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Shmancy Hotel Room Is Shmancy

2010-04-07 · John, David Levithan · watch on YouTube · Internet & YouTube · reflection essay

On tour for Will Grayson, Will Grayson in Chicago, John reports the first tour event; prompted by Hank's Monday video, he worries that Google's external memory will erode our need for, and interest in, long-form narratives like novels.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting; a schmancy Chicago hotel room, on tour with David Levithan for Will Grayson, Will Grayson

00:00:14 — Nerdfighters' photos with the book on the Eff Yeah Nerdfighters Tumblr come out mirrored ('Nosyarg Lliw')

  • ★★ John says many Nerdfighters on the Eff Yeah Nerdfighters Tumblr have posted photos holding Will Grayson, Will Grayson, though mirroring makes the title read backwards. (playful) — 00:00:28 · Tumblr, Will Grayson, Will Grayson

00:00:50 — First tour event last night: a stormtrooper, Pizza John shirts, French the llama, John and David outside Frenchy's

  • ★★ John reports the first event of the tour was last night and was great: there was a Star Wars stormtrooper and many people wore the Pizza John shirt. (playful) — 00:00:50 · Star Wars, Pizza John

00:01:23 — Hank's Monday video and the Googlization of information: external hard drives, narrative as memory aid, worry about losing long-form narratives

  • ★★ John says Hank's Monday video, which he loved, made him think about the Googlization of information in the contemporary world. — 00:01:23 · Google
  • ★★★ John has long thought Google is technically making individuals stupider: the memory in our heads is less needed when Google indexes massive external hard drives. (hedged) — 00:01:29 · Google
  • ★★ As a kid John knew all his (imaginary) friends' phone numbers; now he knows about four, because an external device stores them. (playful) — 00:01:39
  • ★★★ John thinks long-form narratives like novels help us arrange lots of information into a story, since narratives are easier to remember than dislocated facts. (hedged) — 00:01:57
  • ★★ John says that with external hard drives so good at remembering facts, we no longer need to organize information narratively to trick our memories. — 00:02:10
  • ★★★ John worries that as we spend more time online we will lose interest in, and think we no longer need, long-form narratives, long central to being a person. (hedged) — 00:02:20
  • ★★ John says this worries him partly because his job is writing long-form narratives, but also for other reasons. — 00:02:39

00:02:45 — Asks whether Nerdfighters find it harder to read books; hope you like the book, see you on tour; sign-off

  • ★★ John asks Nerdfighters whether they find it harder to read books these days. — 00:02:45 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John says he sometimes does: although he loves books, he puts down even books he enjoys to look at the flashy lights of the internet. — 00:02:48
  • ★ John hopes Nerdfighters like Will Grayson, Will Grayson and hopes to see many of them on tour. — 00:02:55 · Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Humor (significant)

  • Mirrored photos make the book read 'Nosyarg Lliw, nosyarg lliw', Will Grayson spelled backwards. — 00:00:41 > «Which, it belatedly occurs to me, would have been a great title.»
  • At the first tour event many fans wore the Pizza John shirt. — 00:00:58 > «it's hard to focus on what you're saying when there's a pedophilic pizza loving version of yourself staring back at you»
  • John says as a kid he knew all his friends' phone numbers, then imagines Hank's objection. — 00:01:43 > «Imaginary friends can have imaginary phone numbers okay??»

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