You’ve never heard the Ren and Stimpy theme song until you’ve heard this rendition. One man performs throughout the video – and one man alone. I cannot begin to imagine the number of hours it took to get this exactly right!

David is one cool cat.

Ren and Stimpy One Man Band

This old video by The Richter Scales has got to be one of the best viral videos I have ever come across. I laughed so hard that I nearly fell out of my chair. I admit to chair dancing – I dare you NOT to while listening. I also have to admit that I found myself nodding in agreement at several different statements made in the song. The lyrics are so full of epic win that I cannot possibly begin to do them justice by describing them. You simply have to listen to it and read the lyrics.

I have to thank community member Kevin Connolly for sending this video my way. If you’re not already following him, you should be. Kevin has a lot of excellent things to say in addition to unearthing oldies but goodies.

What is the Best Viral Video Ever?

PopScreen is a whole new way to discover new videos – and to learn the stories behind them. Its mission is to bring you viral videos before they go viral. You don’t want to be the last person in your social circle linking to the newest must-watch clip, do you? Use PopScreen to help you discover what’s hot before anyone else in the group lays eyes on it. The video prediction engine is capable of figuring out which videos will become an online hit before they actually do.

PopScreen looks at videos from more than 10,000 sources, and it’s always looking for more. If you know of a great video resource, you can submit it on its homepage. The service indexes more than fifteen thousand videos every day. They’re then analyzed to collect data points. The data points are processed through a proprietary algorithm in an effort to accurately predict how likely each video is to go viral – and to identify which clips may be newsworthy.

One of the coolest features of this service is its bookmarklet. Drag it into your browser’s bookmarks toolbar. While you’re busy surfing the Web, you can add videos to your personal library on the site (once you’ve signed up for a free account).

You can filter the videos you are shown by checking (or unchecking) categories on the home page. You can choose from Design and Inspiration, Humor and Odd, Movies, Music, News and Politics, Sports, Tech and Science and TV, and Celebrities. Heck, choose them all if you’re feeling froggy! There’s a search bar where you can enter keywords to help narrow down the type of video you’re looking to watch.

Are you using PopScreen yet? What are your thoughts on the service and its ability to magically figure out what you want to watch?

PopScreen Helps You Discover Headline-Making Videos

In case you’re one of a tiny handful of people who have not already watched this video, I thought I would embed it here. Be forewarned: the language in this epic creation is definitely not safe for the workplace – or around young children. However, it IS one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a very long time. I have watched it probably ten times already, and laugh myself stupid each and every time.

Most every I know who has watched this video has had the same reaction. It’s damn funny. Nowhere in the video does the creator, Tiny Watch Productions state their name nor place of employment. There is nothing in the video at all that would lead someone to believe that the person who made it works for Best Buy. I have watched and listened very carefully tonight, and I cannot find a single thing that points to that particular company in any way, shape or form. So, then, why is Best Buy now trying to fire the young genius who gave us this video goodness?

25-year-old Brian Maupin (of Kansas City, Missouri) has been suspended indefinitely from his job selling mobile phones at his local Best Buy. “They felt it disparaged a brand they carried (iPhone/Apple) as well as the store itself and were fearful of stockholders & customers being turned off to Best Buy Mobile,” Maupin says. Despite the fact that the cartoon character in the video states that the made-up store is called “Phone Mart,” someone at Best Buy decided it could be damaging.

Seriously? What executive (who has too much time on their hands, apparently) is responsible for thinking this one up? Come on, people. This was comedy. It was not directed at Best Buy. Brian didn’t even use his real name in the video credits. NO ONE would likely have ever made a connection to your store had it not been for you taking action against him.

The only laughable part of this whole mess is the fact that Best Buy is right… there may be people turned off of Best Buy Mobile as a result of this video. HOWEVER, it will be because of their pathetic reaction to it, and their treatment of Brian… NOT due to the video itself. Bad move, Best Buy.

Best Buy Trying to Fire Employee who Created Viral HTC EVO vs iPhone 4 Video

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Hey there. Someone sent you the link to this video to let you know there’s a difference between the words there, their and they’re. It’s not difficult to figure out, I promise you that. Why can’t you just take two minutes, pay attention, and learn the basics?!

There is an adverb which means into or to that place. To use this word properly in a sentence, you would say something like We are going there tomorrow..

Their is a pronoun, which is defined as a form of the possessive case of they used as an attributive adjective, before a noun. It’s simple to use this word in a sentence. Try something like: We are going to their pool party next week..

They’re is a contraction of the words they are. If you are writing a sentence and are unsure as to whether you are using this word correctly, ask yourself if you can substitute they are, instead. If it works, you’re in business! They’re all going to the tweetup tonight.

See? It’s really not that hard. Start paying attention in school – especially to your English teacher!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/63pjK_bIgD0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/63pjK_bIgD0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

Their, There, and They’re

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How difficult is it really to speak and write properly? Why is it that so many people cannot manage this simple task? Do they not pay attention in school? Are they too lazy to care how they come across to others?

A sentence begins with a capital letter. It also ends in some type of punctuation mark. If you’re going to bother to write something, at least know how to correctly form a sentence. Otherwise – stop bothering me.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j0S194H6Uok"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j0S194H6Uok" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

This is a Sentence

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Someone sent you a link to this video because you apparently don’t know the difference between the words right and write. Did you not pay attention back in about the second grade? Okay, fine… maybe it was fifth grade. In any case, if you’re old enough to watch this video, you’re old enough to know when and how to properly use those words.

Right is an adjective that means: in accordance with what is good, proper, or just. An appropriate use of this word would be in a sentence such as: She had the right idea all along..

Write simply means to put letters, words or characters onto something such as paper, by using an instrument such as a pen or pencil. Using this word properly in a sentence is easy: I am going to write out my grocery list before I leave..

Now – how hard was that? Can you please remember the meanings, and use these words the way they are supposed to be?! Seriously…

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yqmk8Qqrw_4"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yqmk8Qqrw_4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

Right and Write

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Yes, I am a grammar cop. It drives me insane when I see someone use common words incorrectly. For instance: your and you’re are NOT interchangeable. There is a distinct difference, one which you should have learned back in junior high. If you have forgotten the difference, I’ll be happy to explain!

Your is a form of the possessive case of you, used as an attributive adjective: Your jacket is in the closet. In that sentence, your clearly denotes that the jacket belongs to you.

You’re, on the other hand, is simply a contraction of the words you and are. You’re going to be late if you don’t hurry! In that example, you’re is clearly a shorter way of writing (typing) out the words you and are.

Now – close your eyes, and commit these to memory. I guarantee that the next time you use one of them incorrectly, someone is going to send you this video. If they do, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IBdSl7yeIiw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IBdSl7yeIiw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

You’re and Your

I’ve talked before about Internet fame. During my many years online, I’ve seen people gain instant fame online… and seen them fade to nothing just as quickly. It’s interesting to me to try and figure out what makes a certain person or video “famous”. What causes it to go viral? I spend a lot of time reading things on the ‘net. I spend a lot of time pondering what it is that makes people tick. However, I’ve yet to put my finger on exactly what it is about some people that just seem to make them be a star of sorts seemingly overnight.

What do you think? What causes you to suddenly become a “fan” of someone? What is it about them that jumps out at you and draws you in?

Did you know that we are grooming future celebrities in our very own community? Hey – you never know! The next iJustine or Numa Numa kid could be on Geeks! You wouldn’t want to miss that, now would you?

• Scientists have developed a nasal spray that improves your memory.
• Could Twitter kill you? Let’s hope not!
• Why can’t CIOs take Macs seriously?
• Hot discussion topic: Does the US Constitution allow for federally run health care programs?
• Which college do you feel offers the best programming courses?
• Is Google safe from others?
• The newest version of AVG Anti-Virus will remain free to use, and includes added features.
• If you’re a blogger, the FTC may be taking a closer look at what you’re doing.
• Never spend a single cent that isn’t absolutely required!
• Are those Apple ads paying off?
• Is Microsoft’s new anti-virus good enough?

If you’re looking for hot downloads at an excellent price, be sure to check out what we have available today!

Instant Internet Celebrities

This is Jack Carroll’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

Recently, I ran a quiz on Facebook, asking people what they thought were the funniest videos on YouTube. They left comments saying what they thought was the funniest, and i made a poll with the top 20 YouTube videos mentioned in the comments thread. The votes are in, and i have the top five funniest videos from YouTube. Please leave a comment on why you disagree, or agree.

(1) Chris Crocker

I remember the first time i watched this video. I thought it was so funny, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Now when i watch the video, i just see a weird guy screaming and crying. I’m sure all of you have seen this video. What is surprising is that 23% of people voted for this video.

(2) Pop-Tarts

I personally love this video. Its a nice, random video about… what you can do with a Pop-Tart. Ha ha! Gotta love pastry comedy!

(3) Afro Ninja / Nunchuck Guy

Now, this has to hurt. At first, he looks like he is going to do some awesome moves, but then he falls… and almost blacks out. I love this video because it never gets old!

(4) Dramatic Prairie Dog

I honestly think it is short, and not very funny – but everyone voted for it, so here it is. Does anyone think that this one deserves the number 4 spot on the best Youtube videos? If you do, tell me by commenting.

(5) Dancing Stormtrooper

I think it’s funny for the first 30 seconds. Then it gets old – because it’s just is a loop of a Stormtrooper dancing.

(6) Chris Pirillo’s TechTV Laughing Fit

I personally think that this is the funniest video on YouTube. This video is actually how i found the Geeks community. I was surfing YouTube looking for funny videos, and i found this video. I think Chris had a few too many nuts. The guy on the phone must have been so mad that his question didn’t get answered. What I want to know is who the guy behind Chris wearing the mic is, and why does the video freeze right there? I bet Chris’s boss had a long talk with him after that. Ha ha! Leave a comment on why you think that Chris started laughing so hard.

I only surveyed about 200 people, so it’s not very accurate. You can help change that by writing a comment about what video you think is the funniest video on YouTube, and why. Agree with these choices? Comment on what you like about them, or why they are (or are not) funny.

What are the Funniest Videos on YouTube?

This is another guest submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

Chances are if you’re reading this, you know who Chris Pirillo is. Well, if you don’t: you have definitely been missing out on some of the funniest, un-scripted, and LIVE action anywhere. If you don’t know him by his videos, then you most certainly know him from ‘Gnomedex’: a technology conference specifically tailored to tech and blogging enthusiasts. That is why I decided to make a list of my Top 5 favorite videos by Chris Pirillo.

We all know too well the associations beds have with night vision cameras. Whether by choice or not, you’re likely to have seen SOMETHING to do with it. This video uploaded in July of ’07 is a hilarious video with joke after joke – all very witty. It truly shows how original Chris Pirillo’s humor can be. Not only does the video make us laugh, it is still a pretty in-depth review of the iPod:

My #4 choice probably should have ranked higher on my list, but when I was a child I burned my noodles and it was the worst-flavored food I ever ate. In this video, Chris shows us how great of a chef he is when he puts together a meal of ‘Ramen Noodles’ and teaches us all how to do the same. Everyone loves Ramen noodles. Sure, you can say you DON’T, but everyone knows you’re lying when you say that. It’s a proven fact that has been tested multiple times for thousands of years: humans all love Ramen noodles, regardless of what flavor packet they choose. This video takes a step away from tech and moves into the kitchen – a very funny and “well done” video:

Everyone loves Pac-man. Whether you grew up playing it, or started just recently, the game is simple and fun. I am not going to review Pac-man for you though, but that’s exactly what Chris does in this video. I like this particular review, partly because he’s playing an Xbox 360 (not a PS3), but mainly because it shows how well-rounded he is when it comes to reviews. It’s nice to see Chris review the game second-by-second as the game progresses and how excited he is while playing. See for yourself in this video added to Youtube in June ’07:

Chris may not be the bravest blogger you know, but this video surely changed my vision on his bravery when he lays down in the middle of the road to make snow angels. Although not live, it’s nice to see how happy he was to make them snow angels. Chris has had a lot of success, and this just shows how much he stayed true to his geeky roots:

I first saw Chris when he was a host on Call for Help. I kinda forgot about him for a while and found his reviews on YouTube one day. This video easily takes the cake as my #1 favorite video of Chris Pirillo. Maybe not as funny to you? Chris seemed to have experienced the funniest moment of his life; when he attempted to answer the callers question before he even spoke. A simple mistake, but Chris could not contain himself and he seemingly was on the edge of insanity before Morgan Webb helped calm him down:

Chris Pirillo’s Top Off-topic Videos

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Matt Harding is an American video game developer and Internet celebrity known as Dancing Matt for his viral videos that show him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations. Harding has since achieved fame through widespread coverage of his travel exploits in major print and broadcast media outlets. He came to Gnomedex to discuss with us how exactly this entire thing got its start.

Matt has gotten 2,387 people to dance with him all over the World. Well, he’s guessing at the number, but it’s probably a good guess. Basically what he does is to dance… badly… in different places all over the World. He now has a sponsor, thanks to having over 30 million views on his viral videos. In Rwanda, he danced with a bunch of kids for no apparent reason. Him dancing by himself wasn’t as interesting, but dancing with random people doing random things was very interesting.

Matt looked at thousands of emails from people all over the World, who all wanted to know why he hadn’t danced in their area. He sent out emails to all of them, telling them to sign up to receive information about when he would be dancing in their area. About 25,000 people signed up! He and his girlfriend then began to organize everything, and break it down by country and location. They would then organize events and send out email invitations.

Not so surprisingly, people would show up. And… they would dance! They’ve had 40 of these events, in cities all over the World. Sometimes they had five people, other times nearly 200 dancers would show up. But, they always had an amazing time.

At the end of Matt’s talk, his music began to play. What an amazing and emotional few moments we had when nearly all attendees at Gnomedex jumped up on the stage to dance with Matt. It’s nearly impossible to describe on ‘paper’, other than to say you had to be there to understand. For just a few moments, we put aside our disagreements, our debates and the differences between us. For those seconds in time, we were all just people, hanging out and dancing badly.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eP9d-O1-Pjk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eP9d-O1-Pjk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

The Making of Where the Hell is Matt?

“Chocolate rain, Chris Pirillo’s thoughts do wax and wane. Chocolate rain, others find him to be quite insane. Chocolate rain, making people laugh by singing “Penny Lane.” Chocolate rain, Google him and you will fan the flame. Chocolate rain, bylines written like this aren’t the same. Chocolate rain, fingers point to Chris, we shift the blame. Chocolate rain, we don’t understand, we can’t explain. Chocolate rain, will you read this article while on the train? Chocolate rain, please don’t squint to read, it causes strain. Chocolate rain, are you tired yet of this refrain? Chocolate rain, fine, we’re done for now, so no more bane.”

That’s the byline I wrote for myself in last month’s issue of CPU Magazine. I started writing next month’s column a few minutes ago and decided to post ‘er here for giggles. I’ve spent a lot of time being creative with those bylines, and I’m afraid that few subscribers ever recognize ‘em.

Chocolate Rain: Explain?

Remmeber that stupid airline safety video we shot? A few months ago, an advertising agency contacted me to see if I’d let them run part of that thing in a television commercial for Road Runner. There was a chance it wouldn’t make the cut, but my silliness must’ve won ‘em over. I’m a priceless moment maker according to the announcer. Not sure how long that video will stay hosted on the .Mac site, but if it disappears I’ll have to slap it into my YouTube account (which is where they discovered me in the first place). Oh, the best part of it isn’t being in a TV commercial – it’s having been paid pretty well for doing something so zany.

Making Money on YouTube

The idea here is that you have to press play on the following videos (in vertical order) so that they all stream to you at the same time. You may need to adjust the volume on each respective network, though. Press play on the top (YouTube) video, then immediately press play on the second (Google Video), and then press play on the third (Revver). Bam, bam, bam – and you should see ‘em playing back simultaneously.

And if you think this sounds crazy, you gotta see my Soapbox vs. YouTube vs. Break.com vs. Vimeo. vs. Jumpcut vs. Blip.tv vs. Metacafe vs. Revver vs. iFilm shootout after you’re done watching the following video brawl.

For now, on this page, make sure you scroll down far enough so that you can see all three videos on your screen at the same time, then press the play button for each video. This will only “work” if you play these videos on the same page together:

Because of inconsistent timing issues, each time you try this, you should see / hear slightly different results. My secondary interest lies in how many people view the video from the respective video hosting networks (though I believe that YouTube will draw the most eyeballs, Revver the most revenue, and Google the least everything). And if three videos isn’t enough for you, I’ve slapped nine video networks together, too.

To put this series of videos on your own blog or MySpace, copy and paste the following code into your page:

<center><object width="300" height="243"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CKuPe-tuKgY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CKuPe-tuKgY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="300" height="243"></embed></object><br /><embed style="width:300px; height:243px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=6844487162803211688&hl=en" flashvars=""></embed><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.swf" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" salign="TL" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="width=300&height=243&mediaId=107020&affiliateId=17304&javascriptContext=true&skinURL=http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/skins/Default_Raster.swf&skinImgURL=http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/skins/night_skin.png&actionBarSkinURL=http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/skins/DefaultNavBarSkin.swf&resizeVideo=True" wmode="transparent" height="243" width="300"></embed></center>

YouTube vs. Google Video vs. Revver