VOLT! A Dream Comes True.

2012-11-08 · letter vlog · John · 3:19 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Personal life · mode: Personal update · tags: self promotion, community lore, punishment or challenge

John reports that his six-year dream of owning a Chevy Volt has come true, shows off the car, and says he bought it because it is awesome rather than to fix global warming; he closes by plugging a limited Pizza John shirt pre-order.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Greeting; Hank's Puerto Rico video and a Ricky Martin gag; John's car history (no car in New York, parents' old car in Indianapolis); his ambition and Hank's 2007 Detroit Auto Show video

★ John praises Hank's Puerto Rico video, saying Hank already heard as much from Ricky Martin, and says the week of daily videos really is like Brotherhood 2.0 again. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Brotherhood 2.0
★★ Living in New York, John and the Yeti had no car; after moving to Indianapolis in 2007 he inherited his parents' old car, whose windows don't roll down. — 00:00:00 · Sarah Urist Green, New York City, Indianapolis, Sydney Green, Mike Green
★★★ John says he has dreamed of a Chevy Volt since Hank's January 2007 Detroit Auto Show video, where it emerged as a concept car, and waited six years, partly for lack of money. (playful) — 00:00:29

00:00:58 — The six-year wait ends: John shows his new Chevy Volt and explains how it runs

★★ John explains the Volt is an electric car you plug into the wall; it runs on electricity for about 40 miles, then switches to a gasoline-powered generator. — 00:00:58
★ Since he rarely drives more than 40 miles a day, John says he may never buy gas again, then admits that is an exaggeration born of excitement. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:58

00:01:42 — Gadget gags (Pandora, 'telepathy', the green ball, the seatbelt warning); the Volt as the most politicized car

★★ John calls the Volt perhaps the most politicized car of our time: people ask why buy it over a cheaper Toyota Corolla, assuming he thinks he'll fix global warming. (hedged) — 00:01:42 · climate change

00:02:12 — Why he bought it (not to end global warming; awesome, fast, fits a car seat; wind power over oil); Hank's jealousy and thrift; a back-seat ride offer

★★★ Noting no new car purchase is carbon neutral, John says he bought the Volt not to end global warming but because it's awesome, super fast and fits a car seat. — 00:02:12 · climate change
★★ Still, John would rather power his car with his electricity, which comes from wind blowing a few miles away, than with oil. — 00:02:12
★★ John teases that Hank is jealous but too cheap to buy it, never having bought a vehicle over $500; he admires that and offers Hank a back-seat ride in Indianapolis. (playful) — 00:02:12 · Hank Green, Indianapolis, Sarah Urist Green

00:03:01 — Plug: the limited Pizza John shirt collection on pre-order at DFTBA.com; sign-off

★★★ For about the next 72 hours, six variations Hank made on Valerie2776's original Pizza John shirt design are on pre-order at DFTBA.com, then disappear forever. — 00:03:01 · Pizza John, DFTBA Records, Hank Green

Humor (significant)

John warns that ambition can drive you mad, citing Captain Ahab and his white whale and Gatsby and his Daisy. — 00:00:29

“Kim Kardashian and her burning desire to have a sham wedding.”
John claims his short drives mean he may never buy gas again. — 00:00:58

“Here's an example of an exaggeration. What can I do? I'm excited!”
The car chimes about his seatbelt. — 00:01:42

“Oh, it's just like Nerdfighters. Always telling me to put my seatbelt on even when I'm in a cul-de-sac.”
The Pizza John variations are available only for one pre-order period and then disappear forever. — 00:03:01

“They're like the Buddhist sand paintings of Pizza John shirts.”

Threads in this video

told · John's six-year dream of owning a Chevy Volt comes true (2012) — John tells how his dream of a Chevy Volt, born at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, came true after six years of waiting when he got the car yesterday (7 November 2012). (00:00:29) → refers to Brotherhood 2.0: January 9th
launched · Pizzamas 2012 edition: the Pizza John collection, six limited designs on pre-order — John launches the 'weird' DFTBA.com pre-order Hank teased: the Pizza John collection, six variations Hank made on Valerie2776's Pizza John shirt, on sale for about 72 hours only. (00:03:01)
retold · Hank visits the Detroit auto show at General Motors' invitation (2007) — John says he has dreamed of a Chevy Volt since Hank's January 2007 Detroit Auto Show video, where it emerged as a concept car, and waited six years, partly for lack of money. (00:00:29)
milestone · Pizza John shirt: DFTBA pre-order of John's pizza-mustache photo shirt (2010) — For about the next 72 hours, six variations Hank made on Valerie2776's original Pizza John shirt design are on pre-order at DFTBA.com, then disappear forever. (00:03:01)