Kai's Weblog

"YouTube, the video-sharing Web site recently acquired by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, beat out a vaccine that prevents a cancer-causing sexually transmitted disease and a shirt that simulates a hug to grab top honors as Time magazine's Invention of the Year for 2006."

That's what I got to read in my local newspaper yesterday morning. This is quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I've heard this week, if not this year. The whole cancer prevention versus entertainment aspect aside, I don't even understand the hype about YouTube. Yes, it vastly made it easier for Joe Internet to upload a clip of him attempting to jump off a his roof into his pool, or, more likely, some copyrighted commercial from 1995, but I hardly see it as revolutionizing the internet.

Now back to the real issue: How can a video sharing site beat out something that can possibly save millions of lives? Aside from a potential a potential film clip that attempts to persuade viewers into not committing suicide, I'd like to see YouTube save one life. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it has already cost several lives from people attempting to copy what they see on it.

Next year: The cure for AIDS losing to some new Google innovation!