Yahoo! Picks - bringing you the best of the Web since 1995

NASCAR is fun. Fighter jets are cool. But when it comes to engines, power, and feel-it-in-your-bones rocket propulsion, nothing compares to the spectacle of a space shuttle lift-off. This YouTube collection of NASA and amateur clips takes you to the launch pad and beyond. Witness Discovery's rare nighttime ascent to orbit. See the earth fall away as Atlantis spirals upward. Watch Endeavor, "flying straight as an arrow," move out from beneath its solid-rocket boosters. Ain't space technology grand? The brief video segments veer between far-off shots highlighting the full rush and flick of the booster engines' flames and shuttle eye-views from cameras mounted on external tanks. We also love the authoritative NASA voice-overs. There's something so enthralling about hearing them intone, "T-minus two minutes and counting." And every once in awhile, you catch an orator saying something like, "everything looking good on the bird." Does it ever!

This collection of police video leaves no doubt which side of the blue line it stands on. Police officers have uploaded and commented on most of these clips, and the site is hosted by the law enforcement resource PoliceOne.com. But even the most confirmed skeptic of Joe Friday will find something fascinating in the selection of unvarnished footage—most of it from in-car police cameras—stationed among the local TV reports and musical montages. Watch a man fail a DUI test before it begins, see a lady attempt to wield her womanly ways to avoid arrest, and peek behind the scenes of a a K-9 service dog's training. Finally, don't miss the astounding "Greer Train Collision": one car, one train, and an officer who gets the driver out of her vehicle in the nick of time. There's no audio for the first 1.25 minutes, but it's worth the wait.

Ray Glasser is obsessed. A collector and documentarian of the highest order, Mr. Glasser bought his first Betamax recorder in 1976. This early adopter of video recording then began taping television broadcasts with a feverish intensity that only other obsessives can comprehend.

We stumbled upon Ray's YouTube channel while browsing through old '80s commercials on the video sharing site (on our lunch break—of course). We watched his brief introductory video and immediately knew we had to speak with him about his collection and his decision to digitize his material for the masses.

When we caught up with Ray, he offered his thoughts on collecting, taping off the tube, and uploading his gems for all to enjoy...

Hey Ray, where does your collection stand these days?

It's hard to say. I haven't labeled and/or numbered tapes in about 6 or 8 months...probably close to 2,600 Beta tapes. I'm now collecting and saving movies on DVD.

And this started in 1976 when you bought that first Betamax?

Yes... in June. It was tailor-made for night workers like myself. I could timer-tape shows while I was at work and play them back anytime I wanted!

When did you first run across YouTube?

I think sometime around the beginning of this year—2007.

Has the response to your videos been gratifying?

More than gratifying. I'm lovin' every minute of YouTube! Read the full profile...