A couple of weeks ago Web Watcher looked at viral videos — those frequently inane video clips that gain internet popularity via word of mouth and blog. Well here’s the latest viral that — inexplicably — is taking the web by storm, with half a million views on YouTube and counting. It’s a rap — about particle physics.

Kate McAlpine, a 23-year-old graduate and science writer wrote the song based on her experience at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. “Rap and physics are culturally miles apart,” McAlpine explained. No kidding. “We love the rap, and the science is spot on,” a CERN spokesman said. What an endorsement. And another mystery of web popularity remains unsolved.

If you thought Britney’s main problems were her bad taste in men and her trailer trash dress sense, you forgot one very important one. If this video on FunnyOrDie is anything to go by, the girl simply can’t sing. Despite four No 1 albums and a musical career that has resulted in 83 million records sold worldwide, according to the feed from her live microphone isolated during a live show her voice actually sounds remarkably similar to a drowning cat. “My 90-year-old gran can sing better than that. We can all be slutty stars!” says one online commentator. “Poor Brit”, another says. “I know for a fact that Madonna sounds worse.”

Speaking of FunnyorDie, the highly successful comedy formula is branching out into the world of food. The “Or Die” network, which also owns Shred or Die, has set up Eat, Drink or Die (eatdrinkordie.com) as a celebrity culinary extravaganza, with videos, recipes and a dash of comic relief. Regular features include “What’s for Dinner Tonight” and “Cheese of the Day with Norbert”. The video ratings work on the same basis as FunnyOrDie — click “delicious” or “die” to send your videos to the top, or relegate them to the online dustbin.

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