Culture Catalyst

Manny Pacquiao Knocks Out Ricky Hatton

2009-05-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Big news from the boxing world this weekend was Manny Pacquiao's destruction of Ricky Hatton on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Since I'm lazy and really busy right now I'll give you the bout info from Wikipedia but you can also find tons of analysis at ESPN Boxing.

Pacquiao knocked down Hatton twice in the first round: a four-punch combo knocked down the Briton the first time; the other knockdown occurred after a combination by Pacquiao with 45 seconds left. On the second round, Pacquiao unleashed a right-left combo to knock down Hatton a third time to end the bout 2:59 into the round. Hatton sprawled helplessly on the canvass after Pacquiao's left hand with referee Kenny Bayless saying that "I didn't have to count." Hatton lay on the canvass for several minutes before getting up; he was eventually taken to a local hospital for a precautionary brain scan.

Pacquiao's win makes him one of only two (the other being Oscar De La Hoya) to win world championships in six different weight divisions, although the record depends on how a "world championship" is defined, with many only limiting the "legitimate championships" to those sanctioned by the WBA, WBC, WBO and/or IBF. Pacquiao won four title belts prior to the fight: the WBC flyweight belt, the IBF super bantamweight title, the WBC super featherweight crown and the WBC lightweight championship. He was a "linear" champion in the featherweight division, and after defeating Hatton, became one in the light welterweight division as well. Sugar Ray Leonard said that "If Manny does it, he'll deserve all the accolades anyone can give him. This is one of those records that, man, it's a rare, rare feat."

Inspired Bicycles

2009-05-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

This video is up at the top of the Viral Video Charts. Here's the video info:

Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill (more info at www.dannymacaskill.com) features probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. There's some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. Without a doubt, this video pushes the envelope of what is perceived as possible on a trials bike.

Credit to Band of Horses for their epic song 'The Funeral.' You can find out more about the band and their music at www.bandofhorses.com

Eminem - 3am Music Video Trailer

2009-05-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well apparently they don't just release music videos anymore, they make trailers for them. I mean I understand a trailer for a 2 hour movie but don't think it's really necessary for a 3 minute music video.

Anyway, Eminem has released the trailer to his new single and music video "3am". This of course is off his upcoming album Relapse. The entire music video will premiere tomorrow, May 2nd, on Cinemax right before the movie The Strangers.

Carl Edwards’s Talladega Superspeedway Crash

2009-04-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

This crash rekindled the debate about restrictor-plate racing and if it is really more safe for the drivers and fans. 7 fans in the grandstands at Talladega were hurt when hit by flying debris from Carl Edwards' car.

OMFG IT'S THE SWINE FLU!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well pretty much everyone in America is scared as all hell about the swine flu. I personally ritualistically cover my body in Purell before I leave for work every morning. If that isn't enough, I use my secret weapon against Swine Flu......Wal-born (knock off Airborne). TAKE THAT CRAZY PIG FLU!!!!

If you are worried about swine flu you should probably check out these links below:

Do You Have Swine Flu?

Do I Have Pig Flu?

Also, If you get swine flu this is what happens to you...

Marcelo Garcia & The X-Guard

2009-04-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Marcelo 'Marcelinho' Garcia (b. 1983) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor and submission grappler. Considered by many to be the best pound for pound submission grappler in the world, Garcia is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Fabio Gurgel of Team Alliance. Garcia has five world championship titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, two of them as a black belt (in 2004 and 2006). He also has many submission grappling titles, including ones from the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. At ADCC, Marcelo has won the 66-76 kg division three times in a row (2003/2005/2007), been awarded the most technical fighter twice (2003 and 2007), and won the best fight award in 2005. In 2005, he also finished in third place in the absolute (open weight) division and in 2007 finished second in the absolute division.

Eddie Bravo on Marcelo Garcia

New Zealand All Blacks Performing the Haka

2009-04-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

I think this is probably one of the coolest pre-game ritual in sports. Check out the New Zealand All Black's Rugby team performing the Haka which is traditional of the Maori people, the native people of New Zealand.

One of the most well known hakas the All Blacks perform is Ka Mate. Here are the words:

Ka mate, ka mate
Ka ora' Ka ora'
Ka mate, ka mate
Ka ora Ka ora "
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru
Nāna i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā
Upane... Upane
Upane Kaupane"
Whiti te rā,!
He!

'I die, I die,
'I live, 'I live,
'I die, 'I die
'I live, 'I live,
This is the hairy man
...Who caused the sun to shine again for me
Up the ladder, Up the ladder
Up to the top
The sun shines!

Old swine-flu PSAs will soon come in handy

2009-04-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Thought I would re-post this given all the recent controversy surrounding the swine flu.

[from AdFreak]
If the U.S. government finds itself in need of some seriously awesome swine-flu-vaccine PSAs, they can just re-air these old fear-mongering spots made during the last big scare in 1976. They've got it all: frightening, echoey sound effects; hammy acting; cavalier attitudes followed by feverish hospital visits. In the second ad, there's even a casually mentioned old-person death. We won't get PSAs that are half as good this year. We will get lots of new-media communications, though. You can start off with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's swine-flu video podcast.

Vampire Weekend Songs & Videos

2009-04-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have heard more than one of these songs recently. In the last year it seems the band Vampire Weekend have been everywhere. From being featured in movies such as Step Brothers and I Love You, Man their debut album has been widely well received. Check them out.

A-Punk

Oxford Comma

Bryn

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Mansard Roof

Campus

M79

MMA Live Recaps UFC 97 and Discusses Chuck Liddell's Pending Retirement

2009-04-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Susan Boyle Can Sing

2009-04-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

So I took a break from blogging for a while. During my absence I missed the unlikely singing sensation Susan Boyle. So to make sure I keep my loyal fans accurately informed of all the popular videos on the internet, here you go!

Pinback - Fortress Music Video

2009-04-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

This post is credited to Pandora and their iPhone app. Was walking home and this song came on and after hearing it a bunch of places before, I was finally able to see what it's called and who it's by.

Anyway, really cool song and the video is pretty interesting too!

Pinback - Fortress

Tony Hawk's Twitter Treasure Hunt

2009-04-27T12:31:00.001-07:00

I've been following Tony Hawk on Twitter for a while now and I've definitely taken notice of his skateboard treasure hunts. Pretty similar to what Shaq was doing with giving away free tickets to Suns games by Tweeting his location.

Check out the CNN iReport video of Tony explaining the giveaways.

Trailer for new Mike Judge film, Extract

2009-04-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

Saw this trailer on WWTDD, it's for Extract which is a new film by Mike Judge. The movie stars Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck and Kristen Wiig.

Dance Moves that Rock

2009-04-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

Look at this little guy go....breaking it down to Wait by the Ying Yang Twins.

The Lonely Island - Like a Boss Music Video

2009-04-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Lonely Island boys have a new single and music video from their album INCREDIBAD. I feel that this is pretty fitting for all of us stuck in an office setting on this Monday morning. I mean who likes to enjoy the beautiful sunshine when you can stare at a computer screen and cubicle walls all day. YAY!

The Lonely Island - Like a Boss
(Language warning...throw on the headphones if you are at work)

Apple Closing in on it's 1 Billionth App Download

2009-04-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Apple announced that it was closing in on its whopping 1 Billionth application download from the App Store, which now features over 25,000 apps built by thousands of developers. In honor of the milestone, Apple has also posted an updated version of the store’s most popular apps ever (iTunes link) - something they’ve done only once before, at the end of 2008. The list includes such popular mainstays as Facebook, Koi Pond, and Shazam, allowing the millions of new iPhone owners to discover favorites of months gone by. It’s a shame this list will probably be shortlived.

This isn’t an accident. One attribute that has helped the App Store reach its upcoming billion download milestone so quickly is the fact that its featured App Lists are constantly churning - even the most popular applications probably won’t be on the top lists a few weeks down the line. This ensures that users who pop into the store will always have some new, quality apps to try out, boosting downloads and giving new applications a chance to shine.

REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE...via TechCrunch

Eminem has a new music video...and Bill O'Reilly doesn't like it

2009-04-12T23:53:00.001-07:00

Eminem has a new single for his new album Relapse. The song, We Made You, also has a music video. No surprise here that it's directed by the same guy who made Without Me but anyway, my thoughts are ehhhhhhh.

We Made You - Eminem

Bill O'Reilly's thoughts

Just Me, Myself and LINKS

2009-04-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

World Football Challenge - the hottest ticket this summer, teams include Club America, Chelsea FC, Inter Milan and AC Milan

Dog overboard found four months later - WOW!

UC Davis Offers Free Hardcore Porn - haha porn was shown to facilitate discussion of "difficult subjects such as sexuality and gender roles"....gotta love my alma mater

Breaking Bad News with Baby Animals - I almost dedicated to a whole post to these...I seriously am gonna buy this book and mail them out to everyone I know

2nd Annual American Cup Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - work permitting I think I will be attending and hopefully winning

World of Red Bull Ads

2009-04-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

Go check out what Lou's got to say about the World of Red Bull ads over at AD v e r t i s e Me

...Red Bull does do some pretty cool events/contests though, such as the Red Bull BCOne where they stage 16 of the best dancers in the world against each other. Featured below is Ronnie Abaldonado who was the runner up four years in a row until 2007 when he finally became BC ONE Champion. Also showcased in the recent RB TV ads is Robbie Maddison, a 27 year old Freestyle Motocross Champion who also has a World Record for jumping across a football field of approximately 322 feet during the Red Bull New Year No-Limits event. The last 3 of 3 Red Bull TV ads introduces Ian Walsh and it broadcasts him bombing a wave that's at least 70 feet high. You can find out more about him on the section Red Bull Surfing.

Uhh Ohh the Bruno Trailer is Out

2009-04-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

Building on the hilariousness and certainly the offensiveness of Borat, the trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie Bruno is out.

(Here is your everything warning...definitely NSFW)

Goal of the Year Already?

2009-04-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

[via Reuters UK]

German media have already decided that Grafite’s brilliant 77th-minute solo goal in Wolfsburg’s 5-1 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday is the goal of the year.

He somehow managed to elude five Bayern players before scoring with a cheeky backheel.

It may seem a bit early to be choosing the “Tor des Jahres” with nine months left in 2009 but even the normally reserved public TV broadcast “Das Aktuelle Sportstudio” proclaimed it “the most spectacular goal in Bundesliga history”.

The electrifying goal has featured in German newscasts all weekend.

Grafite’s goal, coming two days after his 30th birthday, also served as a fitting metaphor for the season as it helped Wolfsburg jump to the top of the Bundesliga in front of Hamburg SV, Hertha Berlin and Bayern.

IFH Mondays

2009-04-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

This is for anyone out there with a "case of the Mondays."

(Language Warning)

Extreme Sheep LED Art

2009-04-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

The Viral Factory in London created this viral video for Samsung. Check it out, pretty amazing stuff.

Video info:

We took to the hills of Wales armed to the teeth with sheep, LEDs and a camera, to create a huge amazing LED display. Of sorts. For more info search for samsung LED TV or visit samsung.com/LED

If you are worried about Conficker

2009-04-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

I guess since they profiled the Conficker worm on 60 Minutes people have really gotten worried about it. There was a lot of speculation that on April Fool's Day the worm would activate and cause havoc on the internet. That of course didn't happen. If you are worried about the Conficker worm or think you might be infected check some of the links below:

An April Fool's FML

2009-04-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

Saw this on their Twitter, that friend is forever in debt.

Today, for April fools I decided to set off the smoke detectors in my friends apartment while he was sleeping and saran wrap the outside of his bedroom doorway so he would smack into it. Instead, he jumped out the window and broke his leg. FML

Another video in honor of April 1...

2009-04-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

This has to be the perfect video for April Fool's Day

UFC Fight Night Free on Spike TV Tonight!

2009-04-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Figured I might as well do a little MMA promoting. There will be some free UFC fights on Spike TV tonight starting at 8pm. The 2 hour event will be followed by the new season of The Ultimate Fighter. You can also check out UFC President Dana White's video blog from the event HERE.

The Ultimate Fighting® Championship® is proud to announce its first-ever event in Nashville, Tennessee. Music City has never seen hard-hitting action like this as many of the rising stars in the sport of mixed martial arts will be featured in a LIVE nationwide event on Spike TV Wednesday, April 1 at 9:00p.m. ET/PT for UFC® Fight Night™ from the Sommet Center.

Today is April 1st, 2009

2009-04-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

...don't be a fool, watch the video!

Hoops coaches strip for a 'Guitar Hero' spot

2009-04-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

[From AdFreak]

Here's the new Guitar Hero commercial with college-basketball coaching legends Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski yukking it up with Metallica. As Guitar Hero's Risky Business ads go, this one's a distant second to the Heidi Klum spot, though Knight is pretty funny, and Pitino's drumming is amusingly wretched.

Viva Futbol Vol. 29

2009-04-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

Viva Futbol Volume 29. The Best of footy skills and showboating. Courtesy of FootyTube

Check out more Viva Futbol Volumes from Alazarboy HERE

3OH!3 - Don't Trust Me Music Video

2009-04-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

I'm still really undecided on this song. It's really irritating yet has the most catchy chorus I've heard in a while. I imagine that this song will be beaten into my brain at every single club in SF for the next few weeks.

3OH!3 - Don't Trust Me

Links:
3OH!3 Official Site
MySpace Page

Ohio man charged with drunken driving on bar stool

2009-03-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

[From SFGate]

Authorities in Ohio say a man has been charged with drunken driving after crashing his motorized bar stool. Police in Newark, 30 miles east of Columbus, say when they responded to a report of a crash with injuries on March 4, they found a man who had wrecked a bar stool powered by a deconstructed lawn mower.

Twenty-eight-year Kile Wygle was hospitalized for minor injuries. Police say he was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated after he told an officer at the hospital that he had consumed 15 beers. Wygle told police his motorized bar stool can go up to 38 mph.

Wygle has pleaded not guilty and has requested a jury trial.

Where the Wild Things Are Trailer

2009-03-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Where the Wild Things Are is an upcoming 2009 film adaptation of the Maurice Sendak children's book of the same name. The film is directed by Spike Jonze and written by Jonze and Dave Eggers.

The film combines live action, suitmation, animatronics, and CGI. Its release is currently scheduled for October 16, 2009

Chester the Incredible

2009-03-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

This could be the pinnacle of stupid animal tricks.

Enjoy Chester in all his glory.

Twouble with Twitter

2009-03-31T07:02:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. I think it's pretty awesome to see real time updates of Lance Armstrong's broken collar bone or to find Shaq in your city and win free tickets to a Suns game. I also think it's pretty annoying and sometimes creepy how some people have let Twitter take over their lives. For now, I will participate in a half-assed manner and only time will tell if Twitter can make a true believer out of me.

A young man struggles against the pressure to Twitter his life away.

Did You Know?

2009-03-30T16:04:00.001-07:00

Awesome video. Now if only all these did you know facts had a cited source...

Random Links You Should See

2009-03-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some random links that I think are worth sharing but not worth a post dedicated to each:

Earth Hour 2009 Pictures - these are really cool, i guess Earth Hour was a success?

Mister Nice Hands - this is an all around great website when you are bored

Periodic Table of Awesome - Modern day awesominers know there are actually 118 fundamental "awesoments" that compose all good things. The Periodic table of Awesoments can be a very useful tool. It's designed to show the relationships between awesoments, and often one can even predict how awesoments interact simply by their positions on the table.

Prostitute Paid in Chicken Nuggets - ummm wow, her parents must be proud

Funny Exam Papers - when you don't know the answer you might as well get creative

Hot Chicks with Douchebags - the site name says it all

Lebron James on 60 Minutes

2009-03-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar forward LeBron James was on 60 Minutes last night. Check out the video below.

Pretty much this clip right here was the reason I watched the show. Underhanded, half court...no problem.

Is LeBron James the best player in the NBA? He's only 24 years and promises his best years are still ahead. Steve Kroft hits the hardwood with "King James.

Jimmy Kimmel Matches Lebron’s Hollywood High School Half Court Shot

Twitter Hiring A Concierge To Pamper Celebrities. Requires Schmoozing.

2009-03-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

Twitter Hiring A Concierge To Pamper Celebrities. Requires Schmoozing.

IAB Reports Internet Advertising Grew 10 Percent Last Year; Outpacing TV

2009-03-30T08:54:00.001-07:00

IAB Reports Internet Advertising Grew 10 Percent Last Year; Outpacing TV

Military Laser Hits Battlefield Strength

2009-03-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

[via Wired.com]

Huge news for real-life ray guns: Electric lasers have hit battlefield strength for the first time -- paving the way for energy weapons to go to war.

In recent test-blasts, Pentagon-researchers at Northrop Grumman managed to get its 105 kilowatts of power out of their laser -- past the "100kW threshold [that] has been viewed traditionally as a proof of principle for 'weapons grade' power levels for high-energy lasers," Northrop's vice president of directed energy systems, Dan Wildt, said in a statement.

That much power won't get you a Star Wars-style blaster. But it should be more than enough to zap the mortars and rockets that insurgents have used to pound American bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The battlefield-strength breakthrough is just one part in a larger military push to finally make laser weapons a reality, after decades of unfulfilled promises. The Army recently gave Boeing a $36 million contract to build a laser-equipped truck. Raytheon is set to start test-firing a mortar-zapper of its own. Darpa is funding a 150 kilowatt laser project that is meant to be fitted onto "tactical aircraft."

Does that mean energy weapons are a done deal? Hardly. There are still all sorts of technical issues -- thermal management and miniaturization, to name two -- that have to be handled first. Then, the ray gunners have to find the money. The National Academies figure it'll take another $100 million to get battlefield lasers right.

Still, clearing the 100 kilowatt hurdle is a big deal. For the longest time, the military research community concentrated on developing chemical-powered lasers. The ray guns produced massively powerful laser blasts. But the noxious stuff needed to produce all that power makes the weapons all-but-impractical in a war zone. (One ray gun took as many as eight shipping containers' worth of chemicals and electronics to power a single blaster.) So the Defense Department shifted gears, and poured money into electric lasers. They're much less hassle to operate. And, given a steady supply of power, they should be able to fire away, almost indefinitely.

At first, these electric lasers were weak. When the military started its Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program in 2003, these easy-to-maintain lasters could barely produce more than 10 kilowatts of coherent light. Now, Northrop believes, going way past 100 kilowatts should be pretty simple.

In its lab, south of Los Angeles, Northrop combines 32 garnet crystal "modules" into a "laser amplifier chains." Shine light-emitting diodes into 'em, and they start the laser chain-reaction, shooting out as much as 15 kilowatts of focused light. Combine all those beams into one, and you've got yourself a battlefield-strength ray. Northrop's JHPSSL lasers used seven chains to get to 105 kilowatts. But there's room, at least, for an eighth. Which means an even stronger blaster.

The next step is to start trying out the ray gun, outside of the lab. The Army is planning to move the device to its High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range. Testing is supposed to begin by this time, next year.

Yelp Accused of Extortion

2009-03-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Very interesting articles about Yelp. I personally know some people at Yelp and they vehemently deny that this happens but it does make you wonder when so many people step forward with the same story.

February 18, 2009 - Yelp and the Business of Extortion 2.0

March 18, 2009 - Yelp Extortion Allegations Stack Up

Best Dunk Ever? Check out the Backflip!

2009-03-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to THE_REAL_SHAQ for putting this on Twitter. We had a good laugh.

This alone gives you a reason to watch the CBI. In the second half of Wyoming’s opening round loss to Northeastern, Adam Waddell gets the ball in transition and takes it to the hole. Unfotunately, he hangs on to the rim a little too long and does a back flip.

Trailer for Mike Tyson Documentary "Tyson"

2009-03-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Tyson is a 2008 documentary film about boxer Mike Tyson. It was directed by American filmmaker James Toback, and produced by Nicholas Jarecki. It was publicly screened for the first time at the 2008 Cannes film festival. Tyson is scheduled for a 24 April 2009 release date, distributed by Sony Classics.

All About Google

2009-03-15T18:25:00.001-07:00

Everything you've ever wanted to know about Google!

All about Google

View more presentations from Ouriel Ohayon.

Lance Armstrong: Natural Born Twitterer

2009-03-15T03:07:00.001-07:00

Lance Armstrong: Natural Born Twitterer

Posted using ShareThis

Top Billionaire Losers 2009

2009-03-15T03:00:00.001-07:00

I think their extra billions will be enough to get them through their remaining years.

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Top Billionaire Losers 2009

View more presentations from Archana Kulshrestha.

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-15T02:20:00.000-07:00

"8:30PM local time, wherever you live on planet earth. Saturday 28 March 2009"

Earth Hour is coming up on just a few weeks. I heard about this last year but can't remember if I ended up doing it or not, think I'll do my part this year.

Daily Show's Jon Stewart Takes on CNBC's Jim Cramer

2009-03-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

Jon Stewart really takes it to him.

The “week-long feud of the century” kicked off The Daily Show’s March 12 episode with host Jon Stewart flexing his muscles and concluded with a conciliatory friendly handshake with CNBC’s Mad Money host James Cramer. But if this was a friendly make-good appearance intended to follow up on Stewart’s unusually lengthy (8 minutes) and vitriolic take-down of CNBC on March 4 and his follow-up show that focused on Cramer on March 10, there were plenty of hard punches by Stewart, leaving Cramer scrambling to explain himself and his network’s ways.

[Read rest of article at Business Week]

March 12 Episode of The Daily Show

March 4 Episode

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor Jim Cramer

March 10 Episode

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor Jim Cramer

Stuff Unemployed People Like

2009-03-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Taken from their website:

"Stuff Unemployed People Like is a blog intended to bring some humor into the lives of those affected by “this global economy” mostly by poking fun at them. It is updated on weekdays to give the unemployed some semblance of structure and to remind them of their employed days when they would check their favorite blogs first before starting to work."

Some recent headlines include:

#34 Scouring the Internet for Free Things to Do

#33 Putting Off Their Taxes Because They Owe Money

#32 Failing at Plans to Succeed at Leaving the House

#31 Claiming It’s Not Cold Enough to Turn on the Heater

#30 Gloating Every Time Their Former Company Screws Up

Site Link: Here
Twitter: Here
Facebook: Here

If you like this website you may also enjoy this one

The Daft Punk Keyboard

2009-03-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Remember the Daft Punk song Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (info)? Well here's you opportunity to remake the song with the Daft Punk Keyboard.

Some other Daft Punk UGC:

Daft Hands

Daft Bodies

Catalyst:SF Site Updated

2009-03-12T21:39:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone we made some changes to the Catalyst:SF main site. Go check it out and come back here and comment to tell me what you think. Same look and feel but updated a lot of things.

Catalyst:SF

Donovann Toatley, The Next NBA Superstar?

2009-03-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

Check these videos of Donovann Toatley, could these be the earliest videos of the next NBA superstar?

Donovann at 6 years old

Donovann now at 8 years old

According to this one, he founded a social networking site: MyHoopsLink

Valley Exec Tweets Home Burglary

2009-03-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Haha WOW! I don't even know what to say about this except that if some random guy walked into my house I definitely wouldn't Tweet about it.

A strange man broke into Revision3 COO David Prager's home last night.

Did David call the police? No, he updated Twitter and turned on a live video stream at Ustream. [via BusinessInsider]

Federal Trade Commission parodies the FreeCreditReport.com ads

2009-03-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

Check this out, saw it on AdFreak and had to share.

With the Democrats back in power, we should have known it would come to this. The Federal Trade Commission has released several parodies of the FreeCreditReport.com ads. The goal: to remind consumers that AnnualCreditReport.com is the only site where they can truly get their scores for free, without having to sign up for trial memberships or pay "hidden fees." The spoofs mimic FreeCredit's popular musical spots, which follow a band that gets lousy gigs because their credit is bad. Actually, rockin' out at the Renaissance Fair seems cool to me (lots of comely wenches and ale on hand), but my credit score is about a 12, so what do I know? The bands in both campaigns exude that so-lame-it's-cool vibe, not unlike Beck or Moby. (Sorry, my interest in popular music pretty much ended in 1995.)

'Watchmen' Tops in the Box Office this Weekend

2009-03-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

'Watchmen' takes box office lead
[via EW.com]

After all the anticipation and hubbub, the weekend is coming to an end and the box office results are here: "Watchmen" (No. 1) grossed $55.7 million during its first frame, according to early estimates from Media by Numbers.

That's a solid sum, to be sure, although it's certainly on the low end of most projections. "Watchmen" premiered in more theaters (3,611) than any other R-rated movie in history, and it averaged an impressive $15,413 per venue, despite a potentially problematic long running time.

It also scored the biggest debut of 2009 so far. Nonetheless, the movie's $55.7 million take (including $5.5 million from 124 IMAX screens) is substantially smaller than the $70.9 million that 300, the last R-rated graphic-novel movie from director Zack Snyder, earned on its opening weekend two years ago.

And aside from that theater-count statistic (which almost any film could break at any time, really), there will be no major records to report on this weekend (for example, "Watchmen's" debut was just the fifth-best opening ever for an R-rated movie).

I'd argue, in fact, that this opening is a bit soft, considering the great expectations that came with Snyder's adaptation of Alan Moore's landmark comic book -- not to mention "Watchmen's" hefty grosses from screenings at midnight on Friday and throughout its first day. After attracting some major initial interest, banking $25.1 million on Friday, the film's audience dropped off dramatically during the weekend: It grossed $19 million on Saturday and is expected to bring in just $11.5 million on Sunday.

These are all big numbers, don't get me wrong, but, when combined with the fact that the film got a lukewarm CinemaScore grade of B from an audience that was largely comprised of older men, it all points to a rapid downward trend that may be difficult to reverse in the weeks to come.

First 5 Minutes of Watchmen

Bizkit the Sleepwalking Dog

2009-03-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

This has been a pretty popular video online this week, even making it onto the FailBlog. Definitely good for a laugh. Enjoy.

Giants' pitcher Tim Lincecum featured in MLB 2K9 Commercial

2009-03-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Check out Giants' Cy Young award winning pitcher Tim Lincecum in this commercial for MLB 2K9. He's also featured on the cover of the game (see above).

You May Have Been Waiting a Long Time for This...

2009-03-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

You may have been waiting since 1990 to finally get an apology for Vanilla Ice. Well here's Vanilla Ice himself (Robert Van Winkle) apologizing.

You know I couldn't have a post about Vanilla Ice and not put some solid retro videos up.

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

Vanilla Ice - Ninja Rap

The Hangover Trailer

2009-03-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

This post seems pretty appropriate for a Saturday morning post. This is the trailer for the newest film by Todd Phillips (Old School & Road Trip) called The Hangover.

Joey Chestnut: The Pride of San Jose

2009-03-07T00:30:00.000-08:00

Saw this interview randomly on YouTube. A native of the South Bay, this is an interview with Joey Chestnut after eating 10+ pounds of mac & cheese at a San Jose Stealth game. I'm still very confused how the hell that could all possibly fit in his stomach. The video comes from Joey Chestnut's blog (literally everyone has a blog now).

Weekend MMA Post

2009-03-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

There some interesting stuff going on this weekend. Just a few videos for you.

ESPN'S MMA Live Previews UFC 96, Reviews WEC 39

UFC 96: Jackson vs Jardin Preview

UFC Video Game Preview: Jardin vs Jackson

Pro Picks: Jackson vs Jardine - Sherdog
Performity's Picks for UFC 96 - MMAJunkie

iPhone apps give rise to iPhone-based cover bands

2009-03-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

iPhone apps give rise to iPhone-based cover bands
[via TechCrunch]

There are plenty of people trying to make the musical instruments applications on the iPhone sound like real music, but one of the more credible is that by unsigned all-female band called The Mentalists here in London.

They’ve done an unusual cover of MGMT’s “Kids” entirely using their iPhones and iPod Touches, using apps from the application store. The result is actually quite impressive.

The apps used were Ocarina, Retro Synth, miniSynth and DigiDrummer Lite (yes, not event the paid-for version). However, as usual, drummers who can keep time remain in short supply. The same was true of The Beatles, and still is today…

The Mentalists - Kids (cover)

MGMT - Kids (Original)

Luckiest Guys Ever!

2009-03-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

A compilation put together of some of the luckiest guys caught on tape.
[via eGuiders]

A Look at Gatorade Through the Ages

2009-03-02T12:19:00.001-08:00

I thought this was a really cool post by Jim @ OldestLiving

Amazing Performances by Quest Crew on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew"

2009-02-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

Not much I can really say about these two videos other than they are probably the coolest dance performances I've ever seen. How is Dancing with the Stars even popular, these guys have REAL talent. Make sure you notice the final trick in each performance...amazingly athletic.

These videos are from the show America's Best Dance Crew on MTV. The shows finale will be air next Thursday where the winner will be announced. This is Quest Crew from Los Angeles, the soon to be winners of the show.

Quest Crew Week 7 Hip-Hip Decathalon

Quest Crew Week 7 Or-Quest-ra

Deep Sea Fish with Rotating Eyes and Transparent Head

2009-02-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

From the depths of the Monterey Bay, the mystery of the barreleye fish is caught on tape.
[article at SFGate]

MBARI researchers Bruce Robison and Kim Reisenbichler used video taken by unmanned, undersea robots called remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to study barreleye fish in the deep waters just offshore of Central California. At depths of 600 to 800 meters (2,000 to 2,600 feet) below the surface, the ROV cameras typically showed these fish hanging motionless in the water, their eyes glowing a vivid green in the ROV's bright lights. The ROV video also revealed a previously undescribed feature of these fish--its eyes are surrounded by a transparent, fluid-filled shield that covers the top of the fish's head.

This video is narrated by senior scientist Bruce Robison.

For more on this story, see the news page on MBARIs web site at http://www.mbari.org

Tiger's Back...The Good Life is Over

2009-02-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

The new Nike ad promoting the return of Tiger Woods is pretty good I must say. I was a little surprised at first that all these other golfers would be in a commercial basically outlining how they can never beat Tiger, but hey we all know it's true.

Tiger Woods' return to golf is cheering up fans, broadcasters and corporate sponsors such as Nike. The only ones bummed are Woods' fellow Nike Golf endorsers Anthony Kim, Stewart Cink, Trevor Immelman, Justin Leonard and Carl Pettersson, who realize the fun's over for them.

That's the lighthearted premise of a new Nike Golf TV commercial celebrating Woods' return to action at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship this week in Marana, Ariz. [via USAToday]

MMA Live Recaps UFC 95 and Previews WEC 39

2009-02-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

The Future

2009-02-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

This made me laugh, thought I'd share

New Franz Ferdinand Song in iPod Touch Commercial

2009-02-27T12:19:00.000-08:00

I keep seeing this iPod Touch ad over and over again and just like every Apple commercial, it features the most catchy song currently out. The song featured in the commercial is from Franz Ferdinand's new album "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand."

Apple iPod Touch 2G Ad

Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls

Crazy Woman Misses Her Flight at HKIA

2009-02-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

Check out this viral video going around the net this week of some crazy lady after she misses her flight at Hong Kong International Airport.

Geez, either calm the hell down or get to the airport a little earlier.

Rich Eisen Running the 40 at the Combine

2009-02-25T17:03:00.000-08:00

The NFL Scouting Combine came to an end yesterday and NFL Network's Rich Eisen continued his annual tradition of running the 40 yard dash in a full suit. The video of Rich running the 40 is funny by itself but the video gets far better when they superimpose images of actual NFL prospects running alongside Rich.

NFL Fantasy Files

2009-02-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

The Fantasy File series, created by Blue Room, started in August 2006 with three high profile NFL players, Neil Rackers (Arizona Cardinals), Chris Simms (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) & Braylon Edwards (Cleveland Browns), performing some absolutely fantastic acts, crossing the line of possibility, in order to get picked.

Last year the New York-based creative services agency continued the campaign with the addition of six new videos to its “NFL Fantasy Files” series starring NFL personalities Marques Colston (New Orleans Saints), Mike Nugent (NY Jets), Andre Johnson (Houston Texans), Jason Campbell (Washington Redskins), David Akers (Philadelphia Eagles) and Marc Bulger (St. Louis Rams).

Four new 2008 “NFL Fantasy Files” videos have been released by Blue Room. This year the following NFL players are asked to perform their tricks: Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots), Mason Crosby (Green Bay Packers), Chris Cooley (Washington Redskins) and Chris Chambers (San Diego Chargers)

To date the “NFL Fantasy Files” videos have received in excess of 4.7 million YouTube views! All videos are quite amusing to watch, even if you’re not a fan of the NFL or American Football in general.

[via ViralBlog]

Devin Harris' Miracle Half-Court Buzzer Beater

2009-02-24T17:15:00.000-08:00

[via Ball Don't Lie]

If you only watch one NBA highlight this season, I recommend you press play below. This is one for the ages, or at least pregame warmups — a lunging half-court heave at the buzzer that I still can't believe I actually watched.

The scenario, with a tip of the cap to Basketball Prospectus: Andre Iguodala's second free throw puts the Sixers up 96-95 with 1.8 seconds left. The Nets are out of timeouts. New Jersey inbounds the ball to All-Star Devin Harris, who pushes it quickly up the left sideline. Iggy reaches in and knocks the ball loose — fortunate to not be whistled for a foul — but Harris recovers the rock in stride, flips a shot from half-court, and ...

DC Shoes Founder Ken Block Makes a Viral Vid on Drifting

2009-02-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

[via AdFreak]

Anyone can talk about making a "viral video," but the reality is that it takes a lot of great content, planning and hard work to make it happen. That's why it's no surprise that more than 16 million viewers have watched this clip produced for rally racer Ken Block, DC Shoes and Subaru. This stunning display of Block's driving is packed with mind-blowing stuff, and you don't have to be a "Tokyo Drift" fan to enjoy the show. "Ken approached us in early 2008 with the idea of co-producing a viral web film that would showcase his driving skills on tarmac, and put the sport of Gymkhana (pronounced 'jim-ka-nah') on the map here in the U.S.," writes marketing agency Mad Media on its site. "We worked with Ken over the course of 6 months to develop his idea into a practical shot list, and secured the El Toro Marine Base for location shooting. After two days of intense filming, and several weeks of editing, we delivered the final Gymkhana Viral Web Film." The result was more than 10 million views on KenBlockRacing.com, 4 million views on YouTube and many more on other video sites since the clip was posted in November 2008. Only 15 million views to go before they catch up to that damn sneezing panda.

Even Shaq is on Twitter

2009-02-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Ok ok, I did it...after months of trying to save myself from its grasp I gave in and signed up for Twitter.

It makes me feel a little better to read this amazing story about two guys meeting The Big Shaq-tus in a diner by following his Tweets. I won't bother you trying to paraphrase the story anymore, just click the link.

Finally, A Use for Twitter

The 81st Academy Awards Were Last Night

2009-02-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

[via Wired.com]

Like the Mumbai orphan at the heart of its story, Slumdog Millionaire overcame stupendous odds and on Sunday won the 2009 Best Picture Academy Award. Producer Christian Colson said, "When we started out, we didn't have enough stars or enough money to do what we wanted to do, but we did have a script that inspired madness in everyone who read it, and we had a genius for a director."

Slumdog (pictured below) nearly became a straight-to-DVD release when its original financier, Warner Independent Pictures, went out of business.

Instead, the crowd favorite, picked up by Fox Searchlight, triumphed as the evening's top award winner, bringing in seven trophies. Colson added: "Our film shows if you have passion and belief, anything is possible."

The most moving moment of the awards telecast came when Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for playing the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Ledger's father, sister and mother accepted on the late actor's behalf. Mr. Ledger thanked director Chris Nolan for "allowing Heath the creative license to create and explore this crazy Joker character."

Method actors bonded briefly when Robert DeNiro praised Sean Penn (pictured below) for his portrait of gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

A few minutes later, Penn took the stage as 2008's Best Actor. At the podium, he joked: "You Commie, homo-loving sons of guns.... I know how hard I make it to appreciate me, often."

Embracing the Milk message, Penn said "We've got to have equal rights for everyone."

Continuing on a political tangent, he said: "I'm very proud to live in a country that elected an elegant man for its president."

In a tip of the hat to the star of The Wrestler, Penn said, "Despite a sensitivity that has somehow brought challenges, Mickey Rourke rises again, and he is my brother."

After six Oscar nominations, Kate Winslet finally won Best Actress for The Reader, in which she played an illiterate Nazi guard who has an affair with a young German teenager before going on trial for war crimes.

"I think we all can't believe we're in a category with Meryl Streep!" Winslet (pictured below) said. "Meryl, you'll just have to suck that up."

Hugh Jackman's song and dance kicked off the 81st Annual Academy Awards Show, which quickly got down to business when Penelope Cruz (pictured below) picked up Best Supporting Actress Award for her role as Javier Bardem's insanely fiery ex-lover Maria Elena in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

"Has anybody ever fainted here? I may be the first one," Cruz said from the stage.

A few minutes, later Wall-E, as expected, won for Best Animation Feature.

Funniest bit: Uncommunicative Ben Stiller, in fake beard and sunglasses, impersonated Joaquin Phoenix.

Sweet segment: a restrained Queen Latifah crooned the old ballad "I'll Be Seeing You" in tribute to artists who died in 2008, including Bernie Mac, Michael Crichton, Harold Pinter, Cyd Charisse, Roy Scheider, Richard Widmark, Isaac Hayes, Paul Scofield, Stan Winston, Charlton Heston, Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack and Paul Newman.

Shut out: Iron Man, The Hulk and Wanted failed to win any awards in a variety of technical categories.

Other winners:

Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Foreign language film: Departures (Japanese)

Song: Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire

Score: Slumdog Millionaire

Documentary: Man on Wire

Sound editing: The Dark Knight

Sound mixing: Slumdog Millionaire

Film editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Visual effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire

Original screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk

Adapted screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Art direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Costume: The Duchess

For the complete list of winners, visit www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners

Photos courtesy Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Warner Bros., Pixar

Sean Penn Wins for "Milk"

"Funny People" Trailer, Third Film Directed by Judd Apatow

2009-02-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

Funny People is an upcoming 2009 American comedy-drama film, written, co-produced, and directed by Judd Apatow, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen as stand up comedians. According to Apatow, the movie is due out July 31st, 2009. Similar to Apatow's previous films, the film would use both comedic and dramatic elements, though it will contain more of the latter. Funny People is in post-production as of January 2009. The film is a co-production between Happy Madison Productions and Apatow Productions. Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures will co-finance the film, while Universal will distribute worldwide.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized

2009-02-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

Thought this was pretty interesting...pretty sure no one cares

"The Short and Simple Story of the Credit Crisis.

By Jonathan Jarvis.

Crisisofcredit.com

The goal of giving form to a complex situation like the credit crisis is to quickly supply the essence of the situation to those unfamiliar and uninitiated. This project was completed as part of my thesis work in the Media Design Program, a graduate studio at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

For more on my broader thesis work exploring the use of new media to make sense of a increasingly complex world, visit jdjarvis.com or email me at jonathan.jarvis@gmail.com."

Part 1

Part 2

Can 6 Year Old Madin Mohammed Be the Next Zinedine Zidane?

2009-02-20T10:47:00.000-08:00

[via Goal.com]

British tabloid The Sun has sensationally reported that Chelsea and Real Madrid will battle it out for the right to have a six-year-old child on their books.

The talent in question is French youngster Madin Mohammed, who is described as an "amazing talent."

Christian Lazaoui, the president of Madin's local club, Roubaix, added, "He can cross the ball, control it, swerve, pass between the legs. He is spectacular with the ball--really magic."

Madin's family moved from to France from Algeria three years ago and has reportedly been handed a scholarship by the FFF (French Football Federation).

The Algerian link has brought inevitable comparisons between the child and Zinedine Zidane, but you can judge for yourself!

Another Amazing Goal by Alexander Ovechkin

2009-02-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

Sportscenter has already called it the goal of the year in the NHL. Who else would have been responsible but Alexander Ovechkin?

Goal against the Montreal Canadiens - 2/18/09

That goal, reminds me a lot of this one (probably the best goal I've ever seen)
Ovechkin's goal against the Phoenix Coyotes - 1/15/09

SethComedy - Backstage with Bob Dylan

2009-02-18T12:40:00.000-08:00

This is the newest video on Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy. In case you don't know, Seth MacFarlane is the genius behind Family Guy. His YouTube channel has some big time sponsorships with Priceline and Burger King...talk about brand integration.

Alex Rodriguez Details Steroid Abuse at Press Conference

2009-02-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Yankees slugger Alex Rodridguez addressed his steroid issue once again but this time in much greater detail. Who knows whether he is being completely honest with us (I highly doubt that) but it was interesting to note that A-Rod went into much greater detail than any other player who has admitted to using steroids. The whole "boli" thing seems a little odd, but Rodriguez was pretty detailed in saying how often he took steroids, when during the season and how it affected his play.

You can see a Yahoo news article HERE

A-Rod Details Steroid Abuse At 2.17.09 Press Conference

A-Rod’s Steroid Q&A With Reporters At 2.17.09 Press Conference

Lil Wayne Gets an ESPN Blog...and a Tattoo

2009-02-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

Looks like ESPN has taken their relationship with Lil Wayne to the next level. If you remember, rapper Lil Wayne has been featured on shows like First Take and Around the Horn in recent months. The response from his appearance on ESPN was good enough for ESPN to offer him his own sports blog on their site. Lil Wayne returned the favor by getting an ESPN tattoo on his arm (see above).

Lil Wayne's ESPN Blog

Lil Wayne Appears on "Around the Horn" & Wins

Lil Wayne @ The Super Bowl ESPN Party Doing Interviews

Homer goes HD'oh in new 'Simpsons' intro

2009-02-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

From AdFreak:

In case you missed it, here's the new, high-definition intro that debuted Sunday on The Simpsons. It's rare that a TV show's intro merits much chatter, even online, but The Simpsons has sputtered by for more than 19 years on the same poorly drawn animation. Even long-absent fans may have tuned in this weekend to see how one of television's most famous openings had evolved. Or they at least checked out the official YouTube clip, which was posted Friday and already had over 750,000 views by Sunday. The result was a healthy burst of buzz for a show that's otherwise been on the cultural back burner for years now.

—Posted by David Griner

MMA Live Talks Strikeforce Expansion and Reviews UFC Fight Night 17

2009-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

A little late with this episode of MMA Live but here you go anyway.

Freaky Best Man Speech

2009-02-16T22:52:00.000-08:00

According to the site info:

This speech was given at a wedding reception where 300 people were in attendance. The bride and groom are both attorneys.

Pretty funny video...I bet the wife hates him though. Whoever owns the rights to this video sure is determined to maximize their advertising revenues so you have to actually go to the site to see video. Enjoy the bombardment of ads on the site.

http://www.freakybestmanspeech.com/

NBA All-Star Weekend Highlights

2009-02-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

Here you go, below you will find videos that give you the full rundown of all the great things you missed from the NBA All-Star weekend.

3 Point Shootout Highlights

Dunk Contest Highlights

All-Star Game Highlights

Shaq dances with the JabbaWockeeZ during All-Star intro

Family Guy Spoofs Christian Bale's Rant

2009-02-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Ryan Digicrest for posting this video.

As if Christian Bale's profanity laced tirade a few weeks ago wasn't funny enough, the producers of Family Guy had to give their take.

The Late Show with David Letterman - Where's Joaquin Phoenix?

2009-02-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

Good job CBS, now keep up to date on actually posting clips like this more often and you could attract a serious audience.

Anyway, if you haven't seen this video, it's pretty interesting. Joaquin Phoenix has been "strange" to say the least recently. First he quit acting. Then he decided he wanted to grow a Grizzly Adams' beard and pursue a career in rap.

In this video Joaquin Phoenix shows up as a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman but is he really present?

Special Video in Honor of Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T16:29:00.001-08:00

Only 1 more day until Valentine's Day (aka Single Awareness Day for the lonely people of the world). In honor of this Hallmark holiday I would like to invite you to check out the romantic and thoughtful marriage proposal videos featured over at OldestLiving.

CultureCatalyst readers know that "romantic and thoughtful" isn't really my style, so here's a wedding proposal that I think is much more appropriate.

Catalyst:SF featured on Adotas.com

2009-02-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this little gem with you all. We just recently had this piece written about us by Adotas.com, which is an internet advertising and media news site.

I'll copy the whole article below but I encourage you to check the article out HERE.

Catalyst:SF, a ‘marketing capital’ firm
Written on February 12th 2009
Author by George H. Simpson

ADOTAS — Catalyst:SF was founded in 2007 by John Durham and Cory Treffiletti, who together, have nearly 40 years of marketing and sales experience, much of it in the digital media industry. The company calls itself a “Marketing Capital” firm that helps clients combine selling a product or service (Marketing) with sources of profit or benefit vs. the competition (Capital) to produce ideas, intelligence and insights that achieve an advantage in the areas of marketing, sales or consumer insights. We asked the privately-held San Francisco-based company to tell us more about itself. Here are John Durham’s answers.

Catalyst:SF is not an ad agency, not a consulting firm. Exactly what is it you do?

Catalyst:SF delivers mission critical intelligence to the intersection of Madison Ave. and Silicon Valley through marketing and sales services. Our core business is strategy and execution for brands, start-ups, publishers and agencies who are looking to utilize new media for the success of their core business metrics and we support that core business making sure that business gets done efficiently.

We’re a different kind of agency; one that can work with all the different players in digital media. We have a team with deep experience from both sides of the coin (agencies/brands and publishers/technology) and in all sorts of categories and we apply our knowledge and expertise to achieving results. We have a theory for how an agency should be structured and how it should be compensated and this company is proof of that concept.

Rather than being paid for what agencies do best, which is spend money, we get paid for strategy and incentivized on performance. Our strategy starts with the tools and services that are available in the marketplace and a deep understanding of how the target uses these tools. The last thing we do is try to spend money, so most of our clients are pretty happy about that! There are a lot of ways to reach an audience and convey a message that are not dependent on a paid media placement.

Can you give me a few examples of how you have helped start up companies?

Over the last year and a half we’ve helped a number of start-ups and emerging publishers to properly position themselves in the marketplace and either launch effectively or drive growth against a set of measurable business objectives. In some cases, with very early stage start-ups, we developed positioning and messaging and created a launch strategy to get them into the marketplace. For other companies who are farther along in their growth cycles who came to us with a set of positioning and a business model, we developed their outreach and customer acquisition efforts and managed the execution to help them hit their needs for growth.

A few examples of some of our successes over the last year and a half:

- Freewheel.tv: Freewheel came to us post Seed funding and we launched them into the marketplace as their outsourced marketing department, managing all messaging, including their PR strategy, website and sales materials. Since their launch and through our combined efforts in their first year, Freewheel has successfully become the leader in advanced advertising and monetization management for online video, working with a who’s who of the online video category.

- Kenshoo: Kenshoo was an established SEM management tool in the UK and they worked with us to revise their positioning and messaging for US introduction with initial meetings at US agency leaders. As a result of these and additional efforts, Kenshoo has quickly assumed a position of leadership for intelligent campaign automation in SEM.

- Sportgenic: Our team managed a series of events that featured the roll-out of a new name and logo while increasing awareness and generating leads for the targeted, vertical media company. Our efforts resulted in dramatic approval from brands and agencies alike.

- Brightroll: Catalyst:SF developed and executed a national road-show that resulted in direct, highly impactful exposure to more than 180 brand and agency representatives at a senior level, opening markets and continuing its growth as the leader in online video.

How do you measure your success?

Our success is measured very simply; by sales, market share and revenue. It is our philosophy, after having spent the last 15 years on digital strategy, that marketing dollars are only spent to increase sales, market share and revenue. We identify the objectives of the business and apply a proprietary Behavioral Planning process that takes into account the responsibility of media and the power of messaging to create strategies that are rooted in fundamental marketing principles.

The “SF” in our name is a reminder of that methodology; strategy and fundamentals. Too many companies attempt to create strategy that forgets the fundamentals. Too many people try to be “innovative” for the sake of innovation, but we believe that you need a mix of what has worked in the past and what may work in the future in order to be efficient with your money and responsible for your business. If you aren’t measuring the ROI for your dollars, how else can you possibly measure success?

Give me a short history of the company.

The company’s genesis was back in 2004 when Cory and I worked together at Carat Fusion, the interactive arm of Carat USA. Each of us have always been intrigued and involved in emerging media, dating back to our various roles in interactive as far back as 1994 and 1995. In 2005 we started thinking about finding new ways to build the marketing paradigm and focus our attention against emerging media and innovative publishers. In 2007 we decided after having left Carat and done stints with a couple of companies to formally pursue the idea for a Marketing Capital Firm.

The idea was to provide marketing services to venture-backed companies and continue to build expertise within these formats, thereby honing our expertise in these vehicles and being able to provide that experience for brands. We build the team, created the model and have been successful since then!

We are all entrepreneurial at heart and we like working as a catalyst for business between Silicon Valley and Madison Avenue. We like translating these two languages for one another and our relationships and our network of contacts have benefitted by being tuned in to what’s new and what’s working. Everyone seems to benefit and everyone learns. We firmly believe in the concept that all ships rise with the tide and we want to do our part to make sure that the tide is high!

What have you got in the works coming up in the next six months?

Over the next 6 months we are looking to launch some new services that will make it even more efficient to drive users and build a customer base for start-ups that provide a real solution to a real challenge in the marketplace. We are also looking to work with more brands and more publishers at the intersections of their business to provide solutions that go beyond advertising and paying for placement. We want to get into the nitty gritty of how you weave your brand into the actual experience of the web, thereby becoming more than a marketer and more of an integrated solution. We could explain exactly how to do that, but then where would our competitive edge reside?

More Catalyst Links:
Home Page
CrunchBase
TradeVibes

Two Great Links You Need to Check Out

2009-02-12T13:20:00.001-08:00

I felt the need to share these great websites with the millions upon millions of faithful Culture Catalyst readers.

First, a great website that lets visitors post short little messages of why their life is terrible...trust me it's entertaining.

http://www.fmylife.com/

And second, a website that lets users submit their terribly unhealthy and grossly fattening foods. You will feel better about the pint of ice cream you ate last night.

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

Enjoy and happy surfing. If you come across any other great sites I should know about please leave a comment.

Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' Trailer Released

2009-02-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

I didn't really know anything about this movie so here's a quick blurb from Wikipedia:

Inglourious Basterds [sic] is an upcoming ensemble war film/spaghetti western written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It has the largest cast of characters (with speaking roles) of any Tarantino film to date and is currently in production with several locations, among them Germany and France. Tarantino plans to complete production of Inglourious Basterds in time for release at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2009. Filming began in October 2008. The title (and partial premise) of the upcoming film is inspired by Italian director Enzo Castellari's 1978 movie Inglorious Bastards. The Weinstein Company has slated August 21, 2009 as the tentative U.S. release date.

Premise:
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "two story lines converge: One follows a group of prisoners-turned-soldiers whose mission is to take down a group of Nazis, and the other follows a young Jewish woman who seeks to avenge the death of her parents by this Nazi group."

The film will be divided into five chapters:

* Chapter One: Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied France
* Chapter Two: Inglourious Basterds
* Chapter Three: German Night in Paris (filmed in "French New Wave Black and White")
* Chapter Four: Operation Kino
* Chapter Five: Revenge of the Giant Face

(Also available in HD at Yahoo)

Sports Illustrated Swimsuite Issue 2009 is Out

2009-02-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

A day that is marked on the calendars of men across the world. The release of the annual SI Swimsuit Issue is proof that Christmas can really come twice a year. This year's cover model is Bar Refaeli (seen above). I would say Brooklyn Decker & Julie Henderson are some of my favorites, but who am I kidding, they are all my favorites.

Check these links to see more:
SI.com
WithLeather
WWTDD

A-Rod Admits Steroid Use

2009-02-11T15:47:00.000-08:00

Since it's definitely been the biggest story in sports the last week, I guess I should post the video of Alex Rodriguez's interview where he admits he took steroids.

If you don't know the story behind it, I'd rather not try and type out all the ins and outs of how this all happened, so I'll just point you HERE.

You can find the full transcript of the interview HERE

SNL Digital Short: I'm On a Boat

2009-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

Andy Samberg and The Lonely Island boys have returned again with another Saturday Night Live Digital Short. This one is entitled "I'm On a Boat" and while I think it's funny I don't think its anywhere near their previous work (Here & Here).

You can go pick up Incredibad which is the new album from The Lonely Island, it came out yesterday.

Performances from the 51st Grammy Awards

2009-02-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

Sooooooooo.....I was going to make a post where I aggregated all the various videos of the performances from last nights' Grammy Awards. The key word being WAS, then I realized that CBS.com is still dumb and doesn't upload or host any content so I'd have to get all the videos from YouTube. I'm sure we are all familiar with the problem of this; the videos will be taken down in a few days once CBS gets around to making a copyright claim (CBS you could avoid all this if you would just host the videos on Hulu or CBS.com).

Anyway, I found a page on Mahalo that does a way better job than I could ever do:

TO SEE ALL THE GRAMMY AWARDS PERFORMANCES GO HERE