Should I Be Ashamed That I'd Already Seen the Top 50 Viral Videos of 2012?

I discovered to my horror that in one respect, at least, I've become one of those people who live their life entirely on line.

I say this after noticing one of those  "Let's Look Back at 2012" items came out, and it was the 50 best viral videos of 2012. The scary thing: I'd seen all but maybe three or four of them over the course of the last 12 months.

A still from one of the top YouTube videos of 2012:
A duckling going for a jog with its friend, a guy

There they were. The talkers  I'd come to know and love. The frumpy middle aged woman who witnessed a fire and described the scene to the local news team. Or more precisely, described how the cleaning guy had seen her tits.

There were the twin babies bopping along to their dads' guitar playing. The woman who didn't know how long it would take to go 80 miles if she was traveling at 80 mph. the dog on the trampoline, the cat on a turntable, the duckling running, DMX singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," the ghost in the elevator. All of 'em.

Gawd, that list looks like the rantings of a madman, no?

All this means I spend wayyyyy too much time on line. And I probably will in 2013, too.

Now I'll show you the 50 Best Viral Video video, which shows little snippets of the popular items.

How many of them did YOU see during 2012?

End of Year Weirdness: Odd Comments on YouTube videos

Just because New Year's Eve is a goofy time of year, I'll present you with a bizarre little video about videos.

Buzzfeed made a YouTube video that highlights some of the best comments people made on some viral YouTube videos of the past year.

The description I just gave you is a bit confusing, and so are some of the comments. But it is fun to watch to get a flavor of the cultural zeitgeist of 2012. Watch and enjoy:

When You Have Bad Mugshot of Yourself, You Had a Lousy Year

Indulge me while I share my fascination with some mug shots. Buzzfeed has offered up a yearly delight: The best mug shots of 2012.

Charge: Indecent exposure (I'll bet!)

Even though all of these people allegedly broke the law, you have to feel sorry for them. They look so hapless, so clueless, such trainwrecks.

If you think you had a bad 2012, these people surely had it much, much worse than you. I've included a couple examples in this post, to give you a hint of what's in the list, if you're too afraid to click on the Buzzfeed  link.

Charge: DUI, Speeding (or on speed?)

Charge: DUI/Leaving Scene of an Accident
And being seriously pissed off

Oddly Compelling Annual Google YouTube Year in Review

Once again, Google has put out its annual Zeitgeist video, which races through some of the most important, or telling, or memorable moments of the year.

It sounds like an exercise in self-congratulations by Google, and it probably is, but the video is also oddly moving. I thought so, too, in 2011 and posted their video last December.

So, I'll make it a tradition and post the 2012 version. It does show what a hugely complex web society and humanity are: