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10 Best Commencement Addresses from Comedians

by Hugh Moore on June 20, 2011

10. Jon Stewart @ William & Mary [2004]

Good message on accepting that not everything will be perfect.

9. Tina Fey @ Fieldston High School [2008]

Some great rules from improvisation and how it applies to life. (Video quality is not great, incomplete.)

8. Will Ferrell @ Harvard [2003]

Scattered through the hilarity that is Will Ferrell are some great words of wisdom. (Video quality is not great.)

Part 2 and Part 3

7. Eugene Mirman @ Lexington High School [2009]

Mostly humor, but a great way to start a high school graduation. (Video quality not great.)

6. Bob Newhart @ The Catholic University of America [1997]

Some especially valuable notes about humor and laughter.

Bob Newhart Commencement Speech

5. Stephen Colbert @ Knox [2006]

Some great humor points and the basic rule of improvisation.

Part 2 and Part 3.

4. Amy Poehler @ Harvard [2011]

Humility and humor, a great combination.

3. Ellen DeGeneres @ Tulane [2009]

Great humor and important points on facing adversity.

2. Bill Watterson @ Kenyon College [1990]

Just an overall great speech from one of my idols.

Bill Watterson Commencement Speech

1. Conan O’Brien @ Dartmouth [2011]

Mostly humor but some incredibly poignant words of wisdom at the end.

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Whose Line Is It Anyway: Greatest Hits of Various Professions

by Hugh Moore on February 25, 2011

One of my favorite shows growing up was Whose Line Is It Anyway. One of the most impressive games was “Greatest Hits” where they would sell a CD of the Greatest Hits Songs of a profession provided by the audience. Here are two of those compilations:

1. Songs of the Accountant

2. Songs of the Butcher

3. Songs of the Chiropractor

4. Songs of the Flight Attendant

5. Songs of the Garbage Man

6. Songs of the Mechanic

7. Songs of the Postal Worker

8. Songs of the Teacher

9. Songs of the Retired

10. Songs of the Taxi Cab Driver

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5 Work Resolutions You Shouldn’t Make (And One You Should)

by Drew on January 4, 2011

It’s that time of year again. No, not when you realize you haven’t done any real work since December 5th and can’t remember your password; it’s time to make some work resolutions so your New Year is filled with success, opportunity and awesomeness.

Maybe you already have your resolutions in mind (promotion here you come), but what if they’re the wrong ones? Here are 5 resolutions you should avoid in your successful New Year:

1. Give your computer liposuction.

Your computer is fat32.

Why It Seems Like a Good Idea: It’s understandable, your computer has gained a few pounds over the years what with the extra RAM, webcam and all the sticky notes on the monitor. That extra weight could make your computer move slower, might lead to computer depression and is certainly a nuisance when you have to move the old guy.

Why It’s Not: Even while your computer has gained some bloat, it’s not a good idea to just start cutting pieces off of him or ripping out his hard drive. Sure, there could be extra stuff in there, but there’s definitely necessary stuff there too. You might accidentally take out his cooling fan and that’s only going to make him more temperamental. If anything, put your computer on a diet of less applications and help him trim the fat of old, unnecessary files from that Downloads folder on his desktop.

2. Pursue your dream of being a space cowboy.

Why It Seems Like a Good Idea: Remember when you were a kid and everyone told you to follow your dreams, and that you can do anything you set your mind to? This year, you might be thinking of finally pursuing that dream job because it will motivate you, make you happy and you’ll make oodles of money. As a space cowboy.

In space, no one can hear you "Mooo."

Why It’s Not: 2011 might be the year for a new career, but if that dream career combines cattle AND outer space, you may want to reconsider. Cows don’t like space and it makes their milk taste weird. Better to stick to something earthly like teaching or project management.

3. Take Up Smoking for the Breaks

When the cancer can't come fast enough.

Why It Seems Like a Good idea: Every 2 hours, you see Jim from Accounting take a break from his number crunching, leave the office and enjoy a breath of fresh air (and several of smoke). Not only is he not working, he gets to go outside, and look really cool like the people in Mad Men!

Why It’s Not: First, there are much more productive things you can do when taking a short break (such as enjoying some office humor). Second, all that smoking will eventually get Jim another kind of break — hospitalization for all the ailments caused by smoking and/or by being hit with a falling piano while standing outside.

4. Spend More Time with Your Unborn Child

Why It Seems Like a Good Idea: Family is incredibly important and the best gift you can give them is your presence. And, if your husband or wife is pregnant, what better way to kick things off than to spend all of your time with your future son / daughter / alien?

A missed movie collaboration.

Why It’s Not: While spending more time with your family is a worthy goal, you should resolve to do it with family members who are a little bit further along in their gestation. Not that you can’t spend time with the baby in the belly, just don’t follow her around everywhere she goes or mommy (or daddy) will put you in time out. Sometimes the baby just wants some alone time so she can sort out if Tommy, the other fetus from Baby Yoga, likes her.

5. Work More on Your Boss Impersonations

How can you impersonate the boss when you don’t know who it is?

Why It Seems Like a Good Idea: So you read about the power of humor in the workplace and figured what better way to cheer up the old gang at work than through spot-on impersonations of the boss. After all, it always works out well for the people on The Office.

Why It’s Not: This is a bad idea for two reasons: 1) When the target of your humor is a person, no matter how thick-skinned or thick-headed they seem, it might offend them. 2) That offended person can fire you.

Instead, why not resolve to use more positive humor that will boost your productivity, improve your relationships, upgrade your health and be more fun? To learn how, check out our sister site on humor at work.

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Meeting Humor: One Liners & Jokes

by Drew on December 2, 2010

I don’t know about you, but with the amount of time I spend in meetings, I need some work humor.  Here are some of the best one liners and jokes about meetings.

On Meeting Length:

I propose a new rule: meetings can not last longer than my laptop battery or my bladder.

On Committees:

There’s a reason they’re called committees.  When you’re on one for too long, you start to think about committing something else- suicide, murder, yourself into a mental institute.

On What You Learn in Meetings:

I learn a lot in meetings.  For instance, did you know that by bending a paper clip once, you can make a pretty cool ‘S’?

On Nodding in Meetings:

I think the reason we “nod off to sleep” is so it almost looks like we’re just emphatically agreeing whenever we’re in a boring meeting.

On Conference Calls:

I don’t know what ferences are, but based on how I feel about conference calls, I must be proference.

On Early Morning Calls:

My alarm clock broke so I’ve started scheduling early morning calls at the time I want to wake up.

On Meeting Topics:

My biggest issue with meetings is that, despite their name, they are rarely about me.

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25 Awesome O-H-I-O Pictures

by Hugh Moore on November 24, 2010

In honor of the Ohio State versus Michigan college football game this weekend, I thought I’d share 25 of the best O-H-I-O pictures from The Ohio State University.  If you’re not familiar with the tradition, Ohio State fans spell out “Ohio” using their arms.  It started as a football cheer but has become a tradition for the entire university, with students, alumni and fans taking pictures of the tradition around the globe.  The Ohio State University hosts the pictures on their website here.

1. “Utah”
The first picture on the site and one of the most recognizable from the OSU commercials.


2. “Afghanistan”
Bringing different groups of people together through tradition.


3. “O-H-I-O F/A-18″
That’s a sweet plane.


4. “O-H-I-O gymnastics style”
Ohio State gymnasts get creative.

5. “O-H-I-O with Childhood Friends”
Even Winnie the Pooh characters get involved.


6. “Fort Smith, Arkansas”
Don’t worry, this was just an exercise and not an actual burning plane.


7. “Roller Coaster O-H-I-O”
I wonder how many times they had to ride it to get this to come out right.


8. “Orange County”
I believe one of the shadows is Peter Pan’s.


9. “Scarlet M&M is a Buckeye Fan!!”
She’s already the perfect shape.


10. “We’re from O-H-I-O”
Representing Ohio in even the most hostile of territories.


11. “Veggie Tale O-H-I-O”
Even though the Veggie Tales creep me out, they are great shapes for spelling Ohio.


12. “O-H-I-O “
Jesus makes an ‘H’ (note: This statue is located between Dayton and Cincinnati and has since burned down after getting struck by lightning).


13. “Buckeye Love”
One tradition after another.


14. “Blue Man O H I O”
They made a new Blue Man member just to be able to spell Ohio.


15. “statue of liberty = the i”
Lady Liberty gets in on the tradition.


16. “Sara and the Ohio Snowmen”
This is adorable.


17. “O-H-I-O in Alaska”
That’s a lot of Ohio fans in a cold place.


18. “Jamaican O-H-I-O”
The beauty of this picture almost brings a tear to the eye.


19. “O-H-I-O Chinese style!”
Chinese nurses and doctors learn the tradition.


20. “Buckeye Beach Fun at Topsail, NC”
The sand letters are pretty impressive.


21. “At the Sports Biomechanics Lab”
Awesome.


22. “O-H-I-O Pyramids”
From all around the world from all different types of people.


23. “O-H-I-O with Rocky”
That’s why Rocky has his hands up, to make an ‘H’.


24. “Intergalactic O-H-I-O”
They took a quick break from fighting to represent.


25. “O-H-I-O Silhouette”
With a little animation, even a single person can spell out Ohio.

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Thumb Exercise

by Drew on November 21, 2010

A simple thumb exercise to get the mind warmed-up.

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Career Builder Commercial

by Drew on November 21, 2010

The importance of being honest on your resume. Starring Christopher Graves.

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Dar Tch Support

by Drew on November 20, 2010

Dar Tch Support,

I think thr is somthing wronng with my kyboard; spcifically the dlt ky and th lttr ” do not appar to b workign. I am unabl to dlt or chang anything I typ.

As you can imangin, this maks it hard to writ things such as rports and mails. In fact. the othr day I had to submit a rport that was full of rrors bcaus this stupid keybboard.  Do you now how many words hav th lttr ” in thm?!/ It maks m want to bash your bra—

Pls ignor th last sntnc, I lost my tmpr. Bbbut if you could snd m a nw kyboard, that wswould m grat.

Sincrly, Drw

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The Only True Vacation

by Drew on November 20, 2010

There’s so much planning and work you have to do for most vacations these days, that you need to take a vacation from the vacation. Between all the stuff you have to get done at work before you leave, and all the stuff you come back to, plus all the planning you have to do for the actual vacation, you come back more tired after your “days off.”

I think the only true vacation is if you just accidentally fall into a coma for like a week. Because then you didn’t waste any extra time preparing for your absence at work, you didn’t have to plan a trip, and people are sympathetic afterwards, so you have plenty of time to catch up once you awaken. Maybe that’s where I’ll go next year: comatose.

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Top 10 Classic Mentos Commercials

by Hugh Moore on September 13, 2010

The Humor That Works blog has a new post up about the the similarities of Mentos and Mentors, so I thought I’d post the Top 10 Classic Mentos Commercials.

10. Through the Car
Sure the guy could have just waited 10 seconds for the car to move, but it his way was much fresher.

9. The Broken Shoe
I’ve never worn heels before, but wouldn’t this be the obvious solution? Based on the guy’s reaction, it’s the most impressive thing he’s ever seen.

8. The Mall
This one gets a nod because I’ve attempted to do this before. Despite my pale skin, it still didn’t work.

7. Sailboat Keys
This one introduces so many questions (why doesn’t he get to go on the boat? why does she have his keys? what is that old guy doing?), but it does answer one: what can help in any situation? Mentos.

6. The Suit
There’s no way that this actually worked, but he definitely gets an ‘E’ for Effort.

5. Roadie
One of the top comments says it all about this one: “MENTOS IS ABOVE THE LAW.”

4. The Ripped Dress
More believable than fixing a painted suit is fixing a ripped dress.

3. The Wedding
A little known fact but Wedding Crashers was originally inspired by this Mentos commercial.

2. The Waiter
This one actually seems feasible. I’ll try it out sometime and let you guys know how it works out.

1. The Car Movers
If a guy had this problem, the solution never would have worked (the movers would have just made fun of him for having such a tiny car). But since it was a woman, Mentos!

In addition to these commercials, there’s plenty of Mentos parodies as well. I prefer the originals, as they’re already good enough they don’t need a parody.

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