A Minor Crisis

2014-10-14 · letter vlog · John · 3:55 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Global development (also: Pop culture, Sports, Books & writing, Personal life) · mode: Announcements · tags: self correction, recurring series, fundraising ask, self promotion, community lore

John's seven-part roundup: he admits his Batman video was wrong, reports Bank of Nerdfighteria totals, celebrates AFC Wimbledon's sponsorship and win, marks ten years since finishing Looking for Alaska with a 10th-anniversary edition, and congratulates Hank on his TV ad.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Intro: a video in three parts 'like A Song of Ice and Fire'; preview; 'I am so old'

00:00:18 — Part 1, Batman: everything he said was wrong or oversimplified; being wrong as a complicated pleasure

★★★ John says pretty much everything he said about Batman in his last video was either wrong or dramatically oversimplified. — 00:00:22

“everything I said about Batman in my last video, Hank, was either wrong or dramatically oversimplified”
★★★ John calls being wrong one of the most complicated pleasures: first defensive and embarrassed, then excited that the people he sees the world with can still change his view, so he's not finished. — 00:00:26

00:00:46 — Parts 2-3: Bank of Nerdfighteria semiannual report: Kiva lending arm ($4.5M) and giving arm (Foundation to Decrease World Suck)

★★★ John reports that Nerdfighters have now loaned more than $4.5 million through Kiva.org to developing-world entrepreneurs, one of the biggest groups in Kiva's history, though growth has slowed lately. — 00:00:57 · Bank of Nerdfighteria, Nerdfighteria
★★ John asks anyone with $25 or more to lend to a developing-world entrepreneur to join the Kiva Nerdfighter group, linked in the doobly-doo. — 00:01:02 · Bank of Nerdfighteria
★★ John jokes that a 99% chance of being repaid makes a Kiva loan like a savings account at negative 1% interest - about what banks offer. (playful) — 00:01:14
★★ John says Nerdfighteria has a federally sanctioned, tax-deductible charity, the Foundation to Decrease World Suck, which gathers money mostly around the Project for Awesome and gives it all away. — 00:01:22 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck, Nerdfighteria, Project for Awesome, world suck
★★★ John says the foundation was unusually active outside P4A this year (2014): over $300,000 for Water.org's work in Ethiopia and over $90,000 for sarcoma research during his World Cup fundraiser. — 00:01:32 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck, Project for Awesome
★★ John says the foundation now has about $45,000, partly from Nerdfighter projects like Nerdcrafteria (he says 'Minecrafteria') and more Vlogbrothers income - its best shape ever going into P4A. — 00:01:44 · Foundation to Decrease World Suck, Project for Awesome, Vlogbrothers

00:01:56 — Part 4: HankGames sponsors AFC Wimbledon (DFTBA on the shorts); FIFA and real wins over Milton Keynes; shirt number 37

★★ John says HankGames ad revenue sponsors the real AFC Wimbledon, a fourth-tier club formed by fans after their club was moved to Milton Keynes, and this year (2014) the sponsorship is on the team's shorts. — 00:01:58 · HankGames, AFC Wimbledon, DFTBA
★ John says that two weeks ago his FIFA AFC Wimbledon beat Milton Keynes 4-0, his in-game self doing 'the mustache of joy'. (playful) — 00:02:19 · AFC Wimbledon
★★ John reports that last week (week of 6 October 2014) the real AFC Wimbledon beat the real Milton Keynes, with the ball coming to Akinfenwa, as the crowd chanted 'who were you when you were us'; he jokes DFTBA on the shorts brings success. (playful) — 00:02:26 · AFC Wimbledon, DFTBA

00:02:49 — Part 5: ten years since finishing Looking for Alaska; 10th anniversary edition pre-order

★★★ John says that ten years ago today he finished the last edits on Looking for Alaska, hoping only for a paperback; it never crossed his mind it would still be in print ten years on. — 00:02:51 · Looking for Alaska (novel)
★★★ John announces a 10th anniversary edition of Looking for Alaska with a Rodrigo Corral cover, a big Q&A, a fancy introduction and scenes from early drafts, available to pre-order via the doobly-doo. — 00:03:03 · Looking for Alaska (novel), Rodrigo Corral
★★ John says the book has surprised him over and over in ten years and thanks everyone who has read and shared it so generously. — 00:03:13 · Looking for Alaska (novel)

00:03:23 — Part 6: a smidge of a crisis about being old; asks older Nerdfighters for advice

★★ Noting Looking for Alaska came out ten years ago (second grade to senior year), John says he is having a smidge of a crisis about being old and asks older Nerdfighters for advice. (playful) — 00:03:23 · Looking for Alaska (novel), Nerdfighteria

00:03:38 — Part 7: saw Hank's ad during The Walking Dead; would rather see him on YouTube; sign-off

★★ John says he saw Hank on TV in an ad during The Walking Dead - the scariest and most exciting part of the hour - and congratulates him, but would rather see him on YouTube. — 00:03:38 · YouTube

Humor (significant)

John says today's video is like A Song of Ice and Fire: it comes in three parts... — 00:00:01

“unless its creator decides midway through to expand it dramatically”
Introducing the Bank of Nerdfighteria's semiannual report in a suit, John compares the bank to a YouTuber. — 00:00:50

“it has two arms”
Pointing to the sponsorship on AFC Wimbledon's shorts, John anticipates the viewer's question: if the shorts are up here, what's down there? — 00:02:14

“That's none of your business!”
Wearing his AFC Wimbledon shirt, John wonders why he is number 37. — 00:02:43

“It's because I am 37 years old, oh my god.”

Threads in this video

refine · Is failure valuable? — John says being wrong is a complicated pleasure: after defensiveness and embarrassment, it is exciting that others can still change how he sees the world. (00:00:26)
milestone · Bank of Nerdfighteria: the Nerdfighters' Kiva lending team — John reports the Nerdfighter Kiva group has loaned more than $4.5 million, one of the biggest groups in Kiva's history. (00:00:57)
reminder · John asks Nerdfighters to lend to entrepreneurs through Kiva.org (2009) — John asks people with $25 or more to lend to a developing-world entrepreneur by joining the Kiva Nerdfighter group. (00:01:05)
restate · Is microfinance an effective way to fight poverty? — John says there is a 99% chance of being repaid on a Kiva loan, jokingly likening it to a negative-1% savings account. (00:01:14)
outcome · John's World Cup fundraiser for the Foundation to Decrease World Suck (2013) — John reports over $90,000 raised for sarcoma research during his World Cup fundraiser (alongside over $300,000 for Water.org's Ethiopia work). (00:01:37)
milestone · John's AFC Wimbledon FIFA series on HankGames, whose ad revenue sponsors the real AFC Wimbledon with Nerdfighter-designed ads (2013) — John says this year (2014) the HankGames-funded sponsorship of AFC Wimbledon puts them on the team's shorts (DFTBA). (00:02:11)
announced · Looking for Alaska 10th anniversary edition (2014) — John announces the Looking for Alaska 10th anniversary edition, with a Rodrigo Corral cover, a big Q&A, a fancy introduction and scenes from early drafts. (00:03:03)
asked · John points viewers to pre-order the Looking for Alaska 10th anniversary edition (2014) — John points viewers who want the Looking for Alaska 10th anniversary edition to the pre-order link in the doobly-doo. (00:03:19)
asked · John asks older Nerdfighters for advice on his crisis about getting old (2014) — John asks older Nerdfighters for advice on his smidge of a crisis about being old. (00:03:33)
told · Hank in SciShow ads for YouTube's channel promotion (2014) — John tells Hank he saw him on TV in an advertisement during The Walking Dead, the scariest and most exciting part of the hour. (00:03:38)
looked back · Foundation to Decrease World Suck becomes a real non-profit (2012) — John says Nerdfighteria has a federally sanctioned, tax-deductible charity, the Foundation to Decrease World Suck, which gathers money mostly around the Project for Awesome and gives it all away. (00:01:22)
result reported · John asks viewers to donate to the Foundation to Decrease World Suck on behalf of the World Cup 2014 team the brothers should support (2013) — John says the foundation was unusually active outside P4A this year (2014): over $300,000 for Water.org's work in Ethiopia and over $90,000 for sarcoma research during his World Cup fundraiser. (00:01:32)
progress update · John: keep Nerdfighters up to date on how the vlogbrothers pre-roll money is spent (2014) — John says the foundation now has about $45,000, partly from Nerdfighter projects like Nerdcrafteria (he says 'Minecrafteria') and more Vlogbrothers income - its best shape ever going into P4A. (00:01:44)