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Bored? Check Out the Net's Most Boring 'Reaction' Videos


Since YouTube doesn't host videos of an obscene nature, the site has recently witnessed a burgeoning "reaction" movement, as thousands of users post videos of people watching various acts of perversion. Sometimes, though, the reactions of the desensitized watchers remaining emotionless creates an incredibly boring viewing experience.

BuzzFeed.com recently posted their choices of the most boring reaction videos, and they're all incredibly lame and monotonous. They don't provide much to the viewer except the opportunity to ridicule someone, and the opportunity to create subsequent vids of boring reactions to the original boring reaction.

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Audio/Video, Web

Mormon University Lifts Three-Year YouTube Ban

Regardless of your spiritual or religious beliefs, it's impossible to contest that we live in the 21st Century, where we are constantly bombarded with information and multimedia. With that in mind, the conservative, morally minded Brigham Young University (BYU) Friday lifted a three-year ban on YouTube, the AP reports. The video-sharing network, according to university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins, has relevant educational applications and students are missing out.

BYU, a Mormon school, requires that its students sign a moral code of conduct, pledging that they will stay committed to the ideals of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It also reserves the right to eliminate anything on campus that goes against the Church's tenets, including media that may feature 'unfit' or 'pornographic' imagery.

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Computers, Celebrities, Google, Web, Social Networking

Michael Jackson's Death News Hits the Web Hard

Michael Jackson's Death News Hits the Web HardThe King of Pop is dead, but if the flood of news covering the entirety of the Internet overnight is any indication, his legacy will live on for quite some time. It was shocking and unexpected news, so, of course, folks were quick to let everyone know, usually through online sites like Twitter. In fact, so many people were logging on to see whether this sad news was for real yesterday that many major news sites were twice as slow to load up as a result of all the traffic, Web-tracking service Keynote Systems told the Chicago Tribune.

Topics relating to Michael Jackson quickly became the top trends on microblogging site Twitter, while various Jackson-related searches bubbled up on Google's top 100 search trends as well. Yesterday, for example, the number of Michael Jackson tweets topped 100,000 per hour, according to social-media-tracking firm Trendrr.

By now the word has spread and there's no doubt about its veracity, so all that's left is for the Web to be flooded again -- this time by weepy retrospective collages and "In Remembrance Of" videos on YouTube and its various competitors. We'll be watching them too, and likely getting a little misty-eyed. [From: chicagotribune.com]

Audio/Video, Web

YouTube and Hulu Let You Choose Your Commercials

Web Trending Towards Viewer Chosen Ads
YouTube is experimenting with a new ad delivery system that lets viewers choose to watch either a relatively lengthy pre-video advertisement, or to stick with shorter ads inserted throughout the video. Note that these ads will only appear on sponsored videos, not the meme masterpiece of Keyboard Cat teaming with Hall & Oates. Although this change may not seem like a big deal, giving viewers options is always a useful improvement.

Of course, YouTube isn't the only site putting commercial control in the hands of visitors. Hulu occasionally presents viewers with a similar choice (between longer pre-roll, and shorter, in-video ads), and it lets viewers vote for ads by giving them a thumbs up or thumbs down, helping to refine the pool of advertisements Hulu offers. Digg will be applying the same voting scheme that it uses for articles to advertisements. Allowing visitors to digg or bury ads, the site charges more for videos the more they are buried, essentially pricing them off the site.

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Audio/Video, Web

Ames's Window Optical Illusion Will Blow Your Mind

Need something of an eye-opener on a dreary Wednesday afternoon? Check out the above video demonstration of the Ames window, a compelling optical illusion featuring a trapezoidal window with an angled bar bisecting it as a sort of reference point. As the odd-shaped window rotates, the bar occasionally, and magically, appears to pass right through the frame while the window seems to reverse its rotation.

The illusion was created by American scientist Adelbert Ames, Jr., a researcher at the Dartmouth Eye Institute and creator of a number of mind-bending visual tricks like this. This window is his most mind-warping illusion, and it's easy to see why. Despite how it appears to the eye, the frame is always physically rotating in one direction -- it's just the mind that gets confused by its shape. Now, feel free to go ahead and get another cup of coffee after watching this a few times. Or several more cups of coffee after watching these, too. [From: YouTube, via Kottke.org]

Audio/Video, Web

Japanese Probe Reveals the Moon in High Definition


It's been almost two years since we first told you about the Japanese probe KAGUYA, which is currently orbiting the moon. Fortunately for us, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was prescient enough to equip KAGUYA with a pair of HD cameras that have managed to collect some stunning footage.

Until now, JAXA has only posted low-res versions of its videos and high-def-quality still photos online. If you wanted to enjoy probe's jaw-dropping, full-motion, detail-packed videos, you had to hope that the Discovery Channel felt compelled to re-air its November 2007 special featuring the footage. Thankfully, we now have a pair of one-minute videos featuring close-up HD imagery of the Moon's surface that reveal far more detail than you could ever hope to glean from those grainy videos of the first Moon landing.

You can watch one of the videos above, but to see them in their full HD glory, follow these links to the YouTube page -- don't forget to click the all-important 'HD' button. Don't expect much more multimedia from KAGUYA; the mission will come to an end Thursday, June 10th, when the probe slams into the surface of the moon. [From: YouTube]

Audio/Video, Celebrities, Web

Johnny Depp Shares His YouTubing With Vanity Fair



Though he is one of the best-looking men in the world, and the representative of everything both cool and weird, it turns out Johnny Depp is into exactly what we here at Switched are into: hanging out and watching the best YouTube videos.

In Vanity Fair's upcoming cover story on Depp, writer Douglas Brinkley and the megastar, despite hanging out on his Bahamian island and motoring around on his private yacht, just sat online. Depp's choice in videos, we are happy to report, is as varied and strange as the actor himself. Including standbys like A Colbert Christmas and Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder, he also had some pretty obscure picks:


A Parisian bookstore owner demonstrating a dangerous and potentially very stinky way of trimming his hair:


Foster Brooks toasting Johnny Carson. His inebriation is staged, but Depp appreciates how convincing it is.




[From: Vanity Fair via NYMag.com]
We are so glad Johnny shared with us, so we are sharing with you our favorite video of Capt. Jack Sparrow himself, being a really gracious guest with a couple of precocious, Japanese pirate kids.

Audio/Video, Web

NASA YouTube Footage Fuels UFO Conspiracies


NASA video footage recently uploaded to YouTube by a user named 'secretnasaman' has created a stir among UFO enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists, alike. The hotly debated films come from different space missions, and capture odd, moving lights in the background. In the above film, which follows a test satellite, a light appears at the bottom of the frame around the 1:18 mark and then slowly moves upward out of camera view. A second film, also from a 1996 mission, seems to show numerous unidentified objects zipping around the screen.

Leave it to NASA and the eyewitness astronauts to shoot down the alien claims, though, and ruin everyone's fun. Mario Runco, the astronaut involved in the first incident, attributed the luminescent abnormality to either ground light or a star. According to FOXNews, he said that if it were an alien craft attempting to make first contact, he would "be the first one to step up. I'd want the credit." An astronaut on the second film, Thomas Jones, also dismissed extraterrestrial involvement, saying the points of light were merely ice crystals or residue being moved around by the thruster exhaust plume.

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Web, Social Networking

'Best Video' Scam Hits Twitter

Some Twitter users were recently duped into paying money for a security system they did not need, according to CNET News. We've previously reported on the increasing number of phishing attacks and malware circulating on Twitter and Facebook, and now another scam has hit the microblogging site -- from the looks of things, this trend might be here to stay.

In the scam, Twitter users were directed to a Web site that featured a YouTube video dubbed "Best Video." If you attempted to watch the it, you'd be hit with a slew of messages warning that your computer was in danger. What could save your computer? You have to buy a security suite immediately [surprise!]. According to CNET News, Twitter officials are aware of the scam and are saying that no personal information was compromised because of it.

The best way to protect yourself from these scams is to avoid suspicious links, like the one described above. Also, don't give out personal information -- like the name of your pet -- to unknown sources, even if it seems innocent. It could be just the information needed to hijack your account. The flood of Twitter spam is still on the rise, so remember, better to be safe than sorry. [From CNET News ]

Google, Web

'Porn Day' Prank Floods YouTube With Adult Videos

YouTube Flooded With Porn in 4chan Prank
4chan.org's /b/ message board is filled with pranksters who have nothing better to do with their time but make life difficult for everyone else. The notorious mischief-makers' most recent stunt -- Porn Day -- sent employees at YouTube scrambling as the site was flooded with XXX-rated content.

The videos were uploaded and attached to seemingly innocent search terms, like "Jonas Brothers." In order to get past YouTube's content filters, the filthy videos were prefaced with about 20-30 seconds of clean content, like a newscast or interview.

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Computers, Google, Web

How Much Does Google Know About You?

How Much Does Google Really Know About You?
It's no secret that, by now, Google has collected an absolutely absurd amount of information about you. Google knows what you search for, what Web sites you visit (Chrome), which pictures you post (Picasa), the contents of your e-mail (Gmail), who you call (Google Voice), what you watch (YouTube), what you write (Blogger), what pills you take (Google Health), where you are (Google Latitude), where you'll be (Google Calendar), and even has your spreadsheets (Google Docs).

Now, technically, Google doesn't actually "know" anything about you. The company has a complex series of privacy policies (which vary between services) and it promises to never share that information with any third party. Still, that doesn't mean that privacy advocates are sleeping easy.

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Celebrities, Web

Mia Farrow Goes on Darfur Hunger Strike, Posts Daily on YouTube


Actress, activist and former Woody Allen flame Mia Farrow is in the ninth day of her hunger strike for Darfur, which she has been chronicling on her own YouTube channel, the L.A. Times reports.

According to the Times, the 64-year-old, noticeably gaunt Farrow has committed to a three-week hunger strike, during which she will consume only water, in order to raise the public's awareness of the estimated 2.7 million refugees in Darfur (a cause she has long championed in her well-known blog). Late last month, according to the AP, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir banished 16 humanitarian aid groups, 13 of which had come from the international community to aid the impoverished, sickly and malnourished refugee communities. On April 21st, the AP reported that the U.N. estimated 300,000 had died since 2003. To put that in perspective, these tragic numbers are tantamount to the entire population of Chicago being left homeless and dying, or the entire city of Pittsburgh being put to death.

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Computers

Man Delivers Baby With Help of YouTube

Providing further proof that the Internet is not, in fact, "good for nothing," Marc Stephens, a 28-year-old naval engineer from Cornwall, England, watched a quick how-to baby video on YouTube, and successfully delivered his baby daughter, Gabriele. According to the Daily Mirror, this all happened on March 21st, but apparently the Stephens only spilled the details about how the baby actually was born, yesterday morning.

Feeling anxious about his wife going into labor, he decided to check out some birthin' videos. Good timing, because a few hours later, she went into labor (three weeks earlier than expected). The paramedics were on the way, but, with time running short, Stephens was forced to go at it himself.

His wife, Jo, who has three other children, told a slew of British newspapers that of all her four childbirths, this was the one she enjoyed the most.

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Audio/Video, Cameras

Mom Arrested for Encouraging YouTube Teen Girl Fight

Mom Encourages YouTube Brawl, Gets ArrestedThere are plenty of controversial things on YouTube, not least of which are videos showing fights between minors. We've covered this trend before, and responders to our straw-poll voted overwhelmingly that the videos should be removed from the site. Apparently, there are parents out there who would disagree and some, such as 37-year-old Dawn Morris, who would actually encourage the fighting.

According to police in Champaign County, Illinois, Morris discovered via Facebook that her 15-year-old daughter was planning to fight another teen. Rather than do something to prevent it, Morris actually gathered up neighbors to come watch the brawl and to cheer on her daughter. The fight was captured on video using a camera phone, and then posted to YouTube (the video has since been removed). Police saw the fight, investigated it, and quickly identified the parties involved.

Both teens were charged with aggravated battery and will be making appearances in juvenile court, while Morris, the encouraging mom, was arrested and charged with contributing to the criminal delinquency of a juvenile. Perhaps this will help stem the tide of juvenile violence vids. [From: The News-Gazette.com]

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Audio/Video, Web

Domino's Fires Two Employees for Posting Farting-on-Food Videos


In our efforts to promptly and accurately report the important Net news of the day, we often present tales of unwitting Web surfers who, through posts, pictures and videos, jeopardize their livelihood and freedom. In one of the most humorous, and revolting, acts of Internet idiocy we've come across, two Domino's employees lost their jobs and are facing felony charges for videos they uploaded on YouTube.

The two culinary culprits drew the wrath of Domino's by posting videos that displayed employees engaging in inappropriate food-handling techniques, including one kitchen worker who inserted cheese into his nose and passed gas on a salami sandwich. A spokeswoman for Domino's told the BBC that the employees intended the video as a prank, and that they did not serve the tainted food. Regardless, area police have served felony warrants to the two people involved. According to the spokeswoman, Domino's is "'not in a forgive-and-forget mood'," either, and is planning on pursuing a civil suit.

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Weirdest Techie Heists and Scams

    Elderly Amish Man Caught on Film With Prostitute, Blackmailed
    When a 75-year-old Amish widower slept with a prostitute, he -- we feel certain -- felt pretty bad about it the next morning. As if that guilt weren't enough for the old man, the prostitute and her boyfriend demanded $67,000 from him, claiming that they had filmed the scene with wall-mounted cameras and would upload the recording to the Internet. The pair was later arrested and, we can only imagine, the Amish man abhorred technology more than ever.

     

    Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craiglist
    In October, a bank robber -- wearing a safety vest, blue shirt, face mask and goggles -- eluded police with the help of Craiglist. Just outside the bank, while the robbery was in progress, stood a group of men who were responding to a Craiglist day labor opportunity. As the advertisement required, they were all wearing safety vests, blue shirts, face masks and goggles.

     

    Nude New Zealander Arrested After Responding to Fake Sexy Text Message
    Late in 2007, a Wellington, New Zealand man received a racy text message from two anonymous "ladies," giving him only an address and a request that he show up naked. Well, he indeed showed up naked... at the home of one appalled, unsuspecting New Zealander. Both the nude Romeo and the sadistic texter were arrested, though neither were prosecuted.

     

    Fake Craiglist Ad Costs Man Most of What He Owns
    Last Spring, a post appeared on an Oregon Craigslist board stating that the owner of a specific house was leaving all of his worldly possessions (still in said house) to whoever wanted them. When homeowner Robert Salisbury rushed home -- on a tip from a woman suspicious about the offer of a free horse -- he found his house being ransacked by 30 strangers. We suggest he take that horse and collect some vengeance Clint Eastwood-style.

     

    17-Year-Old Jailed for Stealing Virtual 'Furniture'
    When a 17-year-old Dutch boy hacked into several accounts on the Second Life-style site 'Habbo' in 2007, the the law got involved. The boy was discovered to have stolen $5,800 worth of virtual furniture and knick-knacks. Apparently, crime -- whether actual or virtual -- does not pay.

     

    Phishers Going After Your Phones in New 'Vishing' Trend
    Over the past year, sneaky spammers have begun to forsake the worn-out territory of e-mail in favor of cell phones' fertile frontier. The result? "Vishing." Get it? Voice mail phishing. It might be more ominous if it didn't sound like a James Bond villain saying, "Wishing."

     

    Burglars Break Into Restaurant, Steal HDTV, Leave Money / Food Behind
    Around Halloween of last year, a truckload of thieves drove into -- that's right, into -- a Pennsylvania Mexican restaurant, where they -- apparently uninterested in the cash register -- stole a mid-grade 47-inch HDTV and fled the scene. We've all heard about how this generation is lacking in ambition, but this generation's thieves, too?

     

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