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Before Looking for Alaska...

2009-01-28 · John · watch on YouTube · Personal life · comedy performance

In a two-part video John reads 'The Best New Years Resolution Ever: Happy New Year Streamers', a book he wrote as a child and found while reorganizing his office, then announces volunteer Ningmasters to revive the neglected Nerdfighter Ning and invites applications.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting; fifth week of John's office reorganization project

  • ★ John says he is in the fifth week of his office reorganization project, which, he says wryly, is going swimmingly. (playful) — 00:00:02

00:00:07 — Part one: John reads 'The Best New Years Resolution Ever: Happy New Year Streamers', a book he wrote as a child, with an aside on stairs meaning wealth; apology to his family

  • ★★★ John found a book he wrote as a child, 'The Best New Years Resolution Ever: Happy New Year Streamers', during his office reorganization and reads it. — 00:00:13
  • ★★ In the childhood book, each family member makes a New Year's resolution: Mom to clean the drawers, Dad to weigh under 600 pounds, Hank to bathe, John to try his hardest; only John's comes true. (fiction) — 00:00:21 · Hank Green
  • ★★ Growing up in Orlando, John believed as a child that being rich meant having stairs in your house, even imagining the IRS taxed households by their stairs. (playful) — 00:00:34 · Orlando, Florida
  • ★ John apologizes to his parents for the book's insults, then tells Hank he could in fact stand to take more showers. (playful) — 00:01:46 · Hank Green

00:01:56 — Part two: reinvigorating the Nerdfighter Ning; Ningmasters announced and applications invited; post creative work as blog posts

  • ★★ John says the Nerdfighter Ning has suffered from neglect, so much that many viewers probably don't know what it is. (hedged) — 00:01:58 · Nerdfighter Ning
  • ★★ John concludes that the brothers cannot run the Ning by themselves. (hedged) — 00:02:05 · Nerdfighter Ning
  • ★★★ John announces that a few volunteer Ningmasters will soon feature new content on the Ning's main page, organize and moderate its forums and raise its awesomeness. — 00:02:09 · Nerdfighter Ning, Nerdfighteria > «what we need is some Ning-masters.»
  • ★★★ John asks committed Nerdfighters who want to be Ningmasters to apply with a Ning blog post saying why; he will pick a few favourites. — 00:02:29 · Nerdfighter Ning, made of awesome
  • ★★ John asks Nerdfighters who want to share creative work on the Ning to post it, including photos and videos, as blog posts so it can be featured on the front page. — 00:02:41 · Nerdfighter Ning

00:02:56 — Back to writing the Paper Towns screenplay; sign-off

  • ★★ John signs off saying he has to go back to writing the Paper Towns screenplay. — 00:02:56 · Paper Towns

Humor (significant)

  • As a child John believed stairs meant wealth, so he imagined the IRS asking how many stairs you have. — 00:00:51 > «And they were like, "That'll be $20,000."»
  • John's childhood book narrates Dad's resolution to weigh under 600 pounds, with an illustration. — 00:01:12 > «By the way, note that you can tell Dad is fat due to his belly.»
  • John apologizes to Mom and Dad for the book's insults and starts to reassure Hank. — 00:01:52 > «well, actually you could stand to take more showers.»
  • John explains why 'Ning-master' is a fun word to say. — 00:02:14 > «It's like all the best parts of a ringmaster except you don't have to get eaten by lions.»

Threads in this video

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