Whatever works

Hastily made Cleveland tourism video
Bishopvids says, "The Cleveland Tourism Board gave me 14 million dollars about 8 months ago to make a promotional video to bring people to Cleveland. As usual, I waited till the last minute and I ended up having to shoot and edit it in about an hour yesterday afternoon. I probably should have invested more time." Short, funny, and well worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY


Hardly Working: Vacation Day
Go ahead...relax, enjoy, and take it easy today. It is, after all, *your* time. Wherever you might be. The end bit is worth sticking around for.
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1907812


How To Nail An Interview
Many very amusing ones, though this one is especially good. And this one is pretty good, too.
http://www.howtonailaninterview.com/


QuOteD
"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." -- Lily Tomlin


ONN Double Shift
More American Workers Outsourcing Own Jobs Overseas
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/94592

East Timor's First Female Dictator Hailed As Step Forward For Women
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/93282


Game break: Path to enlightenment
Build a bridge to somewhere (or nowhere).
http://www.kongregate.com/games/Remivision/wooden-path


When Did Your County's Jobs Disappear?
An interactive map of vanishing employment across the country. Pretty/scary.
http://slate.com/id/2216238/


Famous last words
"Difficulties strengthen the mind, as well as labor does the body." -- Seneca


Ciao for now,
vW

Manoamano

Iron Man vs. Bruce Lee
Excellent stop-motion with a twist. Worth the sub-minute commitment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywu1DeqXTg4


Cougar vs. Bear
It's not just survival of the fittest -- gotta credit that Bears defense. Fine acting worthy of that Oscar nomination it received. How did they get the animals to do this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjLCJKoot4U


Tug o' War (face edition)
Two guys, each with a pantyhose leg over his face attempt to tear the other's head off. Another fine game show from across the Pacific.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qMt-FaZw3I


Let's make a deal
A young master in the art of negotiation. Amusing-ish Mercedes ad.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6abby_mercedes-deal_fun


QuOteD
"Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win." -- Jonathan Kozol


Unhand Thine Prius!
Matt and Froy (badasses?) go after a medieval wizard's noble hybrid. They deserve it.
http://www.trutv.com/video/operation-repo/unhand-thine-prius.html?link=truTVshlk


Above board
Chess is a timeless game. The game of kings. Or...dog figurines? The ten best -- or at least most interesting -- chess sets.
http://www.mychessblog.com/10-amazing-chess-boards/


Game-ish: Collider
Make use of your positive and negative balls.
http://bored.com/games/play/560/Collider.html


World's Weirdest Hotels
Ever wanted to sleep inside a cage, upside down or underwater? Here's a selection of unusual hotels from around the world for when a Motel 6 just won't do.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/4397883/The-worlds-weirdest-hotels.html


Famous last words
"Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm." -- Malayan Proverb


May a good and blessed weekend be upon you...
vW

One or the other

Bailout
Hyundai offers their new "Hyundai Assurance" program, a truly revolutionary concept. If you buy a new Hyundai and lose your income in the next year, you can return it. If you lose your house... (Thanks Little E)
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/0ecc000105/hyundai-assurance-commercial


Good Cop, Naked Cop
The Daily Tube review: "Forget about waterboarding! This is an interrogation technique that will crack even the toughest criminals. The best part is that it's totally legal. (With compliments to the good people at Cheerwine soda pop.)"
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1907805


Dan & naD
Clever, novel vidyo from Dan (and Dan) -- a palindromic comedy sketch about a guy who starts aging backwards. He claimed that it took quite a while to get right. Who would have guessed?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwWI1aHpzy0


QuOteD
"There are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world and those who don't." -- Robert Benchley


Quick trip: Warp Your View
Only takes 10 seconds. Pretty cool.
http://blog.ted.com/2009/04/warp_your_room.php


Dog days
The Japanese kitchen show "Cooking With Dog" is, thankfully, not what one might first think, but rather "Cooking Narrated By Dog," specifically a poodle named Francis.
http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog


Game break: Me and the key
To find it.
http://www.bartbonte.com/meandthekey


Talent
And finally, food for thought from Goodiebag mulling over the "myth" of "talent". Interesting
subject, these days.
http://www.goodiebag.tv/episodes/15_talent.htm


Famous last words
"There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on." -- Robert Byrne


War in,
vW

Something's wrong here

America's dogs got talent
Quick look-and-listen of a singing dog accompanying himself on the piano. Pretty much a guaranteed laugh for ages 3 to 103.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-UE1kN38wo


Mittens: The Crime Solving Cat
From the people who brought you "Charlie The Unicorn" comes another amusing animal animation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVx2uCcDXX0


Top 60 Ghetto Black Names
Racist? Probably. Wrong? Mostly. Funny? Mo'definitely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCdmiZyyGjQ


Manbabies
The Daily Tube review: "Just a couple infants, talking about the subprime crisis, postmodernism in the Rugrats movie, and peepee girth. Nothing to see here. Move along." My opinion: it's a tossup between Funny and Die on this one.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/b366eb5ebe/manbabies


QuOteD
"Abnormal is so common, it's practically normal." -- Cory Doctorow


Shatner Eats Pudding
Reason #1,701 to eat pudding. What the hell is wrong with people sometimes?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr6efnY9Ebw


Spring Cleaning of the Mind: Surreal Art Update
When you need to make an existential omelet, ask these guys for a recipe.
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/04/spring-cleaning-of-mind-surreal-art.html


Game time: Effing Hail
What the...hail?
http://jiggmin.com/play_game.php?title=Effing+Hail


Talk to strangers
And finally, if you insist on ignoring Mom's advice, Omegle is a brand-new service that throws you into a random conversation with an anonymous stranger.
http://omegle.com/


Famous last words
"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -- Will Rogers


Ciao for now,
vW

Too close for comfort

More than life itself
The Life Alert service has apparently expanded its services from burglary and houses afire to some that are a little too personal and creepy. But they'd never steer you wrong, right?
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1907007


Flutter: The New Twitter
As Twitter-mania reaches new levels, Slate V presents a mockumentary about a company that wants to take microblogging to the next (lower) level.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeLZCy-_m3s


ONN: Hot New Video Game Consists Solely Of Shooting People Point-Blank In The Face
The Daily Tube review: "With video games holding on as one of the few industries still turning a profit, it's hard to argue against the success of Close Range. Critics argue that it's the well-developed characters and sophisticated gameplay that make it the smash hit that it is, but we have a feeling there's something more primal at work here."
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/hot_new_video_game_consists


QuOteD
"I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow." -- Woodrow Wilson


Turn, turn, turn
Take a spin at TornadoVideos.net, live tracking and streaming video of storm chasers. At least of the ones who lived...
http://tornadovideos.net/video-gallery


Solve your tax problems
Did you hear the one about the author who bought a boat to "research writing a book about boats", sailed around for a year or so and then declared the market too crowded for another boat book. And it was all tax deductible. This isn't nearly so ambitious, but it might help. (Note: I'm not in any way responsible for this site.)
http://www.customreceipt.com/index.php


Game time: Civiballs
Lose the old ball and chain.
http://www.physicsgames.net/game/Civiballs.html


Playing dead
If you want to see people pretending they're corpses, then check this out. Tomorrow may be too late.
http://www.playdeadpics.com/


Famous last words
"There is no cure for birth and death, save to enjoy the interval." -- George Santayana


Shalom,
vW

The Easter Bunny Hates You

One from the vault...



The Easter Bunny Hates You

Well contstructed

Creme That Egg!
Easter is on its way, so in that theme you might check out this bit of nostalgia from an entry Cadbury's "Unleash The Goo" competition -- a Rube Goldberg machine built to squish a Creme Egg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrCb_fNmSTA


8-BIT Waterslide in REAL LIFE
Wild ride, well done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkYVazguJCY


Construction Mistakes
Stairs that lead to ceilings, CCTV cameras that point nowhere, and an ATM halfway up the side of a building...I'd call it old world charm.
http://www.crookedbrains.net/2009/03/construction.html


Lighthouses vs. waves...
...during VERY stormy weather. Obviously built to last.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNpH5tx4Pu8


QuOteD
"The shortest distance between two points is ... under construction." -- Noelie Altito


"Best of Elevator"
You never know what you will see when the elevator door opens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRefZf3gj74


The worst Star Trek costumes in history
Double losers in lame-o regalia. Or as someone said, "It's like Paris fashion week for the blind."
http://www.holytaco.com/worst-homemade-star-wars-costumes


Friday game: Super Stacker
Your objective in this fun physics puzzle game is to carefully stack the shapes and do not let them fall off the screen.
http://bored.com/games/play/378/Super-Stacker.html


In case of attack, pull strings
And finally, some 1960s PSAs from the U.S. Civil Defense office using marionettes to inform farmers what to do in case of nuclear attack.
http://www.archive.org/details/rural_civil_defense_tv_spots_1965


Famous last words
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will." -- Mahatma Gandhi


Enjoy this and your Easter weekend,
vW

Inventionary

Chorusfish
In the first of what will hopefully be a series of great videos on crazy inventions and crazy inventors, we take a look at the "Sashimi Tabernacle Choir."
http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/01/13/fish-on-a-volvo-a-look-at-the-sashimi-tabernacle-choir/


Star Wars / Dallas opening
What would Star Wars look like if it was the Dallas TV-series?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAHYftmwY0U


Fashion Robot to Hit Japan Catwalk
Is this what fashion models are like in Japan? A bit of a disappointment is right.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E97nHbwcVE


Science corner: Cannonball in mercury
What happens when you drop a cannon ball in a bath of mercury?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm5D47nG9k4


QuOteD
"He who builds a better mousetrap these days runs into material shortages, patent-infringement suits, work stoppages, collusive bidding, discount discrimination and taxes." -- H. E. Martz


Wrong Tomorrow
See how pundits' predictions fare over time. (For example: "There is no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant [> 3%] market share." - Steve Ballmer 2007-05-01)
http://wrongtomorrow.com/


Train in vain
World's largest model train railway, which seems far better run than the actual countries represented therein. This thing is so involved, the trains seem almost superfluous.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e98_1237657552


Game time: Paper Console
Play the most tedious version of Pong ever devised.
http://paperconsole.com/#


Show God you are Serious
And finally, religion jumps into the Information Age with "a subscription service utilizing a computer with text-to-speech capability to incant your prayers each day. It gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your prayers will always be said even if you wake up late, or forget." I believe God is rolling over in his grave.
http://www.informationageprayer.com/


Famous last words
"Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I'll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I'll give you a stock clerk." -- J.C. Penney


Mahalo,
vW

It's showtime

Greetings on a Friday,

By popular demand, Cap'n and crew have followed up their epic 60-second Forrest Gump with a slightly abridged version of not one but both Kill Bills. Seems even more to the point (no pun intended) than the Gump version, as it's really about all I remember from them.

Kill Bill Parts 1 and 2, in one minute, in one take
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex0ANhZ1Y6o


The Dirty Garage: The Indiest Movie Ever Made
Says the Daily Tube review: "A story of going home again, populated with overeducated-yet-inarticulate white people, featuring twee indie music and a manic pixie dream girl? That sounds like a future gold-medal winner at the San Antonio Mumblefest to us."
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ec2dc47000/the-dirty-garage


der Monsters
Purile, yet German. (Usage note: embedded videos show up below the selection links.)
http://www.demonsters.be/bankje-duif/


QuOteD
"There's no such thing as quitting. Just sometimes there's a longer pause between relapses." -- Alan Moore


One Letter Off
Small typos lead to interesting theatrical results in this Worth1000 contest. Not quite the movies you know.
http://www.worth1000.com/contest.asp?contest_id=22703#entries


Sequels that don't exist
Sorta like one of those image challenges, but this time as a full-on blog with some full-throttle creative writing.
http://everybodylovesacane.blogspot.com/


Friday game: Bunny Invasion 2
Every bunny dies, but not every bunny truly lives.
http://www.kongregate.com/games/GPStudios/bunny-invasion-2


Japanese black-face
And finally, one benefit of broadening your cultural horizons is the exposure to how other cultures get their bizarro racist laughs on. E for effort maybe, I guess (?).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4QB7cHdVfs


Famous last words
"To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given the chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy. As everyone else, I love to dunk my crust in it. But alone, it is not a diet designed to keep body and soul together." -- Bette Davis


Enjoy and have a bueno weekend,
vW

Bad news

White People Problems
Difficult crossword puzzles, in-grown hairs, and declining stock portfolios -- it's hard out here for a caucasian.
http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/white_problems/


The Hope Chest
Downer news stories from the past.
http://mrparallel.wordpress.com/


ONN: Prison Economy Spirals As Price Of Pack Of Cigarettes Surpasses Two Hand Jobs
The Daily Tube review: "Even underground prison economies are feeling the burn of the global financial meltdown. In prisons, cigarettes are regarded as the staple of the economy, and are almost universally used as currency. If a pack of cigarettes costs as much as two handjobs, you're going to see a lot of cigarettes not making it to the market."
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/prison_economy_spirals_as_price


Uncomfortable Plot Summaries
Pithy and non-PC.
http://www.postmodernbarney.com/2009/04/uncomfortable-plot-summaries/


QuOteD
"The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity." -- Harlan Ellison


My First Dictionary
This should most probably not be anyone's first dictionary, especially impressionable young minds.
http://myfirstdictionary.blogspot.com/


Is this your luggage?
I'm guessing the good stuff doesn't make it onto the site.
http://www.isthisyourluggage.com/Site/Luggage_home.html


Friday game: Unfair Traps
Watch out for that message box.
http://www.bored.com/games/play/244/Unfair-Traps.html


Wolf n' pig
And finally, an interesting (to say the least) stop motion film starring lots of photos, a guy in wolf headdress, and a paper mache pig that looks like a giant mouse. Enjoy it on technical merit if nothing else.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmkLlVzUBn4


Famous last words
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continuously fearing you will make one." -- Elbert Hubbard


Enjoy your two days,
vW