Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 156)

In this volume of my Favourite YouTube Videos, we go through the five steps of trauma, remind ourselves just how awesome we are and then get dirty fighting about video games.

• First, Dael Kingsmill, illustrates the trauma that is a broken Internet connection. 
• Second, Pomplamoose is the shit, and they have been right since the very beginning.
• Finally, The Gaming Historian walks us through the rise of Tengen and the war of Atari vs Nintendo.

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 153)

In this volume of my Favourite YouTube Videos,  we reprogram our brains, go play and find the animal hidden in our own minds.

• First, Destin from Smarter Everyday reprograms his mind as an exercise in bias and bicycle riding. 
• Next, Pomplamoose would like to know if you'd like to Come Out to Play
• Finally, Mary Doodles scribbles with her buddy Danté and discovers an animal in hiding. (Kudos for deciding it was facing us, I kinda thought it was going the other way.) 

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume (144)

In this volume of my Favourite YouTube Videos,  we get a little superstitious about song writing.

• First, Pomplamoose rebuilds a song to create the Stevie Wonder Herbie Hancock Mashup.
• Next we take a deep dive with Dave Bulmer and Brent Black where they talk about their collaborations to date and the new (then) Ocarina of Time with Lyrics Video. (It's two parts and total, about an hour and a half, just a heads up).

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 142)

In this volume of my Favourite YouTube Videos,  it's a music week, so grab your game boy, the internet and head to an Oasis for a listen.

• First, Jimmy Wong has a little song about a particular brotherly video game.
• Next, Pomplamoose would like to remind you that the Internet is Awesome (although we should probably have one of those the web is not the internet talks at some point).
• Finally, Meine Meinung, play their original song Oasis.

Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 139)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we go to war, fall in love and learn not to trust anyone with a bucket full of icy water.

• First we have Jesse Cox's Let's Play of Valiant Hearts. I found this to be a really interesting game, as it's used to explore the history and impact of the First World War. I like seeing different ways games can be used to teach and engage people and I think Valiant Hearts is a worthwhile experiment.
• Next, you should know that Pomplamoose is "All about that (Super)Bass".
• Finally, Destin from Smarter Every Day took a little science to his Ice Bucket Challenge. The primary results is that his cat is smart enough not to trust him and his son is fearless and also that thanks to sponsorship he was able to make a good donation to help research into ALS.

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 138)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we believe, get stuck and colour some magic.

• First, Pomplamoose covered Believe and just makes me really happy. I love that song (and that album) more than I probably should and I love Pomplamoose just as much as I should (which is to say, a lot), so it's a definite ray of sunshine.
• Next the Fruity Ukeladies are Stuck in the Middle with You. And also this post, I guess.
• Finally, Dave Bulmer starts in on the Discworld journey he told us about in the last volume, starting on the first five books.

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 132)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we try not to die in space, get a little angry and then drive off down a rainbow road.

• First, Belated Media talks about Alien and Aliens and the (very different) ways in which they're both excellent. I like Alien better (it has more SPACE in it), but rewatching this video I just want to watch them both again.
• Next, Pomplamoose is too mad to watch 30 Rock tonight. But they just need a little time to cool down.
• Finally, let's end by sailing off into the skies with Mr. Smooth McGroove singing the Mario Kart 64 Rainbow Road Theme a capella. This is one of those songs with a really specific association in my head, of a sleep over with a friend and racing on this course when we were super tired and falling a sleep. Definitely a great song to relax to (but maybe not drive to, if you're going to fall asleep).

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 130)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, it's music day. Wake up, suck up and chill!

• First, get up, and don't forget to wake Pomplamoose up before you Go!
• Next, Brentalfloss flosses up the theme to Luigi's Mansion. So grab your vacuum and get to work (although I don't recommend listening to the cover if you're planning to play the game in the near future, the ear worm quotient is ... high).
• Finally, CalebElijah plays "Sub Zero Snow Field" from Seiken Densetsu 3, which I think may be one of the most beautiful pieces of music in video games. Certainly the cover is absolutely gorgeous. 

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 128)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we figure out who we are, why Yoshi is cool and why you should be careful when you're feeling fancy.

• First, Micheleh takes a few minutes to look at who he is through the lens of media and passes on some very sage advice at the same time. Then stick around for his DVD extras, where he rants (very well) about "Content" and why it's a useless and insulting term.
• Next, Josh talks about how Super Mario World is Really Freakin' Clever. He touches on how Super Mario World has a lot of flexibility (more than many of the following Mario games) and how Yoshi is integral to how we understand the game (and how he's an aspect of the game, not just level design). He also talked about how easily Mario game communicate what the rules of the game are and I was reminded of this video from Jamin from PBS Digital Studios Game Show.
• Finally, if you need a little dose of weird this week, Pomplamoose, covered "Puttin On The Ritz." Remember folks, always keep your trip hazards under control or the lemons won't stop singing.

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 127)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, it's a music volume with space ducks, menu songs and one take feelings.

• First, Caitlin and Vaughan are taking ducks to space, with their cover of The Moon Level from Duck Tails.
• Next, Mr. Smooth McGroove is ready for a fight, in the menu (from Super Smash Bros. Melee).
• Finally, from their Season 2, Pomplamoose cover James Brown, "I Feel Good" and it feels good.

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos(Volume 113)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we mash, we rant and we sooth!

• First, Pomplamoose mashes their way into our hearts playing with Tupac, Lorde, Beck and themselves all at the same time.
• Next, Emma Blackery has some strong words to sing about one of Google's many failures to make us like using Google products ... or let us use to Google products that we like ... or just put the freaking videos in the subboxes ... ... ... (For the record this was the one where they forced everyone to sign up for Google+ to use YouTube, which managed to single-handedly double the number of YouTube accounts everyone needed and to this day freaks me out about once a quarter by logging me into that OTHER account...). Issues ... what issues?
• Finally, Laura Shigihara and Britaney Gaither calm things down with "Kaze no Toori Michi" from My Neighbour Totoro. Giant, furry forest spirits help make everything better. (As do awesome artists.)

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 110)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we talk technology and learning, spiders and raindrops.

• First, on SciShow Talk Show, Hank Green talks to Professor Rick Hughes about education and technology. I particularly like the concept of the "Comfortable Consumer vs Competent Creator". I think it's difficult for students in Computer Science to distinguish between the things that are part of the underlying mathematics and logic of computation and the things that are part of the computational structure's people have created. It's also difficult then for students to know when they need to create new things for themselves and when they should use the tools that already exist.
• Next Simon's Cat encounters a spider, and comes out quite a bit better than Simon ... or the spider.
• Finally, Nataly Dawn does a beautiful cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." I think the cover is beautiful, but as a Calgarian, I'm a little confused by the song. Usually raindrops are hurled at my face by powerful wind or are snow. Still, this one makes me happy to listen (and makes me think of lemonade). 

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 85)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we look at the heavy, the light and the (hopefully) very small.

• First, John Green explains the situation in the United States leading up to the Civil War. Not only is the subject mater interesting but I also think that this is one of John's finest pieces of oratory.
• Next, Jack Conte covers Daft Punk's Doin' it Right. I love how you can see how Pomplamoose grows out of his music and Nataly Dawn's. Also this video is just plain awesome and then Jack talking about Patreon is also plain awesome.
• Finally, Professor Brailsford expands on compression in this video from Computerphile.

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 76)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we have some happy times, some sad times, some calm times and some hope.

• First, Pomplamoose cover September by Earth, Wind and Fire for a little burst of happiness. And also beardlessness ... weird isn't it. 
• Next, in less happy times John Green talks about the Boston Marathon Bombings, but more so about finding hope in dark times.
• Finally the Pentatonix sing a version of the Carol of the Bells. 

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 61)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we get back around to Christmas, chill out and celebrate the end of the rad!

• The first video is the Chemistry Christmas Tree from Periodic Videos. I love the community vibe of the University of Nottingham, School of Chemistry, and how you see students and researchers gathering together for a moment to show off what they love. (Also nice instrumental Christmas music)
• I love how the two halves of Pomplamoose make music thats just as awesome on their own as they are together even though they're in totally different genres. Here Nataly Dawn chills out and Dances.
• Finally, four rad dudes got together and made us the very final episode of the Totally Rad Show. (Warning, this is over an hour long!)

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 59)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos, we borrow a theme song, escape a labrynth using graphs and ride on a (no longer) new rail line.

• The first video in this set is Pomplamoose's theme song for "Hey It's Pomplamoose" (Their live streaming show). Also, they talk about a live stream that we can't go to without a time machine. Also also, I think Jack might be hard to live with, "How did you even get drums UP there?"
• Next, Numberphile and James Clewett unravel some Choose your Own Adventure books.
• Finally, The City of Calgary (my hometown) put up a video of the trip in to downtown on the new leg of the CTrain which opened late in 2012. I still haven't actually made the trip all the way out myself, but this video makes me happy.

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 53)

This musical volume of my favourite YouTube videos will be with you in a minute, but it has some questions about your philosophy (and also your building codes).

• Brentalfloss opens this volume up with the BioShock song. I find it hard to believe that I started following him because he seemed like a smart guy who could play video game music. Now look at him. Interestingly he also just released the BioShock Infinite song, if you enjoy this one.
• Next, Hank Green has his annual wizard rock song from 2012 with some questions for the wizards. Given that these feel a lot like the questions I run across when I'm looking at video games, I feel a bit like this song is an anthem for questions. 
• Finally, Pomplamoose will be there in a minute. (Minute, minute). Out of their original songs, I think this one is my favourite. I also like the dance for busy people who might have to pee.

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 47)

In this volume of my favourite YouTube videos we get a little frisky, hurt our brains with physics and resolve our cliff hanger from the last volume.

• First in this volume. Ninja Porn. Didn't expect that did you? Also that seems like better music than most porn gets ... I'm just saying. (From SMPFilms)
• It also turns out that the Universe is Weird. As you might have noticed if you've ever spent any time listening to Hank Green.
• And finally: Did Nathalie rescue Jack? Did Jack learn his lesson? Is Batman AWESOME? Pomplamoose resolves your tension! At this Bat Time in this Bat Volume!

Blog: Favourite YouTube Videos (Volume 46)

In this very musical volume of my favourite YouTube videos we get some nostalgia, some laughs and some tension!

• Firstly, LeVar Burton and the crowd at w00tstock 4.0 sing the theme to reading rainbow. Included at no extra cost, squees from Mr. Wil Wheaton.
• Next, Husky and his friends sing his overlord song. I could maybe explain what's going on here, but really why would I ruin your fun.
• And finally we see a seminal moment in the life of Pomplamoose, while they mash up Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know and Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe. What will happen to Jack? What will Nathalie do with unlimited power over the creative direction of Pomplamoose? Will another meme from the sumer of 2012 be able to save our heroes? DON'T. PUSH. THAT. BUTTON.

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: