I was born in the late 70s and had the fortune to experience the early days of personal computing and the internet via BBSes. The biggest issue I've personally experienced with the modern internet is the ease at which you can get side-tracked by deep links. I've lost count of the number of times I've started researching something work-related in the evening only to end up linking through two or three related articles and ending up on a YouTube video about the latest game trailer or whatever.

I've also noticed that my reading habits have changed. Instead of reading articles in their entirety, I will, at times, read a few sentences to get the gist then scan ahead to continue reading. I never used to do this but it is something I've caught myself doing with greater frequency over the past couple of decades. This has tripped me up a few times where I've had to go back and read the information again. I wonder if children that have grown up with the modern internet and its web of distractions (pun intended) are even worse off.

Maybe our brains are trying to adapt to a new way of gathering and processing so much disconnected information (e.g. one minute you're reading about a physics algorithm the next minute about screaming space goats). Perhaps it is a way to contain information overload and only retain what is useful?

The internet is an AMAZING invention and something everyone should have access to and be taught how to use effectively. As was mentioned above, you can pretty much teach yourself anything using the internet. The challenge is staying focused and sifting through all the ads, fluff articles, and random garbage that you get bombarded with every time you browse a website.

His point about trapping yourself in genres is excellent. It's really easy to label yourself and dismiss other genres as crap (god knows, I was guilty of it myself when I was a teenager).

But there are no bad genres, there is only bad music. Yeah, I still have very little time for most of the fluff in the charts, but that doesn't mean there isn't occasionally a great pop tune that catches my ear.

I'll agree with everyone on TYT. I like the message, but the delivery needs work.

Captain Disillusion. I enjoy debunking, but the persona and gimmick makes it hard to watch most of the time.

Thunderf00t. I enjoyed him for awhile, especially his Creationist debunking era, but then something happened and I just can't do his videos most of the time. Partly it was his stance on elevator gate, which he just pushed and pushed endlessly, but he seemed to just go off after that whole incident. I don't mind the opinion, I disagree, but he just wouldn't let it go... and never got back to what he originally was doing.

Oh and yeah, Angry Videogame Nerd I agree with. Way too much fluff...

Markplier. My kids love him, so my suggestion box is full of him for a few days after every other weekend. I love Twitch and stuff like that, but I don't find his personality at all enjoyable. He's a Pew De Pie wannabe and I can't stand Pew either.

Earthling Cinema... no. Just no. Another annoying personality, I just don't get the appeal.

Speaking of cinema related ones, Cinema Sins. They give 50 or 60, and really only a third or so actually count, even on movies I hated. I appreciate critique but I don't know, I normally can't watch a full episode.

I'll agree with others about mean spirited pranks. Truth distorters, especially when it is for financial, political or religious gain, which I guess is most of those types.

Joshua Feuerstein is a perfect example of the above.

People doing videos in cars, even if parked... there are exceptions to that, like the guy who does carpool karaoke, but most others...

Guy on the street type videos. It's been a format around for too long. How many people did you have to edit out to get a few idiots? Occasionally they'll show one person who knows among 8 others.

When otherwise smart science channels like SciShow and the like use the word "theory" in the common sense of the term and not the scientific use. It continues to distort the public image of the word. They come to a science channel, see it used where they should be using hypothesis. If they want to keep it simple and use guess or ideas. Just don't use the word theory until it's a more accepted theory. This way people don't keep saying "it's just a theory" on actual facts like the big bang, evolution, human accelerated climate change, etc.

Yeah, this is nonsensical fluff of the highest order, but....

it's nonsensical fluff with two of the most likeable people in show business (and Jimmy Fallon).

Damn you, Jennifer Lawrence! Stop being so funny and cool in interviews, it makes it harder to hate your terrible movies.

I take these "everything you thought you knew is wrong" presentations for the fluff-pieces that they are, Slate.com is full of them. This guy is just as glib and vague as any myth that people may be spouting. You want to dispel some misconceptions then do the research, like they did in the Wild West.

There's a saying about experiencing something a second time like it was your first, or whatnot. Can't think of it now. Doesn't matter.
If you haven't played "Brutal Doom", go do it. I can't express how amazing it was. It was like rediscovering doom all over again. I still remembered most of the stages and secrets and traps, but the Brutal mod just reinvigorates the entire thing. It has more satisfying "punch", and gore and action and just "aaaawwweeee shiiiiiit" than I could count. The best part is that it's just fluff. They didn't make custom levels or non-canon bullshit. It's just Doom and Doom 2, with just enough updates (mouselook) to be completely playable today, with an amazing attention to detail on new, and more, gore effects.
It. Is. Awesome. It's been years since I've laughed out loud because I was having so much fun with a game.

To quote my view, which I mistakenly sent to Chaos Engine:


Who would you have Americans elect?

Bush: Disaster. Remember, remember the Patriot Act?

Clinton: Lying, manipulative, currently under Federal investigation by America's FBI department. Really?

Bernie Sanders: Self-purported Socialist. Lovely.

Ben Carson: I have no particular qualms, by all means intelligent, however, doesn't say anything beyond the bloated party line.

That brings us full circle back to Trump... He has a real, tangible plan. Excluding "Feelings" and "Moral Obligation" and any other overused progressive excuses that simply cloud the fact that there is no fact there, his plan/s would work, and are necessary if America means to continue its lead as the second greatest nation on Earth(Sorry America, national pride, you know?).

As for Obama, and I include him because many seem to think he is great for some reason... His healthcare plan failed(look it up). America is now over $18 Trillion in debt. ...And he insists on throwing pebbles at ISIS while the EU does all the fighting... His speeches never really address anything tangibly, its all "Feeling" and fluff(watch the one where he addressed the attack on France).

I am not necessarily saying that Trump is a good person, or would make a good President, but he would me loads better than the other shrimps for candidates...

Who would you have Americans elect, sir?

Bush: Disaster. Remember, remember the Patriot Act?

Clinton: Lying, manipulative, currently under Federal investigation by America's FBI department. Really?

Bernie Sanders: Self-purported Socialist. Lovely.

Ben Carson: I have no particular qualms, by all means intelligent, however, doesn't say anything beyond the bloated party line.

That brings us full circle back to Trump... He has a real, tangible plan. Excluding "Feelings" and "Moral Obligation" and any other overused progressive excuses that simply cloud the fact that there is no fact there, his plan/s would work, and are necessary if America means to continue its lead as the second greatest nation on Earth(Sorry America, national pride, you know?).

As for Obama, and I include him because many seem to think he is great for some reason... His healthcare plan failed(look it up). America is now over $18 Trillion in debt. ...And he insists on throwing pebbles at ISIS while the EU does all the fighting... His speeches never really address anything tangibly, its all "Feeling" and fluff(watch the one where he addressed the attack on France).

I am not necessarily saying that Trump is a good person, or would make a good President, but he would me loads better than the other shrimps for candidates...

I see the video as a placard or masthead to give us a jumping off point to discussion. The video is mainly fluff and bias with no real context or direction. What it is doing is stating the questions we've been discussing for quite a while now.

"Are the Police getting out of hand?"
"Is this position of power being miss-used?"
"Is there a reason for this misuse?"
"Who is to blame"
"is more police education needed or required?"
"Should there be better counseling support for Police?"
...and so on...

Perhaps this is the era of throwaway blockbuster fluff because studios are responding to the reality of ratings and market... because a mediocre movie at PG13 is a surer bet than a possibly amazing, possibly a flop R movie. Now, after PG13 has sunk in a while, the studios are no longer cutting back R movies to be PG13, they simply are not funding the R movies to begin with.

How is the oscar Rs example flawed? He just showed the numbers... the majority of oscar winners in the time since 84 were R-rated.

This is kinda hilarious in that his central argument is that the "art" of some movies is ruined due to a PG 13 rating, when 99% of his examples are throwaway blockbuster fluff anyway.

His example of the Oscars is even more flawed, in that the majority of "good" movies tell an adult story and use sex or violence to serve the story, not the other way around.

The one thing I do find disturbing is sanitisation of violence as in the new Robocop. I watched the original Robocop as a kid (yes, I was too young for it). The violence is horrifying. But the new one is "safe" for kids in that you see tonnes of guys getting shot with no blood. How is that better? If you're going to depict violence on screen, it should be violent!

I noted he's a veteran but his attorney actually said there's no evidence he ever owned a firearm...um...WHAT?!?
I must agree with @Fairbs, without the actual comments and charges this is an inflammatory fluff piece with little actual information.

A few random factoids from the wikipedia page to cut through the fluff of this piece:
* On 24 February 2010, Sridhar claimed that his devices were making electricity for 8–10 cents/kWh...
* Bloom claims a conversion efficiency of around 50%.
* Sridhar said the boxes have a 10 year life span, although that could include replacing the cells during that period.
* ...the break-even period for the device comes to over 8 years, based on published performance numbers.
* ...the total lifetime of these systems would need to exceed 15 – 20 years to make an argument for a viable long-term...

The first bit is mostly cute fluff, the second video is really interesting and worth skipping to.

Obviously you have to keep in mind this was before MTV and all.

Ya think if that had been Depp all shit-faced-'n belligerent she'd have had the same reaction?
That'd be a "NAY, sir!"..ARRRrrr!

(Methinks this lass has herself a piss-poor attitude and takes her fluff too seriously...like she's some, 'professional' or something- AND she has bitchy-resting face...ARRRRR!)

Only white people would name their child Madison....REAAAALY white people!