Monday

This Will Not Go Well

Just two seconds into this video, you can predict that this cat's potty training was not effective.

Thursday

Every Gathering Has A Tone

Every meeting has a particular tone, and usually that tone is set -- either intentionally or otherwise -- by the person convening the gathering. This video takes a lighthearted approach to the problem of participants who are unable to engage each other authentically for fear of running afoul of the invisible parameters set by the convener.

Tuesday

Hitler and the Vuvuzelas

“The Hitler Meme” or “Hitler finds out” is a video meme involving the addition of new subititles to the dramatic scene of Hitler’s final meltdown from the German movie Downfall directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. The subtitles are often anachronistically altered with humerous English subtitles surrounding current events.

The scene received a hilarious treatment with the introduction of vuvuzelas (those horrendous noisemakers) during the last World Cup tournament. And since the World Cup is global, this video went global, too, and has enjoyed many millions of views.

Friday

A Different Brand

While the majority of beer advertisements in the U.S. tend to focus on men and favor the stereotypical promise of enhanced attractiveness to women and greater virility, Heineken has established itself as a popular brand despite being an import in a market dominated by domestics. One way they do this is by branding themselves differently and with a sense of humor. Let the frat boys drink Budweiser, Heineken is for self-deprecating sophisticates with a sense of humor, as these advertisements demonstrate.




Wednesday

Regrets, I've Had A Few...

A creative new video by Chris Blake explores the results he found when he googled the words "biggest regret." All of these are true statements, some sad, some meaningful, and some silly. All of these are by real people including some celebrities, some semi-famous people, and a lot of anonymous or random individuals.

Tuesday

You Will...

Many of you may remember AT & T's television advertisements from the mid-90s which promised incredible technological marvels that seemed near impossible at the time. Have a look at those advertisements again below. In less than just 15 years, we have not just reached the future, but in many cases we have exceeded it.

Friday

Grover's "Smell Like a Monster" Ad

The Old Spice advertisement (commonly referred to as the I'm on a horse! ad) was a stunning viral success and generated many spin-offs. Though Sesame Street is not exactly known for being cutting edge or hip, it certainly did a good job on its version of the famous ad featuring Grover. The Sesame Street version has been viewed over 8 million times.

Saturday

Muslim Saviors

The inaccurate yet popular image of Muslims as highly intolerant of other faiths does a lot of damage. Thankfully, there are true stories such as this that show the true nature of Muslims and their faith.

Monday

The American Dream

Is it still alive, or has it just changed in meaning?

Wednesday

Diversity Day

Sheer awkwardness and embarrassment brought to you courtesy of Michael Scott and the staff of Dunder Mifflin.

Friday

People Who Complain About Emerging Technologies

Comedian Louis C.K. goes on a hilarious rant about how emerging technologies are so amazing and yet completely wasted on people who can't appreciate them.

Tuesday

The Man Who Loved Trader Joe's So Much, He Made Them A Commercial

Carl Willat loves Trader Joe's (the popular chain of grocery stores) and he decided to film a commercial for them on his smart phone and write the accompanying song. He then posted the piece on YouTube. Apparently there are many others who feel just as much love for the supermarket chain and the video ended up being featured in news stories and viewed over a million times. No word on whether Trader Joe's ever compensated him in any way.

Friday

The Spirit of Perseverance

Derek Redmond was a record-breaking British runner. At the 1992 Olympics, in the semi-final, Redmond started well, but in the back straight about 250 metres from the finish, his hamstring snapped and he fell to the ground in pain. Stretcher bearers made their way over to him, but Redmond decided he wanted to finish the race. He began to hobble along the track, with pain etched upon his face. He was soon joined on the track by his father, Jim Redmond, who barged past security and on to the track to get to his son. Jim and Derek completed the lap of the track together. As they crossed the finish line, the crowd of 65,000 spectators rose to give Derek a standing ovation.

Wednesday

Facebook at Work

Social networking in the workplace can be a very useful and productive pursuit, but sometimes it can be a downright pain. This hilarious video shows what happens when the wrong type of social networking happens in the worklplace.

Friday

The Twit in Twitter

A snide but funny piece of social commentary done as a trailer for a non-existent film shows the dark side of social networking.

Wednesday

Making Fun of the Shy Guy

"The Shy Guy," a rather terrible short film that paints introverts as "outsiders" and "loners" who need to do a better job of fitting in gets the comic treatment from the guys at MSTK3000.

The Art of (Not) Negotiating

A funny ad on the topic of tough negotiating...or not.

Fair Taxes (and Why They're Unfair)

A comical explanation of corporate tax cuts and why everyone should support them.

Tuesday

How Not to Write About Africa

A clever, humorous, and biting piece of satire about how to depict Africans in writing by Binyavanga Wainaina as read aloud by Djimon Hounsou.

Thursday

Fighting the Power By...Not Fighting?

Office Space was an immediate hit movie because it so humorously and yet precisely captured the dark nature of corporate America where individuals are reduced to revenue-generating cogs in a larger machine. This works well, until the hero decides he just doesn't care any more -- which confounds the corporate folks to no end. His rebellion is the worst kind -- not a demand for better pay or conditions but a total indifference to the corporate powers that be. The moment an individual does this, the corporation loses its grip and influence on the individual. Here's a key clip from the film that illustrates this point.

Wednesday

Finding Meaning in Tragedy

No one can pull off parody quite like the Monty Python crew. In this sketch they illustrate how to find meaning and appreciation in a war zone.

Thursday

It Takes an E-Community

For this music video, Weezer recruited all the various individuals who have had viral video hits and had them all come together to sing (well, lip-synch) different parts of their song titled "Pork and Beans." The entire video is basically a community effort by various viral video stars. How many famous web memes can you spot?

Tuesday

The Career Woman

This clip is from a 1958 program where a "career woman" is asked a series of questions and then analyzed by psychologists to see how serious she is about her work life. The snippet shows that it was just a generation or two ago when women who saw things differently from men work-wise were considered unsuitable for the business world. Chances are pretty good that we haven't come as far as we think we have.

Thursday

An Intro to Facebook

Pretty hilarious -- and quite true.

Monday

Obama Is Here to Help You!

Watch our President help this heartbroken man pull it together and pull himself up and out of his misery.

Wednesday

The Purpose of Life -- According to George Carlin

No one makes it easier to understand what our lives are all about. (Please be warned that the language George uses in this piece, as is the case with all his pieces, is rated PG-13.)

Tuesday

The Visual Declaration of Human Rights

A creative visual representation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Wednesday

How NOT to Handle High-Heat Situations

This clip from the original British version of "The Office" highlights manager David Brent's incompetence. With two branches of the main company merging, David and his team have to integrate both sets of workers in the smoothest way possible. A fine example of how NOT to address such a meeting.

Tuesday

The Perfect Free-Hand Circle

It is incredibly difficult to draw a circle free-hand. It's even harder to draw it on a larger scale on a vertical black board while standing up -- but this guy makes it look easy!

Creative Organizing Against Wendy's Hamburgers

Sometimes a demonstration is a creative way to have some fun -- like these people did when they demonstrated against the Wendy's Hamburgers logo. The group felt that the logo (actually a cartoon of the founder's daughter) portrayed red-heads as melanin-challenged, hideously freckled, pig-tailed caricatures.

Saturday

Medieval Political Organizing

Monty Python puts the socio-political activist spin in their trademark hilarious manner in this clip from Monty Python's The Holy Grail:

Monday

The One-Sentence Leadership Lesson

The movie "Remember the Titans" didn't garner too many awards despite its all-star cast and inspiring message. Some blame the syrupy-sweet Hollywood-ization of the message that led to the film being more after-school-special than blockbuster. Regardless, this short excerpt has been viewed millions of times for its brilliant writing and powerful message that defines what leadership is. Simply put: the quality of your leadership is found not in your own behavior, but in that of your followers.

Thursday

Once You Say "I Love You..."

It's never the same...

Monday

When You Become the Enemy

The tragic realization of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis best illustrates the powerful idea behind Arbinger's Leadership and Self-Deception.