Humor, Satire at Webby Awards

W460

Humor, online hits and social good blended at The Webby Awards -- the Internet industry's version of Hollywood's Oscars.

Addictive game Angry Birds along with the inventor of the mobile phone were among those honored late Monday at a ceremony known for testing winners' creativity by limiting acceptance speeches to five words.

"Sometimes, geeks can be chic," Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour said after actor Daniel Radcliffe of "Harry Potter" film fame presented her with a Webby for best fashion website.

IBM computer "Watson," renowned for beating top human players on television trivia game show "Jeopardy!," was named "person of the year" at the 15th annual Webby Awards.

"Person of the year, ironic," a computerized voice speaking for the machine said while receiving a Webby from show host actress Lisa Kudrow, who suggested the machine jazz up its image by dating an iPad.

"That was clever," Kudrow retorted. "You're quite the word processor."

At more serious moments, awards paid tribute to Egyptian protesters who used Twitter and Facebook in a bold uprising to oust Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and an Ushahidi service launched to map violence that followed a 2008 election in Kenya.

"Injustice, oppression, social media equals revolution," Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab said in accepting a Webby dedicated to his people.

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