The Wadsworth Constant is YouTube official.
The principle, named after its creator, asserts that any piece of Internet content—a blog post, a YouTube video, a Reddit comment—could stand to lose the first 30 percent. It was a big hit when it debuted on Reddit in early October. After the Daily Dot and other outlets reported on the constant, it quickly became an Internet sensation.
Now, it’s part of YouTube’s code. Tacking “&wadsworth=1” to the end of any YouTube video’s URL, or Web address, makes the video start 30 percent of the way in.
A Reddit user, newtuber, claimed responsibility for implementing the code.
“Hey guys, glad you like the feature. I’m just a new guy at YouTube that loves Reddit,” he wrote.
This is far from the first time Google, the parent company of YouTube, has implemented Easter eggs—clever surprises built into the software that runs websites and apps.
As hd44780 pointed out on the same thread, in Google Reader, typing in the Konami Code, a sequence of commands which let you cheat in some video games, will change the background of the newsfeed-reading tool.
newtuber said he’s only worked at YouTube a month, “but went out of my comfort zone to make this happen,” he said. His office environment “is amazing, easily the best place I’ve worked before.”