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Top 7 Tips for LIFE

2011-06-17 · list · Hank · 4:00 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Everyday life (also: Books & writing) · mode: Advice & reviews · tags: timely hook, self promotion

For Father's Day Hank gives fathers, including John, a list of practical tips (splitting duct tape, the figure-eight knot, floss picks, scanning old tapes and photos, honing razors on jeans) ending with a comic case for peeing sitting down; he then plugs his Missoula shows and tells John to reveal his book title.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Father's Day present: a list of tips for fathers

  • ★ For Father's Day, Hank gives fathers, including his brother John, a present: a list of tips and tricks to make their lives a little easier. — 00:00:02

00:00:12 — Tip 1: cutting duct tape into several widths along its strings

  • ★★ Hank's first tip: cutting with an Exacto knife between the strings inside duct tape turns one roll into several widths, so the tape lasts much longer. — 00:00:24

00:00:51 — Tip 2: the figure-eight knot, loop and joining knot

  • ★★ Hank says the usual knot binds up and is hard to undo, so always use the figure-eight knot, which holds yet unties easily; he also shows a figure-eight loop. — 00:00:51
  • ★ To join two strings or USB cables, Hank ties a loose figure-eight knot in one and follows it with the other: a strong knot that is easy to untie. — 00:01:30

00:01:51 — Tip 3: floss picks instead of finger flossing

  • ★★ Flossing with string hurts the fingers, so Hank recommends an inexpensive gadget he shows ('one of these', unnamed) that lets you floss without fingers in your mouth. (playful) — 00:01:51

00:02:08 — Tip 4: online services that scan VHS tapes and photos (linked in description)

  • ★★ For old VHS tapes and family photos, Hank points to the many online companies that scan them to DVD or computer: easy, not very expensive, some linked below. — 00:02:08

00:02:28 — Tip 5: honing disposable razors on jeans

  • ★★ Hank says a dull-feeling disposable razor needs honing, not sharpening: rub it backwards on your jeans ten or twenty times. — 00:02:28
  • ★★ Hank claims razor pain comes from tiny microscopic bends in the blade rather than dullness, and that honing makes disposable razors last months instead of weeks. — 00:02:38

00:03:05 — Final trick: peeing sitting down

  • ★★ Hank's final trick, presented as a way to relax, eliminate pee spatter, decrease marital strife and quieten urination: men should pee sitting down. (playful) — 00:03:05
  • ★ Hank says a man who pees sitting down is comfortable with his sexuality and not overly concerned with irrational constructions of society and culture. (playful) — 00:03:23

00:03:31 — Happy Father's Day; warning to fathers sent for the tips

00:03:40 — Hank's Missoula wizard rock shows

  • ★★ Hank plays two Missoula shows this week (week of 13 June 2011) and next; the first ('July 23rd' as said, description June 23rd) is at a Unitarian Universalist church with the Whomping Willows. — 00:03:40 · Missoula, Montana
  • ★★ Hank hopes all Missoula Nerdfighters come to the shows, because he would like to see how many of them there are. — 00:03:49 · Nerdfighteria, Missoula, Montana

00:03:54 — John, stop trolling: tell us the book title; sign-off

Humor (significant)

  • Splitting duct tape needs only an Exacto knife and one more requirement. — 00:00:29

    “the ability to not cut your face off while using one”

  • The figure-eight loop is easy to untie, 'so if you ever need to' - Hank trails off. — 00:01:26

    “fatherhood's hard, but not that hard.”

  • 'What kind of man is this?' Hank answers the imagined objection to peeing sitting down. — 00:03:16

    “I'm a man who's comfortable with my sexuality.”

  • After promising to make urination quieter and reduce marital strife, Hank sits off-camera ('Yup yup yup yup'). — 00:03:19

    “Oh yeah, that's right. I just peed sitting down.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Father's Day

Also: Figure-eight knot · gender role · John's untitled novel (2011) · Missoula, Montana · The Whomping Willows · Unitarian Universalist church in Missoula · Wizard rock

Only in the description or credits: Harry and the Potters · ScanDigital

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