YouTube Easter Egg: Type '1337' for a Geek Surprise

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By Chris Taylor2013-08-06 23:48:39 UTC

YouTube is celebrating Geek Week, and that means the Google-owned video service is indulging its inner nerd to the max.

Case in point: a leetspeak Easter egg. Go to any YouTube page as of 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, and type the numbers 1337 — which, as any Internet veteran knows, is another way of saying "leet." Just type them on the page, not in the search bar; then, presto: All of the comments on that page are now in leetspeak.

Even if you don't understand the "language," it's a definite improvement on the average YouTube comment.

See also: Beyond Barrel Roll: 10 Hidden Google Tricks

Leetspeak, consisting mostly of number-based spellings and idioms, traces its origins back to online bulletin boards of the 1980s. If you've ever called someone a "n00b," crowed that your opponent has been "pwned" or complained that something is "teh sux0r," then you, too, have spoken leet (i.e. elite).

What do you make of this Easter egg: w00t or teh sux0r? Let us know — in leet or in English — in the comments.

Image: Flickr, Korosirego

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Topics: easter eggs, Social Media, YouTube