FeynTube - transform YouTube comments into reasonable and smart ones

FeynTube is a small Greasemonkey script that transforms the atrocity that YouTube comments are into reasonable and smart quotes that are actually readable without causing unexpected damage to your enjoyment, mind, temper and any vital organs (because with YouTube comments, you never know). (Greasemonkey, in turn, is a very nice Firefox extension that allows you to customize webpages.)

FeynTube achieves this accomplishment by doing the only conceivable thing: removing all YouTube comments (from your display, unfortunately they're still on the servers) and replacing them with actual quotes from famous nobel-price physicist and elaborate skirt chaser Richard Feynman.

I wrote it because I actually like watching videos on YouTube, but, despite better knowledge, sometimes just couldn't restrain myself from scrolling down and reading some of the comments--with horrible consequences. So I wrote this small script. Now, everytime I scroll down to the comment section, I can read something worthwile.

Installing and Using

To use FeynTube, you need Greasemonkey installed beforehand. If you haven't already done so, you can get it straight from Greasemonkey's Firefox Addon Page. Installation is fast, additional configuration is not necessary and Greasemonkey is a quite worthwhile plugin, providing you with many nifty enhancements for all sorts of websites.

Once you have Greasemonkey installed, just click: feyntube.user.js. Greasemonkey should ask you if you'd like it to install the script. Answer yes. That's it, you're all ready.

(Hint: disabling Greasemonkey, temporarily or permanently, including FeynTube, is very easy: just one click on the monkey head on your browser status bar. However, read YouTube comments on your own risk.)

Next step: Visit YouTube and enjoy. However, keep in mind that FeynTube only modifies YouTube pages and nothing else. With Digg, you're on your own.

Update 2008-05-22: FeynTube was broken after YouTube's redesign. Dan Phiffer fixed it and now it works again.


last modified on 2008/01/22, contact me or back to my homepage