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Register 2026: hedges and bits

Statements from 2026 that are not plain sincere assertions: sincere claims the speaker hedged or marked as uncertain (with the hedge words quoted), and statements made as a bit. Plain sincere, unhedged statements are on the video pages. Back to the overview.

John

1566 statements · sincere 91% · playful 9% · other bits 1% · hedged or unsure 7%

Sincere but hedged (96)

Split by hedge type (derived from the quoted hedge words with a fixed word list — see the overview): epistemic doubt 43 · wish / hope 5 · opinion marker 15 · other hedge 19 · hedge words not recorded 14.

Epistemic doubt (43)

real uncertainty about whether it is true

  • 2026-01-20 · Am I ... Good? — John had almost entirely forgotten Zombicorns, but that night, perhaps because of a couple glasses of whiskey, he decided to reread it. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2026-01-20 · Am I ... Good? — Since Zombicorns' flaws didn't bother him, John wonders whether his published work might also be good, or at least better than he remembers. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:09)
  • 2026-02-10 · I Was a Teenage Dirtbag — John tells Hank they have been friends, or at least siblings, for over 40 years, which is probably why Hank is his favourite person to root for. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:36)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John worries that this year's (2026) P4A may have too many matching donors: for the first time he wonders whether they will raise enough to use the whole match. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:17:31)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Asked about pressed nickels, John muses that cash could be rounded to the dollar: quarters still somewhat facilitate exchange, but he is not sure dimes do. — hedged: “I'm not sure” [epistemic doubt] (02:35:23)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says Kurt Vonnegut's mother, after breaking off her engagement to a German army officer, lived for a time about 2,000 yards from his home, among some of the same 200-year-old trees. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (07:10:10)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says AFC Wimbledon are about six points clear of relegation and probably need to win four or five of their last 18 games to stay up. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:32:20)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — After the 3-3 draw at Barnsley, John says AFC Wimbledon probably only need four more wins to stay up. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (02:05:27)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says he found out about Alexei Leonov's art through an Art Assignment video called Art in Space, and that The Art Assignment remains maybe his all-time favorite YouTube channel. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (06:48:20)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John made an Instagram video about the first birth at the Maternal Center of Excellence and says he may make a Vlogbrothers video about it. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (01:00:24)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John says that maybe once in every thousand or two thousand signatures he looks down and finds he has not written his name but some other mark. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (01:08:27)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Seeing a donation from the Lockhart family, John wonders whether it is his real-life friend E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, and thinks it probably is. — hedged: “I think it probably is” [epistemic doubt] (02:38:57)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — In the congresswoman's office John answered constituent calls and emails, writing down what people needed; sometimes they just needed to yell at someone, and at about 17 he was that someone, which still beat Steak 'n Shake. — hedged: “I think I was probably 17” [epistemic doubt] (02:53:19)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John was 29 when they started and is now 48; he does not know if he will still make videos every Tuesday when it is half his life, but suspects he will still be doing the Project for Awesome. — hedged: “I don't know if I'll still be making videos every Tuesday, but I suspect” [epistemic doubt] (02:56:32)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Of the signed prints showing this year's (2026) guests as fish, John thinks Tyler Thrasher's turned out the coolest, though they are all pretty great. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (04:18:17)
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — On luck, John says a different Printz committee in 2005 might have chosen another book over Looking for Alaska, and his career would look very different. — hedged: “might have” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — John says if YouTube had not featured a song Hank wrote in 2007, the channel might not have survived to 2008. — hedged: “might not” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — John says the bet might still go sideways: this is not the end of the MCOE's story but the very beginning. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:22)
  • 2026-03-03 · The Best Fan Mail I Ever Received — John is convinced that without the award he would never have become a writer: it was the first time he heard he was extraordinary at anything, and that affirmation helped make his writing life. — hedged: “I might be wrong” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:10)
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says shingles, famously painful, may no longer exist within a generation or two because it is now vaccine preventable. — hedged: “may” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says Galen perhaps called it the sacred bone because of its role in sacrifice, or maybe its proximity to the genitalia, seen as sacred. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:14)
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says that without Good Store the Maternal Center of Excellence might still be under construction and those 500 babies might have fared very differently. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:52)
  • 2026-05-26 · Hank Green Is a Fool — John says saying so would have drawn fewer views and coin sales, which maybe shows a problem with an algorithmic internet that values only capturing and holding attention. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:00)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Qatar have a relatively easy group but probably still won't get out of it. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Cape Verde might even get out of their group if they beat Saudi Arabia. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Iran may well meet the US men's team in the second round and will believe they can upset the US, as in 1998. — hedged: “may well” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:26)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — John calls the Netherlands probably the best footballing nation ever to win the World Cup (likely a slip for never); they will believe they can go far with stars like Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:06:19)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says such songs are often player-specific; the Pulisic song arguably has its roots in a Scottish song about player John McGinn. — hedged: “you could argue” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:41)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says the Scottish fans' chant that there is no World Cup party without Scotland has been borne out: they have brought the party. — hedged: “kind of” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:19)
  • 2026-07-07 · On the Death of the Author — John says The Death of the Author was probably the most important essay he read in college. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:26)
  • 2026-07-07 · On the Death of the Author — John says he could stop making videos and Instagram posts, and has become more careful about what he shares online so that more of his private life belongs to him. — hedged: “I guess” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:52)
  • 2026-07-21 · One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy — Citing Camus's conclusion that one must imagine Sisyphus happy, John allows that maybe there is no meaning in rolling a rock, signing one's name, writing a novel or selling mortgages. — hedged: “Maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:24)
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — Hank probably would not exist either: he had scarlet fever as a kid, easily cured, but a common cause of childhood death in the 19th century. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:26)
  • 2026-09-01 · You Can't Go Home Again, but I Tried — John says chemoreception, the precursor to smell and taste, probably evolved in organisms even before the sense of touch. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says many humans, perhaps nearly half, died before age 5, and another 10% or so before 15. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:26)
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says this fact about the life expectancy myth has spread very widely, perhaps even more widely than the original narrative. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John gives reasons for fewer likes: watching on TVs or phones, perhaps feeling less like a participant than in the old days, and never being told to smash the like button. — hedged: “may” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-09-28 · Death. Taxes. Pizzamas. — John says he must pack for 13 days in a carry-on bag but might bring the denim jacket on the road. — hedged: “I might have to” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:20)
  • 2026-09-30 · The Point of Life — Prompted by Hank's video yesterday, John says that as he has gotten older he has started to think the meaning of life may be to commit to bits. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:40)
  • 2026-10-02 · the most powerful attention-consuming tools in the history of the world — John suspects the phrase consuming content says more about our historical moment than it means to. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2026-10-06 · Make Your Art. — John does not know how many people listen to AFC Wimbledon radio broadcasts but suspects it is in the hundreds, certainly not millions. — hedged: “I suspect” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:11)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says the two broad kinds of bacteria, gram-positive and gram-negative, probably have not shared a common ancestor in billions of years; he is more closely related to mushrooms. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — With a better understanding of the TB cell wall, new drugs may inhibit building the wall, choke off the bacterium's energy sources or starve it of cholesterol. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:06:49)

Wish / hope (5)

a wish about the future, not a claim about what is true

  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — John says the MCOE will see the birth of some 5,000 babies every year, hopefully for decades. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (00:00:00)
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says the poem reminds him of what is impermanent, which is everything, including, hopefully soon, Hank's pain; he wishes Hank a speedy recovery. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (00:05:13)
  • 2026-07-07 · On the Death of the Author — Replying to a viewer's comment, John says there are no tour dates yet, but hopefully soon. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (creator comment)
  • 2026-07-07 · On the Death of the Author — John says Hollywood, Ending is still a made-up novel; he hopes it is about the reader's experiences and what they survived, not his. — hedged: “I hope” [wish / hope] (00:05:51)
  • 2026-08-03 · Esther Day 2026: Some Thoughts on Loss — John says he too will one day not see sunsets, but others will, and he hopes the love he shared will stay with them, so our love survives as long as we do. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (00:03:43)

Opinion marker (15)

marks a view as the speaker's own; not doubt

  • 2026-01-13 · why we make art — John thinks he has made three videos about Cheyenne, Wyoming in the last ten years, about how often he has been able to get there; it took a few years to get back. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:03:53)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says a Nerdfighter advisory group helps list the smaller charities that get P4A grants each year, which can be transformational, and that the P4A has raised about $17 million over the years. — hedged: “I believe” [opinion marker] (00:51:43)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John thinks this is the 15th or 16th year the P4A has supported Partners In Health. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (01:43:19)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says an anonymous donor just gave $30,000, which he thinks is the biggest gift ever made during a P4A stream. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (02:08:36)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John tells Henry that Harry Houdini died after someone punched him in the stomach and his appendix burst. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (02:11:36)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says the 2026 P4A has raised $1.065 million with matching, which he believes already passes each of the first 11 Projects for Awesome. — hedged: “I believe” [opinion marker] (02:13:06)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John plans, once his FIFA series wraps up, to play another Rockstar game on John's Channel, Red Dead Redemption 2, keeping to his own morals. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (02:29:41)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John believes he released Zombicorns under a Creative Commons license, so it belongs to the public, but having it emailed is possible only during a P4A. — hedged: “I believe” [opinion marker] (02:36:09)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Correcting himself, John says he thinks cancer has existed for as long as there has been multicellular life. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (08:06:01)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — After Marcus Browne scores to put AFC Wimbledon 3-2 up from 2-0 down, John says he doesn't think they have come from two goals down to win since seven or eight years ago. — hedged: “I don't think” [opinion marker] (01:43:08)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says that with $3.5 million raised, the Project for Awesome has now raised over $30 million in its history. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (03:21:37)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John thanks the Partners In Health matching donor, who gave $100,000, the Save the Children matching donors, who gave $500,000, and about 700 Nerdfighters who formed a $1.5 million matching fund matching donations up to $1.492 million. — hedged: “I believe” [opinion marker] (03:22:50)
  • 2026-05-26 · Hank Green Is a Fool — John's comment says they made money from vlogbrothers until about 2012 and never took money out of Complexly, but got a small salary and health insurance through it. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (creator comment)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says Will Grigg doesn't play for the US and has, he thinks, retired. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:03:02)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John thinks the man he heard singing the Pulisic song in Seattle wrote it. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:04:41)

Other hedge (19)

a hedge that matches none of the word lists

  • 2026-02-10 · I Was a Teenage Dirtbag — John says the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, the US and Mexico, was supposed to celebrate North American cooperation but now appears it will be something else. — hedged: “appears” [other hedge] (00:03:20)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John has heard that a mausoleum on the hill at Crown Hill Cemetery costs a million dollars. — hedged: “or at least what I heard” [other hedge] (02:41:04)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John tells Henry that Hank fact-checked something in Project Hail Mary and changed something in the book at the galley stage. — hedged: “I can't remember exactly what it was” [other hedge] (02:54:32)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says the novel he has not finished is about Hollywood, about two kids who are in a movie; he is trying to finish it and would like it published someday, though that is never certain. — hedged: “who knows if it will be” [other hedge] (02:57:23)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says he has not published a novel in nine years, though he has published other books, and would like to publish one at some point. — hedged: “we'll see” [other hedge] (07:49:56)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says the 2026 Project for Awesome could reach $2 million that night or early the next morning. — hedged: “potentially” [other hedge] (08:07:18)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says that if the 2026 Project for Awesome raises $3 million, his dream number, the P4A will have raised about $30 million in its history. — hedged: “or something like that” [other hedge] (00:23:54)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says Phil Plait's donated meteorite perks are all gone, raising something like $7,500 within a minute. — hedged: “something like” [other hedge] (01:31:55)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John says the Maternal Center of Excellence offers safe emergency C-sections, potentially for 5,000 births a year, and has the first neonatal intensive care unit in Sierra Leone's history. — hedged: “potentially” [other hedge] (00:05:41)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John says 2026 is probably the last year of the Project for Awesome's pressed pennies, a perk since the fundraiser began, because pennies are no longer made. — hedged: “We're not totally sure” [other hedge] (00:32:30)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says the grand total chart looks like a straight line up and the 2026 Project for Awesome appears on pace to beat 2025, at least for now. — hedged: “It looks like” [other hedge] (03:03:46)
  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — If the Constitution works, John says, the US will keep funding TB and global health at about the same rate, which is a huge win. — hedged: “if the Constitution works” [other hedge] (00:05:31)
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John's current, not fully formed thinking: telling other people their pain has meaning is deeply unhelpful, but finding meaning in your own pain can be fine and at times very helpful. — hedged: “I haven't fully formed my thoughts on this” [other hedge] (00:00:29)
  • 2026-05-12 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Bart Giamatti — John says Fay Vincent was a movie producer before becoming commissioner and produced, he thinks, Tootsie. — hedged: “like” [other hedge] (00:01:56)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Spain have rhythmic football and a deep talent pool including 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, poised, if healthy, to be the tournament's breakout star. — hedged: “if he's healthy” [other hedge] (00:07:47)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — In a clip from his video, John is unsure where a team's goals will come from, as for the other teams in its group, the US, Australia and Turkey. — hedged: “I'm unsure” [other hedge] (00:00:00)
  • 2026-07-07 · On the Death of the Author — John summarizes Barthes: the reader's job is not to understand the author's intention or biography but to bring their deepest self, creating a multi-dimensional space that belongs to every reader, not the 'mere scripter'. — hedged: “I can't remember the phrase he used” [other hedge] (00:02:57)
  • 2026-09-01 · You Can't Go Home Again, but I Tried — John says that if he lives another 30 years and Good Store still makes the soap the same way, he will be able to smell his present. — hedged: “if I am fortunate to live another 30 years” [other hedge] (00:04:20)
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John suspects that over time high view inflation, like high regular inflation, will not be particularly useful. — hedged: “I just suspect” [other hedge] (00:02:55)

Hedge words not recorded (14)

marked as unsure, but the hedge words were not quoted

  • 2026-01-06 · Hope Is Not a Feeling — John does not know what to say to his friend going through hell; the old line about keeping going through hell has some wisdom. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:04:23)
  • 2026-02-03 · Does the truth still matter? — John doesn't know whether answering memes and deepfakes with one's own is right: it may undermine credibility with opponents or encourage resistance to an increasingly authoritarian government. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:02:55)
  • 2026-02-03 · Does the truth still matter? — John says he doesn't know whether this means he should be on Twitter or X, or whether this video makes anything better or worse. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:03:24)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Asked about a second 100 Days, John says he doesn't know: at 48 he can't move as he did at 39, when he made 100 Days, but he could maybe do it with Henry. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (03:05:49)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John wonders why people use negative words like sick, stupid and ridiculous for good things, and would love a linguist's view. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:58:53)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Asked how to volunteer at the Maternal Center of Excellence, John says he does not know; he thinks the focus now is training local people, and suggests asking Partners In Health. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (02:40:17)
  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — John says it is unclear how or whether the administration will actually spend the money Congress appropriated. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:05:31)
  • 2026-03-31 · I've Been Keeping a Secret… — The description says the book will be published internationally, including the UK and Brazil, but John doesn't yet know if or where signed copies will be available there. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (video description)
  • 2026-03-31 · I've Been Keeping a Secret… — John doesn't know how to make signed editions available internationally, given the complexity of international publishing, and apologizes. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:03:24)
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — John's big question: whether his OCD is partly caused by his gut bacteria, a problem of his gut as much as of his head. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:02:26)
  • 2026-06-02 · The Instagramification of Human Experience — From health updates to gender reveals we render 3D experiences into 2D posts; John asks what that does for us and to us, questions Hollywood, Ending tries to answer. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:05:21)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — Asked whether the US is good at soccer now, John says he has no idea how good Paraguay and Australia are. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:02:23)
  • 2026-08-18 · My Nemeses — John asks Hank, not rhetorically, how to respond to professional provocateurs, saying he genuinely does not know even after all this time. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:03:27)
  • 2026-08-18 · My Nemeses — John says that even after 30 years in these waters he does not know how to use the social internet's tools or how to reduce the power of professional provocateurs, which adds to his anxiety. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:04:25)

Fiction (1)

a story or novel read aloud; the words belong to characters

  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John reads Henry the first chapter of Zombicorns, whose narrator recalls his corn-obsessed father, whom he shot a year earlier, while holed up in a Lincoln Square cellar. (02:31:19)

Joke (6)

a gag; not a claim

  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says the most likely mascot of the 2026 Project for Awesome is '2027', which speaks to how good 2026 has been so far. (03:20:07)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Extending the 2027 bit, John says a giant squid came to Earth to hug rather than attack, unifying humanity into a utopia where climate change is past tense and due process is back on the menu. (06:43:01)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Asked for 2027 lore, John says what a relief it is that every problem was solved by 2027: in February 2026 he doubted civilization would get through, and now everyone lives under the water. (08:00:12)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — With "all human problems being solved" leading the poll on the best thing about 2027, John says that in early 2026 it felt far away, and getting it done in a year is a testament to humanity. (02:59:08)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Showing the P4A shirt, John jokes that the giant squid came upon Earth and solved all their problems by uniting humanity: the giant squid of 2026. (04:25:40)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Reading a poll on whether people will join Jared's new social media platform, Pretzel Tube, John tells Hank he knows it is Hank's dream to make one, because Hank loves drama and misery in his life. (04:36:41)

Hypothetical (1)

a thought experiment or "what if"

  • 2026-10-27 · Should I Salinger… — If he ever Salingers, John tells Hank he is okay: he would probably be tending the forest near his house, working with other forest nerds to keep invasive ground cover out of its understory. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:14)

Playful (138)

a real point made in a joking way; the paraphrase records the meant core

Hank

1655 statements · sincere 91% · playful 8% · other bits 1% · hedged or unsure 9%

Sincere but hedged (139)

Split by hedge type (derived from the quoted hedge words with a fixed word list — see the overview): epistemic doubt 78 · wish / hope 2 · opinion marker 22 · other hedge 22 · hedge words not recorded 15.

Epistemic doubt (78)

real uncertainty about whether it is true

  • 2026-01-02 · I Got a New Disease and I Kinda Liked It. — Hank is working on a big, exciting project in this space that will take a lot of time; it is probably not for viewers, but it will be good and is badly needed. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:48)
  • 2026-01-09 · There is Only One Source of Value — Hank agrees with John's point that believing in a hopeful worldview makes it more likely that hopeful things come to pass: he thinks it is probably right. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2026-01-09 · There is Only One Source of Value — Hank concludes that, as a hopeful worldview makes hopeful outcomes likelier, believing lives should be full, rich and long today is likely the most effective path to such a future. — hedged: “is likely to be” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:53)
  • 2026-02-04 · We Just Sold Our Company for $0 — Hank says many would-be buyers offered compelling prices; the brothers listened, partly for the money and partly in case capital and selling to schools would maximize the mission's impact. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:13)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank says the Project for Awesome Tiltify stands at $661,000 and doubts it can gain $100,000 in his last shift. — hedged: “Probably not.” [epistemic doubt] (04:17:01)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank says the Project for Awesome Tiltify has raised $671,000 and is unsure it will reach $700,000. — hedged: “Maybe, maybe not.” [epistemic doubt] (04:39:03)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank says the late-night stream will go on for about another hour, then take a break, and John will join viewers in the morning. — hedged: “i would guess” [epistemic doubt] (05:04:31)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Hank admits that one year he offered a juice as a P4A perk; it was a huge mistake, too much work and maybe illegal, and was never sent out. — hedged: “i think maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:25:06)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — For the remaining balloon task, Hank sets out to taste a Nintendo Switch cartridge, which he says is apparently made bad tasting because it is small. — hedged: “apparently” [epistemic doubt] (07:06:57)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank thinks he and John are probably more intentional than most people think in building what they built. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (02:12:58)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank says the Vienna sausage and liquid smoke add nothing to his banana loca, but there is something maybe kind of good about the queso. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (05:18:29)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Looking it up live, Hank finds that Titan's methane raindrops would make larger rainbows, likely red outside and blue inside against an orange sky, so a moon in the solar system has rainbows. — hedged: “likely” [epistemic doubt] (05:45:04)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — The Ask Hank Anything questions that took longest to research this season were probably Jason Mantzoukas's science questions, such as on allergies; he has a terrible egg allergy. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (05:54:00)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank says the worst part of being a public figure is being a target, probably worse than being bothered in public. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (06:02:07)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank notes they just raised more in ten minutes than ever before, about $100,000, maybe the biggest ten minutes in Project for Awesome history; the end is bigger than the beginning. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (04:04:03)
  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank guesses he might know about 50,000 names, though he is not sure. — hedged: “I think I might” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank has no idea how to count the people he actually knows, but thinks pulling contacts out of Gmail, with cell phone numbers, would probably cover the bulk of them, though not his elementary school friends. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank says the research he found tests name retrieval, not how many names people know: people repeatedly write down names over time and statistics estimate a total of about 5,000. — hedged: “it seems like” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:31)
  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank thinks the research is possible and would show we know about as many names as words, or at least that names are a substantial share of the words we know. — hedged: “Maybe not” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:59)
  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank says he thinks names are words, words for folk, though he does not know that it is true. — hedged: “I don't know that that's true” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:59)
  • 2026-03-06 · How Do You Create When You Don't Feel Safe — Hank doesn't know John's answer to the question and says they may save it for the podcast, making this video promo for it. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:49)
  • 2026-03-06 · How Do You Create When You Don't Feel Safe — Hank tells procrastinators that they have perhaps four hours left after upload to join the MolaCult before it is taken down. — hedged: “I think you maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:06:45)
  • 2026-03-13 · Pain — Hank is unsure he can edit the video while injured; if he cannot, it will not go up. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:32)
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Hank says this may not be fair to code and coders; he is describing how people react, not how things should be. — hedged: “Perhaps not” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:11)
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Hank says some real dancers will be scrolled past for looking like AI, while people already established as real might hold on and become an entrenched interest. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:10:08)
  • 2026-04-03 · I Had a Hallucination This Week — Hank suggests he may have been sleep deprived, or his brain was just in the right place for it. — hedged: “Maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:00)
  • 2026-04-03 · I Had a Hallucination This Week — Hank suggests the reason may be that atoms are not an exclusive club: the Grand Canyon and Valles Marineris are just atoms, as are most things (not neutron stars). — hedged: “Maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:14)
  • 2026-04-10 · Moon Joy — Answering a commenter, Hank says people have known moonlight is reflected sunlight at least since Ancient Greece, probably earlier. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (creator comment)
  • 2026-04-10 · Moon Joy — Hank suggests the moon may be the most peaceful place we can see with the naked eye; the sun and the planets all have more going on. — hedged: “I think maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:21)
  • 2026-04-10 · Moon Joy — Hank says Earth has much more going on than any other place in the solar system, possibly in the galaxy as far as we know. — hedged: “possibly” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:23)
  • 2026-04-24 · The AI Question that No AI Person Asks — AI might even make housing worse by further concentrating wealth, since intense inequality creates incentives to serve only the wealthiest consumers. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:07)
  • 2026-04-24 · The AI Question that No AI Person Asks — By that definition crows, single-celled organisms and maybe search engines manipulate information: not intelligent, but they might have intelligence. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:52)
  • 2026-04-24 · The AI Question that No AI Person Asks — Perhaps during Hank's lifetime the world has been moving from intelligence-constrained to wisdom-constrained, a transition still under way. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:34)
  • 2026-04-24 · The AI Question that No AI Person Asks — Hank sees some concentration of power from AI as somewhat inevitable, but maybe not. — hedged: “but maybe not” [epistemic doubt] (00:06:32)
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank says the numbers carry many uncertainties and might look better than reality, since people who die undiagnosed are not counted; but most are counted and most get good treatment. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:24)
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank says he is maybe, probably done with his own journey; the world definitely is not, but it is on the journey. — hedged: “maybe, probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:22)
  • 2026-05-15 · The Weirdest Thing About Dogs (and Cats (and Horses)) — Going beyond what scientists would say, Hank thinks people very likely cared more for dogs that had these muscles, though not simply because they were cuter. — hedged: “very likely” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:44)
  • 2026-05-15 · The Weirdest Thing About Dogs (and Cats (and Horses)) — Hank says cats changed their faces less but seem to have developed a whole different set of vocalizations for communicating with humans. — hedged: “seem to have developed” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:43)
  • 2026-05-22 · Why I Made Crash Course a Non-Profit — Hank says that had he lived in LA, San Francisco or New York he would have gone down that rabbit hole; he still feels these feelings more intensely there. — hedged: “I am pretty sure” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:50)
  • 2026-05-29 · Chemo Cow Body Odor YouTube Helen Hunt Commute — Hank says body odor can change during chemotherapy, probably not from the drugs themselves but because stressed sebaceous glands go dormant, leaving armpit bacteria nothing to eat and excrete as smell. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:52)
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — Hank says TikTok counts a view earlier than YouTube: a swipe watched for two or three seconds might count, while YouTube requires a click and longer watching. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:00)
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — Hank says humans might eventually not be the only thinking entity on the planet, nor the only source of strength or intelligence. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:10:56)
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — Hank suggests that maybe humans are the ones who define what matters and which problems get solved, as the source of the universe having meaning. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:10:56)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — China may once have shared this problem, but nobody calls their dishes china anymore. — hedged: “may” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Hank suspects Georgians would not mind English speakers saying Sakartvelo, which would prevent some confusion. — hedged: “I suspect” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:21)
  • 2026-07-10 · How Status Destroys Us — Hank says, allowing he may be too nostalgic, that the more status gets tied to it, the more you can convince yourself something is okay to do. — hedged: “I don't know, maybe I'm too nostalgic for the past” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:44)
  • 2026-07-10 · How Status Destroys Us — Hank suggests that maybe one of the worst things about the world is that it is now so interconnected that status can keep concentrating forever. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:44)
  • 2026-07-24 · One Must Imagine Sisyphus Important — Hank's answer: the most important thing is what made importance exist, since for probably billions of years after the Big Bang nothing could care, suffer or rejoice; there was just stuff. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-07-24 · One Must Imagine Sisyphus Important — Hank would not suffer forever for such fame, but, as John says, perhaps Sisyphus does not suffer. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:35)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank's starting hypothesis: 'pain in the butt' and 'pain in the ass' had been taking over from 'pain in the neck' as language taboos loosened. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says a plain search for 'pain in the neck' shows a bump in the 1940s, perhaps when the idiom spiked in print. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:56)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank's new, unprovable hypothesis from introspection: 'pain in the ass' could grow while 'pain in the neck' stayed steady because the two do partly different work. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:21)
  • 2026-08-21 · Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos — Hank allows that maybe Bezos only meant that more people would mean more genius and more wonderful creations. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:38)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says reservoirs, places a disease can hide and then come back from, are probably the most important factor in whether a disease is technically eradicable. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says TB also infects animals, but animal TB transmissible to humans seems somewhat different, so the animal reservoir matters less than the latent one. — hedged: “it seems like” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2026-09-04 · This is a Terrible Idea… — Hank says there is no full consensus that dark matter is matter, but it increasingly seems to be matter that does not interact with other matter or light, and very likely not made of atoms. — hedged: “very likely” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says John meant the two digits before the K: that gives $690, quite close to what the video has made so far, so for them the trick perhaps still mostly works. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:29)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says TikTok drove view inflation: short content means more views per minute, and scrolling until you find a video to watch might count five or 10 views. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:59)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank understands YouTube's move: competitors inflate counts and benefit while no one cares, so YouTube was suffering for no reason and changed. — hedged: “it seems like” [epistemic doubt] (00:07:46)
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — The description says John W. Jones signed 1,155,168 Confederate notes, probably significantly more. — hedged: “probably” [epistemic doubt] (video description)
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Hank says more books are probably signed by John than by any other author, at least for now, though he is not fully sure. — hedged: “at least for now, probably, but I'm also not 100% sure” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Hank thinks John may have signed his name more than any living person, though that cannot be known for sure. — hedged: “I think actually maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Hollywood, Ending is out wherever books are sold and John is on tour, with tickets possibly still available; Hank's bookstore had only one colorway. — hedged: “you might be lucky enough” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:55)
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Some long-serving Brazilian clerks could have signed their names over 10 million times; more conservatively four or five million over a career. — hedged: “could have” [epistemic doubt] (00:06:49)
  • 2026-09-29 · Pretend You Don't Know This — Hank says there is nothing like love languages for friendship in the culture: we talk about being a good friend, not about it meaning different things to different people. — hedged: “there might be, I don't know” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:50)
  • 2026-09-29 · Pretend You Don't Know This — Hank says bit commitment might fit the love languages as acts of service or quality time, but not really; he is not sure what it is. — hedged: “Perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:56)
  • 2026-09-29 · Pretend You Don't Know This — Hank says the bit maybe takes up the space of religion, but he likes that, unlike a spiritual path, it isn't intrinsically important. — hedged: “Maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:10)
  • 2026-10-01 · Are We Still YouTubers? — Hank says storyboard artists did not get their name at once; he imagines they long had to explain their work at parties until listeners were bored. — hedged: “I imagine” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:39)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says, without evidence for humans, that a person might not respond typically to the drugs; this is very rare but happens in veterinary euthanasia. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:03:24)
  • 2026-10-07 · The 5 Meanest Things We've Named a Species — Hank says the sarcastic fringehead is probably a similar case: though its mouth displays look sarcastic, the name seems to come from the original meaning of sarcastic, ripping or tearing, often of flesh. — hedged: “it seems like” [epistemic doubt] (00:00:58)
  • 2026-10-07 · The 5 Meanest Things We've Named a Species — Hank says Canada seems to translate Latin names into English for its database of common names, which makes that the spider's official common name. — hedged: “It seems like” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-10-16 · Is Happiness the Goal? — Hank says he is not sure he wants to be happy, and admits that sounds awful. — hedged: “I'm not sure” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:46)
  • 2026-10-16 · Is Happiness the Goal? — Hank sometimes feels making things on the internet may be like a pianist playing a really difficult piece or a surfer hanging ten on a complex wave. — hedged: “maybe” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:58)
  • 2026-10-23 · The Best Email I Ever Got — Hank recently got an email from Josh Wardle, maker of Wordle, saying he was impressed by decisions in 4x3; for Hank it was, he imagines, exactly like winning an Oscar. — hedged: “I imagine” [epistemic doubt] (00:02:00)
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says some things simply occurred: COVID was not caused by the algorithms, though perhaps made worse by them, and a pandemic together with a media revolution has hurt trust. — hedged: “perhaps” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:25)
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says it seems likely that being confronted more and more with how terrible things and people are lowers trust in them, which makes things worse. — hedged: “it seems likely” [epistemic doubt] (00:04:54)
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank suggests people may be alert to AI partly because they walked into the last revolution thinking it would be all about bottle flips, Harambe and Pokémon Go. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:05:53)
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says that, given the chance to let recommendation systems be in charge, as on short-form swipeable feeds, people seem to prefer it. — hedged: “it seems” [epistemic doubt] (00:07:38)

Wish / hope (2)

a wish about the future, not a claim about what is true

  • 2026-01-02 · I Got a New Disease and I Kinda Liked It. — Hank hopes the next decade will be about people taking some of their agency back; he almost has to believe it, even if he does not think it is true. — hedged: “I hope” [wish / hope] (00:07:16)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Hank says John's video gave him background he needs to hopefully start enjoying some World Cup, which he really wants to do, though it raised questions. — hedged: “hopefully” [wish / hope] (00:00:00)

Opinion marker (22)

marks a view as the speaker's own; not doubt

  • 2026-01-30 · Has Anyone Ever Accidentally Seen me Naked (Question Tuesday on a Friday) — Hank believes the ancient Greeks thought amber had its own soul. — hedged: “I believe” [opinion marker] (00:06:25)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Near the end of his shift, Hank says the Project for Awesome Tiltify stands at $696,000, short of $700,000. — hedged: “I don't think that we're going to do it while I'm sitting here” [opinion marker] (05:55:10)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Hank says his new book, offered as a P4A perk in early form, is about the biology of cancer and his experience of having cancer; the perk is probably its first two chapters. — hedged: “i believe actually” [opinion marker] (01:15:08)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Hank says nonprofit work shows decisions made because of strings attached to donations: he thinks the Boston Museum of Science must display a man's gun collection under a 1950 donation. — hedged: “I think it's” [opinion marker] (03:35:43)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank says Alexis Nikole's poll deciding which plant song viewers get is still up, with cow parsnip winning. — hedged: “i think” [opinion marker] (03:05:19)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank says that on Dear Hank and John they looked at the first art ever made in space, a colored-pencil drawing by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, and John or Hank said it would make a great flag of Earth. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (06:43:48)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank and Orin are on the third book of the second Warriors series; Hank's favorite cat is Brambleclaw, whom he understands as someone both ambitious and driven by values. — hedged: “i think” [opinion marker] (05:40:17)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank does not expect to do a meet and greet at Open Sauce: it's lovely, but too scary for him these days. — hedged: “I don't think so” [opinion marker] (05:40:55)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank says more runes for Focus Friend are coming soon and thinks a bedroom is being beta tested, with some people having access. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (05:43:57)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank says 7,000 people are in chat, which he believes is the most in about ten years. — hedged: “I believe” [opinion marker] (04:51:22)
  • 2026-02-20 · What We Actually Did. — Hank recalls that at the 2011 Project for Awesome they pledged $10,000 to Partners In Health for its work in Haiti for a number of comments, he thinks their first direct gift to PIH. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:00:29)
  • 2026-03-06 · How Do You Create When You Don't Feel Safe — Hank says he plans to have John as the podcast's first guest. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:00:30)
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Having watched a lot of Fruit Love Island, Hank sees work in it: scenes, tension-building choices and designed music; he thinks, without certainty, humans make choices to make the story compelling. — hedged: “I think, though I cannot be sure” [opinion marker] (00:08:11)
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Hank says there is a chance this makes us care about human effort more: we will value weird choices and interesting leaps, since if human effort is the scarce part, he would think it would make us care about it more, not less. — hedged: “I would think” [opinion marker] (00:10:37)
  • 2026-04-17 · Something Awaits For Me in the Divine for Resisting — In the description Hank says he is terrified of his new glasses; his resistance is partly comfort, partly feeling he will not suffer for denying himself, but he literally will. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (video description)
  • 2026-05-29 · Chemo Cow Body Odor YouTube Helen Hunt Commute — Hank thinks the Helen Hunt episode will be the third episode of Humans. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:04:51)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — John's video was perhaps the first time Hank heard someone say Türkiye instead of Turkey, so the change doesn't seem to have caught on much. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:04:52)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank is fairly confident humanity will eventually eliminate polio. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:10:20)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank thinks many creators will get paid more for the same number of views, and he is kind of happy about that. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:07:46)
  • 2026-10-07 · The 5 Meanest Things We've Named a Species — Hank thinks sarcasm used to be meaner than we now take it to be. — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-10-07 · The 5 Meanest Things We've Named a Species — Hank calls the miserable unloved money spider probably the meanest name he found, but leaves it out of his top five because he doubts anyone actually calls it that. — hedged: “I don't think” [opinion marker] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says the Focus Friend sale ends tomorrow or the day after (31 October or 1 November 2026). — hedged: “I think” [opinion marker] (00:08:07)

Other hedge (22)

a hedge that matches none of the word lists

  • 2026-01-09 · There is Only One Source of Value — Hank says Fritz Haber arguably saved the most lives in human history, though he was in fact intending to research how to blow people up better. — hedged: “arguably” [other hedge] (00:00:00)
  • 2026-01-09 · There is Only One Source of Value — Hank's second, more important point: focusing on nearer-term goals may actually be more likely to deliver the better future. — hedged: “it's very possible” [other hedge] (00:02:55)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — At $906,000, Hank says the 2026 Project for Awesome is going to get to a million dollars today, though he doesn't know how. — hedged: “it feels like” [other hedge] (05:45:53)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank feels it is easier to be sad when you are young, having little sadness to compare to. — hedged: “that's just a vibe” [other hedge] (06:02:34)
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Hank says we would all like to believe Fruit Love Island is slop, but he worries that it actually is not. — hedged: “I'm worried” [other hedge] (00:00:29)
  • 2026-04-24 · The AI Question that No AI Person Asks — The description says Hank would be very surprised if AI helped solve this, though he has been surprised before. — hedged: “But who knows” [other hedge] (video description)
  • 2026-05-01 · Despair is Not Wisdom — Hank says the aid cuts look set to produce a world that actually gets worse from one year to the next. — hedged: “it looks like” [other hedge] (00:01:27)
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank did the math and missed his chance: with no clean clock and too much precision, his untreated death day would have been about June 2025; he is unsure how he feels. — hedged: “let's call it” [other hedge] (00:02:55)
  • 2026-05-15 · The Weirdest Thing About Dogs (and Cats (and Horses)) — Hank says the dog in the clip clearly wants something, maybe cheese, and that he would give it to the dog if he knew what it was. — hedged: “I wouldn't be surprised if” [other hedge] (00:00:00)
  • 2026-05-15 · The Weirdest Thing About Dogs (and Cats (and Horses)) — Hank says dogs, like humans, have little eyebrow-like features that seem to work mainly for communication, and that wolves do not have them. — hedged: “appear to” [other hedge] (00:00:30)
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — Hank says Facebook began inflating view counts around 2014, a scandal then, though now everyone accepts it. — hedged: “in like 2014” [other hedge] (00:03:59)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Hank says the change suddenly gained moral weight, since 'the Ukraine' implied a Russian borderland, and quickly permeated the culture: no one says 'the Ukraine' anymore. — hedged: “as far as I can tell” [other hedge] (00:05:21)
  • 2026-07-24 · One Must Imagine Sisyphus Important — Living in the myth, Hank suggests another joy for Sisyphus: we still think and feel about him, and his story still shapes our world, a triumph over the gods. — hedged: “potential” [other hedge] (00:04:05)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says in British books 'pain in the arse' led 'pain in the ass' for a while, but America appears to have won. — hedged: “appears to” [other hedge] (00:05:50)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank shows a graph of pains in the butt area versus the neck: the rise has been smooth and finally appears to be leveling off. — hedged: “does appear to” [other hedge] (00:06:19)
  • 2026-08-21 · Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos — Hank says some philosophers hold that more people is a fundamental good: if a million humans thriving is good, a billion thriving is a thousand times better. — hedged: “from what I understand” [other hedge] (00:06:38)
  • 2026-08-21 · Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos — Hank is not fully on board: there is an okay chance a million people thriving is good because they exist and thrive rather than suffer, not as thriving times a million. — hedged: “there's an okay chance” [other hedge] (00:06:38)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says tuberculosis has a huge latent human reservoir: even in the US, where TB is rare, something like 13 million people carry TB bacteria without symptoms. — hedged: “something like” [other hedge] (00:01:56)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says bringing smallpox below one might take vaccinating about 80% of exposed people, while measles needs something like 95%, which is much harder to reach. — hedged: “something like” [other hedge] (00:05:50)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says even where health care was bad, measles death rates were about 10 times lower than smallpox's. — hedged: “like” [other hedge] (00:07:18)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank is confident, with some doubt, that influenza will not be eliminated: in his lifetime we will still get the flu. — hedged: “Who knows, John?” [other hedge] (00:10:20)
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Hank says there is a very high chance an unknown Brazilian clerk signed his name the most of anyone in history; their names are known, but not which one. — hedged: “very high chance” [other hedge] (00:06:19)

Hedge words not recorded (15)

marked as unsure, but the hedge words were not quoted

  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Hank guesses that the helium sold at Michaels is not a high percentage of helium, since helium is an element and cannot be good or bad, yet his balloons deflate so fast. — speculative (hedge words not recorded) (03:59:22)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank is working on something about these attention systems but does not know whether it will be a full book, a short book or a series of YouTube videos. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (02:32:55)
  • 2026-04-24 · The AI Question that No AI Person Asks — The description says Hank has no idea whether AI significantly changes the structure of these problems: it might help, hurt, or change nothing. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (video description)
  • 2026-04-24 · The AI Question that No AI Person Asks — AI is clearly powerful, but no one can know its impacts: will it let wisdom flourish, or let the powerful route around wisdom as they tend to? Hank doesn't know. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:07:58)
  • 2026-05-29 · Chemo Cow Body Odor YouTube Helen Hunt Commute — Since dogs experience the world largely through smell, Hank wonders whether going through chemotherapy changes how a dog feels about its owner; he wishes we knew more. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:01:22)
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — In the podcast Hank asks whether Mark Twain may have had something to do with the brothers' success, through John understanding his life. — speculative (hedge words not recorded) (00:06:10)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Hank says he doesn't know what to do about the discourse over such names: Chile, Qatar, Georgia or Sakartvelo. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:03:24)
  • 2026-07-24 · One Must Imagine Sisyphus Important — Hank calls it a mystery why and how evolution selected for sensation: other solutions are imaginable, and it is unclear where experience arises. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:01:57)
  • 2026-07-24 · One Must Imagine Sisyphus Important — Setting aside the hard problem of consciousness, Hank says experience exists for him; whether it is an illusion, like a rainbow of light off raindrops, he does not know. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:02:26)
  • 2026-07-24 · One Must Imagine Sisyphus Important — Hank asks whether, if the observer is the illusion, the illusion becomes real the moment it observes. — speculative (hedge words not recorded) (00:02:55)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says he does not know how language decides what it will become, but it does, and one can always look deeper. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:05:50)
  • 2026-08-21 · Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos — Hank cannot say whether we should care more about the total amount of thriving in the universe or only the thriving of beings who exist, and hopes philosophers agree it is open. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:06:38)
  • 2026-09-11 · Our Last YouTube View… — Asked how long YouTube will last, Hank does not know; it could be thousands of years, and people will still watch some videos, but not on YouTube. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:01:00)
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Hank says balancing enough information to make people want to spend time on a work against ruining it is tricky, and he doesn't know how to do it. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:00:00)
  • 2026-10-16 · Is Happiness the Goal? — Hank admits he is not sure how to create space in his life to feel, a different and tricky challenge. — explicitly uncertain (hedge words not recorded) (00:04:36)

Fiction (1)

a story or novel read aloud; the words belong to characters

  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — As Old Trashwater, Hank says his one wall fell over while his wife was pregnant, so their son is named Old Fallen Wall; now 17, he is going off to 'college' between two big rocks at the quarry. (04:29:19)

Joke (18)

a gag; not a claim

Hypothetical (2)

a thought experiment or "what if"

  • 2026-02-13 · Why Isn't Everybody a Nonprofit?! — In a hypothetical, Hank shows a $250,000 earner giving Complexly $50,000 kept about $145,000 when it was a business, but about $158,000 now that donations reduce taxable income. (00:03:24)
  • 2026-05-01 · Despair is Not Wisdom — Hank says that if two people in a hundred skip a video, it is not just 2% fewer viewers: the algorithms amplify that effect. (00:04:42)

Playful (125)

a real point made in a joking way; the paraphrase records the meant core

Other voices

57 statements · sincere 79% · playful 7% · other bits 14% · hedged or unsure 5%

Sincere but hedged (3)

Split by hedge type (derived from the quoted hedge words with a fixed word list — see the overview): epistemic doubt 2 · other hedge 1.

Epistemic doubt (2)

real uncertainty about whether it is true

  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha says the fix is not a probiotic, whatever people hear, but diet could play a role. — hedged: “it could be through diet” [epistemic doubt] (00:07:25)
  • 2026-09-11 · Our Last YouTube View… — Craig Benzine: Craig suggests that not people but somebody, like a historian, might look at the old videos. — hedged: “might” [epistemic doubt] (00:01:29)

Other hedge (1)

a hedge that matches none of the word lists

Fiction (8)

a story or novel read aloud; the words belong to characters

  • 2026-08-11 · Hollywood, Ending — Juniper (character): In 2019 Juniper, rereading the script for Andy Warhol Never Gets Old in Pittsburgh, is summoned to meet Matthew Malone, who plays Warhol, in his hotel lobby. (00:00:00)
  • 2026-08-11 · Hollywood, Ending — Juniper (character): After her mother's death Juniper first felt relief, but learned it was not over: the dead are not in the past, because you carry them with you. (00:01:04)
  • 2026-08-11 · Hollywood, Ending — Juniper (character): In the lobby Juniper notices a beautiful, magnetic boy sketching in a notebook who looks like a movie star: her co-star Kai. (00:01:26)
  • 2026-08-11 · Hollywood, Ending — Juniper (character): Juniper, 22, had been cast out of a relationship with a 36-year-old cinematographer who shot her last film, which flopped; with nothing lined up she enrolled in college and suspected her acting life could be over. (00:02:43)
  • 2026-08-11 · Hollywood, Ending — Juniper (character): Juniper has learned that true love cannot coexist with true ambition; she wants to become undeniable and stop being a former child star. (00:03:30)
  • 2026-08-11 · Hollywood, Ending — Juniper (character): Juniper keeps a character notebook for every role, holding that the less serious your job, the more seriously you must take it. (00:03:57)
  • 2026-08-11 · Hollywood, Ending — Juniper (character): Kai admits he is terrified of the shoot and of sharing a screen with Matthew Malone; Juniper, on sets since six, is at ease there. (00:04:27)
  • 2026-08-11 · Hollywood, Ending — Juniper (character): Matthew Malone arrives looking much like Warhol, hugs them both and says he used to be 21, as if it were an illness one sometimes survives. (00:06:19)

Playful (4)

a real point made in a joking way; the paraphrase records the meant core