Hank Green Gets Serious Nerd Wood Talking About The Webb Telescope

One of the reasons I am subscribed to Hank and John Green of the vlogbrothers is precisely because of this video by Hank. He mentioned in his last video that he was going to do one about the Webb Telescope which I was not aware of and I for one thank Hank for bringing some interesting scientific news told in a humorous and informative manner into my inbox. If you are unawares of why there is excitement about this program, watch the video:



I follow Hank on Twitter (he's @hankgreen) and he mentioned that NASA had tweeted his video about their telescope, which is pretty cool. Hank gets some serious nerd street cred for that, that's for sure.

This thing gives me serious nerd wood

I agree one hundred percent with Hank's assessment that we need to focus on that which is awesome and not just that which is categorized as "suck". His idea about the two soccer (football to those outside North America) teams guarding their own net and at the end of the game celebrating that no goal was scored on them is pretty good. Like he says "That won't get you on Sports Center".

If you want more information about the Webb Telescope, check Wikipedia here: James Webb Space Telescope.

George Watsky: How Does That Pale Kid Rap So Fast?

Sometimes it seems I am the last one to find great videos it seems as the following video by George Watsky (aka gwatsky) somehow slips past me. If you don't know who Watsky is, he's known more for his poems than rapping, but you wouldn't know it from this video. This kid is FAST! Listen to his flow:



You go gay baby!

I've been watching this over and over and yes I have tried to say it just like he does and failing miserably. How did I find out about this video? I was watching the latest from Hank Green of the vlogbrothers who made a valient attempt to copy Watsky's style (and did a fair job) but couldn't keep up. One think about Hank and his brother John is that they do highlight some cool stuff in their vlogs and who knows when I would have stumbled across Watsky's epic little clip? If you like poetry (or more specifically slam poetry) check out his channel.

Here's the video by the vlogbrothers that tipped me off to George's video. In Hank's video besides the part where he tries to rap like gwatsky he also has news about VidCon 2011, which you will want to know about if you are thinking about attending the July 2011 event.



As a side note, I checked one of the video responses to Watsky's video and stumbled across the channel of BeautifulGirlByDana a Canadian vlogger who talks about the video and offers some very important pointers for those who post music videos on Youtube but are without record deals or large channels (think VEVO et al) behind them. His video is very laid back and although the clip is 10 minutes long, I would definitely recommend that you listen to what he has to say about the changes made to how music videos are presented on Youtube. Basically he tells lesser known musicians and other artists how to get more views for their work which can get buried in the Bieber-Lady Gaga stuff. I will be writing more about what he says because it is intriguing news.

Is Kevjumba A Heterosexual Bear Wrestler?

I don't know if kevjumba is actually a heterosexual bear wrestler or not, but his request in his last video that all his fans Google that phrase seems to have paid off for him quite nicely lol. As you can see in the screen shot opposite, it looks like Google Trends shows that Kevjumba may be the very epitome of machismo as his question is numero uno.

If you haven't watched his video, you can find it below. It seems that Kev was suffering under a common affliction for those in the public in that when you ask "Is so-and-so" it seems most people are asking about their sexuality and Kev was being Googled to see if he was gay or not.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but he obviously would prefer that the 1st question that sprang to mind when his name is mentioned is something, a little more macho. So he asked that his viewers enter the question: "Is Kevjumba a heterosexual bear wrestler." And it looks like it worked lol.

Actually I was watching another channel on Youtube that I follow where a similar problem cropped up. Hank and John Green of the vlogbrothers were wondering about what people were Googling their names and finding. John Green's search revealed lots of questions like "Is John Green an author" and "Is John Green married" etc. Poor Hank's search had no results for his name, but do not despair Hank, because your name is also held in high esteem by an army of nerdfighters.

Here's Kevjumba's video where he asks us to Google him:



Gotta love Papa Jumba lol.

And if you haven't seen the video by the Vlogbrothers, here is that one:

Hank Green Answers The Question: "Is Lady Gaga A Man?"

Is Lady Gaga A Man? Do you really care? I heard all the rumors that were circulating when a video showing what appeared to be Lady Gaga's "accessories" surfaced on Youtube a while back and there were all sorts of questions if maybe Lady Gaga was actually male or a transvestite or whatever. I quickly became bored with the question because I (gasp) don't give a hoot about Lady Gaga. But here comes Hank Green from the Vlogbrothers testing out Google's intuitive system by typing just the word "is" and finds one of the collective conumdrums facing the world is Lady Gaga's sexuality.



Like I said, I don't care about Lady Gaga and mostly pass on her music and disregard her "shocking behaviour" because I see it as simply a promotional gimmick.

What I thought was funny was Hank doing what we all do, and seeing what's being said and asked about people we know and Hank finds that people are interested in his brother John and that there are lots of questions about "Is John Green married?" or "Is John Green gay?" but poor old Hank cannot catch a break. When he types in his own name - nothing. Maybe it's because there are so many questions about the vlogbrother known as Hank that no one or two common questions have purcolated up into Google's algorithm.

John And Hank Green Have Some Project For Awesome Announcements Plus Great Outtakes

Yes, it's Hank and John Green together in one video which you you don't see everyday. And the Vlogbrothers have some announcements to share with the nerdfighters.



The Green brothers have 3 announcements: Project For Awesome, Moon Pasta, and DFTBA shirts at a discount.

The big announcement would have to be the 2010 Project For Awesome, which will be held December 17, 2010 where the Youtube communities come together to rate, favorite and comment about videos uploaded about various charities they like (I liked John's video last year where he announced the 2009 P4A which also was about his "malaria-hating unborn child" who turned out to be little Henry).

The moon pasta debate was pretty much answered in the comments for the video with lots of debate back and forth about thrust and gravitational pull and the caloric count of a fully grown angus beef cow vs the nutritional content in a serving of pasta (space pasta or the earthbound variety). You will need to go to the video comments for further enlightenment.

And the final topic that John & Hank discussed was that there was some new t-shirts and music available over at DFTBA and if you don't know what "DFTBA" means your membership in Nerdfighters is hereby revoked! Kidding, it is of course means: Don't Forget To Be Awesome!

And now, the blooper reel where John and Hank show they are not the natural gifted showman they portray in their Youtube videos:



And don't forget to make a Project For Awesome video for December 17th!

Hank Green Sings "This Is Not Harry Potter"

Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers comes up with another great song with his "This Is Not Harry Potter" and though the video screams MysteryGuitarMan at the start when he uses the book as a musical prop.



I always look forward to Hank's highly original songs and he doesn't disappoint with this one either. Some of his viewers may disagree with his assessment of the Harry Potter books being among the highest quality, but they can't say Hank doesn't do interesting songs. And I liked that he worked his brother John's books in there too.

The only thing missing was some sing-a-ma-jigs.

Hank also mentioned that he has a new channel called hankgames which will appeal to all the Nerdfighters who are diehard gamers. He has only 3 videos up so far but it is funny hearing Hank's clumsy play-by-play as he relearns the game Assassin's Creed and complains about the slow uploading speed etc. If you are a gamer (and especially if you haven't played the games Hank will be playing) you should get a kick out of his new channel as it develops.

John Green's Singamajigs: A New Career In Music?

Doesn't it always seem that even with people who are successful in one area, such as acting, or professional sports, they always seem to harbour a secret desire to be a rock star? It seems like John Green of the vlogbrothers is no exception. John is of course, a published author and you can find his books over at Amazon. Here's a link to his author page: John Green books. But it also seems that John is a teensy bit jealous of his brother Hank's success as a musician and wants to join Hank's band. Take a look:



Now, although I think John is highly talented (and who wouldn't want a Singamajig player in their band), I dunno if I could see Bono and the U2 boys with a Singamajig solo. I'm not saying John doesn't have massive skills, and would probably be a welcome addition to Hank's band, but I'll have to see any finished product before passing judgement.

John mentioned Hank's latest song (see my post: Hank Green's Strange Charm: A Song About Quarks) and called it a song that mattered... well, about matter" lol. I liked Hank's song and just about all of Hank's songs. Actually if you want to check out Hank on iTunes, here the link: Hank Green on iTunes.

But mainly the video was showcasing John's love for Singamajigs (or Sing-A-Ma-Jigs). He does exhibit some ability on this most difficult of musical instruments - especially the harmonies.

What is your opinion? Do you see a new career path opening up for John in the musical area? Or should he perhaps stick to writing great (and award-winning!) childrens books?

Hank Green's Strange Charm: A Song About Quarks

One thing you have to say about the vlogbrothers is that they do make science and other nerdy stuff seem interesting. In this clip, Hank Green has put together a catchy song about what quarks are and their place in the universe, which is no mean feat.



And if you don't know who "the vlogbrothers" are, they are brothers Hank & John Green, who have been vlogging to each other on alternative days for at least 2 years. They were instrumental in putting together the recent VidCon online media conference held in Los Angeles during the summer of 2010 that brother hundreds of youtubers (probably thousands actually), and it looks like there may be another one coming up in 2011.

The Vlogbrothers And Their Pre-occupation With Giraffe Sex

Like John Green of the Vlogbrothers says, the top three videos on their channel have a common thread running through them - namely a reference to giraffe sex. I know they do cover many varied and interesting topics, but, um, giraffe sex? At least 3 times? and now one completely about their mating habits? Okay then.



Yes, giraffes have sex. And they are very, very promiscuous - apparently not caring too much about the gender of their partners. I think it may be their long necks and poor eyesight "That's a girl giraffe isn't it? Well, let's find out, shall we?"

I do like Hank Green's giraffe t-shirt design. If you want to order one of those t-shirts, you need to go to DFTBA.com (you don't know what DFTBA means? It's "Don't Forget To Be Awesome" of course).

As far as the topic of giraffe sex goes, I think I have all I need to ever know, thanks John. Hopefully I will be able to get the images out of my head.

What I did really like was John's surprise about Hank's various talents. Not only is Hank an awesome guitar player and vlogger, but he's always coming up with things like this giraffe t-shirt design.

John is a little reticent about acknowledging his kid brother's obvious talents - but that's usual for brothers. Funny video.

Positive Pranking With The Vlogbrothers

This is so cool! John Green of the vlogbrothers does some "positive pranking" by leaving Tootsie Pops in people's mailboxes as a sort of "reverse prank". John Green and his brother Hank upload videos to each other every other day to Youtube that get tons of views (almost 94 million to date). John does this in order to lower the problem of worldsuck just a little bit more.

His call to action to the Nerdfighters, is for the people who follow the vlogbrothers who are all for awesome. You can check them out at the Nerdfighters blog.

Here's John's note: "Hello! Your home has been TP'ed, which--for today, at least--means that it has been Tootsie Popped. These Tootsie Pops are your for the licking (and/or biting) not as a part of some marketing campaign but because of an initiative called Positive Pranking started by the author Amy Krouse Ronsethal with the help of the nerdfighters, an Internet-based community of people who seek to decrease the overall worldwide level of suck. Please enjoy, and if you're so inclined, start your own positive pranking adventure. You can find out more at http://blogs.vocalo.org/blog/amykr

Best wishes,

John Green"

If you're looking for Tootsie Pops, you can pick them up at Amazon.com fairly cheaply or shop locally. It doesn't have to be Tooties Pops, it could be just about anything. I was thinking that maybe you could even buy Halloween candy and do some positive pranking. The limits on this are endless!

Here's a link to Amy Krouse Rosenthal's blog. Let her know what you think about this idea.

And below she describes her new version of ding-dong-ditching:

Hank Green Makes A Make-Up Tutorial For The Vlogbrothers

Okay, I am sort of dreading this video from the vlogbrothers as Hank Green, as a stated punishment is required to do a YouTube makeup tutorial. Yup, full on makup for Hank.

First there's the prep work - shaving and preparing his canvas for the application of the make-up. Lol, at "So I'm going to start with my foundation..." I don't know how he kept a straight face. "What I'm going for is a district 12, smoky but sultry look." I'm going to include links to makeup on Amazon in case you want to capture the "Hank Green Signature Look". He starts with silver shimmer eye shadow I think the stuff he mentions next is Maybelline New York eye shadow, but I'm not 100 percent sure lol.

All I can say is Wow, Hank is one fugly looking woman lol. But he did go through with this and you sorta gotta respect that. But of course, if you are more interested in the books he mentioned in this video than the, ahem, makeup tips, he talked about the following books:

Hunger Games and MockingJay both by the author Suzanne Collins and Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi which can all be found at Amazon.

Actually I found a trailer on YouTube for Mockingjay which it says comes out soon, so take peek.



And for those Nerdfighters out there, be sure to be on hand to shower John Green tomorrow with lots of Birthday wishes as Hank says August 24th is John DOB.

Hank Green's Life In A Day

As part of the "Life In A Day" project, Hank Green of the vlogbrothers shows his brother John what he did over the course of the 24th of July. That included a full day of waterslides, farmers markets, thirsty dogs and some juggling.

Loved the shot of Hank's dog, Lemon, prostrate and being handfed an icecube and yes, Hank, Lemon has you both completely whipped lol. I was half expecting to see the camera pull back to show Hank fanning the dog with a giant palm leaf.

The kayaking scene was totally awesome! I wish I could try something like that. I think visiting Missoula just for the kayaking might have made its way onto my bucket list.

I liked his answer to the question: What am I afraid of? And Hank replied (while hurtling down a water slide) "I most fear that the wonderful way I live my life today will ruin life for generations of people to come." Always thinking about the planet's welfare and the wellbeing of others is one of the great things about Hank.

What I liked at the end was Hank demonstrating what he loves: he loves life and all the weird and wonderful facets that make up each and every day of one's life. That is a good attitude to have and a positive message that more should embrace.

To take a closer look at the Life In A Day Project, just click the following link lifeinaday

John Green On Snooki - Sorry 'Bout That Image John

I just watched the latest video from the vlogbrothers, with John Green replying to his brother Hank Green about Hank's run in with semi-celeb Snooki from the terrible TV show called Jersey Shore. I'll show Hank's video below.

John, like most people, are sort of "aware" of Snooki, one of the cast of Jersey Shore, that is all about "Ginos" and showing off their abs and scorin' with the hot chicks. Just your basic teen fodder for the hormonally abundant and intellectually-challenged. Hank had run into Snooki at an airport when he was returning from VidCon and was telling John about how Snooki was "perplexed" that someone had asked Hank for an autograph while she was in the room.

John decided to check out Snooki's Twitter account (she's at Sn00ki <-- how clever of her to use double zeros to indicate big boobs) and John is troubled by what he finds. Surprisingly she is something less than a good speller.

Snooki tweets: "Everyone please stop having heart attacks when i miss an apostrophe or coma or period. Dont wanna pop a blood vessel in your eyeballs :)


"First off Snooki, I shouldn't be the one concerned when you miss a period"

And John replies with the above quote. Classic John Green lol. And "coma"? What part of grammer includes a coma? Maybe when I was learning basic grammer I might have wished I was in a coma rather than sitting in Mrs Kerfuffle's English class, but I at least learned how to spell comma.

Hank discusses his meetup with the infamous Snooki. Best line by Hank: "And if you don't know who Snooki is... then as far as I'm concerned, you win." lol.

A Sleepy John Green Admits He Likes Balls

John Green of the vlogbrothers is a little jetlagged from a long, long trip to Munich. It took only the blink of an eye in the video, but trust me, it's a lengthy trip and poor John got no sleep. Probably reminding him of VidCon when he still stayed up for an extended period on BlogTV trying to whip up the Nerdfighter community to vote for the Harry Potter Alliance so they can do good things with the proceeds with the $250,000 prize being offered by Chase Community Giving challenge on Facebook.

And yes, all that hard work paid off as HPA went over the top while John tirelessly promoted the cause, getting viewers of the vlogbrothers to take action and get friends and family to vote for them. You can read about them winning at their website: thehpalliance.org.

John also mentions that he will be heading over to London, England and then Edinburgh, Scotland next month (August 14th - London, the 15th - Edinburgh).

"Shane Dawson signed my balls!"

I liked his point about Hank (the other vlogbrother in case you didn't know) not making the title of his video "Shane Dawson signed my balls!" just to garner gratuitous views from the curious. In case you missed Hank's video, he showed off a couple of balls that Shane had signed for him from the ball pit at VidCon that you see John leaping into at the start of the video.

I didn't realize that John had a blog (well DUH, Bradshaw). John's a published author and it only makes sense that he would have some excess words for his readers as well as viewers from YouTube. His blog is at johngreenbooks.com, and I'll also add it to the blogs I am following on this blog so you'll be able to keep up on what John is up to. There are several blogs listed from Phil DeFranco, Nalts, LinzLoves and KevJumba in the lower right hand side of hey-bradshaw.blogspot.com.