YouTube has been around for a long time now, right? What if the purpose behind it was really just a contest looking for the best video? And the contest is now over?
Contest Over = No more YouTube.
Google has announced with the following video that YouTube is going dark.
Look for guest appearances by famous YouTube celebs, including (an older) Charlie (and brother) of the ever-so-popular “Charlie Bit My Finger”.
p.s. don’t panic. Happy April Fool’s Day!
Posted by sharechair on March 31, 2013
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/google-announces-the-end-of-youtube-not/
Up front I apologize to my readers outside of the US, because this app is USA-only. But maybe maybe maybe there is a similar one for near you. I hope so, because this is special.
The app displays a map of where-you-are OR a location-you-choose, and then displays little markers highlighting spots where History occurred.
Awesome! I tried it locally and was amazed to find some places to explore within a few miles from my home. Daniel Boone’s birthplace? Who knew?
Then I typed in a zip code from the Jersey shore and the following screen popped up. All those red markers are places of some historical significance. Wow, right?
Tap on any of those red markers and the history is revealed:
Another tap will describe the site in more detail, and usually gives you a link to the site’s actual webpage.
Developers promise constant updates, adding new points of interest all the time.
History Here is available for both the iPad and the iPhone and is FREE in the iTunes store.
Posted by sharechair on March 19, 2013
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/an-app-that-enlightens-you-of-the-history-that-surrounds-you-history-here/
I am so delighted to see that CBS has finally developed this app.
CBS has made this dedicated app so that viewers can watch full-length prime-time programming, including popular favorites such as the Good Wife, Mike and Molly and the Big Bang Theory. (Hurray! Big Bang lovers rejoice! This means Sheldon-on-demand 
)
Late night programs will be watch-able after 24 hours, while popular prime-time programming will not be available until the 8th day after broadcast. That’s ok. Many of these shows are well worth the wait.
CBS is free in the iTunes store.
Posted by sharechair on March 17, 2013
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/watch-cbs-programming-on-your-ipad-and-iphone/
Attention: as of May 2013, the ability to cache videos on this has been removed. 
When I look at my wordpress statistics, one of the most frequent google searches that brings people to my blog is a search looking for an app that will allow you to watch YouTube videos offline.
The awful thing about this is that I did that post wayyyyyyyy back, and named an app that would do the deed.
However, all things change, and that app no longer does it. And even worse, when they stopped doing it, their update wiped clean all the videos that were cached. Yikes. (That was a sad day.)
That post still exists, although I have put an update on it to point out that it no longer does the very thing I was applauding that it did.
But there is another! Hurray!
McTube will let you download videos to watch offline. I’ve tried it, I’ve used it, and it works great. If you are going to be offline for a while (like on a plane) just think ahead and download any YouTube videos that you would like to watch.
There is a free version and a pro version. The free version works just fine, but is loaded with ads. There is also a limit on the amount of video you can cache. I used the free version for a while, just to get used to it, and I was very happy. Videos downloaded quickly and played well. The ads, however, were flashy and annoying.
I decided to plop down $1.99 and get the pro version. Updating to the pro version actually downloads a whole new app, and therefore any videos you have already downloaded do not carry over to your new version. So if you think this app is something that you will enjoy, you might consider the paid version sooner rather than later.
The app is VERY simple to use. Just search for the video you’d like to watch. Then tap on the red download icon in the upper right hand corner.
When you would like to see the videos that you have downloaded, and/or watch them offline, just tap the “cached” button in the middle of the row at the bottom of the screen.
McTube for YouTube Pro is $1.99 in the iTunes store. There is a free one available as well.
I used Lucy in the Chocolate Factory for the example, above. In case you’re interested in actually taking a little trip down memory lane and watching it, I’ll include it, here. Enjoy!
Posted by sharechair on March 14, 2013
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/watch-youtube-videos-offline-on-your-iphone-or-ipad/
We think of YouTube as a place to watch people fall off of treadmills, to enjoy animals doing cute and adorable things, and to laugh at babies sharing a giggle or a gasp. The antics that used to reach only a few now reach thousands millions.
Anyone who was a young woman in the 70′s feels a special connection to Valerie Harper, who, as Rhoda, tackled life as a single working woman living in the city on her own. 
Each week we were inspired to see Mary and Rhoda take on the world on their terms and it was special. So very special. The world was just beginning to open up to women, and these two were experiencing it. And it was entertaining. And funny. And inspiring.
And now Valerie Harper has received the devastating diagnosis of an incurable brain cancer. Her prognosis is grim, only 3 months.
Valerie Harper has chosen to use the tool of YouTube to talk directly to her many fans about her disease. To comfort others. And to point out how health care should be available to all.
I join in the chorus of 70′s women who are saddened by this news and wish her well as she journeys through these next few months.
Posted by sharechair on March 10, 2013
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/valerie-harper-turns-to-youtube-to-console-her-fans/
Most people who spend any time at all on the internet have come across a fair share of “viral videos”. Often of animals, or babies, or silly situations, they are videos that have become really popular through social media sharing.
A ‘viral video’ caught my attention today, and it just made me so happy, I thought I’d share it with you. (This is a sharing blog, after all )
When I post videos, I try to keep them short. I know that blog readers are often visiting many sites, and you don’t have the time to stay for very long.
But if you don’t have time, now, I hope you come back when you have 4 minutes to spare. It’s really worth it.
You’ll see a wedding party, in Copenhagen, last May. Some of the wedding party/guests surprise the couple with a “flash mob” type rendition from Les Miserables. The video is a little jumpy, but stay with it. It is a major smile-maker.
What an awesome bunch of people. I promise this will make you feel good all over!
Posted by sharechair on December 5, 2012
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/a-viral-video-guaranteed-to-make-you-happy/
I love wandering the Smithsonian museums in Washington DC. I could do that for days on end.
Next best thing?
The Smithsonian Channel on my iPad.
They have FULL episodes of their programming and hundreds of clips of Smithsonian programs.
They are simply beautiful and look spectacular on the iPad.
and did I mention? …. FREE
When you launch the app, you will have the opportunity to select your videos or look at a listing of programs appearing on the Smithsonian television channel.
This thumbnail screen is your portal to choose either a full program or a shorter clip to watch. You simply swipe the row to the right or left and see more, more and more videos to choose from. It’s hard to demonstrate this with a single still photo, so just imagine how each of these rows moves left or right to show you many more possibilities.
I’ve had this sitting on my iPad for quite a while, but somehow I’ve been neglecting it. Recently I ‘rediscovered’ this beautiful App, and as I am enjoying the awesome programming, I can’t help but wonder why I ever stayed away for so long.
Posted by sharechair on October 10, 2012
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/smithsonian-channel-free-videos-for-your-ipad-and-iphone/
photo credit: JCT(Loves)Streisand* via photopin cc
Last night I was thrilled to be a member of the audience at Barbra Streisand’s Concert in Philadelphia.
It was awesome. She is awesome. When Barbra strings together those long, stunning, belting notes (like “I’ve come home at last” from Sunset Blvd) …. nothing, no one can beat it.
What can I say? Chills.
So how do I tie this to tech?
The tech message on the tickets was very clear with “No Cameras / Video / Recorders” printed across the front. Almost any concert you go to these days includes such a message.
I overheard many nervous conversations outside of the Wells Fargo Center where people were wondering, “What about my cell phone? Does it count? It takes pictures and video…..”
I brought mine with me. If there was a photo to be had, I wanted to be ready to capture the memory. I figured the worst case scenario would mean that I would have to take the phone back to the car.
But no such trouble. Tickets were scanned and no one asked or cared about cell phones.
(There is another subject that could be explored, about whether or not photos/videos should be allowed at concerts, and how on earth they can be stopped as our gadgets improve…. but that is a subject for another day.)
So, settled into my seat, I thought I’d try to sneak a picture or two. If there is safety in numbers, I was golden. Everywhere I looked, people were holding up their phones.
However, I wasn’t too hopeful. I have tried to take photos at concerts, before, and when you couple the low light with the distance involved, the results are dismal.
I wasn’t alone with that revelation. As the show went on, the cell phones gradually disappeared, (except for those who were calling friends and family and leaving the line open so that they could “hear” from home. )
I have seen a fair amount of YouTube videos that people have taken at concerts. I’ve seen good, pretty good, and horrible. Mine were at the horrible level, but I guess it all depends on your seat and the lighting.
So I’ll keep my blurry photos as a memory for me, but they are pitiful and not anything I can share with pride.
But each blur holds a wonderful memory. They’re gorgeous to me.
I’ll forever look at each and say, (I’m sorry, I can’t resist) “Hello, Gorgeous”
Posted by sharechair on October 9, 2012
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/barbra-streisand-and-my-tech-fail/
What are the most watched YouTube Videos ever?
As of September 2012, Justin Bieber is holding the top spot, with “Baby”. His video presently has 782,065,258 views. That’s 782 MILLION. Yikes!
He is followed by Jennifer Lopez’s “On The Floor” and various other music videos.
But what about the most-watched NON-music video?
With over 483 MILLION views, it’s “Charlie Bit My Finger – Again!”
Posted by sharechair on September 26, 2012
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/tech-trivia-most-watched-youtube-videos-ever/
photo credit: RayMorris1 via photo pin cc
I have always enjoyed history … origins, old architecture, historic places, and beginnings.
If you think about it, we are actually LIVING the beginning of all things internet. While this may be very recent history, it is history.
Everything has to start sometime. We all enjoy falling into YouTube now and then. (Two recent YouTube related posts are here and here.) But when did YouTube start? What was first?
Let’s look wayyyyyyy back in time to 2005.
Specifically, April 23, 2005.
Here it is. The very first YouTube video. It’s title is “Me at the zoo” and it is just 18 seconds long.
Pretty underwhelming. But it is the first. And that makes it special.
Posted by sharechair on August 22, 2012
http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/tech-trivia-the-very-first-youtube-video/
