NOW I AM THE SCIENCE ONE…

2021-12-21 · letter vlog · John · 3:59 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Personal life · mode: Personal essay · tags: fundraising ask, self promotion, community lore

John, long 'the other one' to Hank's 'science one', finds The Anthropocene Reviewed named a best science book of the year and argues that much of what we take as fixed in ourselves, like Hank being the idea one, changes over time; he then reports progress at Koidu Government Hospital, asks for PIH donations and announces a week off.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — 'The science one or the other one': Hank's Mars page, John's science reading, The Anthropocene Reviewed named a best science book

• ★★ Years ago at a party a very famous person asked John whether he was the science one or the other one; he said the other one, since Hank was always the science one. — 00:00:00 · Hank Green
• ★ John says even as kids Hank had an early webpage, the Hank Green Mars Exploration page, while John was into writing and history. — 00:00:00 · Hank Green
• ★★ John says in the last few years he has read many science books and chosen to learn subjects he actively hated as a student. — 00:00:29
• ★★★ John says a large e-commerce platform recently named The Anthropocene Reviewed book one of the best science books of the year. — 00:00:29 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)
• ★★ So now John is the science one too: there are two science ones and two writer ones. (playful) — 00:00:29 · Hank Green
• ★★ John is not positive The Anthropocene Reviewed is a science book, though it does contain some science alongside literary analysis and history. (hedged) — 00:00:29 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)

00:00:58 — Why John loves science writing; what his younger selves would not have expected

• ★★ John was pleased partly because he loves science writing: it deepens his understanding of the universe and his place in it. — 00:00:58
• ★★ John's 20- or 30-year-old self would be shocked that he enjoys science reading, has arguably written a science book, loves Indianapolis, lost his stage fright and loves third-tier English soccer. — 00:00:58 · Indianapolis

00:01:27 — Hank's ideas and John's changed take; people can change

• ★★ John says Hank has so many ideas that a website tracks days since he started a thing, and in a recent video John said Hank has an idea every 20 minutes and John's job is to say when they are bad. — 00:01:27 · Hank Green, Days Since Hank Green Last Started a New Thing, Vlogbrothers
• ★★ A longtime nerdfighter commented that 13 years ago John said the reverse: he had a crazy idea every 45 minutes and counted on Hank to call it terrible. — 00:01:27 · Nerdfighteria
• ★★★ John concludes that much of what he considers himself is not inevitable: people can change and keep changing, and the way things are, for us and the world, is not how they must be. — 00:01:56

00:02:26 — PIH Sierra Leone annual report, progress at Koidu, donation ask, a week off Vlogbrothers

• ★★ John recommends reading Partners In Health Sierra Leone's new annual report, or watching a video on improved maternal and child care at Koidu Government Hospital and what the Maternal Center of Excellence will mean. — 00:02:26 · Partners In Health, Koidu Government Hospital, Maternal Center of Excellence
• ★★★ John reports big reductions in child and maternal mortality at Koidu Government Hospital over the last year, and far more people using the health system because they feel they can get care. — 00:02:26 · Koidu Government Hospital, maternal death, child mortality
• ★★ John hopes the progress at Koidu will be accelerated by the Maternal Center of Excellence opening in 2023. (hedged) — 00:02:26 · Maternal Center of Excellence
• ★ John calls the letter from PIH Sierra Leone Executive Director Dr. Bailor Barrie beautiful, with a link to read it. — 00:02:55 · Partners In Health
• ★★★ John asks those able, at year's end, to join the thousands of nerdfighters making monthly or one-time donations to PIH's work to reduce maternal mortality, at pih.org/hankandjohn. — 00:02:55 · Partners In Health, Nerdfighteria, maternal death
• ★★ Hank and John will both take next week (week of 27 December 2021) off from Vlogbrothers, so this is John's last video of 2021. — 00:02:55 · Vlogbrothers, Hank Green

00:03:24 — 2021 gets two stars like a Cats sequel; the Gulliver's Travels joke explained; sign-off

• ★★ John won't say good riddance to 2021, as that would imply confidence in 2022; he gives 2021 two stars, like a Cats sequel: probably not as bad, but still a Cats movie. (playful) — 00:03:24
• ★ John admits he only said the video had four parts to make the Gulliver's Travels joke at the start, with no regrets. (joke) — 00:03:24

Threads in this video

• first use · John is now 'the science one' too, after The Anthropocene Reviewed is named a best science book (2021) — So now John is the science one too: there are two science ones and two writer ones. (00:00:29)
• milestone · The Anthropocene Reviewed book: announcement and publication (2020) — John says a large e-commerce platform recently named The Anthropocene Reviewed book one of the best science books of the year. (00:00:29)
• callback · Hank's habit of constantly starting new things, tracked by the 'days since Hank Green last started a new thing' website (2021) — John says Hank has so many ideas that a website tracks days since he started a thing, and in a recent video John said Hank has an idea every 20 minutes and John's job is to say when they are bad. (00:01:27)
• restate · Can a person really change who they are? — John concludes that much of what he considers himself is not inevitable: people can change and keep changing, and the way things are, for us and the world, is not how they must be. (00:01:56)
• milestone · Maternal Center of Excellence: the brothers' Partners In Health project in Sierra Leone (2019) — John reports big reductions in child and maternal mortality at Koidu Government Hospital over the last year, and far more people using the health system because they feel they can get care. (00:02:26)
• repeated · John: the Maternal Center of Excellence should dramatically accelerate progress in care at Koidu (2020) — John hopes the progress at Koidu will be accelerated by the Maternal Center of Excellence opening in 2023. (00:02:26)
• reminder · John asks viewers to donate to Partners In Health at pih.org/hankandjohn (2019) — John asks those able, at year's end, to join the thousands of nerdfighters making monthly or one-time donations to PIH's work to reduce maternal mortality, at pih.org/hankandjohn. (00:02:55)
• callback · Hank's 'million dollar idea' phone calls to John (2013) — John says Hank has so many ideas that a website tracks days since he started a thing, and in a recent video John said Hank has an idea every 20 minutes and John's job is to say when they are bad. (00:01:27)
• predicted · John: the Maternal Center of Excellence is on track to open on schedule (2021) — John hopes the progress at Koidu will be accelerated by the Maternal Center of Excellence opening in 2023. (00:02:26)
• predicted · John: the Maternal Center of Excellence will open in 2023 (2021) — John hopes the progress at Koidu will be accelerated by the Maternal Center of Excellence opening in 2023. (00:02:26)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• John: the Maternal Center of Excellence is on track to open on schedule (2021) — proved wrong
• John: the Maternal Center of Excellence will open in 2023 (2021) — proved wrong
• Maternal Center of Excellence: the brothers' Partners In Health project in Sierra Leone (2019) — completed; last: looked back, 2026-09-01
• The Anthropocene Reviewed book: announcement and publication (2020) — completed; last: milestone, 2025-01-21

Mentioned

Central: personal identity · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book)

Also: People: Bailor Barrie

Works: Cats (2019 film) · Days Since Hank Green Last Started a New Thing · Gulliver's Travels

Organizations: EFL League One · Koidu Government Hospital · Maternal Center of Excellence · Partners In Health

Concepts: child mortality · maternal death

Places: Indianapolis

Also centred on personal identity: We're all Scared · The Space Time Continuum: Thoughts from Dublin · Becoming Someone Else · Who Am I?! - Some thoughts on Personal Identity · Can You Ever Really Change? · Are We The Same Person?

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