vlogbrothersSæson 2021
Two brothers who reconnected via YouTube and now connect with hundreds of thousands of awesome people every day.
Hvor man kan se vlogbrothers • Sæson 2021
106 episoder
- In 1990 I Made a Bunch of Predictions About 2020...Here they Are
E1In 1990 I Made a Bunch of Predictions About 2020...Here they AreI kept finding this and being like, "I need to safe this for 2020." And I swear, I almost forgot about it but I was cleaning my office this week and found it and was like, "OH THANK GOD YES YES YES I DIDN'T MISS IT!" - In Which Hank Worries for a Little Bit and then Looks at MicrobesE3
In Which Hank Worries for a Little Bit and then Looks at MicrobesDid I record an entire video about voting rights and coups and leaders of this country thinking they could ride tigers without getting bitten by them? Yes! Yes I did. But as I was recording it I felt more and more like I was incapable of adding anything without over simplifying or rambling! In general, I am angry, and am glad to have the ability to take refuge in microbes occasionally. - Influencers and InsurrectionistsE5
Influencers and InsurrectionistsI keep hearing people talk about whether it was Facebook or Fox News or Donald Trump who led us down this deep mess of radicalization. But it's feeling more and more to me like those are all the same things. Donald Trump is the essence of a conservative radio host. Facebook hosts Fox News, Trump's decisions and tweets determine what's on Fox News which determine what he's thinking about, which controls what's happening on Facebook which informs Fox News which informs Donald Trump. - I Didn't Clean My Glasses for a Week and then I Put them Under a MicroscopeE7
I Didn't Clean My Glasses for a Week and then I Put them Under a MicroscopeIt turns out, from what I can tell, that the reason your glasses get harder to see through, is that globs of sebaceous oil somehow leap from your skin to the inside of your glasses. Those oil globs then prevent light from going directly through the glass, creating the streaks that I am constantly seeing. Which is why you need a glasses cleaner that dissolves oil, not just water and toilet paper. Though, water can be very important, because tiny salt crystals will absolutely scratch your lenses if you rub them around. - Doing BetterE13
Doing BetterWhen I say that things "are just this way" what I don't mean is that they had to be. We had plenty of chances to make this better along the way, and the US government did an extreme disservice to the world by pretending that tiny amounts of debt were worth not building infrastructure or educating children, but this is the world we are in now. If you want to know more, I REALLY suggest watching "Bending the Arc" on Netflix. - Bean Meme ReviewE15
Bean Meme ReviewThank you so much to everyone who participated in the Project for Awesome last weekend. This wasn't even all of the memes! There were tons of great ones I couldn't fit in! It was a really amazing time that inspired a lot of....creativity. And here that creativity is featured in my first ever meme review! (And yes, I did get a dispensation from the four minute rule for this video!!) - Arbitrary but UsefulE17
Arbitrary but UsefulI guess one other thing that I would say is that the frustration people like me sometimes have about how we don't all use the same systems of measurements or whatever is, like, I get it, it's frustrating. But ultimately, homogeneity had utility when it comes to whether we're talking about kilometers or miles, but there are lots of ways in which it is better for us not to have perfectly fluid, barrier-less communication. - A Crisis of BrandingE21
A Crisis of BrandingWhen I say, "I don't have an authentic self" I don't mean, "I don't have innate tendencies or attributes." I definitely do. But it is definitely the case that "the real me" is a thing that I could search for forever and only come out feeling freezer burned. - Why I'm Worried about 2021E24
Why I'm Worried about 2021I might be worried to be worried about this...but I think there are scales of severity to all of these things and I think we're getting really good at not looking at things on scales and instead seeing them entirely as binaries, and it's making us hate each other...a lot. - Gene Editing and Intelligence: A BadE30
Gene Editing and Intelligence: A BadThere was so much more I wanted to talk about here...it's a hard subject for 4 minutes. Obviously the bad thing being glossed over in the beginning is "Well, so we're going to create a race of smart people to 'help' everyone else? Yeah that sounds like it will go fine! DEFINITELY NOT DYSTOPIAN AT ALL" - Are We the Baddies?? A Quick Look at a DiscourseE34
Are We the Baddies?? A Quick Look at a DiscourseWhen I started this video I thought it was just going to be about a tweet...the fact that it became about how a tweet about villains outlines that the thing we're angry about is kinda that heroes don't turn into villains, and that the villainy was being advocated for on a platform where people don't seem to be getting any better at understanding inspires villainy was a pretty big surprise... Also, what is most interesting to me about these tweets is not that they were tweeted, again, I think they are fine takes...I think what's interesting is how much traction they got...how many likes and retweets and how much conversation they created, and how that conversation was never less extreme than the original tweet, always more extreme. Anyway, have a good day. - Are We The Same Person?E36
Are We The Same Person?I mean, at this point, it's worth asking. I feel like the more my identity is tied to small groups of people I know well, the happier I am. Having my identity tied to large groups I don't know well (like, "YouTubers") was bad. Having it be entirely based on "me" was also bad...but maybe there's a middle path. - The 19 Best FactsE40
The 19 Best FactsThe thread has now received a further 900 replies, and includes many facts that I would have put in this list, including that astronauts on spacewalks often LOSE THEIR FINGERNAILS AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY and that sharks were around before Saturn's rings. And also that Abraham Lincoln is in the wrestling hall of fame. This was fun. - AliensE42
AliensIs it aliens? Probably not. Why? Because we don't know almost everything, and finding an explanation that could explain almost anything doesn't recognize that there is a whole lot we don't know. We are so extremely biased toward thinking our current knowledge is a complete set of knowledge but it really, really isn't. - Is Twitter Redeemable?E44
Is Twitter Redeemable?Just know, going into this, that I do not have a good answer for this question. I know everyone's experience of Twitter is very different, and I also know that there are reasons to be pretty damn pissed off right now. I think there are better ways to use these platforms, but it's going to take a long time for us to find them. - Feelings, Little Tunnels, and Oprah: It's Question Tuesday with Ashley C. FordE45
Feelings, Little Tunnels, and Oprah: It's Question Tuesday with Ashley C. FordIn which John and Ashley C. Ford, two gratefully vaccinated writer friends, gather to discuss trauma, hope, yacht rock, feelings, Oprah's blanket, writing, and more. Oh, p.s. I had to cut so much gold out of this video that I made the full conversation as a secret unlisted video that most people will not find because they do not read the video description. - My Greatest Tool Against Vaccine MisinformationE46
My Greatest Tool Against Vaccine MisinformationI think there is a place for taking the time to fight against individual claims...but the thing you don't want to do is engage with the people who are not going to be convinced by anything...the people who have tied their identity and often even their livelihoods to believing that the government is trying to kill people (or something) because engaging with them only shines more light on them, and they will never run out of ways to move the goalposts and extend the argument. THAT'S THEIR JOB AND THEY LIKE IT! - QUADRAGOCON 2021!! LET THE GAMES CONTINUE!!!!E48
QUADRAGOCON 2021!! LET THE GAMES CONTINUE!!!!In 2015 John and I competed in a 14 event competition called the Quadragocon with the intent of repeating it every four years. But then we didn't do that and then there was a pandemic and ugh. BUT WE'RE BACK! With a couple of repeated events (that had the same outcomes) and a whole bunch of new ones, THIS is QUADRAGOCON 2021!!! - The Surprising Origin of Crash CourseE50
The Surprising Origin of Crash CourseOf course I know that the vast majority of people who are watching this won't be able to get a coin, but the small percent who can are making it so that this resource is available to all and not being built inside of a system that will ultimately be designed to capture more value rather than lower more barriers. - Sneezing is not normal.E51
Sneezing is not normal.In which John discusses the saga of Dr. NeverSneezer Scrooge, and how the ridiculous information we encounter shapes us and the world we share. Speaking of sharing ridiculous information, The Anthropocene Reviewed book has just celebrated it fifth week on the New York Times bestseller list. Thank you for reading it, sharing it, and responding to it so generously. - So...Orange Juice isn't What it Seems...E52
So...Orange Juice isn't What it Seems...My favorite thing about the fact that all orange juices are flavored is how much the orange juice industry freaks about when people talk about it, so we'll see if I get a letter from them. Anyway, the fact that they think OJ being "flavored" is the problem and not the part where it's an inherently unhealthy sugar beverage is really something. Will we ever move beyond this? Maybe not... - Wrong on the InternetE53
Wrong on the InternetI think we need to interface with the climate crisis like it is an emergency and taking personal action is a great way to both have a small impact on the world, but also to incorporate into your identity, and demonstrate to others that this is a thing that you care a lot about. Let's always remember that climate is a justice issue. Affluent people will be far less negatively impacted than those who have less, and that goes for inside borders and across them. Everything we can do to slow the gushing of CO2 and CH4 into our atmosphere is something that will make this a more just planet. It's time to act...that means advocating for carbon taxes and keeping coal, oil, and gas in the ground, but it also means making thoughtful choices about your own impact. Those things are additive, not subtractive. - Should You Abandon Social Media?E55
Should You Abandon Social Media?Did I make a video called "is twitter redeemable" last month? Yes I did. Do I think about Twitter a lot? Yes. Too much? Probably. Ultimately, the moments when I feel like I can't control myself on social media are the ones when I most shouldn't be using social media. Right now, I feel relatively in control. Whenever I'm not able to control myself, I need to not be there. I also try not to communicate with anyone else in my life in moments when I am not in control. It seems like a fairly basic rule, and yet often people seem to prefer messages from those who are out of control, or from those who cause others to lose control. Seems bad! - The Last 25 Questions I Asked GoogleE57
The Last 25 Questions I Asked GoogleIt is very weird that Google remembers everything, but it is also kinda nice? I don't know what this will do to our lives and our brains, but when I type "When" into the search box and it auto-completes to some idle curiosity I had three weeks ago, it is a special kind of lovely. - Can You Trust Science Too Much?E59
Can You Trust Science Too Much?Science is a human-created process that is undergoing constant revision and it is the best tool we have for uncovering truth. It's not a bunch of facts, it's not an ideology. It's imperfect and influenced by bias, but it is also very good at decreasing the affects of bias. - Remembering What's SpecialE61
Remembering What's SpecialI mean, can you believe this? Like the idea that this is a "YouTube channel" is so preposterous. There isn't a name for what this is, and I'm OK with that. I recognize that the focus on enjoyment and accomplishment (and the lack of focus on frustrations) means that this community is better at some things than other things. But I'm glad to be realizing that not everything has to be everything. - How We Fix the ClimateE63
How We Fix the ClimateWe should act as if this is an emergency, because it is. But part of that is understanding the tools and strategies countries are using to decarbonize and stabilize the climate. This is work that's already being done. We have already decoupled economic growth from the emission of greenhouse gasses which, frankly, was unthinkable just a couple decades ago. We need to be thinking and talking about this stuff, and one really important piece of that is understanding this stuff so we can talk about it and advocate for it. And, good news, it's all actually pretty fascinating!! - It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video.E66
It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video.In which John delivers himself an old-fashioned parts video for his birthday. Topics discussed include writing, getting older, living for a million years, moderate dystopias, The Anthropocene Reviewed, the first spacewalk, the first art made from outer space, and the zombie apocalypse of adulthood. - Is it Better Not to Know?E67
Is it Better Not to Know?I think one of the difficult thing with how the world exists right now is that we're asked to care about, like, everything. I cannot care about everything and I SHOULD NOT care about everything, because if I do care about everything, I will care incorrectly about a lot of things. Instead, get this, different people need to care about different things deeply, rather than a lot of people caring about things on only a surface level. - What the Heck am I doing?E69
What the Heck am I doing?The Arizona State University collaboration is so exciting because it's really made clear to me a lot of failings of higher education. There are SO MANY PEOPLE whose higher ed experience involves loans but no degree. There are better ways to do this...to include more people, to lower costs, to lower barriers to knowledge. It's super exciting. - The Top 10 Micro-Photos of 2021E73
The Top 10 Micro-Photos of 2021This was really an honor to be a part of. We started with thousands of images and we worked for a full two days to come up with the winners. There was also a video portion of the competition, so maybe I'll talk about that at sometime!! - A Lie I Heard this WeekE76
A Lie I Heard this WeekOne of the things it made me think and that I barely talk about in this video is that we are really good at saying "Boy, things sure are bad, but I know there is one thing that isn't part of the problem, and that thing is me." Which, like, might be true but is also awfully convenient. Like, I often hear people blaming news organizations for making the kind of content that people want. We can have a robust conversation about whether news should be constructed as a public good, but as long as they're out there competing with each other, they aren't going to have any incentive to believe that's what their role is. I'm not saying they have no responsibility to not post terrible, rage-batey hot takes, but I also have a responsibility to not engage with those things. I'm their customer, and I shouldn't be shocked that they keep selling me things I keep buying. - Why the Heck am I on TikTok???E78
Why the Heck am I on TikTok???I could obviously talk about TikTok all day long, and I'm not out here pretending I have a healthy relationship with any of this stuff. But here's what I know for sure...our world changes so so so fast and I want to stay aware of it...at least for now. We aren't going to get better at it by ignoring it. - What if Facebook Disappeared?E80
What if Facebook Disappeared?Usually I'm up in the description being like, "here are a bunch of things I wasn't really able to fit in the video" but actually...turns out, if you let me go for 20 minutes, I get most of it out. OK, I guess the one insight I had durning this that didn't fit is to do with righteous superiority. It (and fear) are most effective on people who struggle with self worth (which is to say...y'know...basically everyone, but also some people more than others.) In particular, people who might have been told that they would have a lot of status but then ended up not getting it might be very susceptible to both fear-based and superiority-based content. Interestingly, the fear and the superiority almost always go hand-in-hand. Like, "here are the people you are superior to, and here is why you should be afraid of them" is a wildly engaging thought. Anyway, this is really intense and I hope we all get through it. - The Fastest Things in the Universe (Entirely According to Me)E82
The Fastest Things in the Universe (Entirely According to Me)Boy, the way, at the end of the video, I'm like, "actually speed doesn't exist" is wild. The fastest thing in the universe might actually be you...just depends on your frame of reference... - The Web of CareE84
The Web of CareOnly Two Pizzamas Videos Left?! 0_o I think I mostly got to the point I wanted to get to here. Of course, there are a lot of other important thoughts that stem from here...specifically, are we extending our care in the right directions? Are we making sure that the web is growing where it needs to grow? And how do we make those decisions. But the overall thing I wanted to get to is...we are individuals, but we act on the world (and the world acts on us) in ways that individuality does a very bad job of explaining. The self-centered "everything needs me" feeling that I so often have doesn't serve the world or myself. - What is Pizzamas? ...and a New FriendE86
What is Pizzamas? ...and a New FriendThe unpredictability and lack of precedent for the path we are on can feel unnerving at times, but having these recurring times to help us understand where we're headed is really important. It's also such a great luxury to have moments when I just get to be creative for a little while. I even wrote a song this morning!! Well...a chorus...but still! - A Tool with No Blood on ItE88
A Tool with No Blood on ItThe weirdest swerve when it comes to vavilovian mimics is that some weeds got so good at imitating crops that they made their seeds really big an nutritious and BECAME CROPS. Both rye and oats were once weeds in wheat fields, but they got so good at mimicking wheat that THEY BECAME STAPLE CROPS. Anyway, the bigger the solution, the more problems it causes, but that doesn't mean life was better before it. It used to be that we could rumble through life without understanding the damage that we did. In part, that was because there were fewer of us, in part it was just ignorance. But the only reason there are more of us now is that people wanted to live...and have their children live, which I can't really blame them for. - Orbital Sunrise: The First Art Made in SpaceE95
Orbital Sunrise: The First Art Made in SpaceOriginal Title: See What You'll Never See: The Orbital Sunrise In which John Green considers the orbital sunrise, why humans make art, and why the cosmonaut Alexei Leonov drew home. Adapted from the podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, which is also a book. - NOW I AM THE SCIENCE ONE...E105
NOW I AM THE SCIENCE ONE......and other thoughts from a short day in a long year. In which John discusses why personality is not destiny (or even necessarily permanent), the naming of The Anthropocene Reviewed as one of the best science books (?!?!?!) of the year, the progress being made at Koidu Government Hospital with support from nerdfighteria, and Cats 2. - 29 Days of Astronomical TerrorE106
29 Days of Astronomical TerrorThe James Webb Space Telescope wants to examine the universe in ways that are simply impossible without tremendous feats of engineering. The bad news is...that means a terrifyingly complex deployment schedule and, while launch is scheduled for Christmas morning, no one will be breathing easy for at least two weeks after launch. Let's walk through the timeline, and why this is so hard.
