p4a, Space Pasta, and Giant Squids of Anger

2010-11-26 · announcement · John, Hank · 3:49 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Global development (also: Science & nature) · mode: Announcements · tags: calendar ritual, civic or action cta, self promotion, guest or collab, community lore

Together in person, John and Hank announce the 2010 Project for Awesome (videos on December 17, a big live show from Los Angeles), challenge Nerdfighteria to work out whether Moon pasta beats Earth beef on energy, and plug DFTBA's Black Friday shirt sale.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Joint greeting, poor high five, three-part outline

00:00:17 — Project for Awesome 2010: origin, live show, upload videos on December 17

• ★★★ John announces that the 2010 Project for Awesome is happening. — 00:00:17 · Project for Awesome
• ★★ Hank recalls that in 2007 the brothers realized Nerdfighteria had become a big deal and wanted to use its power; the project has grown every year for three years. — 00:00:22 · Project for Awesome, Nerdfighteria · also in: John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated
• ★★ John says the idea was to take over YouTube so that for one day it would be about charity rather than kittens on Roombas or giraffe love. — 00:00:31 · YouTube, Project for Awesome
• ★★ John says this year (2010) P4A will be the biggest ever, with a huge, epic live show out of Los Angeles. — 00:00:46 · Project for Awesome, Los Angeles
• ★★ Hank says they just spoke with YouTube, which is giving them treatment like Conan O'Brien and the President get: a four-hour live stream on YouTube. — 00:00:54 · YouTube, Barack Obama
• ★★★ John hopes all viewers will upload Project for Awesome videos on December 17 that show charities they care about in action. (hedged) — 00:01:04 · Project for Awesome · also in: John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated
• ★★ John urges viewers to get out there: leaving the bedroom is no fun, but a better P4A video makes for a better universe. (playful) — 00:01:19 · Project for Awesome
• ★★ Hank says viewers get three weeks of lead time before December 17, and more details (thumbnail, logo, websites) will follow. — 00:01:36 · Project for Awesome

00:02:03 — Space pasta challenge: is Moon pasta more energy-efficient than Earth beef?

• ★★ John says everyone knows making pasta is far more energy-efficient than making beef, even if the pasta is imported from Italy. — 00:02:13
• ★★★ Hank asks whether flying Apollo 11 to the Moon, filling the capsule with pasta and shipping it back would be more energy-intensive per calorie than growing a cow. (playful) — 00:02:23 · space pasta · also in: John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated
• ★★★ Saying they couldn't figure it out, John tells Nerdfighteria that if they determine whether moon pasta beats earth beef, the brothers will let them challenge them to do something horrible. (playful) — 00:02:46 · Nerdfighteria, space pasta

00:03:04 — DFTBA Records Black Friday shirt sale, recap and sign-off

• ★★ Hank announces a Black Friday DFTBA Records sale on new shirts (giraffe love, two DFTBA University shirts, the Giant Squid of Anger shirt by Nerdfighter Vondell Swain) and old favorites. — 00:03:04 · DFTBA Records, giant squid of anger · also in: John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated

In the description and comments

• ★★ The description advises that P4A videos work best when well edited and showing how the charity changes lives for the better. — video description · Project for Awesome
• ★★ As models, the description points to Shawn's Uncultured Project video, Tyler Oakley's for the Trevor Project and Kristina Horner's about First Book. — video description
• ★★ The description adds that such videos are often useful to the charities themselves, so makers may be contacted by the organization. — video description · Project for Awesome

Threads in this video

• announced · P4A 2010 edition — John and Hank announce P4A 2010: videos uploaded on December 17, a big live show out of Los Angeles with a four-hour YouTube live stream, more details to come. (00:00:17)
• callback · John's giraffe-love bit ('people love giraffes who love giraffes') — John says P4A day would make YouTube about charity instead of kittens on Roombas or giraffe love; Hank later plugs the giraffe love shirt. (00:00:31)
• asked · John asks Nerdfighters to make P4A 2010 videos for charities (2010) — John asks viewers to upload P4A videos on December 17 showing charities they care about in action, with three weeks to plan. (00:01:04)
• asked · John and Hank challenge Nerdfighteria to work out whether Moon pasta is more energy-efficient than Earth beef (2010) — John and Hank challenge Nerdfighteria to determine whether pasta fetched from the Moon (Apollo 11) is more energy-efficient per calorie than Earth beef. (00:02:05)
• proposed · John and Hank: do a difficult or horrible challenge set by Nerdfighters as the space pasta reward (2010) — John offers the reward: if Nerdfighteria answers the space pasta question, the brothers will let them challenge them to do something horrible. (00:02:49)
• callback · John's 'giant squid of anger' (2009) — The new Giant Squid of Anger shirt, designed by Nerdfighter Vondell Swain, carries John's 'giant squid of anger'; it also titles the video. (00:03:18)
• asked · Hank and John ask viewers to buy the new DFTBA shirts, including the Giant Squid of Anger shirt (November 2010) — Hank sends viewers to dftba.com/sale for the Black Friday shirt sale, including the new giraffe love, DFTBA University and Giant Squid of Anger shirts. (00:03:30)
• milestone · Hank's giraffe-love t-shirt: pre-order at DFTBA.com (2010) — Hank announces a Black Friday DFTBA Records sale on new shirts (giraffe love, two DFTBA University shirts, the Giant Squid of Anger shirt by Nerdfighter Vondell Swain) and old favorites. (00:03:04)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• Hank and John ask viewers to buy the new DFTBA shirts, including the Giant Squid of Anger shirt (November 2010) — promotion (not a request); last: reminder, 2010-11-29
• John and Hank challenge Nerdfighteria to work out whether Moon pasta is more energy-efficient than Earth beef (2010) — reported back; last: result reported, 2011-02-09
• John asks Nerdfighters to make P4A 2010 videos for charities (2010) — reported back; last: thanks, 2010-12-22
• John and Hank: do a difficult or horrible challenge set by Nerdfighters as the space pasta reward (2010) — performed
• Hank's giraffe-love t-shirt: pre-order at DFTBA.com (2010) — last documented in 2017; last: milestone, 2017-09-01
• P4A 2010 edition — completed; last: looked back, 2026-02-15

Mentioned

Central: Project for Awesome

Also: People: Barack Obama · Conan O'Brien · Teller

Projects: DFTBA Records

Works: DFTBA University shirt · Giant Squid of Anger shirt · Giraffe love shirt

Organizations: YouTube

Terms: doobly-doo · giant squid of anger · space pasta

Concepts: Environmental impact of meat production · giraffe

Places: Italy · Los Angeles

Events: Apollo 11 · Black Friday

Only in the description or credits: First Book · Kristina Horner · Shawn Ahmed · The Trevor Project · Tyler Oakley · Uncultured Project · Vondell Swain

Later videos replying to this one

• 2010-11-29 · John and Hank: The Out-Takes (Hank) — continues — “watching our video that we did together” (00:00:12)