Showing posts with label Better Videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Better Videos. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31, 2013



"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my ax and one watching videos on YouTube." 

- Lincoln


Happy Holidays! It's time for Hug the Rhino's second annual Lincoln Awards, featuring the 8 best videos of 2013. (See the 2012 edition here). To qualify, these videos have to be ones that our team watched for the first time in the last 12 months, so some aren't actually from 2013. We found almost zero of these videos on our own, so a huge thank you to those who shared the content!


This year's categories:

  • Most Under-appreciated 
  • Cutest Musical Duo
  • Most Inspirational 
  • Best Live Music Performance
  • Most Shocking (With Purpose)
  • Most Courageous 
  • Most Change Potential
  • Best Overall Video

Most Under-appreciated... 

Jon Oliver's Gun Control Documentary

Hilarious, witty, and substantive, Jon Oliver's 3-part series compares US and Australia's reaction to gun massacres. Hint: The US doesn't come out looking well. With the combination of stellar reporting and humor, this piece should have millions of views. 





Watch all three parts to get all of the facts and jokes.


Cutest Musical Duo... 


Father and 2 Year Old Son, "Don't Let Me Down"

This Brazilian Father and his 1 month, 11 year son remake a Beatles classic, in the process melting the hearts of everyone watching. 




Don't miss the pause and mumbling at 1:11

Most Inspirational... 


Louie Schwartzberg: Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.

A Benedictine Monk narrates Louie's stunning time lapse photography, asking us to wake up to the beauty and greatness of every single day. Lesson: Cultivate gratitude and wonder.  



Go ahead and watch this daily. 

Best Live Music Performance.... 


Local Natives on A Take Away Show, "Who Knows, Who Cares"

Anyone who loves live music should check out the series of Take Away Shows on Youtube. Not quite the diversity of NPR's Tiny Desk, but fantastic nonetheless. In this video the Local Natives entertain a French shopping mall with a live version of "Who Knows, Who Cares". 

(Music Starts at 1:30)


Just stunning. 

Most Shocking (With Purpose).... 


Earthlings - Full Length Documentary

Using hidden cameras, Shaun Monson invesigates five industries that use and abuse animals for profit (Pets, Food, Clothes, Entertainment, Scientific Research). 

Warning - Extremely Graphic



We needed two sittings to finish this. Too much to take in at once, especially if you are an empathetic person.

 Most Courageous Video.... 


Coming Out of Your Closet by Ash Beckman

We all have moments in our lives that call for courage and bravery, our own closets to leave. Ash Beckman explains more in this fantastic TEDx talk. 



Hard is hard. 

Most Change Potential 

The Power of Vulnerability - Brené Brown

What is the key to happiness? Could it be vulnerability? With so many personal insights, this video really inspires viewers to seek vulnerability, and be open to positive and negative emotion. 





To feel the highest highs, you have to be open to the lowest lows.

Best Overall Video (s) ... 

NPR - Tiny Desk Concerts

Alright, this is officially cheating. Of all of the things that we've watched this year, we've loved Tiny Desk concerts the most. Great bands playing live, stripped down versions of their songs to a bunch of office workers on their lunch break. Who knew that was a recipe for success? Here are four of our favorites.


Watched this way too many times. 

Best song: "Down With the Shine"

First Tiny Desk experience

The 2nd Song is ridiculously cool.

Search the tiny desk playlist for some of your favorite artists. They also feature big names like Adele, Macklemore, Lyle Lovett, etc. 

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Think we missed some great videos from 2013? Send then to us or leave them in the comment section. They might just make the awards for next year. 

Hug the Rhino
For a better life



Sunday, December 9, 2012



Ladies and gentleman, Happy Holidays! Welcome to Hug the Rhino's first ever "videos of the year list". And what's a great awards show without the well-known name? If you were wondering, it comes from the famous Lincoln quote:


"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my ax and one watching videos on YouTube." 


Here are the categories for 2012:

  • Most-Unappreciated Video (#starthome)
  • Best British Oddity Video
  • Best Poetry Video
  • Best Music Video
  • Best Inspirational Video
  • Best Cheesy Inspirational Video
  • Best Gay Marriage Video
  • Best Overall Video
Some of these have around 1,000 views. Only 1,000?!? For the best of the year in this category in the whole world? That's outrageous. 

To be clear, they don't have to be new this year, just ones that we've watched for the first time in the last 12 months. All videos also come with instructions. These will help you get the most of the viewing experience. 



Most Unappreciated Video - Orphan Eyes - Mi Hogar, Home Sweet Home


All we can say is, why isn't this a viral sensation? It has a cheesy saxophone melody, stellar cinematography and some of the best slow motion we've seen in years. The three keys to great videos!

Really though, we want you to take some action taken and popularize the most unappreciated video of the year. If you love it (and you are going to), tweet #starthome with a link to this video or my blog, or share it with that hashtag on facebook (or both). Notice the connection to #stopkony? Well, yes, we are trying to make someone famous. These guys. 

Currently it has 1,950 views on YouTube. Want to try and hit 10,000 by Tuesday? Maybe a 100,000 by New Years? Well, it's worth a try.  

(Update - We added about 1,000 views. Not bad!)

How to Watch

  • Go into a forest with your favorite instrument and pretend to play it along with the music.




Seriously. Wasn't that amazing? My favorite part is 2:50. #starthome.

British Oddity Video of the Year - The Way of the Bells

A short ethnographic film about bell ringers of the UK. It's just so properly British. 


How to Watch

  • Quickly sign up* for your nearest bell-ringing group. (*May need to move to the UK)
  • Grab some tissues. It's a tear-jerker. 




Poetry Video of the Year - Sarah Kay - If I should have a daughter

We are HTR are such suckers for beauty! And poetry, especially spoken word poetry delivered by captivating speakers makes life a little brighter. Thank you Josh Cleary for showing me the light. This last only for about the first four minutes of the video. 

How to Watch:

  • Get out a note pad and a pencil. You are about to learn how to be a great parent. 

A close second is Shake the Dust, by Anis Mojgani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDtHdloK44



Music Video of the Year - Antwon - Helicopter (warning: explicit language) 

This video is simple, beautiful, and straight up gangster: 


How to Watch

  • Grab a stack of pancakes and pour Sriracha sauce and Olde English on them just like Antwon. 
  • Pause the video when Antwon and his posse are chilling on the apartment steps and appreciate their superb ethnic diversity. 


Inspirational Video of the Year - Adora Svitak - Learning from Kids

Now, this isn't traditional "inspiration". But it's an invitation to think differently, rediscover the joys of youth, and learn a lot from a 10 year old. 


How to Watch

  • Try not to feel too bad that you weren't speaking at international conferences at the age of 10. 
  • Listen to what state she is from... And if kids from there are like this, imagine how cool kids from Oregon are!




Cheesy Inspirational Video of the Year - How Great I Am 

HTR is no unconditional lover of inspirational sports movies, but we've been known to "Remember the Titans" a time or two. Here we present a montage of some of the greatest lines from those movies, mixed with inspirational sports figures. Yes, goosebumps be a coming. 

How to Watch

  • Set your running shoes out for the morning. You'll be a training fiend by the end. 
  • Grab a bottle of arsenic and drink every time they feature a female athlete (hint, you'll survive, and the lack of such figures is a travesty)


Best Same-Sex Marriage Videos of the Year - John Corvino

Really want to thank Emily Lindgren for sharing these videos with me after the Gay Marriage blog. They are just gems! Here's one on the definition of marriage. 

How to Watch
  • Keep on for the after-credits joke. There's one in each video in the series. 
  • Post some YouTube comments about the video! It's a good place to have reasonable discussions about the issues....


Best Video Of the Year- Sir Ken Robinson - Changing Education Paradigms

How do we decide the video of the year; humor, significance, potential for impact? Well, we've decided to go with all three. This video is Sir Ken's extremely meaningful, funny, and engaging evisceration of our education system. 

How to Watch
  • Remove socks and fold, placing them nearby. They'd be blown off anyway. 
  • Graduate school before watching. Otherwise, you might be encouraged to doubt the system. (Or change it.)

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#starthome

Hug the Rhino Team
For a better life