[I watch a lot of YouTube. It’s the first thing I select when I turn on the TV, seeing what new material has been added. YouTube may feel overwhelming considering how much is there (and how much is just sooooo bad). So, I thought I’d share the Good Stuff I found this past year, posted in 4 parts.]
Most evenings after dinner, my daughter (D) joins me on the sofa, and we watch YouTube together (and, occasionally, classic Looney Tunes on hbomax). These selections tend towards cute animals, arts and crafts, and family-friendly selections you might find on The Kid Should See This (an excellent resource for any parent). Some highlights from this past year include:
Out of Sight was placed on YouTube in 2010, but I only just discovered it in the past month, when The Algorithm served it up and I clicked out of idle curiosity. A gentle Miyazaki-esque animation with a light surprise, it quickly became a personal favorite, which I then immediately shared with D. You won’t spend a better 5:27 on YouTube today.
David M. Bird’s series of “Becorns,” tiny people-like made from acorns that ‘interact’ with birds and other critters. A clever combination of vision, craft, silliness, nature, patience, and photography.
My daughter likes to draw, and we watch a variety of YouTube illustrators who ‘show their process.’ My favorite is angrymikko, due both to his whimsical aesthetic, and his patient and affirmative teaching/explanation style. I chose this video, though it’s from 2020, because my daughter liked it so much, we bought a print of the illustration!
Joseph’s Machines, a video channel with Rube Goldberg-ian delights, this year featured perhaps his most complex, and, somehow, wittiest machine, a mechanism for passing the wine across a table.