Link Tank: What People Thought of YouTube 15 Years Ago
The initial reactions to YouTube, how Harley Quinn voted, the upcoming lunar occultation, and more in today's Link Tank!
It’s been about 15 years since the launch of YouTube. Check out what people thought of the video platform in its earliest days.
“When YouTube first launched 15 years ago, a lot of people weren’t sure what to make of it. Anyone can upload a video to this service? Why do I want to hear what some obnoxious teenager has to say from their bedroom? YouTube was much more than that, of course. Most of the site’s most popular videos in the early days were taken from traditional media channels like Comedy Central and shared without permission from the copyright holders. But it also opened up doors for plenty of people who saw an opportunity to push the limits of a new medium.”
There was an off the cuff moment in Birds of Prey where it’s stated that Harley Quinn voted for Bernie Sanders, but how is she able to vote in the first place?
“While narrating the list of potential grievances that Roman Sionis would have against Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey, one of the things she mentions is that she voted for Bernie Sanders (hell yeah). It’s a quick, funny moment, but then, during my 3rd viewing, I wondered something: How did Harley vote?”
The moon is set to obscure Mars next week on Tuesday, February 18 in an event known as a lunar occultation.
“The moon covers Mars relatively often—according to Sky & Telescope, it will happen five times this year alone—but we don’t always get to see it from Earth. Next week, however, residents of North America can look up to see what’s called a lunar occultation in action. The moon’s orbit will bring it between Earth and Mars, allowing the moon to “swallow” the Red Planet over the course of 14 seconds. Mars will stay hidden for just under 90 minutes, and then reemerge from behind the moon.”
How many dates do you have to go on to find the one? While there isn’t a definite number, it hasn’t stopped science from trying to figure one out.
“Online dating, from Tinder to Farmers Only, means singles exist within a larger dating pool than ever before. With oodles of potential partners, knowing when to get off the dating treadmill and choose a companion is harder than ever. A potential solution? Crunch the numbers.”
America has a pig problem. Specifially, an estimated 6 million feral hogs in the American South.
“Their population has exploded to an estimated 6 million across 39 states, with the greatest concentration in the South, particularly Texas. Feral hogs — also known as wild boars, wild pigs, and “razorbacks” — are prodigious breeders, have few natural predators, and are voracious, causing $2.5 billion in damage to farms and ecosystems annually.”
The Playstation 5 apparently costs a whopping $450 per unit to manufacture.
“The PS4 launched back in 2013 for $399.99, with the PS4 Pro launching at the same price in 2016. However, the PS5 manufacturing cost is thought to be $450, leaving Sony with a difficult pricing decision for its next console. As Bloomberg reports, the higher cost of manufacturing the PS5 is due to a number of factors. Top of the list is very high demand for the DRAM and NAND flash components every PS5 requires. Sony is competing for limited stock against all the major smartphone manufacturers preparing to launch their 5G phones later this year. Microsoft will also be attempting to grab its own share of the same stock for the Xbox Series X.”
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