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Homeless Man with a Golden Voice Gets a Job

2011-01-06 · Hank · watch on YouTube · Internet & YouTube · reflection essay

Lower-confidence wave

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

Hank uses the viral 'golden voice' homeless man to argue that how we look has nothing to do with how we sound or who we are (and that talent can still be squandered), then shows John a proper headdesk, finds Bing beats Google at autocompleting 'is Hank Green', and plugs DFTBA Records' new website.

What is said

00:00:00 — No Song Wednesday now that 2010 is over (joking he'll never sing again); a cover song on his second channel instead

  • ★★ Hank says that with 2010 over there will be no more Song Wednesdays, joking he will never sing again before admitting he couldn't stop writing songs. (playful) — 00:00:05 · Song Wednesday
  • ★★ Instead of a Song Wednesday song, Hank covered a song on his second channel and points viewers to it through an annotation. — 00:00:16 · hankschannel

00:00:28 — The viral homeless man with a golden radio voice: looks have nothing to do with how we sound or are; dressing in uniforms; his new job and house; homeless through alcohol and drugs

  • ★★★ Playing the viral clip of a homeless man with a silky radio voice, Hank draws the lesson that the way we look has nothing to do with the way we sound or the way we are. — 00:00:28
  • ★★ Hank says we like to think looks reveal who we are so much that we dress like people we resemble, all wearing uniforms, as when he rejects Old Navy shirts as not his kind. (playful) — 00:00:56
  • ★★ Hank reports that the man's video went viral and that he has been hired as an announcer for a basketball team and given a house. — 00:01:19
  • ★★ Hank notes the man himself admits he was homeless because of alcohol and drugs, not outside circumstances: even with an amazing skill you can still screw it up badly. — 00:01:29

00:01:41 — John's headdesk was lame: Hank demonstrates a proper headdesk, then headdesks at a touch-free sensor soap pump ad

  • ★★ Hank calls John's headdesk lame and demonstrates a proper one: aim for the mouse pad and thump the desk with your fists for the Foley effect, because they are about movie magic. (playful) — 00:01:41 · John Green
  • ★ An ad for a touch-free sensor soap pump makes Hank headdesk: why avoid touching it when you wash your hands afterward anyway? (playful) — 00:02:10

00:02:35 — Checking whether 'is Hank Green' now autocompletes: Google no, Bing yes ('hank green is cute'); Bing is better than Google for this

  • ★★ Checking whether 'our strategy' worked, Hank finds Google does not autocomplete 'is hank green' but Bing does (and suggests 'hank green is cute'), so for this purpose Bing beats Google. (playful) — 00:02:35 · Google, YouTube

00:03:20 — Time-lapse of a flower opening from a garden watch cam his parents got him from ThinkGeek; DFTBA Records' new website

  • ★ Hank shows a time-lapse of a flower opening made with the garden watch cam his parents got him from ThinkGeek, the only place he now wants presents from since he already owns all DFTBA Records merchandise. (playful) — 00:03:20 · DFTBA Records
  • ★★ DFTBA Records has just launched a new version of its website, which Hank calls gorgeous. — 00:03:43 · DFTBA Records

00:03:47 — Running down the alley through the snowy 'winter wonderland'; sign-off

  • ★ Hank goes running down the alley to show the snowy 'winter wonderland'. — 00:03:47

Humor (significant)

  • Hank describes rejecting shirts at Old Navy as not 'his kind of person', then checks what he's wearing. — 00:01:12 > «I'm the kind of person that doesn't know. I'm wearing my own shirt.»
  • After demonstrating a thumping headdesk, Hank scolds John for his quiet one. — 00:02:04 > «You headdesked and you couldn't even hear your head hit the desk! Pathetic.»
  • Hank says the only use for a touch-free soap pump is to fill it with vodka for automatic drinks. — 00:02:31 > «as silky-voiced homeless can attest, that is also a bad idea»
  • Bing, unlike Google, autocompletes 'is hank green' and offers 'hank green is cute'. — 00:03:16 > «from my perspective, haha, bing is better than Google»

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