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Boobs and the iPad

2010-01-27 · letter vlog · Maureen Johnson · 3:56 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing (also: Nerdfighteria) · mode: Personal update · tags: guest or collab, timely hook, community lore

Filling in for John, Maureen Johnson jokes about viewers' fascination with her boobs, explains how her case for free e-books and the coming e-book revolution (on the day of Apple's tablet announcement) ended up in the New York Times as a Rob Pattinson joke, and concludes Hank should name his dog Boobs.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Recording at 2:30 a.m. before a flight to London so as not to be punished; lower expectations after Friday; thanks for comments and lighting criticism

  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: Maureen records at about 2:30 Wednesday morning while packing for a flight to London, so as not to be punished for a missed video. (playful) — 00:00:00 · London, Punishment
  • ★ Maureen Johnson: She tells viewers to turn their expectations down: nothing this week (week of 25 January 2010) will be as complicated as Friday's video, as things are crazy. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: She thanks viewers for their comments on the last video, including constructive criticism of the 'apocalyptic' lighting, which she is trying to fix. (hedged) — 00:00:00

00:00:54 — 80% of comments: 'John Green has boobs'; YouTube and baby Henry share an interest

  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: Maureen says 80% of the comments noticed that 'John Green' had boobs, an interest she says YouTube shares with baby Henry; 'the man just had a baby'. (playful) — 00:00:54 · YouTube, Henry Green, John Green

00:01:23 — In the New York Times: free Suite Scarlett e-books, the e-book revolution, the Apple tablet, libraries, and the Rob Pattinson joke that got quoted

  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: She was in the New York Times this week (week of 25 January 2010), with her picture, by what she calls a weird fluke. — 00:01:23 · The New York Times
  • ★★★ Maureen Johnson: At the end of last year (2009) she persuaded her publisher to give away free e-books of Suite Scarlett for a couple of weeks. — 00:01:23
  • ★★★ Maureen Johnson: Maureen thinks there is a huge benefit to giving away free books and materials whenever possible. (hedged) — 00:01:23
  • ★★★ Maureen Johnson: Like John, she thinks the coming revolution of e-books and other ways of delivering books will radically change the way we read, and we have to embrace it. (hedged) — 00:01:53 · John Green
  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: She says that if the rumors are true, Apple is announcing its tablet today. (hedged) — 00:01:53
  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: She is excited about the tablet and will probably buy one, but not on the first day, because new products always have something wrong with them. (playful, hedged) — 00:01:53
  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: Free books are also good in the form of libraries, which she calls the building blocks of society. (playful) — 00:02:22
  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: Mid-interview she was distracted by her 2010 Rob Pattinson annual and made a Rob Pattinson joke; she implies that joke is what the New York Times quoted. (playful) — 00:02:22 · The New York Times

00:02:51 — Interviewers quote only the stupidest thing; book due and Scarlett Fever out Monday; Hank should name his dog Boobs; sign-off

  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: Her advice: never make a Rob Pattinson joke to the New York Times; she had been warned that interviewers quote only the stupidest thing you say, and found it '100% true'. (playful) — 00:02:51 · The New York Times
  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: She has a book due: she is finishing a sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. — 00:02:51
  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: Her novel Scarlett Fever comes out on Monday. — 00:02:51
  • ★★ Maureen Johnson: On what Hank should name his dog, Maureen says YouTube has spoken: name it 'Boobs', imagining calling for it in the park; anything else would let Nerdfighteria down. (joke) — 00:03:20 · Hank Green, YouTube

Humor (significant)

  • Viewers' most common comment: 'Oh my god, John Green has boobs.' — 00:00:54

    “You guys, the man just had a baby. Come on.”

  • Apple is rumored to announce its tablet today. — 00:01:53

    “not since the time of Moses has humanity been this excited about the appearance of a tablet”

  • Her serious points about e-books were derailed when she spotted her Rob Pattinson annual mid-interview. — 00:02:22

    “Never make a Rob Pattison joke to the New York Times.”

  • YouTube has spoken on what Hank should name his dog. — 00:03:20

    “how awesome would it be to have a dog named boobs”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: The New York Times

Also: People: Henry Green · Robert Pattinson

Works: 13 Little Blue Envelopes · Scarlett Fever · Suite Scarlett

Organizations: Apple · YouTube

Rituals: Punishment

Places: London

Products: iPad

Myths: Moses

animal: dog (greyhound)

Taking part: Maureen Johnson

Replies to

  • continues · ThisIsNotJohn — “If you're expecting anything that's even remotely as complicated as you saw on Friday”

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