YouTube Gets a Vuvuzela Button (Seriously) 305
teh31337one writes "YouTube always has had a way with pranks. Some time in the last hour, the world's largest video portal activated a new button on some videos that looks like a tiny soccer ball. Clicking it will activate an endless, incredibly annoying sound that sounds vaguely like a swarm of insects. Or, for anyone who has been watching the World Cup, like the dreaded vuvuzela — an instrument commonly played in South Africa at football (soccer) games. South Africa is, of course, the host country for this year's World Cup, and fans watching the games have been subjected to the vuvuzela's mindless drone for hours on end. The noise is so annoying that television networks have taken measures to filter it out, and guides have popped up showing viewers how to block it from their TV sets and computers. I'm not seeing the button show up on all videos, but it is definitely appearing on some clips that aren't soccer-related."
Annoying... (Score:2, Insightful)
Not that the web should be completely static, but it's annoying when you have change for the sake of change in widely used sites.
dreaded? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Annoying... (Score:5, Insightful)
Far more annoying than either of these are the fucked-up popup "slide window" ads that obscure the bottom 1/3 of every fucking video on Youtube these days.
I've taken to just clicking the Download Helper button and downloading whatever video to my desktop, so I don't have to see those stupid annoying ads and can actually see the video I was looking for.
Memes (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:dreaded? (Score:5, Insightful)
No it isn't. You can get a tune out of a trumpet.
Re:Annoying... (Score:3, Insightful)
Do not want!
Re:So... (Score:5, Insightful)
South Africa and the vuvuzela (Score:5, Insightful)
Football man, Football!! (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Annoying... (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes, how many products did you buy because of YouTube ads last year? Was it enough? Meh.
Your comment seems very similar to "every download is a lost sale", because, to me, at least, it's pretty clear that "Moryath" isn't going to buy anything advertised in that irritating way --- in fact, I wouldn't even be surprised if he might actually consider boycotting products pushed by "those stupid annoying ads". In that case, his avoiding the ads is doing the advertisers a favor.
And you know what? I even think he's smart enough, in the case where he thought that his behavior was actually damaging Google (and it's not clear that it even is, because I'm certain that Google counts his download as a "view", and I'm not certain that Google doesn't charge advertisers based on the popularity of the clips they are supposed to pop up on, even if they don't get clicked), to move to a different tool which would block the ads while giving Google their share of payback from the advertisers.
Re:For the americans (Score:2, Insightful)
Haha, I have always thought that American Football is the "pussy" version of Rugby.
A couple of weeks ago I went to Clermont-Ferrand and had the opportunity be there when their team won the France Rugby Championship. As it was on a weekend, I went to the central place to watch the game and the people. Ignoring the fact that people smell, I had a very nice time.
After watching the game I reassured my thoughts about American Football... oh how I would love that the "tough" American Football players had a go against one of these Rugby teams. They will run scared!
And about other places not having Baseball or other sports, GP could not be more wrong. Where I am from, Baseball is also quite famous and American Football is more or less viewed, but nothing like Football to unite all people and have a great time.
BTW, I find really funny how Americans name their events as if they related to all the world (like world series).
Re:South Africa and the vuvuzela (Score:1, Insightful)
Nah, it is just a bunch of American and British whiners the ones who are whining about Vuvuzelas. The rest of the world goes to the games to watch and have fun.
Shit, if you want peace and quietness go to a classical music concert.
BTW just so that you hate me more, did you know that the first vuvuzelas where actually used in Mexico? They appeared around the 70's made in Tepito market (famous counterfeiting market. Shit, they were present in Meixco 86 world cup (as seen by this video [youtube.com].
Re:South Africa and the vuvuzela (Score:5, Insightful)
Just because it's labeled "culture" doesn't make it any less of an annoyance, if not to everyone then at least to international spectators at stadiums or at home.
South Africa should have taken a lesson from China. In preparation to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, China outlawed spitting in public. Spitting, clearly part of China's "culture", is considered an annoyance to international visitors. China considered these visitors their guests and appropriately catered to them.
Re:Football man, Football!! (Score:4, Insightful)
Football is a game where you move the ball with your feet, not with your hands.
>Of course you could just be an ignorant British ethnocentrist who doesn't realize that you're about the only ones calling it by that exact word.
The name is not only used in English (the language of England) but also in German (Fussbal), French (football), Spanish (fútbol), Portuguese (futebol), ...
>most of the English speaking world call it soccer
According to wikipedia [wikipedia.org], you are wrong.
>so fuck off
so grow up
Re:For the americans (Score:2, Insightful)
This is just one man's opinion, don't flame me bro.
Re:So... (Score:5, Insightful)
That's what I was asking myself all the time, then with every single FIFA World Cup I am reminded why:
Incompetent referees: US being denied TWO game winning goals in TWO different matches (no refs, those weren't off sides). Brazil scoring a goal after a double handball (that fucked CIV for sure). Villa from Spain slapping a Honduras player: no infraction (should have been a straight red card)! And I won't even mention the hand of Henry. While most major sports have evolved to use video replay, not the FIFA! No sir! And even if you have clear video of players blatantly cheating, the FIFA won't do shit: see Ireland being fucked over by Thiery Henry and France. The FIFA is so stuck up and stubborn that even when Henry said: "Yes I cheated", they didn't do a thing.
Cheaters: Asshole Italian (De Rossi, I know, I am shocked too, Italian divers, who would have tought?! He did same exact thing in 2006.) dives in the Kiwi penalty area to get his team a penalty shot. I am pretty sure Italians have discovered a new force in nature because being pulled back from your shirt, somehow miraculously they fall forward! Endresult: Kiwis are fucked. Italy, France and Brazil along with Christian Ronaldo are masters of diving. As soon as one of their players is touched, they dive. Couple this with incompetent referees and a broken referee system and you got a clusterfuck of bad calls.
Playacting: Kaká being sent off with with double yellow card because Keita from CIV was "writhing" in immense pain on his head after being touched in the chest. I wish I had this insane ability of Kaká, just touch someone and this dude is in mega pain! Oh and let's not mention Miroslav Klose from Germany sent off as well because of obvious play acting from the serbian side. His first yellow card was completely unwarranted.
Every single game, watch players agonize in pain as if they are dying, 20 seconds later they are back on their feet and trucking along. Now watch a hockey game with a player receiving a puck in the face, losing a few teeth, bleeding, sits down on bench a few minutes, gets patched up and goes back playing. All this without one single moment of agonizing in pain, and I am willing to bet he was in infinitely more pain than the football player. Football is slowly becoming a joke, becoming almost as bad as WWE wrestling. The difference between WWE and football is that football is only partially acted out versus WWE is all acting. This is very unfortunate because the game is beautiful, but it's being ruined by a federation, the FIFA, stuck in a 1920 mentality and of course by the hordes of players who abuse the system to cheat.
PS: GO ORANJE [wikipedia.org]!
Re:So... (Score:5, Insightful)
There's no evidence that the degree of popularity of football in a society contributes to greater levels of violence and racism.
It is perhaps defensible that popular football provides a focus for the violence and racism already in a society, but that's a very different thing than causing violence and racism.
Re:So... (Score:4, Insightful)
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
You are only seeing the downsides because you choose to ignore the upsides; how many people's quality of life becomes better due to these games? There is more to life than just work work work after all.
Also, saying that football causes violence and racism is like saying the Ku Klux Klan caused violence and racism - they don't, they're just an excuse to be violent and racist. If your people weren't already violent and racist, football wouldn't cause them to behave that way.
not that bad... (Score:4, Insightful)
If the biggest complaint to come out of the first world cup in Africa are the cheap noisemakers, I'd call that a win. Sure, your typical South African may be upset that people are complaining about the horns, but the organizing committee has to be thrilled that people are not complaining about violence, a lack of organization, or any of the other things people were worried about when South Africa was announced as the host.
Re:Annoying... (Score:5, Insightful)
No, I'm not a "leecher."
On the other hand, I came to see the video. If they want to run a 5-10 second bit before the video plays, like many other video sites do, I have absolutely no problem with that. They need their advert money, fine. If they want to put ads down the right side, as long as they're not neon flashing crap or those annoying expanding "a truck runs all across your screen covering up the article you came to read" flash ad crap, fine.
Where I get annoyed is that the ads are actually BLOCKING MY VIEW OF THE VIDEO. Many times, it's blocking my view of a foreign news clip or something else that has subtitles (like Auto-tune The News), which means the subtitles themselves are getting blocked.
Google/Youtube needs to learn: STOP FUCKING COVERING UP THE VIDEO. It's damn annoying and no, it does NOT make me more likely to buy the advertised product. Far from it, I'll get even more pissed off if I mis-click the tiny-ass little "x" button to get the fucking thing to go away, and then either have a new page popup happen, or have my browser wander away from the video entirely.
Re:Annoying... (Score:4, Insightful)
Your comment seems very similar to "every download is a lost sale", because, to me, at least, it's pretty clear that "Moryath" isn't going to buy anything advertised in that irritating way --- in fact, I wouldn't even be surprised if he might actually consider boycotting products pushed by "those stupid annoying ads". In that case, his avoiding the ads is doing the advertisers a favor.
Remember X10, the little computer-interfaced security camera company? I was actually interested in buying a number of their products -- mostly to satisfy vague James Bond-only-nerdy urges -- ha ha, I can see it's the pizza guy who just rang my doorbell without leaving my computer!
That is until they began a marketing blitz of pop-up ads. I recall it as the first such assault I experienced. And I vowed never to buy products from such a company. And I haven't.
If blocking the pop-up ads on Youtube hurts the advertiser, and especially if it hurts Google, then good. Maybe they'll recognize that they're being hurt by their own behavior, and change their policy.
Re:So... (Score:4, Insightful)
It's not about stubbornness, it's about corruption. Bear in mind that FIFA is a predominantly French organisation, or it would have the letters in a sensible order. As it stands you can fix a game by bribing one person, who always has plausible deniability that he was unsighted or some other bullshit.
When England or the USA win the final with an Argentina style "header" - that's when FIFA will introduce video replay - retroactively.
P.S. Were you looking for your bike?
Re:So... (Score:5, Insightful)
The FIFA could give each team three video decisions (like the three substitutions they have) challenge opportunities. When a team notices a ruling against them that has serious consequences (red card, goal disallowed, handball, etc...), they can stop the game and ask for a video ref's ruling. It would only interrupt games something like six times max per game. Yes it would lose a bit of fluidity but for the integrity of the sport, video replay is required.
Also, post play, referees could go through the footage and identify divers and play actors. Those will be sanctioned post game with red cards and/or suspensions. Worse, if they notice chronic play acting or diving from a team (I am looking at you Italy!), then they could suspend the entire team.
Unless the FIFA starts reclaiming the integrity of the game with serious sanctions against players and/or teams, the game will be plagued by cheating, diving and acting.
Re:I tried watching... (Score:2, Insightful)
There's a difference between using correct punctuation (i.e. an apostrophe) and following style guidelines (i.e. italics, underlining, etc.). It's a little less pedantic to complain about punctuation than style.
Re:For the americans (Score:4, Insightful)
A physically slow kid playing football is very much like a physically weak kid playing rugby: unless he *vastly* compensates for his shortcomings in other areas he's going to get himself and his team owned, and hard.
But perhaps you just don't notice because in the US the competence level in football is fairly poor to begin with, so as long as you've still got two legs you aren't that far from the average. In a country like Argentina however, you'd be fucked.
Re:Football man, Football!! (Score:4, Insightful)
Football is a game where you move the ball with your feet, not with your hands.
Actually, some games called "football" forbid moving the ball with your feet. The etymology is not clear, but there's a strong case [wikipedia.org] that the term refers to the fact that the players are on foot (as opposed to, say, being on horseback).
most of the English speaking world call it soccer
According to wikipedia [wikipedia.org], you are wrong.
Really? You're using India, Chad and the Sudan as counterexamples? Let's take a look at countries where English is the primary language, and...whoops, there goes just about every blue spot on your map! Anyway, what they really call it in India is "not cricket so who cares?" :)
(To be fair, I've seen sources that suggest that Australia and Ireland should be in the "disputed category" rather than the "soccer" category.)
I also note that the article linked to that map you referenced says of those countries that call it "football", "In many of these countries, the term "soccer" is also widely used." This leads to the possible conclusion that both the statements "most of the English-speaking world calls it 'soccer'" and "most of the English-speaking world calls it 'football'" are both true. Without further hard evidence, I have to conclude that both you and the person you're responding to are talking out your asses. :)
Re:So... (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, there are many people who don't consider them boring (of course it also depends on the individual game). And usually a game just is 90 minutes.
Have you ever watched a tennis match? That's long and boring!
Really? Also I suspect it's not really a separate argument, but only some way to state the following argument:
Why should they score more points? The more points you score, the faster it gets boring, because soon it's more or less clear which team will win. If there are few points the game is generally open until close to the end.
I don't understand this point.
I disagree. But even if that were the case, that would be no argument against the game but only against the players.
Not all of them. But again, that's a problem of the refs, not of the game.
Some fans riot. And then, that's just coincidence. If there were no football, they'd choose any other reason to riot (maybe another sport, maybe something completely different). It's definitively not the game's fault.
Again, nothing about the game itself.