Webdriver Torso: Difference between revisions
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===Typical videos=== |
===Typical videos=== |
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The the uploads ranges from less than 1 minute to over 20. Most are 11 seconds long, although some can be 1 minute,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud-WtI_D0ko&list=UUsLiV4WJfkTEHH0b9PmRklw|title=tmpR0uIim|work=YouTube|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> 5 minutes, or 25 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8XiPonEhw4&index=2&list=UUSssq0y1SG9_Sj_hs5KaCgw&spfreload=10|title=Breaking News: Webdriver Torso 25 Minutes Video|work=YouTube|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> All are slideshows. The 11 second videos have 9 slides. Each slide is about 1 second long and contains a blue rectangle and a red rectangle with a random size, shape, and position on the screen. It is possible, although rare, for the red rectangle to completely cover up the blue one. Each slide has a computer-generated wave tone. In the corner of each video it says "aqua.flv - slide (number with four digits)". Early videos were called "aqua",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w3c2j6jO5s&list=UUsLiV4WJfkTEHH0b9PmRklw|title=aqua|work=YouTube|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> then were changed to "tmp" (short for temporary) followed by |
The time difference between the uploads ranges from less than 1 minute to over 20. Most are 11 seconds long, although some can be 1 minute,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud-WtI_D0ko&list=UUsLiV4WJfkTEHH0b9PmRklw|title=tmpR0uIim|work=YouTube|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> 5 minutes, or 25 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8XiPonEhw4&index=2&list=UUSssq0y1SG9_Sj_hs5KaCgw&spfreload=10|title=Breaking News: Webdriver Torso 25 Minutes Video|work=YouTube|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> All are slideshows. The 11 second videos have 9 slides. Each slide is about 1 second long and contains a blue rectangle and a red rectangle with a random size, shape, and position on the screen. It is possible, although rare, for the red rectangle to completely cover up the blue one. Each slide has a computer-generated wave tone. In the corner of each video it says "aqua.flv - slide (number with four digits)". Early videos were called "aqua",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w3c2j6jO5s&list=UUsLiV4WJfkTEHH0b9PmRklw|title=aqua|work=YouTube|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> then were changed to "tmp" (short for temporary) followed by random [[Character (computing)|characters]]. |
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===Unusual videos=== |
===Unusual videos=== |
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Revision as of 20:05, 18 June 2015
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Webdriver Torso is a YouTube account that posts mostly 11-second videos consisting of blue and red rectangles. As of June 4,2015 it has uploaded about 340000 videos,[1] and more than sixty thousand people have subscribed to the channel.[2] Though initially a source of speculation for viewers, YouTube has humorously acknowledged that the channel exists as an internal testing utility for YouTube's performance.[3]
Content
Typical videos
The time difference between the uploads ranges from less than 1 minute to over 20. Most are 11 seconds long, although some can be 1 minute,[4] 5 minutes, or 25 minutes.[5] All are slideshows. The 11 second videos have 9 slides. Each slide is about 1 second long and contains a blue rectangle and a red rectangle with a random size, shape, and position on the screen. It is possible, although rare, for the red rectangle to completely cover up the blue one. Each slide has a computer-generated wave tone. In the corner of each video it says "aqua.flv - slide (number with four digits)". Early videos were called "aqua",[6] then were changed to "tmp" (short for temporary) followed by random characters.
Unusual videos
The channel has three unusual videos. In one of the rectangle videos, tmpRkRl85, the red rectangle becomes a silhouette of Rick Astley dancing in the second half of the video.[3] The video "00014" is a video recorded in Paris that showed the Eiffel Tower being lit up.[3] At the end of the video, the camera is put down, and the Webdriver Torso Facebook page is visible for a few frames.[3] The last one, "0.455442373793" is only viewable in France, requires a payment of 1.99 euro to watch, and is only payable with a French credit card.[7] It shows an episode of the American adult cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force.[7]
Similar channels
The YouTube channels "Webdriver YPP",[8] "FF0000",[9] "Ekaterina Basic",[10] and "Webdriver IVPE"[11] have similar content.
Some of the videos made by "Webdriver YPP" have random phrases, such as "Jim knows about the glass" and "Contact his highness and ask about the pen".[12]
Speculation
Prior to YouTube's confirmation of the channel as a test channel, there was some speculation about the identity and content of the videos.
Hypothesis
Hypothesis about the channel included spy messages,[13] contact by extraterrestrial life-forms,[14] and construction plans.[15]
"Matei" speculation
On the video "00014", Webdriver Torso commented "Matei is highly intelligent". The "Matei" being mentioned is unknown. Basarab Matei,[16] Matei Mancas, Matei Gruber, and Matei Ciocarlie[17] have been suspected.
Solving the mystery
Many hypothesis about the origin and purpose of Webdriver Torso exist, but the most common is that it is a quality testing system run from Google's offices in Zürich.
Soggetto Ventuno's discoveries
An Italian blogger named "Soggetto Ventuno" discovered that Webdriver Torso and all similar channels belong to a network of accounts called "ytuploadtestpartner_torso".[3] Ventuno then discovered some other accounts with similar videos, many of which were pulled or made private after Ventuno's investigations were published.[3] The network linked to a Facebook page and a Twitter page, which have now both been taken down.[3] The Facebook page had mentioned "Johannes Leitner", a Google Zurich employee.[3] Leitner was friends with another employee, "Matei Gruber".[3] "Matei" was mentioned on 00014 (see above).[3] Ventuno then compared scenes from pulled videos with Google Zurich photos, and noticed matching things, indicating that the pulled videos were recorded at Google Zurich.[3]
Reason why videos are made
The videos are thought to be made to test YouTube video quality. After creation, the videos are uploaded to YouTube. The uploaded videos are then compared to the videos before they were uploaded, to see how much quality was lost.
YouTube's reply
When YouTube was asked about Webdriver Torso, they replied: "We're never gonna give you uploading that's slow or loses video quality, and we're never gonna let you down by playing YouTube in poor video quality. That's why we're always running tests like Webdriver Torso."[3] This is actually a reference to the song "Never Gonna Give You Up".
Easter egg
When "webdriver torso" is searched into Google or YouTube, the Google logo and YouTube search results will both look like a Webdriver Torso video.[1]
References
- ^ a b "webdriver torso - YouTube". Youtube.com. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Webdriver Torso". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l James Trew. "Google and the accidental mystery of Webdriver Torso". Engadget. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "tmpR0uIim". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Breaking News: Webdriver Torso 25 Minutes Video". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "aqua". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Webdriver Torso". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Webdriver YPP". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "FF0000". YouTube. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ^ "Ekaterina Basic". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Webdriver IVPE". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Webdriver Torso Mystery - Solved". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "BBC News - Webdriver Torso YouTube mystery clips' French connection". BBC News. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ ""Webdriver Torso" is either something incredibly sinister or nothing at all". The A.V. Club. The Onion, Inc. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ "Webdriver Torso Decoding your Secrets Part 2 Videos are really a Construction Plans?". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "The truth behind one YouTube account's 77,000 mysterious videos". The Guardian. The Guardian. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ Wakefield, Jane (10 July 2014). "Google behind Webdriver Torso mystery". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 July 2014.