English Rules

Viral Videos

May 8, 2006

Video is all the rage on the internet now for people with a broadband connection and a little too much time on their hands. Sites such as YouTube and Google Video are garnering millions of visitors as user-published video clips—some legal, some not—find their way on the web.

Two videos that I've found especially entertaining recently are the Stephen Colbert speech at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner and the Jake Shimabukuro's brilliant performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps on the ukelele.

That first video, the speech by Colbert, is the subject of what the New York Times refers to as an "e-spat." The video became wildly popular on YouTube before C-Span demanded they yank it from the site. Then C-Span turned around and gave Google exclusive rights to offer the video on their site. Read A Comedian's Riff on Bush Prompts an E-Spat

Here's a third video (via waxy.org) that I just saw tonight of a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution going up for a little flight with the Blue Angels. He passes out three times, which apparently isn't so bad for a first ride.

Comments (2)

1Andrew wrote:

Ha! The weenie who got the ride with the Blue Angels. What a WUSS! I can say this, 'cause I'll never get the chance he got, but I'd do much better than he did. He took advantage of every opportunity to pass out. Another 5,000 lbs. of jet fuel squandered on some wanker from the media.

It's not fair. I would be a much more grateful passenger.

May 8, 2006 ; 10:45 PM

2Andrew wrote:

Here's my favorite story about a civilian taking a flight in a military jet:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/magazine/life_of_reilly/news/1999/09/14/life_of_reilly/

May 9, 2006 ; 10:31 AM

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