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Decathlons, Pretension, and the Weirdest Animal I've Met: It's Question Thursday

2016-11-17 · Q&A · John · 3:38 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Nerdfighteria (also: Books & writing, Internet & YouTube) · mode: Q&A & conversation · tags: recurring series, calendar ritual, community lore, self promotion

John answers rapid-fire viewer questions on Question Thursday, from his books and favourite things to why he gave up Snapchat, how he follows the news, his view of social media, and why he reads fiction.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — Question Thursday intro: real questions from real nerdfighters

00:00:06 — Q&A: new book, role models, legacy, pretension, decathlon, juggling, weirdest animal

  • ★★ Asked how the new book is coming along, John says that in general the less he talks about it, the better it is going. — 00:00:08
  • ★ John says he looks up most to his parents and secondarily Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and wants to be remembered as a father, husband and AFC Wimbledon sponsor. (playful) — 00:00:13 · AFC Wimbledon

00:00:47 — Q&A on his books: the Sarah line in Looking for Alaska, Harry Potter copies, Hazel's mom for president

  • ★★★ John says the Looking for Alaska line "Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia" is not his: Sarah said it on their first date; he wrote it on a napkin and used it, with her permission. — 00:00:49 · Sarah Urist Green, Looking for Alaska (novel)

    “Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia”

  • ★ John says they own one copy of each Harry Potter book except book four, of which they have two; one was on Quentin's nightstand in the Paper Towns movie. — 00:01:05 · Harry Potter (book series), Paper Towns (film)

  • ★★ Asked which of his characters he would vote for as president, John picks Hazel's mom from The Fault in Our Stars: cool under pressure, thoughtful, cautious, played by Laura Dern. (hedged) — 00:01:16 · The Fault in Our Stars

00:01:22 — Q&A: favourites (place, pie, cheese, Chipotle), Pizza John designs, anniversary gift, The Road to Nerdfighteria, running for President

  • ★★ Asked to mention The Road to Nerdfighteria, John calls it an amazing project where nerdfighters around the world tell how they found Nerdfighteria, linked in the description. — 00:01:59 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ John says he would never consider running for President: he would be very bad at it, and it involves shaking hands with strangers and asking rich people for money. — 00:02:06

00:02:13 — Q&A: why no Snapchat (dumb phone), how he stays informed, how he feels about social media

  • ★★★ John says a few months ago he turned his phone into a dumb phone that only texts, calls and plays Pokémon Go; the change has been kind of wonderful, though he misses Snapchat a little. — 00:02:15
  • ★★★ John says that about a year ago he began reading The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Indianapolis Star, and grew suspicious of his social media feed as the best way to stay informed. — 00:02:29 · The New York Times
  • ★★★ John likens social media to an intense, fun romantic relationship burning the candle at both ends that will not last; maybe he should end it, but it isn't serious. (playful, hedged) — 00:02:44

00:03:00 — Q&A: why he reads fiction (consolation; escaping one's own consciousness)

  • ★★★ John reads fiction for consolation, feeling unalone even in his inexpressible fears, and to escape the prison of his consciousness and live in someone else's mind. (hedged) — 00:03:01

    “reading good fiction helps me feel unalone in like the deepest ways”

00:03:24 — Last question: Pizzamas ends tomorrow, buy at dftba.com; sign-off

  • ★★ John reminds viewers that Pizzamas ends tomorrow and its items are available for only one more day at dftba.com. (playful) — 00:03:24 · Pizzamas, DFTBA Records

Humor (significant)

  • Asked how he responds to critics who call his novels pretentious, John simply concedes — 00:00:21

    “Yeah.”

  • Asked whether he can juggle — 00:00:41

    “Yes, but only tasks.”

  • Asked for the weirdest animal he has ever met — 00:00:43

    “Probably Maureen Johnson.”

  • Reading from a list of traditional anniversary gifts (paper, gold) — 00:01:49

    “It says here that year four is actually the Pizza John hoodie.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

People: Dwayne Johnson · Maureen Johnson

Projects: DFTBA Records · Pizzamas · The Road to Nerdfighteria

Works: Harry Potter (book series) · Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire · Looking for Alaska (novel) · Paper Towns (film) · Pokémon Go · The Fault in Our Stars

Organizations: AFC Wimbledon · Chipotle Mexican Grill · Snapchat · The Economist · The Indianapolis Star · The New York Times · The Wall Street Journal

Rituals: Question Tuesday

Terms: doobly-doo · Pizza John

Events: United States Academic Decathlon

Characters: Hazel's mom (The Fault in Our Stars) · Hogwarts · Quentin Jacobsen

Products: Snickers

Only in the description or credits: Laura Dern · Sarah Urist Green

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