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Weekend of Surreality

2009-04-19 · letter vlog · John · 2:47 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Personal life (also: Nerdfighteria) · mode: Personal update · tags: community lore, fundraising ask, punishment or challenge, timely hook

John recaps a surreal weekend: Nerdfighters got Ashton Kutcher to follow him on Twitter so he gave $1,000 for malaria bed nets, Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary 'opened' for him in Philadelphia, and a friend married inside an elephant; he also swaps his uneaten 317 Peeps for 317 of something else.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Surreal weekend overview; Ashton Kutcher, CNN, the Twitter race and the $1,000 malaria bet

  • ★★ John recounts that Ashton Kutcher and CNN raced to be the first Twitter account with one million followers; Ashton pledged $100,000 of malaria bed nets if he won, won, and gave it. — 00:00:00 · Twitter, malaria
  • ★★★ John says he told Nerdfighters following him on Twitter, as a joke, that if they got Ashton Kutcher to follow him he would give $1,000 against malaria, thinking it a safe bet. — 00:00:00 · Nerdfighteria, Twitter, malaria

00:00:48 — Kutcher follows John, $1,000 for bed nets; Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary at the Philadelphia Book Festival

  • ★★★ Ashton Kutcher is now following John on Twitter; John says he underestimated the power of Nerdfighteria and gave $1,000 to buy bed nets. — 00:00:48 · Nerdfighteria, malaria, Twitter
  • ★★ John says folk legend Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary 'opened' for him at the Philadelphia Book Festival, then admits that would make John the opener for a children's band, Trout Fishing in America. (playful) — 00:00:48

00:01:17 — Phone photo of Peter singing; friend's wedding inside an elephant in Atlantic City; wedding advice and John's own wedding

  • ★ Having forgotten his video camera, John shows a phone photo of Peter singing Puff the Magic Dragon at the festival. — 00:01:17
  • ★★ From the festival John drove to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where a friend of his really got married inside an elephant. — 00:01:17
  • ★★ John advises Nerdfighters planning a wedding to designate a specific guest to bring the couple what they need during the evening. — 00:01:47 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John recalls that at his wedding to the Yeti, he and she nearly got dehydrated because people kept stopping to congratulate them while they tried to get water. (playful) — 00:01:47 · Sarah Urist Green

00:02:16 — Upcoming Evil Baby Orphanage videos; uneaten 317 Peeps replaced by a call for 317-times suggestions; sign-off

  • ★★★ John says this Sunday (26 April 2009) video has little news because he is going to do two special Evil Baby Orphanage-related news videos this weekend. — 00:02:16 · Evil Baby Orphanage
  • ★★★ John admits he never ate the 317 Peeps he promised; after several doctor visits he cannot eat even one Peep without further testing. — 00:02:16 · Peeps
  • ★★★ To make it up, John wants to do 317 of something and asks Nerdfighters to suggest things he could do 317 times in one day that would make them laugh. — 00:02:16 · Nerdfighteria

In the description and comments

  • ★ In the video description John says Peter Yarrow is really nice. — video description

Humor (significant)

  • John clarifies that his $1,000 would not go 'to malaria' and acts out handing the disease money. — 00:00:48

    “You are the scourge of our species. Here's a thousand dollars.”

  • John concedes Peter wasn't really opening for him. — 00:00:48

    “if he was opening for me, that means that I was opening for a children's band.”

  • John's second piece of wedding advice for Nerdfighters. — 00:01:47

    “if it is at all possible, get married inside of an elephant.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Ashton Kutcher · Peter Yarrow

Also: People: Sarah Urist Green

Works: Puff, the Magic Dragon

Organizations: CNN · Twitter

Groups: Peter, Paul and Mary · Trout Fishing in America

Terms: Evil Baby Orphanage

Concepts: malaria

Places: Atlantic City, New Jersey

Events: Philadelphia Book Festival

Products: Peeps

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