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QUESTION FRIDAY: Spelling is Hard Edition

2011-02-04 · John · watch on YouTube · Nerdfighteria · conversation qa

Lower-confidence wave

2011 videos did not pass the QA gate (17 %); their analysis is shown but less reliable.

John answers rapid-fire viewer questions: words he can't spell, how a telescope sees the past, his half of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, index funds, why now is the best time to live, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, his free zombie novella, babies' crying and his Warner Chilcott stock.

What is said

00:00:04 — Words John can't spell; NASA tweeted Hank's video; how a telescope sees into the past

  • ★ John still struggles to spell 'occasionally', 'refrigerator', 'sacrilege' and 'queue', making this the spelling-bee nightmare edition of Question Friday. (playful) — 00:00:04
  • ★★ John did see that NASA tweeted Hank's video, and is glad Hank is less space-obsessed than at 16, when it might have made his brain explode. (playful) — 00:00:11 · NASA
  • ★★ Explaining how Hank's telescope sees the past: light takes time to travel, so something 13 billion light-years away is seen as it was 13 billion years ago; the Sun is about 8 light-minutes away. — 00:00:20

00:00:49 — Will Grayson, Will Grayson; Jiffy Lube; 'who is Hank' as Batman; index funds; living now rather than in Rome

  • ★★ In Will Grayson, Will Grayson John wrote uppercase Will, a.k.a. 'straight Will' or 'Schrödinger's Will'. — 00:00:49 · Will Grayson, Will Grayson
  • ★★ Asked who Hank is, John describes Batman: a DC comic-book superhero first appearing in 1939, also known as the Caped Crusader. (joke) — 00:00:59
  • ★★ For investing a small amount of money John recommends a broad index fund like the Wilshire 5000. — 00:01:08
  • ★★ Of all periods of history John would live in this one; Rome was fantastic, but a nerd with four days can recreate it in Minecraft. (playful) — 00:01:13

00:01:27 — Blue creatures sewn by a nerdfighter; Peeta or Gale; hair product; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

  • ★ The blue creatures behind John were sewn for him by a nerdfighter, possibly as a present for his son, but he took them. (playful) — 00:01:27 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★ Peeta or Gale? John is 'with the bakers', i.e. Peeta. (playful) — 00:01:43
  • ★★★ John's overall stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: both sides need to recognize the legitimacy of the other's narrative. — 00:01:51

00:01:58 — The zombie novella under Creative Commons: thank the donors and read a real book

  • ★★ John's zombie novella was released under a Creative Commons license and is freely available online, linked in the description. — 00:01:58
  • ★★ Before downloading, readers are 'ethically obligated' to comment thanking everyone who donated, without whom the 'terrible' novella would not exist. (playful) — 00:02:06
  • ★★ Readers must also promise to read one of John's actual books so they don't think he is as bad a writer as the novella suggests. (playful) — 00:02:10 · Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson

00:02:21 — Eyelids; Cluedo's Reverend Green; spelling-bee nightmare; Esther bracelet; why a child of the brothers cried

  • ★★ In the original British Cluedo, Mr. Green is Reverend Green, renamed for America because that was felt to be sacrilege; John usually plays Colonel Mustard. — 00:02:25
  • ★★ John wears an Esther bracelet and tells viewers to get one, since they make the world suck less; link in the description. — 00:02:49 · world suck
  • ★★ Asked why his son cried at the end of his last video, John says babies have only two thoughts, 'I am ecstatically happy' and 'this could be better', and one strategy: crying. (playful) — 00:02:55

00:03:13 — Why bubbles are round; Warner Chilcott stock down $32; last questions

  • ★★ Bubbles are round because they are minimal-surface structures and spheres have minimal surface. — 00:03:13
  • ★★ John is down $32 on his Warner Chilcott stock and tells the company to do a better job of 'Warner Chilcott-ing' sick people so he gets his money back. (playful) — 00:03:17

00:03:32 — Plug: the Whomping Willows' gold eagle shirt

  • ★★ John points Hank, and viewers, to an awesome gold eagle shirt from 'our friend' the Whomping Willows, linked in the description. — 00:03:32

Humor (significant)

  • Asked which words he still can't spell, John names one. — 00:00:04 > «I occasionally struggle with occasionally.»
  • Asked who the eff Hank is, John gives Batman's description with Hank's name in it. — 00:00:59 > «Hank is also known as "The Caped Crusader" and "The Hank."»
  • Asked why we have eyelids, John admits he doesn't know. — 00:02:21 > «blinking is for COWARDS.»
  • John has lost $32 on the Warner Chilcott stock he bought in protest. — 00:03:17 > «Warner Chilcott you need to do a better job of Warner Chilcott-ing sick people»

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