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The internet IS a series of 'Tubes

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 | 03:55 PM ET

By Peter Nowak, CBCNews.ca

U.S. Senator Ted Stevens took a lot of heat almost two years ago when he infamously referred to the internet as "a series of tubes" when trying to put the whole net neutrality debate into some sort of perspective. In fact, the statement even has its own Wikipedia entry, not to mention a website devoted to ridiculing the Republican senator from Alaska. The thing is, Stevens was right all along!

First off there was YouTube, which achieved astronomical success by allowing users to post their own video clips. Somehow, watching cats play piano and figure skaters getting the piledriver amounted to a new media sensation. But that sort of success tends to breed a large number of rip-offs, copy-cats or simple gravy-train riders, and there's no shortage of specially-themed YouTube clones. There's the religiously themed GodTube, the self-explanatory SportTube, and there's even a JewTube, where visitors can watch videos by Canadian singer-songwriter Feist, or see people read from the Torah. Porn users have also come up with a pair of their own, although we won't link to them here for fear of potentially sending children to sites that will inevitably lead to some uncomfortable questions for parents.

It looks like Stevens gets the last laugh. The proliferation of (blank)Tube sites really has turned the internet into one big series of 'Tubes. What other 'Tubes are out there? There are lots - points will be awarded to readers who can steer us to the best ones.

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Comments

Kevin Daoust

Ottawa

Well, it was only a matter of time.

Who knew that Ted Stevens could see into the future...

Posted May 8, 2008 08:41 AM

Kevin

Montreal

The world wide web may jokingly be called a series of tubes but the internet is not the world wide web.

Posted May 14, 2008 09:28 AM

Chad

Winnipeg

There are so many "series' of tubes" on the internet today, that it's completely lost its effectiveness in my opinion. Almost as bad as adding a lowercase "i" to the front of your product to make it seem technologically hip. Give me a break.

Posted May 15, 2008 12:13 PM

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