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removing synthesis and i-spy content sourced only to itself. there's little notable here except the hoaxes, and the article had completely the wrong focus for that reason. remarkable this got anywhere near GA
Undid revision 482704267 by Thumperward (talk) - undo BOLD removal of text that has existing for quite some time
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{{Infobox website
{{Infobox website
| name = HouseholdHacker
| name = HouseholdHacker
| logo = [[File:HouseholdHacker.jpg‎|frameless]]
| logo = [[File:HouseholdHacker.jpg‎|250px]]
| logocaption =
| logocaption =
| screenshot =
| screenshot =
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| collapsetext =
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| caption =
| caption =
| url = http://householdhacker.com/
| url = {{URL|householdhacker.com}}
| slogan =
| slogan =
| commercial =
| commercial =
| type = [[Internet video]]
| type = Blog
| registration =
| registration =
| language =
| language =
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}}
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'''HouseholdHacker''' is a [[YouTube]] channel and [[website]] that posts videos of various "hacks", or quick solutions, to common everyday problems. As of June 2010, the channel was the third most subscribed "guru" channel on YouTube, and the 35th most subscribed overall.


==Background==
⚫
'''HouseholdHacker''' is a [[YouTube]] channel noted for videos of various purported "hacks", or quick solutions, to common everyday problems, which are really [[hoax]]es.
⚫
The HouseholdHacker YouTube channel is dedicated to making "videos about everything geek".<ref name="Youtube">{{cite web|title=HouseholdHacker YouTube channel|url=http://www.youtube.com/user/HouseholdHacker|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> The videos, which are cross-posted at householdhacker.com, are the work of two anonymous editors known as "Traveler Hacker and Frosty Brain" or "Traveler and Dylan" who reside in [[San Jose, California]] and [[Santa Monica, California]].<ref name="Youtube" /><ref name="latimes" /> Each video features a simple hack, or "a quick and/or clever creation for a method of solving of a problem."<ref name="Youtube" /> HouseholdHacker makes money by offering subscription downloads and T-shirts, but the duo told the LATimes that they do not make enough money to "live off comfortably at this point."<ref name="latimes">{{cite web|last=Milian|first=Mark|title=YouTube video creators make money, but not a fortune|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/01/make-money-yout.html|date=January 11, 2009|work=Technology: The Business of our Digital Lives |publisher=[[LA Times]]|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref>


⚫
HouseholdHacker was launched in November 2007 and quickly attracted interest, becoming YouTube's most subscribed channel for the month of December 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=British monarchy makes YouTube debut|first=Peter|last=Sayer|url=http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/british-monarchy-makes-youtube-debut-271|work=Mobilize|publisher=[[InfoWorld]]|date=December 26, 2007|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> By January 2009, HouseholdHacker was the 22nd most subscribed YouTube channel.<ref name="latimes" /> The channel's popularity began to wane and by July they had fallen to 27th place overall.<ref name="Youtube" /> As of July 2009, HouseholdHacker is the third most subscribed "guru" channel on YouTube.<ref name="Youtube" />
== History ==


Their work, more recently, began to shift to a more social level, having long revealed both their full names and faces, with more blogging, discussions on [[video games]], and a more recent "Scientific Tuesdays" segment, rather than the semi-legitimate how-to videos that the duo was known for. This has attracted a new audience, and helped significantly in retaining the old one, marking a revival after a slight decline in their popularity.
⚫
HouseholdHacker was launched in November 2007 and quickly attracted interest, becoming YouTube's most subscribed channel for the month of December 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=British monarchy makes YouTube debut|first=Peter|last=Sayer|url=http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/british-monarchy-makes-youtube-debut-271|work=Mobilize|publisher=[[InfoWorld]]|date=December 26, 2007|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> By January 2009, HouseholdHacker was the 22nd most subscribed YouTube channel.<ref name="latimes" />


==iPod Onion==
In November 2007, HouseholdHacker released a video entitled "How to Charge an iPod using electrolytes and an onion." The video, which claimed to demonstrate how one could recharge an [[iPod]] using little more than [[Gatorade]] and a [[white onion]], was an overnight success. The video drew the attention of the Unofficial Apple Weblog, which reported it as fact,<ref>{{cite web|title=Charge an iPod with an onion|first=Mike|last=Schramm|url=http://www.tuaw.com/2007/11/14/charge-an-ipod-with-an-onion/|publisher=TUAW: The Unofficial Apple Weblog|date=November 14, 2007|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> and hundreds of other blogs. Within its first week, the video had been viewed over 4 million times.<ref name="Vanguardia">{{cite web|title=¿Es posible cargar un iPod con una cebolla?|first=Anna|last=Solana|url=http://www.lavanguardia.es/premium/publica/publica?COMPID=53414326676&ID_PAGINA=22088&ID_FORMATO=9&turbourl=false|publisher=[[La Vanguardia]]|date=November 29, 2007|language=Spanish|trans_title=Is it possible to charge an iPod with an onion?|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref>
In November 2007, HouseholdHacker released a video entitled "How to Charge an iPod using electrolytes and an onion." The video, which claimed to demonstrate how one could recharge an [[iPod]] using little more than [[Gatorade]] and a [[white onion]], was an overnight success. The video drew the attention of the Unofficial Apple Weblog, which reported it as fact,<ref>{{cite web|title=Charge an iPod with an onion|first=Mike|last=Schramm|url=http://www.tuaw.com/2007/11/14/charge-an-ipod-with-an-onion/|publisher=TUAW: The Unofficial Apple Weblog|date=November 14, 2007|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> and hundreds of other blogs. Within its first week, the video had been viewed over 4 million times.<ref name="Vanguardia">{{cite web|title=¿Es posible cargar un iPod con una cebolla?|first=Anna|last=Solana|url=http://www.lavanguardia.es/premium/publica/publica?COMPID=53414326676&ID_PAGINA=22088&ID_FORMATO=9&turbourl=false|publisher=[[La Vanguardia]]|date=November 29, 2007|language=Spanish|trans_title=Is it possible to charge an iPod with an onion?|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref>


[[File:IPod Onion.JPG|thumb|The Household Hacker setup for charging an iPod]]
[[File:IPod Onion.JPG|thumb|The Household Hacker setup for charging an iPod]]
⚫
By the following November, the video had been viewed more than 7 million times and attracted the attention of [[ABCNews.com]], who asked "Can an Onion Charge an iPod?"<ref name="ABC">{{cite web|title=Can an Onion Charge an iPod?|first=Emily|last=Friedman|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Science/Story?id=6339986&page=1|work=[[ABCNews.com]]|date=November 26, 2008|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> ABC put the video to the test, but failed to obtain the promised result. Reporter Emily Friedman remarked "this appears to be an iFraud."<ref name="ABC" />

⚫
By the following November, the video had been viewed more than 7 million times and attracted the attention of [[ABCNews.com]], who asked "Can an Onion Charge an iPod?"<ref name="ABC">{{cite web|title=Can an Onion Charge an iPod?|first=Emily|last=Friedman|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Science/Story?id=6339986&page=1|work=[[ABCNews.com]]|date=November 26, 2008|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> ABC put the video to the test, but failed to obtain the promised result. Reporter Emily Friedman remarked "this appears to be an iFraud."<ref name="ABC" />


The TV show [[MythBusters]] also put the onion video to the test in 2008. In a segment dubbed [[MythBusters (2008 season)#iOnion|"iOnion"]], [[Grant Imahara]] was unable to get any charge from the onion setup found in the HouseholdHacker video.<ref name="OnionMyth">{{cite web|title=MythBusters: iOnion|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-ionion.html|work=[[Discovery Channel]] videos|date=August 13, 2008|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> He explained that the setup lacked the crucial [[anode]] and [[cathode]] that would be required to get the [[electrolyte]]s found in Gatorade moving and concluded the video was a complete hoax.<ref name="OnionMyth" /> In an interview with ABCNews, [[Adam Savage]] called the video "complete horseshit."<ref name="ABC" />
The TV show [[MythBusters]] also put the onion video to the test in 2008. In a segment dubbed [[MythBusters (2008 season)#iOnion|"iOnion"]], [[Grant Imahara]] was unable to get any charge from the onion setup found in the HouseholdHacker video.<ref name="OnionMyth">{{cite web|title=MythBusters: iOnion|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-ionion.html|work=[[Discovery Channel]] videos|date=August 13, 2008|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> He explained that the setup lacked the crucial [[anode]] and [[cathode]] that would be required to get the [[electrolyte]]s found in Gatorade moving and concluded the video was a complete hoax.<ref name="OnionMyth" /> In an interview with ABCNews, [[Adam Savage]] called the video "complete horseshit."<ref name="ABC" />


===Appeal===
The iPod onion video fooled a number of normally savvy folks, or at least had them trying the technique out for themselves,<ref name="Salon">{{cite web|title=How to power an iPod with an onion (not really)|first=Farhad|last=Manjoo|url=http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/11/21/householdhacker/|work=Machinist|publisher=[[Salon.com]]|date=November 21, 2007|=July 14, 2009}}</ref> which has led to several theories as to why it was so appealing. Farhad Manjoo of [[Salon.com]] speculates that it is the style in which the video was delivered. "He's got a friendly, helpful voice, but he's not casual&nbsp;– he speaks in the formal, confident manner of a TV how-to guy," says Manjoo.<ref name="Salon" /> Anna Solana of [[La Vanguardia]], on the other hand, speculated that it was the "science" itself that attracted the viewers, remarking that something so magical "freaks" people out and makes them want to believe.<ref name="Vanguardia" />
The iPod onion video fooled a number of normally savvy folks, or at least had them trying the technique out for themselves,<ref name="Salon">{{cite web|title=How to power an iPod with an onion (not really)|first=Farhad|last=Manjoo|url=http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/11/21/householdhacker/|work=Machinist|publisher=[[Salon.com]]|date=November 21, 2007|=July 14, 2009}}</ref> which has led to several theories as to why it was so appealing. Farhad Manjoo of [[Salon.com]] speculates that it is the style in which the video was delivered. "He's got a friendly, helpful voice, but he's not casual &ndash; he speaks in the formal, confident manner of a TV how-to guy," says Manjoo.<ref name="Salon" /> Anna Solana of [[La Vanguardia]], on the other hand, speculated that it was the "science" itself that attracted the viewers, remarking that something so magical "freaks" people out and makes them want to believe.<ref name="Vanguardia" />


==Follow up videos==
Another video entitled "How to Create a High-Def speaker for under a buck" again drew the attention of the show ''MythBusters''. [[Tory Belleci]] followed the instructions in the video, but when it came time to plug in the speakers nothing happened. In addition to disproving the video, he pointed out that the "under a buck" part of the claim was also false, noting that a single [[minijack]] alone typically costs about $10 retail.<ref>{{cite web|title=MythBusters: Homemade Surround Sound|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-homemade-surround-sound.html|work=[[Discovery Channel]] videos|date=April 29, 2009|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref>
Following the iPod onion success, HouseholdHacker has released a number of videos that have generated some attention, but none that have risen to the level of the iPod onion. A March 2008 video entitled "How to Cheat on any Test" has attracted 4 million views and the ire of some school teachers. Another video entitled "How to Create a High-Def speaker for under a buck" again drew the attention of the show ''MythBusters''. [[Tory Belleci]] followed the instructions in the video, but when it came time to plug in the speakers nothing happened. In addition to disproving the video, he pointed out that the "under a buck" part of the claim was also false, noting that a single [[minijack]] alone typically costs about $10 retail.<ref>{{cite web|title=MythBusters: Homemade Surround Sound|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-homemade-surround-sound.html|work=[[Discovery Channel]] videos|date=April 29, 2009|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref> However, it is possible to get minijack cables for under a dollar online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planet4one.de/planet/wbc.php?sid=37091237225c&pid=25045&tpl=pdetail.html|title=Cinchkabel 2x Cinch St an 3,5mm Klinke St 0,5m|work=Planet4One Technology store}}</ref> While the focus of the channel has become more social, they have taken humor into the truthfulness of their early videos. In the first "Ask HouseholdHacker" video, when questioned the validity of the speaker video, the camera was panned, revealing a surround-sound stereo system presumably constructed out of paper plates and aluminum foil.


In addition to high profile hoaxes, the HouseholdHacker channel hosts a number of less provocative videos such as "How to Prank your Roommate on April Fools" and "How to make a secret, disguised safe."<ref name="Youtube" /> Scientific Tuesdays, a relatively new approach from Dylan, has set a stage of a series of scientifically based segments using mostly commonly found items in the home or some that he instructs his viewers on how to obtain. There has been a recent association with Revision3, the online video show provider based in San Francisco, Ca. REV3 is made up of a group of talented movie and TV pros that work directly with advertisers to disseminate the ad content they provide with revenue coming from those sources to grow the programming they produce.
== Revenue ==


Dylan has been associated with REV3 recently in a few episodes of SCIENTIFIC TUESDAYS.
⚫
HouseholdHacker makes money by offering subscription downloads and T-shirts, but the duo told the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' that they do not make enough money to "live off comfortably at this point."<ref name="latimes">{{cite web|last=Milian|first=Mark|title=YouTube video creators make money, but not a fortune|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/01/make-money-yout.html|date=January 11, 2009|work=Technology: The Business of our Digital Lives |publisher=[[LA Times]]|accessdate=July 14, 2009}}</ref>


== References ==
==References==
{{Reflist}}


⚫
==External links==
{{refs}}
*[http://householdhacker.com/ Household Hacker's official website]
⚫
*[http://www.youtube.com/householdhacker Household Hacker's Youtube Channel]
*[http://www.blogtv.com/people/householdhacker Household Hacker Live on BlogTV.com]
⚫
*[http://www.tubemogul.com/profile/HouseholdHacker Tube Mogul profile of and statistics on Household Hacker]
*[http://www.facebook.com/dylanhacker Dylan's official Facebook page]
*[http://www.facebook.com/travelertraveler Traveler's official Facebook page]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hacker, Household}}
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[[Category:Internet memes]]
⚫
[[Category:YouTube videos]]


⚫
== External links ==


* {{official|http://householdhacker.com/}}
* {{youtube.com|user=householdhacker}}
⚫
* [http://www.blogtv.com/people/householdhacker Household Hacker Live on BlogTV.com]
⚫
* [http://www.tubemogul.com/profile/HouseholdHacker Tube Mogul profile of and statistics on Household Hacker]


{{Good article}}
{{Good article}}

⚫
[[Category:Internet memes]]
⚫
[[Category:YouTube videos]]

Revision as of 15:06, 19 March 2012

HouseholdHacker
File:HouseholdHacker.jpg
Type of site
Blog
URLhouseholdhacker.com
LaunchedNovember 5, 2007; 17 years ago (2007-11-05)

HouseholdHacker is a YouTube channel and website that posts videos of various "hacks", or quick solutions, to common everyday problems. As of June 2010, the channel was the third most subscribed "guru" channel on YouTube, and the 35th most subscribed overall.

Background

The HouseholdHacker YouTube channel is dedicated to making "videos about everything geek".[1] The videos, which are cross-posted at householdhacker.com, are the work of two anonymous editors known as "Traveler Hacker and Frosty Brain" or "Traveler and Dylan" who reside in San Jose, California and Santa Monica, California.[1][2] Each video features a simple hack, or "a quick and/or clever creation for a method of solving of a problem."[1] HouseholdHacker makes money by offering subscription downloads and T-shirts, but the duo told the LATimes that they do not make enough money to "live off comfortably at this point."[2]

HouseholdHacker was launched in November 2007 and quickly attracted interest, becoming YouTube's most subscribed channel for the month of December 2007.[3] By January 2009, HouseholdHacker was the 22nd most subscribed YouTube channel.[2] The channel's popularity began to wane and by July they had fallen to 27th place overall.[1] As of July 2009, HouseholdHacker is the third most subscribed "guru" channel on YouTube.[1]

Their work, more recently, began to shift to a more social level, having long revealed both their full names and faces, with more blogging, discussions on video games, and a more recent "Scientific Tuesdays" segment, rather than the semi-legitimate how-to videos that the duo was known for. This has attracted a new audience, and helped significantly in retaining the old one, marking a revival after a slight decline in their popularity.

iPod Onion

In November 2007, HouseholdHacker released a video entitled "How to Charge an iPod using electrolytes and an onion." The video, which claimed to demonstrate how one could recharge an iPod using little more than Gatorade and a white onion, was an overnight success. The video drew the attention of the Unofficial Apple Weblog, which reported it as fact,[4] and hundreds of other blogs. Within its first week, the video had been viewed over 4 million times.[5]

File:IPod Onion.JPG
The Household Hacker setup for charging an iPod

By the following November, the video had been viewed more than 7 million times and attracted the attention of ABCNews.com, who asked "Can an Onion Charge an iPod?"[6] ABC put the video to the test, but failed to obtain the promised result. Reporter Emily Friedman remarked "this appears to be an iFraud."[6]

The TV show MythBusters also put the onion video to the test in 2008. In a segment dubbed "iOnion", Grant Imahara was unable to get any charge from the onion setup found in the HouseholdHacker video.[7] He explained that the setup lacked the crucial anode and cathode that would be required to get the electrolytes found in Gatorade moving and concluded the video was a complete hoax.[7] In an interview with ABCNews, Adam Savage called the video "complete horseshit."[6]

Appeal

The iPod onion video fooled a number of normally savvy folks, or at least had them trying the technique out for themselves,[8] which has led to several theories as to why it was so appealing. Farhad Manjoo of Salon.com speculates that it is the style in which the video was delivered. "He's got a friendly, helpful voice, but he's not casual – he speaks in the formal, confident manner of a TV how-to guy," says Manjoo.[8] Anna Solana of La Vanguardia, on the other hand, speculated that it was the "science" itself that attracted the viewers, remarking that something so magical "freaks" people out and makes them want to believe.[5]

Follow up videos

Following the iPod onion success, HouseholdHacker has released a number of videos that have generated some attention, but none that have risen to the level of the iPod onion. A March 2008 video entitled "How to Cheat on any Test" has attracted 4 million views and the ire of some school teachers. Another video entitled "How to Create a High-Def speaker for under a buck" again drew the attention of the show MythBusters. Tory Belleci followed the instructions in the video, but when it came time to plug in the speakers nothing happened. In addition to disproving the video, he pointed out that the "under a buck" part of the claim was also false, noting that a single minijack alone typically costs about $10 retail.[9] However, it is possible to get minijack cables for under a dollar online.[10] While the focus of the channel has become more social, they have taken humor into the truthfulness of their early videos. In the first "Ask HouseholdHacker" video, when questioned the validity of the speaker video, the camera was panned, revealing a surround-sound stereo system presumably constructed out of paper plates and aluminum foil.

In addition to high profile hoaxes, the HouseholdHacker channel hosts a number of less provocative videos such as "How to Prank your Roommate on April Fools" and "How to make a secret, disguised safe."[1] Scientific Tuesdays, a relatively new approach from Dylan, has set a stage of a series of scientifically based segments using mostly commonly found items in the home or some that he instructs his viewers on how to obtain. There has been a recent association with Revision3, the online video show provider based in San Francisco, Ca. REV3 is made up of a group of talented movie and TV pros that work directly with advertisers to disseminate the ad content they provide with revenue coming from those sources to grow the programming they produce.

Dylan has been associated with REV3 recently in a few episodes of SCIENTIFIC TUESDAYS.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "HouseholdHacker YouTube channel". Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Milian, Mark (January 11, 2009). "YouTube video creators make money, but not a fortune". Technology: The Business of our Digital Lives. LA Times. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  3. ^ Sayer, Peter (December 26, 2007). "British monarchy makes YouTube debut". Mobilize. InfoWorld. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  4. ^ Schramm, Mike (November 14, 2007). "Charge an iPod with an onion". TUAW: The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Solana, Anna (November 29, 2007). "¿Es posible cargar un iPod con una cebolla?" (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. Retrieved July 14, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c Friedman, Emily (November 26, 2008). "Can an Onion Charge an iPod?". ABCNews.com. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "MythBusters: iOnion". Discovery Channel videos. August 13, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Manjoo, Farhad (November 21, 2007). "How to power an iPod with an onion (not really)". Machinist. Salon.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |= ignored (help)
  9. ^ "MythBusters: Homemade Surround Sound". Discovery Channel videos. April 29, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  10. ^ "Cinchkabel 2x Cinch St an 3,5mm Klinke St 0,5m". Planet4One Technology store.


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