We are a family that loves the internet.

Dad uses the internet for research. Every day my inbox is filled with e-mails, links to articles about everything from Why Comcast is Evil to French Batman-Hating Racists. Dad stays informed and on top of current events, and since I rarely-to-never follow the news, I get the trickle-down benefit of his inquiries. Hey, did you know that fast food wrappers are killing us?

Mom has grown to really love Netflix. Stephen seeks out new music and artists. Hannah, like me, uses the internet for research of a different kind. If it is cute and/or amusing, Hannah has probably found it. There are over 100 million videos on YouTube; I’m betting that Hannah has watched several thousand of them. The internet is a wonderful, magical place where people can seek out reems of obscure and very specific information, and Hannah puts it to good use. A girl after my own heart.

According to this nifty little chart on io9, in the past 10 years internet use has increased over 500% worldwide and broadband subscriptions have shot up dramatically. More people are on the web (more people are also dying of natural disasters, but that’s not really the point here…)  My point is that the internet is awesome, and here are just a few of the things that have lately renewed my love for the world wide series of tubes…

1] Filmography 2010. This makes me happy. This makes me so, SO HAPPY. I’ve watched it a few dozen times since it was first released and I still love it. Plus a snagged a few songs from this (and the Pixar vid) for my new music in the new year.

2] Beauty of Pixar. I love the internet, I love creative sharing, and I love this video.

3] United State of Pop 2010 (Don’t Stop the Pop). I look forward to these mashups every year. Last year’s was incredible, and on their own, I don’t even like half these songs. But put them together and they wrap up an entire year of dance parties in my car.

4] Hulu. You know what we did on New Year’s Eve? We watched Bewitched, and the Bob Newhart Show, and Mary Tyler Moore, and it was awesome. Hulu is awesome. I don’t ever find myself missing cable.

5] The A.V. Club. Surprise, surprise: I am incredibly selective about what I watch. I take it very seriously, and I think about it waaaay too deeply. Thanks to the internet, I know I’m not the only one, and thanks to The A.V. Club, I can analyze and overanalyze to my nerdy little heart’s content.