For years, the potato has been an integral part of the global food system, serving as the world's number one non-grain food commodity. Now, as food shortages around the world become more prevalent, and the price of other staple foods like wheat, maize, and rice skyrocket , the humble spud is becoming an even more important player in the international fight against hunger. That's why the United Nations has decided to give the potato its rightful due,

Cell phones created a big buzz in tech lately, and YouTube's tech vloggers have been working overtime to unbox, critique and compare the latest models. For eager Apple fans, every step of the iPhone 3G's arrival has been documented, from the lines outside the Apple store to the unboxing of just-purchased phones. There are videos comparing the original iPhone and the 3G successor , videos reviewing the latest downloadable apps from the AppStore ,

It's time for another Guru Challenge and this month Princess Diana161 wants to see what's cooking )specifically summer recipes(: We all know there are some talented chefs on YouTube and we want to see them make everything from grilled hamburgers to tasty desserts. )The best ones just might make our home page.( Just upload your video as a response to Princess Diana's humorous call to action . New to the Guru Challenges?

Community Help Forums have just been launched! This new discussion board is the official place to share ideas, feedback, ask and answer questions, and offer general help to your fellow YouTube community members. Here, you can find out the latest on Announcements , Bug Reports & Issues , How-to's and TestTube Feedback . You can access the Community Help Forums through the Community Tab ,

Leave it to the pioneering British band Radiohead to make a video without a camera or lights. Witness the data+laser magic of "House of Cards" on our home page today or right here: So how did they do it? With the help of 3D image capturing created by two technology companies: Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR . Their scanning systems produce structured light to capture up-close 3D images, while another system uses multiple lasers to capture large,

We've received a lot of vibrant feedback about our Trendspotting Tuesday features, and the idea for this week's takeover comes from SammieTV , who noted that there's no shortage of users teaching others their native tongues or wanting to practice their language skills. In fact, whittling down the list to just 12 videos was not an easy task, as it seems like there's someone on YouTube teaching just about every language ever known to human kind. We've got Greek, Swahili,

As we let you know on July 4 , YouTube received a court order to produce viewing history data. We are pleased to report that Viacom, MTV and other litigants have backed off their original demand for all users' viewing histories and we will not be providing that information. )Read the official legalese here .( In addition, Viacom and the plaintiffs had originally demanded access to users' private videos, our search technology, and our video identification technology.

The latest installment of YouTube's Living Legends series is a double dose, featuring two of the greatest rappers of all time. These reigning members of hip-hop royalty represent both East and West coast styles and are two very different voices in the genre's past, present and future. So, get ready for Public Enemy guiding force Chuck D. and the one and only Cardozar Calvin Broadus Jr., better known to the world as Snoop Dogg .

Optimizations included in the beta version of "My Videos" are now live for all users, along with even more cool features to make managing your videos even easier. NEW "MY VIDEOS" & SUBSCRIPTION CENTER The YouTube video management tools have been improved! Now you can manage all of your videos ) uploads , favorites , subscriptions , etc.( in one centralized place. It's easy to quickly add multiple videos to playlists , favorites , and quicklists by clicking the "add to" button.

Ever wanted to spend a day on the U.S. presidential campaign trail? Or wondered what it would be like to attend the 2008 political conventions, the biggest bash in U.S. politics? Today, both the Democratic and Republican National Convention Committees are giving you that chance through YouTube. As Chairmans Howard Dean and Mike Duncan explain in the videos below,

If you've always dreamed of donning designer duds and uncovering the latest celeb scoop, grab your video camera and get ready to hit the red carpet at a major awards ceremony this September. PEOPLE.com and YouTube have joined forces to launch our first-ever "Red Carpet Reporter" competition ) www.youtube.com/redcarpetreporter (. To qualify for this unique chance to mingle with Hollywood's hottest stars,

This Trendspotting Tuesday, let's put a dozen reality show parodies in a room together, sit back and watch what happens. Unscripted television has been around since the days of Candid Camera and The Gong Show. But when we think of reality TV, many would agree that MTV's The Real World kicked off the genre we know and love today - one filled with competitiveness, conflict and culture clashes. These days, The Real World might be mostly known for hotties, hot tubs and hookups,

Last month, singer-songwriter Aimee Mann asked to hear your versions of her song "Freeway" for the chance to perform with her on her U.S. tour later this summer. )Ten runners-up will get an autographed copy of her new CD, @#%&*! Smilers .( Since then, amazing entries have come in from assorted robots , aliens , and talented Aimee fans â€"- some of you even hit the highway to record your own version of the song. Well, the deadline to enter is Monday, July 7 )aka NOW!(,

As you may have seen in the news, YouTube received a court order to produce viewing data from our database, including usernames and IP addresses. In order to protect our community's privacy, we strongly opposed this motion when Viacom and others filed it. The court felt differently and ordered us to produce the data. Viacom said that they need general viewing information to determine the proportion of views on YouTube of copyright infringing content vs. non-infringing content.

It's been two weeks since the launch of The YouTube Screening Room , and that can only mean one thing: a fresh batch of short films for your viewing pleasure. For those of you who missed the initial announcement, The YouTube Screening Room is our new platform to help top films from around the world find the audiences they deserve. So far, hundreds of thousands of YouTubers have checked out the films, and thousands more have left comments.

Our friends over at Google Mobile have started a new YouTube channel called Mobile Tricks . They want to know what you can do with your cell phone, and start you off with a guy who's a bit obsessed with them. Look familiar? You might have seen him before in a unitard . They're asking for all kinds of tricks, from the useful to the completely ridiculous, and they can be with or without Google Mobile products. To submit a video, start and end it with these slides ,

Here on YouTube, there's no shortage of odes to 20th century cartoonist Rube Goldberg. If you're not familiar, Goldberg penned a comic series starring the eccentric Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts - who created elaborate contraptions to perform simple tasks in roundabout ways. Well, the Goldberg followers on YouTube have that concept down to a T - and, better yet,

The time has arrived for our next Guru Challenge, the ongoing programming initiative in which we ask a prominent or up-and-coming expert in their field to challenge the you, the YouTube community, to use your creativity to new ends. This month it's all about using your talents in an eco-conscious way. Michelle Kaufmann , a YouTube architect with a passion for green design, wants to see what you can create with items you would normally throw away: So come on,

We're excited to once again announce the expansion of the YouTube Partner Program . By joining the program, popular users in France and Germany - like new partners AericWinter and FabTheGap - will now be able to generate revenue from ads that run next to their videos, and receive the same promotional benefits afforded to YouTube's other professional content partners. Now in eight countries, the Partner Program showcases the global diversity of the YouTube community,

What do you get when you mix a ditty about testicular cancer with a group of citizens foraging for fruit on the streets of Los Angeles ? A pretty sweet trend on YouTube. You're probably well acquainted with the average activist - the demonstrator, the lobbyist, the boycotter, the PSA-junkie...In this week's Trendspotting Tuesday,