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The Return of Question Tuesdays

2008-01-08 · Q&A · John · 3:52 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Nerdfighteria (also: Books & writing) · mode: Q&A & conversation · tags: recurring series, community lore

John answers viewers' questions on Question Tuesday, mostly with jokes (a puppy-sized elephant, 'Who the F is Hank', George Lucas's robot), plus sincere answers: at least one video a week with the Ning in between, a Paper Towns tour in September, his dislike of the word 'celebrity', and why studying English helps writers.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Question Tuesday opens: puppy-sized elephant, pirates vs ninjas, Hank's songs, 'Who the F is Hank', the book on the shelf

  • ★★ Asked whether he'd rather have an elephant-sized puppy or a puppy-sized elephant, John picks the puppy-sized elephant and writes a letter asking Evolution to make him one. (joke) — 00:00:00 · puppy sized elephant
  • ★ Asked who would win American Gladiators, pirates or ninjas, John picks ninjas over scurvy-ridden pirates. (joke) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Asked whether Hank will write more songs, John passes the question to Hank. — 00:00:36 · Hank Green
  • ★★ Asked 'Who the F is Hank?', John answers in the style of an astronomy entry: Hank is a ball of ice and rock once considered the ninth planet. (joke) — 00:00:36 · Who the Eff Is Hank, Hank Green

00:01:06 — Posting schedule and the Ning, Paper Towns touring, the word 'celebrity'

  • ★★★ John says one of the brothers will post at least one video per week, and on other days there will be pictures and videos from Nerdfighteria on the Ning. — 00:01:06 · Nerdfighter Ning, Nerdfighteria, Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ John expects to tour a lot when Paper Towns comes out in September and says he will let viewers know about signings. (hedged) — 00:01:06 · Paper Towns
  • ★★★ Asked what word he hates saying, John names 'celebrity': he thinks the world would be better if the word and the idea behind it ceased to exist. (hedged) — 00:01:06 · celebrity

00:01:35 — Would-you-rather (George Lucas joke), the Russian ska song, narrators vs adolescent self

  • ★ Offered Game Boy, Teletubby, Harry Potter or George Lucas, John picks Harry Potter as the only 'real human', joking that a robot killed Lucas and made episodes 1-3. (joke) — 00:01:35
  • ★★ John says the Russian ska song in the Happy Dance video was called 'Think'. — 00:01:35
  • ★★ Asked whether his two narrators combined would make his adolescent self, John says 'kinda', but notes differences: for one, he wasn't a good student in high school. (hedged) — 00:02:04 · Looking for Alaska (novel), An Abundance of Katherines

00:02:04 — Diet, why English-class analysis helps writers (Huck Finn), pi

  • ★★ Asked about his diet and Weight Watchers, John protests that it isn't going well and the questions are mean. (playful) — 00:02:04
  • ★★★ John argues that writing about symbolism and other 'English stuff' really does help you become a writer, because it shows how good stories work. — 00:02:04
  • ★★★ John's example: Huck says of Tom 'he had a dream and it shot him'; analysis lets you read it against the Civil War and other dreams that 'shot us'. — 00:02:33

00:03:02 — Nerd joke and rapid-fire answers (song, Looking for Alaska film, Ikea, Rousseau); sign-off

  • ★★ John names 'New Partner' by the Palace Brothers as his all-time favourite song. — 00:03:02
  • ★★ Asked when the Looking for Alaska movie will come out, John says he doesn't know; it's not in his hands. — 00:03:02 · Looking for Alaska (novel)
  • ★ Rapid-fire answers: cookie dough over cake batter, supermodels 'all tied for last place', and a bookcase from 'a small family-owned' store called Ikea. (joke) — 00:03:02
  • ★★ John's most useless trivia: the political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau really liked mooning people. (playful) — 00:03:32

Humor (significant)

  • Choosing a puppy-sized elephant, John writes a letter to Evolution. — 00:00:00

    “Dear Evolution, I have always believed in you, and I have always defended you. Now make me a puppy-sized elephant!”

  • Asked 'Who the F is Hank?', John describes Hank like Pluto in an encyclopedia entry, once the ninth planet. — 00:00:36

    “Hank is in fact just something orbiting out there in the distance.”

  • Picking Harry Potter as the only real human among Game Boy, Teletubby, Harry Potter and George Lucas. — 00:01:35

    “everybody knows that episodes 1 through 3 were written and directed by the robot who killed George Lucas and invaded his body.”

  • Asked his favourite type of pie, John picks pi. — 00:02:33

    “Definitely the kind that helps us to calculate the circumference of circles.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: close reading

Also: People: Federico García Lorca · George Lucas · Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Projects: Nerdfighter Happy Dance Project · Nerdfighter Ning

Works: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn · American Gladiators · An Abundance of Katherines · Looking for Alaska (novel) · New Partner · Paper Towns · Star Wars · Teletubbies

Organizations: IKEA · Weight Watchers

Rituals: Question Tuesday

Terms: puppy sized elephant · Who the Eff Is Hank

Concepts: celebrity

Events: American Civil War

Characters: Harry Potter (character, “Harry Potter”) · Huckleberry Finn · Tom Sawyer

Products: Game Boy

Memes: pwned

Only in the description or credits: Palace Brothers

Also centred on close reading: OMFG CATCHER IN THE RYE!!! · The Catcher in the Rye, Part 2 · Life Is Like Pizza · Question Tuesday! Paula Deen Riding Me (and critical reading) · Question Tuesday: TFIOS Movie, Existential Crises, and Symbolism

Later videos replying to this one