011. But 2015 was the first year interactive features were used to break down President Obama‘s speech. These features are a great step in getting the next generation interested in the political system.
9. Little Girl Is Tired: During the 2012 Presidential Election, a 4-year-old girl cries because she was tired of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s campaigning. She said what many adults felt. May God help us all come 2016.
8. Ted Williams Golden Voice: In 2011, this homeless man was discovered on You Tube. He shot up national super-stardom almost instantly, and was given a new life. There’s been some trials along the way. We wish him the very best.
7. 2015 Super Bowl Ads: Now you can see Super Bowl ads on You Tube…before the Super Bowl! This was the first Super Bowl I could fast forward through the commercials and hardly miss a thing!
6. Susan Boyle Discovered: On a 2009 episode of Britain’s Got Talent, 47-year-old Susan Boyle blew Britain away with her singing. This went viral on You Tube, and she blew the world away! This moment turned her into an international icon. Boyle challenged our perceptions, stereotypes, and how we evaluate beauty.
5. Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That: In 2012, Sweet Brown was interviewed after surviving a fire. Who knew this interview would turn into a pop culture phrase and a popular song?
4. Gangnam Style : Since summer 2012, this video has been viewed over 2.3 billion times! Need I say more?
3. Micheal Richards Rant: In November 2006, Micheal ‘Kramer’ Richards went on a racist tirade while performing at a Los Angeles comedy club. The tirade was caught on You Tube and went worldwide, shaming Richards so bad he went on a TV/radio tour to apologize. Richards was the first celebrity disgraced by something caught on You Tube.
2. Justin Beiber discovered: Let me explain this one: In the late 2000s, his mother put up videos of him singing, playing guitar, even playing drums. By late 2009, Hollywood noticed, signed him, and the rest is history. Love him or hate him, the mere fact he was an unknown teenager discovered on You Tube proves this is a new source of discovering talent.
1. Iranian Green Movement: In 2009, then Iranian president?Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won his reelection. Many suspected corruption and took to the streets in protest. Police used batons, sticks, pepper spray, and guns on them. A bystander named Neda Agha-Soltan was shot to death, and it was caught on You Tube and other social media. So were other protests that ended in violence. Thanks to You Tube, the whole world knew the real story of such oppression and injustice in Iran, as renegade journalists and citizens used social media to expose the Iranian government. The Iranian Green Movement proved You Tube can be a voice for the voiceless and a catalyst for change.
Are you a fan of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones? You may or may not want to know season five’s first episodes were leaked online. It’s Game of Thrones leaked!
This occurred the day before the much anticipated season premier. And this isn’t a small leak. The leaked episodes were downloaded over 100,000 times in three hours. ?The leak was found on a private tracker IPT. Then it spread to websites like Pirate Bay and RARBG like a wildfire on a hot dry day. It’s believed the leak started when review copies were sent to the media. This is a common practice, so that TV and movie critics can report reviews before the respective show airs. It’s just a rarity that it turns into a leak of this magnitude. As one can imagine, this is a major blow to the show and HBO. HBO has worked ceaselessly to combat piracy, and then this happens to one of their highest rated shows. And to make matters worse, that 100,000 download number is expected to turn into a million by the time this day is over. But while this is a major setback, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Game of Thrones is one of the most illegally downloaded shows on TV today.
I know how temping is to go to Pirate Bay or some other site and download these four episodes. But trust me: wait until the show comes out on HBO. To me, watching the episode before it’s supposed to debut is almost like cheating. That’s like spoiling the plot. And what if you do accidentally spoil the plot for everybody else? One of my biggest peeves is waiting for months for a TV season premier and some smart mouth gossips about it before the air date. ?So please, wait for the premier episode. Won’t it be worth the wait?
Quite some time ago, I talked about Jay Z and a handful of other celebrities co-owning a new music streaming company called Tidal, and how dedicated they were to helping artists regain their fair share. They’re not the only ones.
Apple is asking musicians like British indie band Florence and the Machine?to help them promote Beats Music. They’ve even approached Taylor Swift. They’re asking for some of their songs to be exclusive to Apple Beats. They believe if music is exclusive only to Apple Beats, it will force the customer to pay for what they can’t get for free. Today, you can get a lot of music for free because a lot of it’s backed by advertising. Apple Beats will be launched this summer. Like most of the others, a regular subscription will cost $9.99 a month. But a family plan is expected to cost $14.99. Let’s not forget: Apple bought Beats Electronics, a headphone and streaming company for $3 billion dollars. This deal made Beats Electronics CEO Dr. Dre the first billionaire in hip-hop history. But Jay Z is the lead owner of Tidal. Could we be looking at a potential hip-hop business rivalry here?
It’s hard who to give the edge to. Tidal has a lot of celebrity power backing it, like Beyonce, Madonna, and Alicia Keys. Sounds like Apple Beats has some major kissing up to do in Hollywood. But already Apple has a lower price for an extra pack; Tidal’s ‘family pack’ cost $19.99 a month. The name Apple alone is enough to wins customers over. It seems like most of what they’ve touched this century has turned to gold. But the real struggle for both Apple Beats and Tidal is not only each other, but how do they break music consumers’ addiction to free songs (I admit, I’m a such consumer)? It’s Apple Beats vs Tidal, and who will win?
In 2013, former government contractor Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA. Americans learned their desktops, laptops, smartphones, and social media pages were being spied on by this government entity without their approval or knowledge.
Now, that story is all but completely forgotten about. Many Americans seem to forget who Snowden is. But late night talk show host and comedian John Oliver hasn’t forgotten, and he’s determined not to let us forget. It bothered Oliver that nearly half of Americans don’t seemed that concerned about government surveillance. ?Do you know what happens June 1? John Oliver reminds us that’s the expiration date of certain parts of the controversial Patriot Act. By that day, government officials will either renew or kill those certain parts. One of those provisions is Section 215. It’s common name is the Library Records Provision. Don’t let that name fool you. Section 215/Library Records Provision requires employers to hand over any ‘tangible things’, including books, hard drives, records, even social media pages and music on your iPod. According to this provision, this would only be used investigate terrorist activities. That’s not all. John Oliver went to Russia and interviewed Edward Snowden. Part of his interview aired on Oliver’s HBO program called Last Week Tonight.
I’d like to thank John Oliver for re-starting the conversation. I’m thankful he educated us about the June 1 deadline, Section 215, and what’s really on the line. And he interviewed Snowden himself. Some may say Oliver is doing this for ratings. If that’s the case, then why aren’t there more host speaking out against this? I think the closer we get to June 1, the more Section 215 is going to be debated. At least that’s my hope. I live in a ?politically charged and progressive city. So when the government surveillance story broke, there were protest and rallies everywhere to stop government surveillance. A few months later, they stopped. I don’t trust Section 215. They say it’s only to investigate potential terrorism. But the cynic in me says it will be used and abused for more sinister reasons. Is John Oliver the man we need to re-start the call against government surveillance?
How did you get your prom date, or did you even have one? These ?high school students are using social media to come up with creative, outlandish, and very expensive ways to get that dream date.
This is where prom proposals, or ‘promposals’ come in. These are extravagant prom proposals, usually done on social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and You Tube. This year, the average American family will spend around $1,000 on prom. ?But a big chunk of that won’t go to just limos, dresses, tuxedos, and after parties. Over a third of it will be spent on simply asking the date to prom. Some are basic, like a big teddy bear holding a sign saying “Will you go to prom with me”. Some go over the top. One young man rode a horse on school property asking a girl to the dance. Another guy asked a girl to prom by twerking on You Tube. In Palmdale, California, a student named Davyeon was arrested in his school lunchroom. Davyeon didn’t commit any crime. His girlfriend Stephanie got an officer to stage his play arrest. She came out with a sign asking him to prom. Some teens are even using celebrities to do the proposal for them. Sarah Kardonsky had the New York Jets ask Mike to prom. Even Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston offered his promposal services.
I admire these kids’ creativity. It seems like they try to outdo each other in creative and entertaining ways to celebrate this teen ritual. Most people from my era ?never would have imagined going through such links. Many of these are fun to watch. The only disturbing part is people who make under $25,000 a year spending more on prom than those making $50,000 a year. But the way these kids are going all out for their prom tells me our future in entertainment and creative arts is going to be all right. Do you think they can put the same effort in math and science?
How many remember the Pac-Man craze? It was the most popular video game of the 1980s. In fact, it was so popular Pac-Man had it’s own song, own cartoon, even it’s own cereal. Google is bringing this craze back.
You can now play Pac-Man with Google Maps. Just download any Google map anywhere in the world. You’ll see a Pac-Man window on the bottom left corner on the screen. Click on the screen and the map will turn into a Pac-Man board. Make sure your map has enough roads for a Pac-Man game or it won’t work. It’s best to zoom into a city or town. Or you can click on the Pac-Man icon in the middle of your map. The format is regular Pac-Man. There is no Mrs. Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, or any other version you might remember. At least, not yet. But it’s got everything the regular format had: the four ghost monsters, the fruit, the big dots where you can eat the ghost monsters, five chances before the game is over, everything. You can even keep up with score and put it on your Facebook pages and Twitter feeds.
I’ve played Google Maps Pac-Man and it can be very addictive! But I do have a playing tip. Play on roads that are straight and less plentiful. Playing on curvy and crazy roads will make the game even more complicated. This game is far more challenging than the 1980s Pac-Man. I haven’t even gotten past the cherry board yet. I’m not sure why Google decided to make Google Maps Pac-Man, or how long it will last. But I’m glad they’re doing it. This game is fun, family friendly, and a great way to cure the boredom blues. More than that, it allows an older generation to relive memories of the arcade or their first home video game system (though the arcade version was so much better, admit it!). It allows a new generation to get a taste of what life is like before Xbox. What other classic games could work on Google Maps?
