Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 40)

Organizational Note: I'm reducing the number of videos per Favourite YouTube Videos post to three to reduce the strain on browsers (primarily chrome). I have also reduced the number of posts displayed on the main page from 5 to 4, which I hope will also help. Unfortunately, I'm not able to reduce the number of posts shown at a time using categories/tags or searches. 

It's the start of a new year and it's that time when people starting thinking about improvement. Fortunately my next three favourite YouTube videos all help with a little self improvement.

• First off, Hank has some productivity tips:
• Next, Ze Frank talks about what we leave out: 
• Finally Pomplamoose, will help you learn how to communicate through dance:

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 39)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos we get musical, beautiful and designy.

• First, Hank sings to us about the Subway where he used to go (and then lays down the facts about advertising).
• Then we have a live version of Watsky's 4am, one of my favourite's of his songs. 
• Next Cory Williams flies us beautifully over his hometown.
• Then Karen Kavett shows us what she's been up to when it comes to interior design.
• Finally we end on a lip dub from Meekakitty, which combined with Hank's video above might be the best indication of the state of music in the summer of 2012. (Also Tessa's crazy-eyes really sell this video.)

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 37)

This volume of my favourite YouTube videos is a bit old school, with a bunch of faces (or hands) we've all come to know and love.

• The first video in this volume is "Doodle Music" from viheart.
• Next, we get to discover what happens if you give Felicia Day a chainsaw. (You knew the answer was awesomeness, right?) Also maybe that it's best to stand well back when she sees baby animals.
• Next, John Green pretends to be Charlie McDonnell while getting things done (like signing a contract for the TFiOS movie).
• Next, Ze Frank (and I hope you didn't think that one wall to wall volume of him was all we were going to get) puts up a new video about a new song.
• And, finally Watsky raps "Energy". 

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 32)

This volume of my favourite YouTube Videos we get everything we could need about video game history, dance and world history all in one awkward bundle.

• In the first video in this volume we learn everything we need to know about Dead Space. In less than a minute. What more could you need?
• Next up John Green teaches us everything we needed to know about Chinese history. In more than a minute. What more could you need?
• Next Rosanna Pansino does some chair dancing to the closing credits of Plants vs Zombies (written by perennial favourite Laura Shigihara). What more could you need?
• Finally, Husky and Kurt Hugo Schneider (and a lot of nerdy people) bring us their ... cover ... of "Sexy and I Know It". It's a little weird, but it's on this list for one very good reason: the zerging dance. First we have the video itself and then the behind the scenes. What more could you need?

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 31)

This volume of my favourite YouTube videos is pretty wide ranging including some video game music, some intelligent thinking about movies and some thoughts on YouTube itself.

• First in this volume we have a video of an original song "Guild Ho" from Dodger. The video feels a bit rough to me, but I especially love the enthusiasm in this.
• The second is a cover of "Terra's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI by Laura Shigihara and GBritaney. This is haunting and beautiful and really worth a listen.
• Next is an incredible video from Belated Media, in which he breaks down and rebuilds Star Wars Episode 1. I think his analysis is right on and that the movie he describes would have been significantly better (and not in the way that two hours of staring at a star field might also have been better, I mean significantly).
• Next Mr. Charlie McDonnall does a very cool real-life time attack of the landmarks of London. Cool video and good memories.
• Finally SMPFilms does his best to figure out what a YouTuber actually does.

Blog: Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 30)

This volume of my favorite YouTube videos returns to the good old days of video games, music and the truth (as provided by John Green ... the truth that is, he promised not to provide us with any more music).

• First up, we return to my favorite all time video game cover artist, CalebElijah. It turns out he wasn't eaten by snakes in Africa, so we get to listen to his cover of Magus's Battle Theme from Chrono Trigger. If this doesn't make the hair on your arms stand up your arm hairs are not wired correctly.
• Next is CalebElijah's cover of Windy City Winlan from Breath of Fire. A little less intense, but for me no less nostalgic. We might not hear from him quite so often as we used to, but I'm always glad to see he's made something cool.
• The next video is the finale to Chuggaaconroy's let's play of Mother 3. If you want to watch it,  you should start from the beginning, but I favorited this one for a couple of reasons. First the let's play is pretty well done, it's a bit rough being from Chuggaconroy's early work, but it's a good journey through a very intense game. Secondly, the game itself is worth seeing and given that it's not easily accessed outside of Japan this is a good way. Finally this episode is very well executed and really stands out in terms of voice acting and presentation.
• Next we have a vlog from Husky about various thing. He still hasn't really picked up vlogging, but he tells some interesting stories when he does.
• Finally John Green sets us straight on some misconceptions, plus tells an Inception joke, because he's cool like that.

Blog: Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 29)

In this volume of my favorite YouTube videos, we take in some music, sit in all the chairs and help someone move.

• The first video is a cover of the song, Rouge Message, from Kiki's Delivery Service, by Laura Shigihara and LonLonJP. I was going to say that Kiki's was one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies, but honestly all Studio Ghibli movies are my favourites. Either way Laura and LonLon put together a very nice song here.
• The second video is another from George Watsky (surprised ain't cha). I don't even need to tell you that the rap is great and the video for this one is a  completely engrossing time lapsed drawing.
• Next up is another Watsky,  just throwin' down.
• Now John Green takes us on a visit to the nicest hotel room in the world on the vlogbrothers. It's armoisome.
• Finally we help Charlie move house, because we're nice like that.

Blog: Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 23)

This volume of my favorite YouTube videos is a little different. This time it's all videos from one source and weirder than that three of the videos have the same song. But I'll tell you that these videos were the ones that inspired me to start posting about my favorite YouTube videos and I've been waiting for this post for a long time.

I don't think I can describe World Order or Genki Sudo. I don't think I can describe their videos, so I suggest you watch them. I can say that I think that they're mind blowing and that their videos are go so far beyond simple dance that they are expressions of human physiology and kinetics.

Please remember to enjoy World Order responsibly and avoid operating heavy machinery for at least an hour after watching.

• The first two videos are both of the same song, the eponymous "World Order", the first in Tokyo and the second in New York. Beyond the group themselves the videos are fascinating for the reaction of the people around them.
• The next video is for the song "Machine Civilization" and here the group's dance is outstanding, mesmerizing and almost incomprehensible. Again it's fascinating to see the reactions they draw from the people around them.
• The third video is for "Boy Meets Girl" and we see what happens when World Order tries to relax for the evening and celebrate their success. 
• The next two videos are a tribute to World Order from a group in Florida. The first is the video they made and the second is the making of which shows just how much work it is for people to perfect the choreography. Again, when you watch it a second time (and I'm sure you will) watch for the reactions of all the people and the kids trying to figure out the moves. I think it's fitting that the tribute gets the same reaction as the original.

Blog: Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 22)

This volume of my favorite YouTube videos includes some cool music, some cool writing and some cool costumes.

• The first video this volume is Bill Withers singing "Ain't No Sunshine". This is an incredible performance with so much passion. I'm not sure where it's from, but it's worth taking the time to enjoy.
• The next video is Alex Day and Bryarly Bishop, singing "Under the Sea" from Disney's "The Little Mermaid".
• The next video another vlogbrother video, this one with John and Hank together (which is the best kind of vlogbrother video). Beyond that I'm not sure why I favorited it, other than the generally entertaining insanity and possibly The Katherine hiding in the bathroom (spoilers). Plus Ellen Hardcastle is my favorite album by Hank so far.
• The next video, again from the vlogbrothers is the first part of the nerdfighter book club on "The Great Gatsby". Whenever John talks books it's interesting, but now I'm especially interested in this one because he has returned to it on their Crash Course channel. The concepts are the same but the presentation has changed.
• Finally we have a lipdub of cosplayers from the London Film & Comic Con in July 2011 by Cosplay Fever.

Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 21)

This volume of my favorite YouTube videos contains some thoughtfulness, some music, some video games and some laughs.

• The first video in this volume is from Corning, and (this might shock you) it's about glass. On the one hand it's a pretty standard corporate puff piece about how awesome they'll make your future, but I was mostly interested in it because it's a pretty good illustration (in my opinion) of how our technology should work for us over the next 20 years. I favorited this one because I thought the concepts were really interesting.
• The next video is by vlogger/designer Karen Kavett. These are her reflections on her time at RISD as she graduates. It's a cool, well produced video with a lot of heart and interesting reflections on her time as a student. It's nice to see someone who's education went so well and was so in line with where they wanted their life to go. 
• The third video in this volume is composer/pianist Laura Shigihara playing an improvised arraignment of music from Secret of Mana. It's a very restful piece and Secret of Mana's music always makes the hair on my arms stand up.
• The next video is a recording of a panel from the Calgary Comic Expo 2011, featuring the voices of the childhood of anyone of my generation, Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche and Jess Harnell. I was lucky enough to attend this panel and I thoroughly enjoyed it and am glad the chance exists to relive it through YouTube.
• The final video for this volume is another video song from Pomplamoose, their original song River Shiver. 

Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 19)

This is another musical volume of my favorite youtube videos (for the most part) inclues some interesting Pomplamoose, some home made music from Zelda and then an interesting play though of a fan-made hack of Chrono Trigger.

• The first video in this set is Pomplamoose's cover of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." As with many songs Pomplamoose covers, I think this one is far superior to the original and it's always fun to watch Jack play with any instrument he can get his hands on.
• The second video is a version of the "Saria's Song" (from the "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time") by Sp0ntanius. While this isn't may favorite of the songs from Zelda, the video song on blown bottles style is really creative and fun.
• The third video is by the always interesting, cool and creative ukulele wielding Molly Lewis. This is her open letter to Mr. Stephen Fry suggesting that if he ever wants to carry his genetic line on, she'd be happy to help.
• The fourth video in this volume is an interesting one. It's the first video in a play through of a game called "Crimson Echos." This probably isn't a game you've played since it was a fan made sequel to "Chrono Trigger," made by hacking the "Chrono Trigger" ROM. It was however hit by a cease and desist letter as it was nearing completion and so the people working on it stopped and put out this replay (which goes on for hundreds of parts) to show what they had done. 
  
  It's an interesting project with a lot of creativity that would have made a really interesting game. A lot of the music is new and the concept of the game is an interesting extension of the ideas laid out in "Chrono Trigger" (plus it's very fun to see new things in the "Chrono Trigger" universe). That said I also feel that it's a bit of a waste that all the tallent used on this project didn't go to something newly created. While this was just in the fan microcosm, I think that's probably true for a lot of the game development community.
• Finally we have a collaboration between Pomplamoose and Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi. Very cool experimental sound and video.

Blog: Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 17)

Welcome to the 17th volume of my favorite YouTube Videos. This volume has a lot of music and a little bit of thought about design.

• Have you listened to a good book lately? The first video in the volume is a video song for Hank Green's "This is Not Harry Potter." Harry Potter has always been an important touch stone in Nerdfighteria, and Hank puts out an annual song with sometime to do with Harry to celebrate that link. I always enjoy the one voice and guitar style and I think this is one of my favorite song Wednesday songs.
• The second video is the video for Janelle Monáe's song Tightrope. I noticed this song because it was in a car commercial and was hearing it 20-30 times a day (thanks YouTube/network television). When I looked the song up I discovered the video had a great concept (as I guess does the whole album, although I must confess that I haven't listened to it in its entirety), was really visually compelling and just a lot of fun.
• The third video is from designer and nerdfighter Karen Kavett. She plays an exciting game of "what if" with YouTube. As you might have guessed by now I spend quite a bit of time on YouTube so I find this pretty cool. Some of the ideas she has have since been taken up by YouTube and some of them are kinda crazy, but it's really refreshing to stop and think about how websites we use all the time are simply products of design.
• The last two videos in this volume are from Pomplamoose (are you surprised, I can tell that you are). The first is a great cover of Deck the Halls, complete with crazy exuberance  the thing I'm calling the "Pomplamoose Key Change" and one of the back up Natalies even smiling! The second is not only a great song but also a great story, which I'll let them tell you at the end of the video.

Blog: Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 16)

Welcome to the 16th volume of my favorite videos on YouTube. This volume is a mix of music, cuteness and deep thoughts and is a lot of things that have showed up here before.

• The first video is by British YouTuber, Alex Day for his friend, collaborator and roommate Charlie McDonnell. This was a birthday gift in which Alex got several YouTubers (especially ones with ukuleles) to sing a song to Charlie on his birthday. (Also yes, these guys are freaking young!)
• Speaking of Charlie, we also have his video for Ben Folds and Nick Hornby's song Saskia Hamilton. I feel like this video is an example of the age old adage (at least as old as when I first thought of it) that when in doubt you should shout the name of a poet.
• The third video in this volume is a pair of bunnies in cups. I don't think I need to say more.
• Next we have a song from Hank Green about the likelihood of alien life, because most scientific concepts are best handled in song.
• Finally we have a TED talk from the brilliant brain-disturber Ze Frank. In this talk he discusses the show he ran in 2006 (which influenced pretty much anyone I've ever seen vlog, at least indirectly) and engage in deep participation.

Blog : Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 14)

Welcome to the 14th volume of my favorite YouTube videos. This volume involves my discovery of the most popular YouTuber in the UK, a little bit of music and a couple of deeply thoughtful videos.

• The first two videos in this volume are from YouTube sensation   Charlie "charlieissocoollike" McDonell. The first video is of Charlie singing one of his own songs, with a little help from himself and the power of video editing (and it wows me how much you can do at home now-a-days) and the second is the video for a project he did called chart-jackers where he and a group of friends tried their best to take over the UK pop charts. Oh, and yes, that's Mr. Stephen Fry giving the tag line at the end.
• The next video in this volume is by Ben Chan who is mostly an online violine teacher, but is also a lover of video game music. He's playing the theme to Chrono Trigger, which as you've probably guessed is a pretty easy way to make me favorite a video.
• The fourth video is one I've had a bit of a hard time figuring out. It is, as it calls itself the PEN story, and it's a beautiful stop motion film built out of photographs. As I mentioned though, I don't know why it's called the PEN story, nor about who made it or why. It's upbeat and fun, however so it's worth a watch.
• The fifth video is another interesting one. Called "How to be Alone" and is a video by fiilmaker, Andrea Dorfman of the poem (of the same name) by Tanya Davis. It's a beautiful contemplative piece that's quite compelling to watch in addition to being interesting life advice for a thing many people (myself included sometimes) are not very good at.

Blog : Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 13)

This volume of my favorite YouTube videos is mostly musical with a side of spoon.

• The first video in this volume is possibly the best cover of a Zelda song ever. The music in Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is astoundingly good to begin with and this cover by FreddeGredde only improves on it. I also really appreciate the video song style with all the different instruments and voices he added in to give the song a lot of depth and interest. If ever there was a song to wake up to on Christmas Day, this is it.
• The second video in the volume is from the department of things you've probably heard of, but I still like the video anyway so there (which is a weird department to have, but there you go). Fireflies by Owl City is fun and upbeat and makes me happy, so here it is.
• The third video in the volume stems from the interest the vlogbrothers developed in anglerfish (I'd say don't ask, but really that's just how the vlogbrothers work, they're a series of inside jokes), and their unusual sexual practices (which are outlined in the song, I won't spoil it for you). Also, a floating cat (cuter than the anglerfish in the picture).
• The next video is important because it involves The Tick and the origin of the most important battle cry to ever grace the television medium. SPOOOOOOOOOON!
• The final video in this volume is another song by Hank Green of the vlogbrothers and tells the tail of the most dangerous squirrel ever to live. The video is fun, and shows just how awesome the community of nerdfighters can be. Also it provides a free lesson in squirrel linguistics.

Blog : Cool Things on September 21, 2012

So I found some more cool things this week (and I even got some of my own work done). I'm please to share the cool things I found below.

Lectures

While I'm not able to find video from the talk (although it may materialize), this week I attended the seventh Richard and Louise Guy Lecture which this year was on the Mathematics of Doodling.

A view of the 7th Richard and Louise Guy Lecture.

The Department of Mathematics at University of Calgary has hosted this talk for several years now (arranged by Louise as a 90th birthday gift for Richard) and it is always informative and interesting without being bogged down. In pervious years the topic has ranged including areas such as knot theory and the mathematics of music and they have always left me more excited to explore than I was going in.

Sadly Louise passed away several years ago, but Richard continues to attend the lectures (and others, including some classes each year) and it is always encouraging to see his life long love of learning. (If one may be so hokey as to say it that way).

I hope the lectures serve as a model and that we can see more and more interesting talks that continue to inspire us to be better question askers and answer finders.

Blogs

One cool thing I found this week is Day[9]'s blog. Day[9] or Sean Plott (as the non-gaming world knows him), is a former pro Starcraft player and now pro Starcraft II shout caster (and host of the Day[9] Daily). Whether or not you're interested in e-sports and better ways to play Starcraft II, it's still worth taking the time to take a look at the blog. Day[9]'s interests go well beyond the realm of video games and he is a very astute and interesting speaker and writer. (Also you can watch him making a perfume with Felica Day on her Flog this week.)

Video

You might have seen this already given the names involved, but this week, for reasons only known to the deepest oldest minds of the universe the Nerdist manage to revive two things people haven't seen in a long time. Ben Folds Five and the Fraggles. Got something you don't want to do? "Do it anyway!" (Then watch the video.)

Former Five Awesome Girls Monday Kristina Horner and her housemates/co-star launched a new gaming channel called TeamHypercube. They're doing a mix of table-top gaming and video games and the first video game they've tackled Dokapon Kingdom is ... interesting to say the least.

Over the last few months the sports racers (are the viewers even still called that, duck fans maybe now) of a show have been working with Ze and Mr.Norman to put together a song and a video ... and this is it:

Wrap-up

Wanna know how Chris Hardwick managed to make muppetty goodness for us this year? Well now you will:

Blog: Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 10)

Welcome to the 10th volume of my favorite YouTube videos. This volume is another music episode and will be an introduction to the coolest band you'll meet on YouTube.

• The first video is from OK Go, whom you may know from their treadmills.  This video involves one of my favorite things on earth Rube Goldberg machines. This is a pretty incredible video and as with some of the ones last week keeps surprising you with more and more cool things.

• The next three videos are by the group Pomplamoose. These early videos are "Video Songs" which have two rules (from the video description)

1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice).
2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds).

Their early music was a mix of covers and original music. I have really enjoyed their covers, and I find when I hear the original versions of Telephone or Single Ladies I think of them as the dance covers. If You Think You Need Some Loving is also an amazing example of Natalie's cool and Jack's exuberance. I hope you enjoy them because there will be a lot more from them in the future.

The final video in this volume is from Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip. I don't think I've heard a track of their's that I haven't loved and the only reason this is the first video to show up in this project is that I upgraded a bunch of my earlier favorites to their better quality versions and so those videos are further down the favorites list for now.

Blog: Favorite YouTube Videos (Volume 8)

This volume of my Favorite YouTube Videos is another mostly musical grab bag. I should point out that I'm starting with my favorites that are farthest in the past on the list and as such this shows how my use of YouTube has changed over time (basically, warning the vloggers are coming). This volume has some cool video game music, some interesting animal videos and a weird admission from my undergraduate degree.

• The first video is another by perpetual appearer in these posts, Brentalfloss. Here we have his with lyrics version of the Ducktale's Moon Theme. 
• The second video is another by the other perpetual appearer, CalebElijah and his rendition of one of the quieter more contemplative pieces from Secret of Mana. I'm always amazed by the amount of artistry in these videos, you don't think about it, but keep in mind that not only does he play all the instruments, but he edits together all the video as well.
• The third video is one that stick with me at least in part because of the music. It's a slow enjoyable moment relaxing and watching the fish go by.
• The fourth video demonstrates that squirrels are smarter than you think and are capable of getting into more places than you'd hope. Please to enjoy squirrels solving obstacle courses. With the necessary Mission Impossible cover, of course.
• The final video for this volume is a bit of a weird one. It's a remix of the theme of Tiny Planets, which was a children's television show about this bigfooty-thing and its ... pet ... thing ... destroying children's understanding of physics while improving their understanding of basic math and cooperation. I have really fond memories of watching this show before heading into classes on Fridays during the first year of my undergrad (in fact it and Neon Genesis Evangelion are some of my major memories of that year and between the two Tiny Planets is actually still watchable, if weird).

Blog: Favorite Youtube Videos (Volume 4)

Welcome to the fourth volume of my favorite youtube videos series. This volume is a musical grab bag and another visit to internet history.

• The first video is one of the versions of the Pi song. There are several songs composed so that the digits of Pi inform the music. In this case it dictates the pitch of the note, there are others where the digits control other things, you can see a bit more at Numberphile's video on making a Mathmetal song about Phi. This version is pretty up beat and kinda fun to listen to.
• The next three videos are that visit to internet history. Brentalfloss has become pretty well known for his video game music "with lyrics" series, but did you know that he started out doing simple covers of old video game songs? (You did? Oh for heaven's sake, why do I keep using this device?) Here we see three renditions of Mario Bros. music two on keyboard and one a cappella and you can see a little bit of where Brent is going to go, but I have to say at the time I didn't expect just how cool he was going to become.
• The final video is a funky rendition of Fur Elise by a guy called GovernorWatts. I also found him through some of his video game music videos, but he wandered off into other fields. It's interesting that at the time Brentalfloss and GovenorWatts seemed about the same (both doing "in bedroom music covers" and political rants) and to see now how differently they came out. (And no I'm still not sure about the"son of Stephen Colbert" bit, but I do know that this was going long before the Report came out.)

Blog: Favorite Youtube Videos (Volume 2)

This is the second of my (going to be quite long) series of posts sharing my favorite videos from Youtube.

This volume, much line the first, is focused on some cool video game music.

• The first entry is a little shaky as far as video and sound quality goes, but is a good and exciting rendition of the best boss music in Final Fantasy. If this doesn't make the hair stand up on your arms then there is clearly something wrong with the hair on your arms (or possibly this wasn't a staple of your childhood, which is fair too, I guess).
• The second favorite is another from CalebElijah, playing music to be banished from your village to.
• The third is medley of all the ocarina songs from the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I favorited this one at least in part to teach myself how to play these on the piano, but I never got around to it (maybe that's another project from the future).
• And finally we have a Mario Paint version of Robo's Theme from Chrono Trigger (which we will here again in other forms, have no fear). This is made using the actual composer found in Mario Paint (as opposed to Mario Paint Composer, which is a tool based on the SNES game, but with a lot more functionality). Robo's Theme is my favorite from Chrono Trigger, and I loved the composer in Mario Paint (way more than actually painting) so this video was an easy thing to favorite.