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Head To YouTube For How-To's On Everything

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By JAKE COYLE, The Associated Press

Published: September 14, 2007

As students meekly file back to school this fall, they might remember that class is in session at - of all places - YouTube.

Yes, in this upside-down world of education, where video games are touted for teaching kids visual skills, even YouTube can be of some benefit to learning.

When one thinks of lessons learned from watching videos on YouTube, what comes to mind is sage wisdom such as: IPods can be blended, Mentos react violently to Diet Coke, and cats typically lose arguments with ceiling fans.

One of the site's top categories is called 'Howto & DIY,' a broad section that compiles videos that explain everything from magic tricks to Soulja Boy's 'How to Crank That' dance (tinyurl.com/2y424p).

I'm sure that upon hearing this, students across the country are tossing textbooks out the window. But there are many videos that are quite useful or - to use the most fearsome of words - 'educational.'

One video is in response to a clip posted by filmmaker Michel Gondry, who showed himself solving a Rubik's Cube with his feet. The video (tiny url.com/2hdxko), which about 900,000 have watched, carefully explains how Gondry accomplished his trick. The lesson, it turns out, is not so much about the Rubik's Cube but about techniques of deception in filmmaking.

Learning how to play any musical instrument is also easier, since video allows close-up demonstrations. Guitar lessons in particular abound, including a video of Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden explaining his technique (tinyurl .com/29etsc).
Science experiments also can be found, including one showing what happens when you mix water and cornstarch and then shake it (tinyurl .com/y29bkt). Workout videos are popular, too, such as one about how to work out your abs without buying anything (tinyurl.com/yv9hgk).

Many videos offer cooking instructions, such as director Robert Rodriguez's excellent '10 Minute Cooking School' (tinyurl.com/yu8q5o). Others teach how to draw cartoon characters such as Homer Simpson (tinyurl.com/ 2xkqkq).

One can also learn how to style 'rock star' hair (tinyurl .com/29sj6u), do a back flip (tinyurl.com/2aqukm) or French kiss (tinyurl.com/2ux myt).
YouTube isn't the only repository for instructional videos. Www.5min.com, in Beta, specializes in visual how-to lessons explained in five minutes or less. One of its most popular videos teaches how to survive a knife attack.

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