Wiadomosci sportowe i ze swiata muzyki

All kinds of people connect on YouTube every second of every day, but this week we wanted to call attention to one especially vibrant community on the site: the hearing-impaired. Online video is proving to be an effective medium for deaf vloggers, entertainers, educators, activists and the sign-language-curious to talk to and connect with each other:

The videos on the home page today represent just a sliver of what’s out there in terms of content made by or for the hearing impaired. We focused mostly on American Sign Language (ASL), but we also spotted signed videos in many other languages (like this one of the Swedish alphabet), and we loved seeing the site used by the deaf community to help organize a prom, to call out to cyclists and even to vent about a troublesome roommate. In other words, this week’s Trendspotting Tuesday may be sign-language-themed, but really it’s just another day in the life of YouTube…

Best,
The YouTube Team

Thousands of nonprofit organizations have joined the YouTube Nonprofit Program since it was introduced in the United States last fall, and they’ve been using their channels to raise awareness about everything from education to climate change, animal welfare to poverty alleviation.

Today, we’re pleased to announce the launch of the United Kingdom Nonprofit Program, which will provide U.K.-based nonprofit organizations who meet the acceptance criteria with benefits like increased branding and upload capacity, as well as the opportunity to be featured in the “promoted areas” of the site.

We’re also extremely fortunate to have the help of five amazing nonprofit launch partners (Beatbullying, Disasters Emergency Committee, Friends of the Earth, Missing People, and WaterAid) who are sharing their expertise about how they use YouTube to promote their causes:

If you’re a nonprofit organization based in the U.K., click here to find out more about the Nonprofit Program and to apply. And if you’re a nonprofit who is headquartered outside the U.S. or U.K., we’ll keep you posted as we expand the program to new corners of the world.

Peace,
Ramya R.
YouTube Nonprofits & Activism

Summer blockbuster movies mean big budgets, big expectations, big box office and, of course, some brazenly brilliant YouTube parody videos.
It’s been impossible to ignore the superhero spectaculars that have filled the big screen this year. And for every new wave of heroics, we’ve seen YouTube videos that range from loving tribute to super-spoof. Iron Man got the summer off to a flying start, and user ItsJustSomeRandomGuy added to his popular series of “I’m a Mac…” parodies with a hysterical head-to-head between Marvel’s Iron Man and Batman for DC. User COL321 also went the action-figure route with this note perfect spoof of the Iron Man trailer.

The next hero flick to hit the multiplexes, The Incredible Hulk provided inspiration for this blockbuster hit from the Barely Political team, and an equally skin-baring tribute from theattack. Leaving no stone unturned, Mike from JeepersMedia launched an attack of his own, with this review of the worst Incredible Hulk tie-in toy ever.

The summer’s more oddball heroes were not ignored - user asathecomic gave Hancock the Tay Zonday treatment (in true franchise style, that video comes with a sequel). Meanwhile Hellboy II received the reliable ItsJustSomeRandomGuy treatment in addition to this less-seen stop-motion gem.

For many, all of this was merely a prelude to the arrival of The Dark Knight, and Batman got many creative minds thinking. There’s this bizarre Borat-meets-the Joker Bat-spoof, a quirky cartoon face off between Batman and Spiderman and some spectacular fan-remakes of the movie trailer, both in Lego and in jaw-dropping fanboy-filled live action. You can check out all of these movie parodies in this video player which comes as well-loaded as Batman’s utility belt.

Cheers,
Mark D.
YouTube Comedy

Based on some of your comments and emails saying that the entry period for the People.com/YouTube Be a Red Carpet Reporter contest was too short, we have decided to extend the deadline for submissions by an additional 48 hours – which means that July 23 will be the last, last day to interview your way to TV’s biggest red carpet event.

The premise is simple: send us your best two- to four-minute video showing off your interview skills with a family member or friend, using your front walk as a red carpet. Submissions are due by midnight EST on the 23rd, after which a team of PEOPLE.com editors and red carpet correspondents will narrow the field to 10 finalists. Then it’s up to PEOPLE.com and the YouTube community to select the best red carpet reporter to be flown to the L.A. event. (Read the full rules to ensure that your video qualifies for this contest.)

Good luck, and hope to see you on the red carpet!

The YouTube Team

YouTube teems with videos representing a multitude of viewpoints, especially when it comes to users who are passionately engaged with religion or spirituality. This week’s Trendspotting Tuesday showcases those folks who use the site as their pulpit, demonstrating that you don’t have to go to India to have a guru (for example) and that you can preach to your “congregation” right from your comfy living room armchair. Naturally, this playlist could have been as long and as plentiful as all the viewpoints out there, so consider it just a randomly ordered taster of how some spiritual people are using the site:

Peace,
The YouTube Team

For years, the potato has been an integral part of the global food system, serving as the world’s number one non-grain food commodity. Now, as food shortages around the world become more prevalent, and the price of other staple foods like wheat, maize, and rice skyrocket, the humble spud is becoming an even more important player in the international fight against hunger. That’s why the United Nations has decided to give the potato its rightful due, by naming 2008 the International Year of the Potato:

The aim of the International Year of the Potato is two-fold: to raise awareness about the crucial role of the potato in agriculture and economic security around the world, especially in developing nations, and to promote sustainable potato-based systems which would provide nutritious food for present and future generations. Other organizations besides the UN are also using YouTube to pitch in and meet these objectives. For example, the Idaho Potato Commission recently launched “ITuber Take,” a contest which invited potato aficionados to create and submit YouTube videos about potatoes:

In celebration, other YouTube users are offering practical advice, like expertvillage, who is educating others on how to plant, grow, and harvest potatoes, and chefs Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough, authors of the Ultimate Potato book, who demonstrate an easy recipe for Indian potato curry.

In, ahem, starch contrast, if you’re in the mood for a little music, you can enjoy Potato 2008 by reveling in the melodic stylings of this potato choir, which received RocketBoom recognition, or watch the classic “My Name is Potato” video performed by Italian songstress Rita Pavone. And if you like your baked potato with sour cream, chives, and a dash of the ridiculous, you may want to explore this “Conan O’Brien”-led potato dance posse, which puts Michael Flatley to shame.

For more on how YouTube users are taking this opportunity to celebrate their carb-laden pal, take a look at the full playlist of “YouTuberlicious” videos:

Spudtacularly yours,
Ramya R.
YouTube Nonprofits & Activism

Cell phones created a big buzz in tech lately, and YouTube’s tech vloggers have been working overtime to unbox, critique and compare the latest models.

For eager Apple fans, every step of the iPhone 3G’s arrival has been documented, from the lines outside the Apple store to the unboxing of just-purchased phones. There are videos comparing the original iPhone and the 3G successor, videos reviewing the latest downloadable apps from the AppStore, and for those suffering from iPhone fatigue, Tom from Blendtec gives an iPhone the “Will It Blend?” treatment. Check out a few of our 3G favorites in this video playlist.

Of course, you don’t have to be an Apple obsessive to get into the technology trenches with YouTube’s gadget gurus. While john4lakers is delivering his take on 24 hours with his new iPhone, PhoneDog Noah is putting some other slick handsets to the test with a head-to-head dogfight between the LG Dare and Samsung Instinct. Meanwhile, SlashGear is unboxing the Treo 800w, TigerDirectBlog is getting hands-on with the HTC Touch Dual and absolon3 is giving his first impression of the Nokia E17.

By the time the iPhone residue has been cleaned off of the blender blades, there are sure to be dozens more videos posted on the various handsets, smart phones, touch screens and other gadgets that make up the “most wanted” lists of our tech experts. And there will doubtlessly be no shortage of opinions on offer, from “get it now!” fanboys to “wait and see!” skeptics. Who knew that cell phones would give us so much to talk about?

Cheers,
The YouTube Team

It’s time for another Guru Challenge and this month Princess Diana161 wants to see what’s cooking (specifically summer recipes):

We all know there are some talented chefs on YouTube and we want to see them make everything from grilled hamburgers to tasty desserts. (The best ones just might make our home page.) Just upload your video as a response to Princess Diana’s humorous call to action.

New to the Guru Challenges? They’re for users making HowTo videos — or for those who need a reason to start. Our first challenge with Zoo York was a call out to see your creative ways for spreading the word, and it generated some fun responses:

Our next challenge was a green-themed one, with architect Michelle Kaufmann asking to see how you would reuse and recycle an item you would normally throw away. Here’s a peek at some of the best entries that have come in so far:

Now get cookin!,
Sadia H.
YouTube HowTo & Style

Community Help Forums have just been launched! This new discussion board is the official place to share ideas, feedback, ask and answer questions, and offer general help to your fellow YouTube community members. Here, you can find out the latest on Announcements, Bug Reports & Issues, How-to’s and TestTube Feedback.

You can access the Community Help Forums through the Community Tab, our Help Center or by clicking the Community Help Forums link displayed at the bottom of most pages on the site. In addition to related articles, forum posts are now included within search results in the Help Center. Although YouTube staff may jump in periodically to post updates on bugs, upcoming features or make general announcements, the purpose of this board is for experts from our community (like you) to have a centralized place to post commonly asked questions and provide answers about site usage. You must be logged into your YouTube and Google account to post a question or reply, but anyone can read messages on the Community Help Forums. You will need to click on “Join this group” upon your first visit to the forums, then you can post as often as you like while still logged in.

Our ultimate goal is to make Community Help Forums the easiest and fastest way to get help on YouTube - but we can’t do it without you. We encourage everyone to stay active, post often and help us make this discussion board the main destination for users to seek help from community experts.

The YouTube Team

Leave it to the pioneering British band Radiohead to make a video without a camera or lights. Witness the data+laser magic of “House of Cards” on our home page today or right here:

So how did they do it? With the help of 3D image capturing created by two technology companies: Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. Their scanning systems produce structured light to capture up-close 3D images, while another system uses multiple lasers to capture large, landscape-type environments. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes. Here’s a video that may give you a better idea of all the machinery involved:

You can also find this data-centric bit of creativity on Google’s code website, which contains additional pieces of data available for incorporation into your own visualizations. Upload such videos to Radiohead’s YouTube group if you’d like to share them with the band and the YouTube community. Thanks to a Creative Commons license, all the data used to produce this music video is being made available to share with you.

Now, join in — go forth and manipulate data!

Geeking out,
Michele K-Tel
YouTube Music