We all know what life is like in YouTube space (where no one can hear us scream). You start looking for one thing, your eyes are caught by another, and—before you know it—you’re falling down a rabbit hole that has no end.

This just happened to me. I set off searching for this video by BigZaphod in which he creates an electronic Etch A Sketch without a microcontroller.

The reason I was looking for this—apart from the fact that this project is totally cool, and I want to build one myself—is that BigZaphod uses incremental rotary encoder debounce chips from LogiSwitch (I’m the CTO at LogiSwitch) and he gives us a shout-out in his video. I hasten to add that this had nothing to do with us. BigZaphod ran across our chips all by himself. We didn’t hear about it until after he’d posted his video.

The problem was that I now found myself meandering around the labyrinth that is YouTube. For some reason, one of the video suggestions that automatically popped up was titled Pianist STUNS Audience with Sacrilegious Four Seasons (Vivaldi) Dubstep Remix. I love Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, but I had no idea what “dubstep” meant, so I had a quick google while no one was looking to discover: “Dubstep is a form of dance music, typically instrumental, characterized by a sparse, syncopated rhythm and a strong bassline.” All I can say is that I’m now a Vivaldi dubstep devotee.

Unfortunately, my eyes were then drawn to another offering titled I Hired a Random Guy to Remix Beethoven's 5th Symphony. This is amazing. It’s like Beethoven for the 21st Century. I had no idea there were so many ways to interpret this classic.

I was still reeling from this and wondering what Beethoven would think about it (we'll know if I ever manage to get my time machine to work and show him) when I saw yet another offering titled The Mars Volta Drummer Hears RUSH for the First Time. I couldn’t help myself.

I remember a time in the not-so-distant past when people retired and then complained that they couldn’t find anything to do. I can’t see this happening to me. If I ever do get to retire, I already have a bunch of books I want to write, hobby projects I want to build, and myriad things I want to do with my wife (Gina the Gorgeous). And, if all else fails, I’ll always have YouTube to fall back on.

What say you? Are you retired? If so (you lucky dog), how do you spend your days? If not (I feel your pain), how do you plan to spend your days when that frabjous day finally arrives?