Scavenger hunters! Here is your clue for this week: Who ya gonna call? You desperately need a date night. Best to find the right number (it'll even tell you what house they're in). You're looking for the treasurer's debut. Agency services not required. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON: There is a scavenger hunt happening. Each week, solving the puzzle leads to a password that opens a new section at itsatuatara.freeforums.net/ To get help with clues, join the nerdfighter discord at www.tuataria.com/join -John
Hiya LegoJamTrain! I'd like to suggest that all communities large and small seem like incircles from the outside. My advice (dubious and non-Vlogbrothers-y as it may be) is to just come on in and participate. You might just be surprised. :) (My username inside is Macpants) See you there!
When I think of vlogbrothers I think of my classmates groaning as they see "the guy from crash coarse that talks to fast" on the projector screen in history while I smiled to myself because I had watched that video on ww11 a million times before. I think of my biology class where I took notes on a video of Hank explaining the structure of a cell. I think of the time I went with my friends went to see the fault in our stars and I spilled slushie on my pants. I think about when I finally had something to say to my crush when I realized they where reading paper towns. I think about all the vidcon vlogs I've watched bored on a Saturday afternoon. It's weird how unintentionally integrated y'all are in my memories, even though I never went to any nerfighteria events. I also think about the "book title" in your pants joke.
As a nerdfighter, and as an Archivist (currently a studying and working in digitisation of archives, haaha) The things that I would archive (if it could only be some things and not as a whole) are the videos that involved the community, and videos of John and Hank together. I would archive parts of each brothers video sets, such as the art work on Johns wall and Hanks Map of the realm of narnia. I would seek out and archive nerdfighter videos showing the community, nerdfighter gatherings from all over the world. In terms of the videos, taking a step back and trying to see from a non-nerdfighter perspective, I would think a timeline of video titles would be interesting, if not the videos themselves. Every now and again an "important" video such as a community or J'n'H video could be included in the timeline in video format. This timeline could be very in-depth such as including the channel stats if possible or even the number of comments. This would provide some context of the community size at the time of each video. With the uncertainty of digital formats, its hard to say what the best way to store electronic files is, look at floppy disks! But if this archive was kept in a physical format like a hard drive, with a backup, when it looks like hard drives are "going out", just be sure to import the archive to the newest tech. Who knows what it could be. Anyway this is just a long rambling post, and maybe the longest youtube comment I have ever written in my whole almost 8 years of youtube! Oh gosh.
+ I think the punishments are by and large more funny to us *, rather, than anyone else tbh-- WITH THE EXCEPTION of Hankroll-in' and that time that Hank pretended to jump a large stone fish statue. Also definitely ++ the Aerofighters video!
The Emily Dickinson poem you quoted struck a chord with me and I paused the video to go and look it up. That leads me to ask, would you consider doing a video on your favourite poems/poets?
That's why we started The Road to Nerdfighteria. Showcasing your stories is such an awesome way to document the history of Nerdfighteria. And we're working with the University of Iowa Special Collections to archive a version of these digital submissions. Because this little corner of the internet IS significant to us. ❤️
So my public school got shut down several years ago, and it had a school song. We sang it at every assembly, but nobody recorded it, because smartphones weren't a thing back then. Recently, my siblings and I have begun trying to reassemble the song based on the bits we and everyone else who went there remember. Every line we recall feels so much more valuable precisely because it wasn't archived. We only know about it because we experienced it ourselves, and only the people who experienced it themselves will recognize it.
I hear ya. I graduated in 1992, and I think I have a total of 3 pictures from my whole time at college, and they were taken at home, during breaks from school. Not a single picture taken AT school.
You ask a loaded question. When I think of Nerdfighteria, I think of the home it gave me when I was in middle school, which was arguably the worst time of my life. I was lonely, sad, angry, and confused. I think of the excitement I felt when I was able to bond with people my first year of high school over The Fault in Our Stars. I think of a community with so, so many inside jokes. When I first began watching, I felt so accomplished when I found the video that started the joke. I think of how reluctant I was to start watching, but how glad I am that I did. I have now been watching for five years, and have never looked back. I don't know if that answers your question.
You know. I watch most videos on UA-cam a 2x speed because it's a time saver and most people talk way slower than I can understand. I can never watch vlogbrothers videos on 2x speed. It feels like a 2x speed video at default speed.
I do the same thing! I do it a lot on Khan Academy. I can pick the video information up at 2x speed, so I speed up all the videos so I can move on faster and reduce my chances of becoming distracted. I don't do it with vlogbrothers videos lol. That's alright though. I kinda find it fascinating how much deep information you can cram into four minutes. =)
I am actually watching this at 2x speed, like every other video on youtube. Surprisingly, I can still understand all of it. If I put it back on 1x speed it sounds way too slow. There was this one day where after I was watching a bunch of youtube videos and afterward, I went to speak to people irl, and they sounded so slow and like "simplistic". It's really hard to describe that feeling.
It's a simple, straight forward video but I might have teared up a bit. Thanks John, we might not remember everything forever but you are important right now.
Ironically, 2 years ago John posted a video called, "What's in the box in the box in the box?" In which he explores the childhood memorabilia he chose to keep. So that begs the question, John... WHAT'S IN THE BOXES
nerdfighteria has always been associated with the feeling of love, compassion and understanding. So projects like P4A and Esther day are cornerstones of the community. But there's also the childish element to it: hanks songs, and happy dances and putting stuff on your head. What I want to archive, more than anything, is the collection of feelings. No clue how to do that though...
When I think vlogbrothers, I think of the video of Hank humping everything, or his plethora of jokes in 3 minutes, and French the Llama, and Sharpie Face! And I'm a huge advocate for taking photos and printing them out! I did that this evening, I'm glad you're promoting it!
If I had to choose a few things to archive it would be truly exhausting. Because this community (like real life communities)isn't defined by its moments but by the daily interactions between it's members. I don't think any one can truly imagine the past correctly,there is something intangible about it,we are more than the sum of our parts.Dftba
WARNING: If you plan to read an abundance of Katherines (Which I highly recommend and is really relevant to your comment) and do mind knowing a quite important message in the story beforehand please do NOT continue reading. ---POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER AHEAD--- 'The past is a logical story, it's the sense of what happened. But since its not remembered yet the future doesn't make any fudding sense at all.' Which to me says two things, 1 - (the irrelevant in this situation) One can't say something about the future by remembering the past. 2 - Remembering a situation differs from living in the moment. It's true no one can image the past totally correctly, but that doesn't matter. 'telling a story changes other people just the slightest little bit, just as living the story changes me. An infinitesimal change. And that infinitesimal change ripples outward- ever smaller but everlasting. I will get forgotten, but the stories will last. And so we all matter- maybe less than lot, but always more than none.'
hylke45 I had the pleasure of reading an abundance of Katherines a few years ago. I didn't realize I was mentioning something related to in it in my comment which is weird. Anyway,the lengths you went to to ensure nobody got a spoiler speak highly of you as a person
as someone who has a hard time engaging in communities, keep being so positive about your community. I've been a fan of crash course and your work for awhile, and it has made me feel like part of a community just by watching and listening.
Miranda Shea it's basically like upvoting or liking. But the algorithm values replies over likes so commenting a "+" is a way to get more people to see the comment you like.
I think the most important and the most lasting aspect of nerfighteria and all of the content it creates has always been the dialogues that it inspires. The conversations that get started in comments or forums, the video replies to thought provoking videos, and the art created as a response to or as a method to process the feelings that these videos inspire should, and in my opinion will be what is saved and remembered by and about this community.
One of my more artistic friends recently took a Polaroid of me because he saw " a moment of value". Those were his words, not mine, but in conjunction with this video topic, I am left wondering at the coincidence.
After having a few hard drive crashes and failed media I have come to learn that everything unique, or directly related to you is important. For that reason I keep every picture and most videos in quadruple digital all tagged. Then once a year I curate edit the photos to put in a photo book. Some edits being quite extensive where I combine multiple group shots for more the picture I was trying to take. The originals still being important. With my grandmother just recently dying and having lost a cousin and son of another cousin, it reminds me that you never know what will be important to you, or someone else, or the reasons why.
I 100% agree with the entirety of this video, but I have to pose the question: how do I stop myself from *trying* to archive everything? In a hyperconnected world, how do I detach myself from the Cloud and see with my eyes rather than through the viewfinder of a camera?
Every once in a while, when you have the urge to look at a phone or so, don't. Force yourself not to and reward yourself with something else. (Ex: Give yourself a chocolate bar when you don't pick up your phone in an hour. But the reward doesn't have to be food.) It slowly becomes a habit where you don't need your phone as much anymore. Works for other devices too. (Or at least it worked for me.)
I don't know your life so I have no idea if this is true or not, but the issue is less how much time you spend absorbing the world through the cloud, but not just looking around at moments in your life that seem insignificant. Occasionally, when you are walking down the hall at your school/work/home or whatever try to appreciate the life you've led up to this point and the world around. Looking at the mundane with wonder and awe and can not only improve your mood but (at least for me) train you to no longer seek out more "interesting" things through your phone.
You just have to make a choice to let it go. It sounds easy but it isn't, you have to stop and make a conscious choice to enjoy things for what they are. My technique is usually to limit myself to one or two pictures of any one thing - I'm not a professional photographer so vacation snaps don't have to be a work of art, they just have to be enough to help me to remember the experience of being there. Once taken the camera/phone is turned off and put completely away in my bag and I enjoy the thing for myself so that I can remember it when I look back at the photos. PS pro-tip never NEVER walk around with your phone out, if a thing isn't worth stopping to take your phone out of your bag to take a picture of it, then you don't need a picture of it. That way you have to experience everything yourself to decide whether or not to take a picture of it.
You know, it's actually really funny. I suffer from essentially the exact opposite problem. I'm not attentive enough to take photos for social media, what few accounts that I have. There aren't any pictures on my Instagram, and I haven't posted a real tweet in some months, perhaps longer. For me, being disconnected like that is a simple matter-- though don't mistake simple for easy. For me, its always been a case of being okay with saying, "You had to be there." It's a phrase that I think is slowly losing its value, what with how everyone is at all times ready, willing, and able to capture a moment at the slightest provocation that there might be a moment worth capturing. A perfect example is how more people seem to be content to film a concert they attend to post to their Facebook or Snapchat, instead of putting the phone aside and letting the music take you places. An event like Woodstock would have been a much different thing if everyone was more worried about making sure it looks like you're having fun than actually having fun. So it all comes back to that one phrase, I think. "You had to be there." A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say, but some stories need to be told, not seen on a phone. Find a place for that kind of mentality, and I think it's possible to be both connected for the future and present for the now.
This probably isn't helpful but Vlogbrothers and Nerdfighter makes me think of community, acceptance, learning, and growth. One thing that stands out for me is the friendships I have made through (mostly) the nerdcrafteria minecraft server. I now have some truly amazing friends thanks to joining that server and I've been introduced to truly amazing people and ideas. Thank you John and Hank and everyone else involved for that.
I'm, only 18 and I've realised a lot of memories I photographed when I was 12 are now gone or deleted because I was embarrassed by them, and I really regret it. My way of preserving my digital memories is to make them physical. I started printing off photos that had some meaning to me, and when I was 15 I started writing journals to documents my thoughts, feeling and events in my life. Journals act as a way to see right into your past mindset without your current memories interfering. Also transferring things to memory sticks and hard drives is always a good idea, even though I use icloud and google drive, I don't trust it to always be there, by my hard drive will be, as long as I don't lose it. Try to make your digital memories into physical ones if you can, and keep them stored in a good place, like a memory box. One day when you want to look back at when you were 23 you can go to your memory box/s and be thankful that you took the time to make digital things physical.
The best videos for me have been the old montages that have tons and tons of nerdfighters planting trees and drinking blenderized cake and sending artwork and putting stuff on their heads and doing their happy dances. I think those truly show the spirit of the community more than anything else. Also they feature tons of awesome music that deserves to be preserved.
The kindness. I'm a fairly new nerdfighter, but was has made love this community the kindness. I would like posterity to know that not everything from this time was terrible. People coming together to decrease world suck has happened/is happening.
When I think of Vlogbrothers I think of two of the most inspiring people I know, who have created one of the coolest, most unique environments in the digital world. Somewhere I can learn and attempt to understand the complex world around me a little better. The internet makes me feel many types of things. From anger at my feed of polluted fake news media, to sadness from all the heart wrenching true stories I read, to warm and fuzzy from all the cat videos. But here, I find myself with the feeling of hope. Something I have never craved so much, until recently. I am 23, and am so grateful for my English professor 3 years ago to introduce me to your channel. 😊
I haven't been in the community that long, but I think the Nerdfighter survey data would be a good thing to archive, not just for the quantitative data but for the sections people filled in on their own like the "anything else you'd like to tell john/hank" one. I bet there were some interesting responses. Same for the follow-up survey for Nerdcon Nerdfighteria.
Hankler fish, thoughts from places stuff has been particularly touching, hank's songs, different thought experiments like the evil baby orphanage you have left us with, Project for awesome, you guys talking openly about real issues like pain, cancer, chronic disease and such.... there are so many wonderful things about this community.
I am a history student who is actually currently using internet sources(as in writing history about websites) for my bachelor, and let me say: save as much as is at all possible. You might imagine that scholars won't care in the future, but that isn't correct. Nothing, and I really mean nothing, is too inconsequential to not be of importance of some question. We can't know what historians of the future would wish they had available, so we must give them the broadest possible material. The reason why archives don't save everyones information is because there isn't room. digital media will not have the same limitations. Therefore, I will also give this recommendation to everyone: On facebook, there is an option to download the information Facebook keeps about you in a zip-file. Do that, and keep it on some hard-drive or in the cloud. You have no idea how valuable historians 200-300 years in the future will find your specific facebook information. I know I wish we had similar sources for ordinary people that lived 200 years ago, and it would be sad to see that information go away. It is the nature of all new media that they are kept really poorly in the beginning, because no one thinks of a potential future where we wished we had access to it. Movies from the first 30 years of the film-industry are not nearly as well kept as books from the same era for example. At some point, we will have a functioning internet archive that everyone can be happy with, but because the archives can't save information that is personal, as in, behind a log-in, it is vitally important that we all try to save as much as we can, even if we ourself don't think anyone will care. I'm really happy that you made this video John, this is an issue that I find very important, but is in my experience rarely talked about outside of academic circles.
loran1212 Sorry but long term digital preservation is really hard, storage and resources are not unlimited. Selection is required even with big data and deep searching of data sets. A similar thing happened with a huge increase in paper in the 20th century--from which the modern archives emerged over older scholarly practices. Archives are changing again in response and will need to meet the future.
audiblebeauty sure, but the limitations are mich smaller, do more can be kept. What I'm saying is that that will not even be relevant if there is nothing to keep. I know the archives save a lot of information, and at least here in Denmark I can have no objection to the way they store websites, but the concern over how much space it fills is a completely different one from what to do with the 90% of the web that is deep web, and the discussion over what is relevant information.
What I like about the content you make here is the balance between silly and serious. Some things are so light hearted yet others are very intellectual, and I like seeing the combination of the two throughout all of the work you do. I don't know what would be the best thing to archive to express that, but that feeling is what I would want to keep.
In hindsight my initial reaction may have been sub-par. I prefer to print my pictures (though most are just pictures of various sunsets so take that with a pinch of salt) regardless of if they're any good. Pictures of pets, friends, family even some from funerals (with permission) are all oddly poignant. My 21st celebration was to go to the beach with a bottle of prosecco and stand about with my siblings (and one boyfriend), Nan, Mum and dogs drinking alcohol from blue paper cups. The pictures are definitely silly in a very understated British way-at the beach, drinking alcohol, wearing coats because Britain. Nerdfighteria feels the same. Silliness with a very real foundation of emotional worth. Archive the good and the not so good bits, because we'll still remember it even if some of the data has been lost, the memories will still live on.
When I think of Nerdfighteria, I think of a beautiful blend of the silly and the important, the broad range of discussions and the deep dives into what makes us as nerds happiest, and overall, a proud sense of being part of something big and hard to define (its hard even to say what "nerdfighter" means). So, in answer to your question, John, everything Nerdfighteria is equally a part of this goofy, gorgeous, heartfelt and pun-filled labyrinth, and I have absolutely no idea how one even begins to narrow it down.
Dear John, another thought provoking few minutes of awesome. As always thank you! Nerdfighteria has been a truly important place for me the last couple of years, along with Skyrim it is one of my favorite "places" to visit. Thank you both for all you do, and for the inspiration you give us. I am a nerdfighter from Ireland, who lives in New York and I have been thinking about a lot of these topics. WHAT IS NOT OK? is a recent project I put together that y'all may get something out of. Would mean the world if you could cast your eyes on it for a milisecond. DFTBA.
I'm guessing blank pages to sign and add to new book. John did them for the last book without a ton of time and (if I remember correctly) needed physical therapy.. Figuring he is just planning better this time.
+Bearlizz234 Somewhat depressing thought, but this community is large enough that at least a few (probably quite a few, but my knowledge on these statistics is extremely limited) people have died without knowing.
The things that really impacted me over the years where the thoughts from places videos, undoubtedly. They are so often very insightful, and I really appreciate them
I started this channel (NFi, Nerdfightersinfo) back in 2013 off the back of the Nerfighters Ning, and the Vlogbrothers channel, and I am now involved with the wonderful documentary series "The Road to Nerdfighteria" and I think both things I just named are important of archiving the past, present and future! Because it highlights how people found this place, how they use it and interact with it, how they view it and how it affects them and THAT is the legacy Nerdfighteria creates. I've been around since the very 2.0 early days and I used to run the Ning alongside/after Ningmaster Tom and a lot has changed. But then so have I and so has the world around John. Im still grateful for it all. I am looking forward to representing both community channels at VidCon in Anaheim, all the way from England, so yes archiving is important. It lets us look ahead as well as look back. I typed more than I intended to xD Dave Johnson (NFi, and Road to Nerdfighteria)
I think of not forgetting to be awesome, imagine others complexly, and thinking. Thinking on a deeper level, thinking about obscure ideas, and videos like this that put thoughts in my head that I otherwise would not have realised existed. Keep creating and being awesome nerdfighteria
I think a piece of advice from minimalism says it best. You are not your stuff. Your memories don't exist in your stuff. So even if there are giant gaps in your archives, that doesn't make those missing things less real. Archiving is personal and each individual will find some things less important for the future than others. I would hate to see puppy sized elephants vanish, but they won't in a way. Do future generations need to know about them? Probably not and that's cool. But they make this generation of Nerdfightaeria really awesome right now. For some things, that's enough. The Project for Awesome on the other hand would probably be a great thing to show future generations that would actually teach them something.
I agree up to a point but I feel that my great-great grandmother is more real to me because of family heirlooms. It turns out that keeping some of her stuff was nice thing thing to do for many people.
Apart from all the great things the both of you achieved alone, with this channel, and in any other ventures, I think vlogbrothers and Nerdfighteria also have something very special that isn't easily captured in one picture, webpage or link; the close, transparent and trusting behaviour between the audience and the creators and between audience members themselves. Apart from the great achievements like the foundation to decrease worldsuck I think that this part of hank being hank and john being john in a quite vulnerable way is what makes this channel so great. I'd love to see this growth of the connection of you guys and the audience being archived and stored.
Quite honestly when I think of nerdfighteria I think of family of community. I remember days spent in my best friend's backyard watching brotherhood 2.0 videos when I was in elementary school. I think about all the incredible interactions I've had and friends I've made. I think about all that I've learned from you, Hank, and the community as a whole. I remember past p4as and question Tuesday's. I remember Hank spending 15 hours in a target. I think about the notes I've left in your books at Barnes and Noble that I can only hope someone read and smiled because of it. I don't know if all those things, those memories are archivable but I know that I will always remember them. So thank you. Thank you for giving me all of these things even though you'll probably never know who I am. Dftba Ryan (Siena)
When I think of Nerdfighteria I think of Hank's songs and peeps and tiny chickens disease and pizzamas and evil baby orphanage and reunion videos. I rewatch videos of those things the most and it would be nice if they continued to exist. If possible though I think saving the entire history of vlogbrothers would be good. I have a ~thing~ about consuming media in order so when I first discovered the channel after reading one of John's books I went back at started at the very beginning and watched the entire archive. I would spend hours binge watching video after video hiding under my covers until 3am. If I had just seen a Vlogbrothers greatest hits playlist I wouldn't have gotten to know you guys in the way I feel I do and I might not have become such a dedicated nerdfighter. I think every video is valuable.
omg. I lost all my life's history and pictorial memories when my hard disk crashed on me. I didn't have more than 1000 pics in it, but they were the most varied and awesome pics and had amazing stories behind them. I just didn't want to upload my stuff to the cloud and help AI's by compromising my privacy. In the past 4 years, I have taken over 4000 pics and this video is interesting to me cuz I literally spent the last few days curating these huge piles of useless pics and managed to delete over half of them. I no longer care about privacy and just want my memories to stay on the cloud forever until I manage to print out all that I want to in the future.
I made a mistake while I was backing up my photos to the cloud, every photographed memory of the two agonizing years I spent at my first college, in the long-distance relationship with my now-husband and all of the images we shared and saved when we couldn't physically see one another, gone. Nearly every photo of my first kitten, documented with the obsessive intensity of a new pet-parent who couldn't stand to leave their cat alone so he came on car rides, grocery trips, babysitting stops, church concerts, and fell asleep so often tucked somewhere on my person, gone. Essentially, I feel you, and the loss of your photos, and the newfound need to make sure they are all saved.
I haven't been here long. I came around when Hank made the song about how everything dies (cannot remember title, please forgive). But I personally think that Nerdfighteria is shown through what is happening right now. The fact that you ask Nerdfighteria questions and of their opinions and really just include everyone. Sure, it also has values and love and general compassion, but they all show just how involved the community is. And I think that's beautiful.
When I think of nerdfigheria, and the vlogbrothers, I think of the ageless joy of relishing in a community that patrons art, and science, and the pursuit of finding meaning and togetherness in this vast cosmos. It's both soft nostalgia for my teenage years of edgy books, broken hearts and bad poetry, and my lingering sense of excitement towards the future... all thanks to a sentiment instilled in me by two brothers, the notion that I can make this life more that the dusty walk of the masses, that I can be a conduit of inspiration and passion and hope and love. And honestly, no matter what the ravages of time do to the internet, the vlogbrothers will forever and always have been a larger part of my heart than they will ever know.
Annette Vernon I just turned 23 too, and it took me a moment to remember that I am that age. I literally jumped at the realisation when John mentioned taking photos, and that it probably means I'm approaching weird-proper-adulthood. Now I feel the desperate need to go and take photos and do stuff... Like actual things that aren't sitting in bed watching vlogbrother videos. Do you feel the same? sorry for the rambling comment ^^;
Two things. One: This. This is probably the best VlogBrothers video I've ever watched. Definitely a favorite. Two: great, thanks John. I'm already a compulsive taker of photographs and I'm already a hoarder, but now you've planted the idea in my brain that I had better have TWO of everything if I really want it to last. I need a physical copy and digital copy of my thousands of photographs. Oh good. But also, actually thank you. Thanks for making this, because it's one of the most though-provoking VlogBrothers videos of all time.
Historians would probably think I'm a no one because I have so many pictures of everything that's not me. I almost never take pictures of myself and I try to avoid the camera. But I have hundreds of photos of my dogs being adorable dogs.
I've watched a lot of your videos and the ones where you speak about your visits to Ethiopia and refugee camps I find particularly valuable and moving. Specifically the video when you speak about your visit with Aida and Majeeda. Twice in the video you say something that really hits home for me. The first how you expose the viewer to the loss the girls have experienced. "...I want you to know. I want you to know there should be another sister here." At the end of the video you say, "To see the humanity in others is to glimpse it within ourselves." I've repeated these words many times to others when discussing current events because I think there is a great deal of wisdom there. Thanks for that. Videos like these and the statements they make should be saved and archived. They are valuable.
One of the things I like about your videos is that you guys get me to think about things that I should probably spend more time on. John, although most the time your videos are intriguing and make me think they're not always the most relevant to me personally but this was and I thank you for making it. I hope that plenty of others find this video relevant to their lives as well and give them something to think about.
For me, pictures of the Dutch & Belgian nerdfighter gatherings I've been to should be preserved. I've been very lucky to have gone to these gatherings and found so many friends through the community. And even though I don't like being in pictures a lot, I"m grateful there's always been people at these gatherings who have thought to make photo's, sometimes capturing me in the spur of the moment. I look very fondly at these pictures, seeing how much fun I had while they were made.
Yes! I got an Instax camera for Christmas last year and since then I have made sure to take a picture at least once a month. I love having physical pictures from throughout the year, and have found with using it I have become more selective as to which experiences/places to document on film vs. just taking a picture on my phone.
I've been watching these for two, maybe three years. This is a fantastic channel with two fun hosts, and lots of interesting thoughts and info. Its so inspiring to see that a long running, conversation? string of pearls? pop-topic discussion? stream of conscientiousness? between two brothers can get so many people to watch week after week, and not only that, get people involved in real world issues. I think that's whats happens I'm a little drunk and it late. Its such a simple idea, its just two brothers talking to each other through the internet, and everyone is involved. Somehow there's a community around that. I'm just now looking at the first comment, the pinned one, its something about a scavenger hunt, I don't even know whats that's about, but its things like that. I'm sure its some sort of ARG that you all are involved in. Like, that's crazy there's a community of complete strangers and you all come together to play these games, support this soccer team and watch these two men continue to grow their relationship from hundreds of miles away. And yet, what should you save? nothing. leave it. when UA-cam collapses into the next...whatever, just let it fall with everything else. let it be a memory for those who experienced it first hand. let be told as countless anecdotes to future generations who never knew life the way we do now. Let everything that's been said here die here as something special to the few hundred thousand that got to hear it from their smart phones and laptops. This weird experiment that we all got to witness first hand is for us and us alone.
I just realised that I've been a nerdfighter for 2 years now, almost to the day. Things I think you should archive are the events you've held, the books you've written, the UA-cam channels you've started and also that Fitness for Nerds video.
My mother recently passed away and though we have tons of pictures online. I realized I really wanted physical pictures of her around. Went to the store and printed a bunch of photos. While the ease of taking and storing so many photos is nice, it's also nice to be able to hold those memories in your hands.
Yeah. That's why we have access to apps like Groovebook. Take pictures! Then have them printed once a month! :) I have to admit, I still rely too much on Facebook to keep my memories (pictures) from a while ago.
I personally love the video where you blended a happy meal and ate it :) Also, I don't remember a disturbing amount of your content I've watched which freaks me out. So, I just remind myself how this community made me feel, I remember the meaningful connection I felt with complete strangers and its like being wrapped in a meadow of hugs thank you for that
Great video and very close to some of my real work - preservation of assets. I had three specific thoughts sparked from this video: 1) An individual should consider what, and how, they want to archive their 'stuff' for the purpose of reflection in the future. Digital photos, printed photos, a journal, a small book or poem collection, etc. 2) A completely different type of archiving happens when you want to preserve 'stuff' for human kind. Make donations of content to libraries, universities, museums, etc. 3) I do think that more often people are so focused on capturing the moment they forget or even miss out on experiencing it! You have to live and be in the present, a photo or video is the 'nice to have.'
Last I heard, it was still around! When the relationship ended, my (former) partner ended up with the cat (partly because I was allergic, and also because I was psychologically incapable of caring for another creature.) -John
Hank and John's big ideas and, just as important, thoughtful ideas are worth saving. The way this community draws attention to ideas over those dramatic and angry ones that are focused on by most media is beautiful. If that made sense. Also the amount of kindness in the comment section, is very special, I think.
Man, that's a good question to bring up? Honestly, when I think of Nerdfighteria, I think of the acceptance and sense of community you two bring to your audience and, I think, some of the videos that need be archived are the ones that bring an especially important message to others-- like the one where Hank talks about the bullying he experienced growing up. There was also the very first Vlogbrothers video I watched with John while he was in the airport talking about, I think sex education and the influence pop culture has on how we perceive sex? I don't remember exactly, that was years ago, but I do know it was significant to me at the time. And it's what started my journey through the Vlogbrothers, however minuscule my presence has been.
The video you (John) made on Charlie's channel about being 30! It was the first thing that peaked my interest in Nerdfighteria, and though I'm a little embarrassed by that fact, I feel like I'm not alone and therefore that connection is important to the story of the community. Also it's a cool video.
'The search for growth in change, and the subsequent developments that come from living in life' is what I think best describes what you guys do and what strive for.
John! I love that there is an opportunity to archive parts of the Nerdfighter Community. For part of my degree I interned at a university archive and I think the most important thing to archive is the transcripts of the videos (maybe not all of them but ones that maybe the Nerdfighter community believes to be the most important) I think archiving the Vlogbrothers and Nerdfighter community will be an interesting challenge. Thank you for being you!
Hey John, I've been organizing my family's basement for the past week or so and archiving, cataloging, and plain organizing things kind of becomes an obsession until it's completed. The best advice I can give is that the medium in which you store records and memories and information doesn't matter. What matters is finding the perfect balance of order and disorder within the process to accommodate people who know exactly what they're looking for and people who don't.
I'm newer to the community, and to me the community just seems to circle around Hank and John and their quest and passion for science, knowledge and making the world a better place. That's always been my perspective anyway. I like watching these videos because they're encouraging and educational.
Honestly the videos that remind me the most of vlogbrothers are the weirder ones without much of a central theme, like the one where Hank explains how he and John (sort of) have the same name. I mean I'm a little biased, since those are always my fave videos, but that casual yet informative and fun sort of thing is what defines this channel to me.
This is one of the reasons I still like using disposable cameras. Also, I have a very strict no social media policy for the pictures that come out because I feel like I photograph things very differently when I know there's not a possibility for them to be shared and seen. I encourage everyone to do this. I'm also turning 23 in a few weeks and its freaking me out so thanks for that reminder John.
I'm new to vlogbrothers and this thing that's called Nerdfighteria for some reason, and I think of all the weird rituals you guys follow: starting and ending every video with "Good morning ___" and "I'll see you ____", video duration limits, punishments, scavenger hunts, the many-jump-cut editing style, ... I don't know why you do most of these things, but it's a big part of what makes your channel unique IMO.
When I think of Nerdfighteria, I think of all the inside jokes primarily, but I also think of all of the community projects and even the big stuff like Vidcon or Crash Course, etc. I feel like Vlogbrothers is doing a lot of the "behind-the-scenes" stuff to make the UA-cam community work better, and I think that will be something important to keep for the future.
I think everything in our community should be saved there is always a lesson to be learned from the videos, the art, and even the comments. It even shows what we can do when we all try to imagine others complexly or focus on a cause for good. Now is that possible I don't know, but that is what I think. I love this corner of the internet, I really do the people here are wonderful and so kind.
I think of a community where I feel welcome always. I'm welcome most of the time irl but at times when i'm not, nerdfighteria is still here. That's what I think of when I think of Nerdfighteria.
Archive Esther I have thought about her a lot lately. Not knowing her at all. Yet.....the compassion and love you two showed for her kept a special part of my personality frozen in Time. Please archive and talk about her.
I have a whole lot of pictures of myself at 23. Mostly because I realized the beauty of selfies this year! Not necessarily to post anywhere, but often just so I can have photographic evidence of days when I felt good about myself to look back on when I don't. It is surprisingly helpful.
I'm 23 and I actually just spent an hour today with 65 pictures from the past 3 years that I printed out recently. I made a collage for my office and put some really important ones in frames. It was such a wonderful experience. I didn't print out all the pictures I took this year, but going through the ones on my phone and on facebook and instagram to pick the ones I wanted to print provided me with a lot of insight into the memories I value and the kinds of things I wish I had taken more pictures of
I found nerfighteria when I was feeling alone and in need of something big to be a part of, a community, friends, something I didn't have irl. I met here so many amazing people, I laughed with them, got excited with them, and basically made some good memories. this is what i want to be archived. The sense of community, of accepting anyone who wants to be a part, with all their quarks and weirdness.
One of my favorite videos from earlier vlogbrothers was when Hank had to be at Target for a long time because he went over the time-limit fo a video. I love some of the earlier content and especially some of the videos where you guys are traveling and seeing other places--definitely the video where you went to the refugee camp, or pictures from that video.
This is literally a huge part of my degree in Digital Media and Information Studies. The thing that stands out to me about the online community is that it is just that a community. The best way to preserve that may be to print out comments on videos or for people to write open letters and have them printed and kept. It is like video game preservation. It is almost impossible to preserve the experience entirely but we should at least try to keep a slice of the community feeling that the early internet provided people with.
I'm a photographer and I make films, so by nature I always have the thought in my head 'I should be filming this'. I've got into the habit of making videos for every holiday, every month etc. Last year, the hard drive on which I kept all my raw footage and photos from about 5 years past, got corrupted. Everything that I hadn't put on facebook or youtube was gone and I must admit I did cry. I had lost years of memories and thought I'd never be able to revisit them again, and as a very nostalgic person, that upset me. Then I realised that just because I didn't have physical, actualised versions of these times, that doesnt mean they didn't happen. I have my actual memories of those times, I can talk to my friends about them, I can remember what I ate and what I saw and what I sang. We shouldn't be so caught up in recording everything just with the purpose of looking back. We should instead try hard to recall the good times stored in our brain as a way to remind ourselves that there are more good times to come.
Scavenger hunters! Here is your clue for this week: Who ya gonna call? You desperately need a date night. Best to find the right number (it'll even tell you what house they're in). You're looking for the treasurer's debut. Agency services not required.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON: There is a scavenger hunt happening. Each week, solving the puzzle leads to a password that opens a new section at itsatuatara.freeforums.net/ To get help with clues, join the nerdfighter discord at www.tuataria.com/join
-John
vlogbrothers I thought I was supposed to call Ghostbusters!
vlogbrothers Ghostbusters?
Hello John, I am a nerdfighter who would love to get into the tuatara community but it feels like an incircle from the outside any advice?
James
Pin this John!!
Hiya LegoJamTrain! I'd like to suggest that all communities large and small seem like incircles from the outside. My advice (dubious and non-Vlogbrothers-y as it may be) is to just come on in and participate. You might just be surprised. :) (My username inside is Macpants) See you there!
"it assumes that in the distant future, there will be people"
... O_O
And then John Green gave Dodie an existential crisis.
doddleoddle thanks johnnnnnn
Well the Sun is going to explode in 5 billion years so we don't have much time left.
I've gotten used to hearing John say that on their podcast. I had the same reaction when I first heard him say it.
Ah, the good old upbeat vlogbrothers.
When I think of vlogbrothers I think of my classmates groaning as they see "the guy from crash coarse that talks to fast" on the projector screen in history while I smiled to myself because I had watched that video on ww11 a million times before. I think of my biology class where I took notes on a video of Hank explaining the structure of a cell. I think of the time I went with my friends went to see the fault in our stars and I spilled slushie on my pants. I think about when I finally had something to say to my crush when I realized they where reading paper towns. I think about all the vidcon vlogs I've watched bored on a Saturday afternoon. It's weird how unintentionally integrated y'all are in my memories, even though I never went to any nerfighteria events. I also think about the "book title" in your pants joke.
Did u print out the internet. Is that what is in the boxes?
The whole thing.
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As a nerdfighter, and as an Archivist (currently a studying and working in digitisation of archives, haaha)
The things that I would archive (if it could only be some things and not as a whole) are the videos that involved the community, and videos of John and Hank together.
I would archive parts of each brothers video sets, such as the art work on Johns wall and Hanks Map of the realm of narnia.
I would seek out and archive nerdfighter videos showing the community, nerdfighter gatherings from all over the world.
In terms of the videos, taking a step back and trying to see from a non-nerdfighter perspective, I would think a timeline of video titles would be interesting, if not the videos themselves.
Every now and again an "important" video such as a community or J'n'H video could be included in the timeline in video format.
This timeline could be very in-depth such as including the channel stats if possible or even the number of comments. This would provide some context of the community size at the time of each video.
With the uncertainty of digital formats, its hard to say what the best way to store electronic files is, look at floppy disks!
But if this archive was kept in a physical format like a hard drive, with a backup, when it looks like hard drives are "going out", just be sure to import the archive to the newest tech. Who knows what it could be.
Anyway this is just a long rambling post, and maybe the longest youtube comment I have ever written in my whole almost 8 years of youtube! Oh gosh.
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1. This is a good comment, and 2. as a (soon-to-be-graduated ahhh) library tech student, thank you for all the work that you do!!
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The punishments, especially the early ones. Oh and the original Aerofighters video where you misread it as Nerdfighters.
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Yes! So important!
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Also definitely ++ the Aerofighters video!
The Emily Dickinson poem you quoted struck a chord with me and I paused the video to go and look it up. That leads me to ask, would you consider doing a video on your favourite poems/poets?
I did the same!
That's why we started The Road to Nerdfighteria. Showcasing your stories is such an awesome way to document the history of Nerdfighteria. And we're working with the University of Iowa Special Collections to archive a version of these digital submissions. Because this little corner of the internet IS significant to us. ❤️
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So my public school got shut down several years ago, and it had a school song. We sang it at every assembly, but nobody recorded it, because smartphones weren't a thing back then. Recently, my siblings and I have begun trying to reassemble the song based on the bits we and everyone else who went there remember. Every line we recall feels so much more valuable precisely because it wasn't archived. We only know about it because we experienced it ourselves, and only the people who experienced it themselves will recognize it.
This is really interesting. I only have a handful of photos from my whole college experience. I have the memories but I really do wish I'd taken more.
If you look at pictures they can actually reinforce those memories too. I only really remember early memories I have pictures of.
"I wish I had taken more pictures..." - Princeton in Avenue Q (in a song called "I Wish I Could Go Back To College")
posthumorously
So thanks for this👍🏻
I hear ya. I graduated in 1992, and I think I have a total of 3 pictures from my whole time at college, and they were taken at home, during breaks from school. Not a single picture taken AT school.
memories are very unstable too because they can be altered, or made up.
You ask a loaded question. When I think of Nerdfighteria, I think of the home it gave me when I was in middle school, which was arguably the worst time of my life. I was lonely, sad, angry, and confused. I think of the excitement I felt when I was able to bond with people my first year of high school over The Fault in Our Stars. I think of a community with so, so many inside jokes. When I first began watching, I felt so accomplished when I found the video that started the joke. I think of how reluctant I was to start watching, but how glad I am that I did. I have now been watching for five years, and have never looked back.
I don't know if that answers your question.
Oh that's easy. We should remember what we keep, and keep what we remember.
Why is this the top comment but only has 3 likes
@@6FloridaMan9 I too wonder
You know. I watch most videos on UA-cam a 2x speed because it's a time saver and most people talk way slower than I can understand.
I can never watch vlogbrothers videos on 2x speed. It feels like a 2x speed video at default speed.
I do the same thing! I do it a lot on Khan Academy. I can pick the video information up at 2x speed, so I speed up all the videos so I can move on faster and reduce my chances of becoming distracted. I don't do it with vlogbrothers videos lol. That's alright though. I kinda find it fascinating how much deep information you can cram into four minutes. =)
Spiffleh now imagine watching them and English not being your first language hahhah
I am actually watching this at 2x speed, like every other video on youtube. Surprisingly, I can still understand all of it. If I put it back on 1x speed it sounds way too slow. There was this one day where after I was watching a bunch of youtube videos and afterward, I went to speak to people irl, and they sounded so slow and like "simplistic". It's really hard to describe that feeling.
Spiffleh I'm pretty sure it's because they have to keep their video under 4 min... :p
Same! In school when we would have to watch Crash Course, I would always finish way faster than everyone else
It's a simple, straight forward video but I might have teared up a bit. Thanks John, we might not remember everything forever but you are important right now.
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I know, right? I really really liked this video for some reason. Not that I didn't like the others but just something about this
Ironically, 2 years ago John posted a video called, "What's in the box in the box in the box?" In which he explores the childhood memorabilia he chose to keep. So that begs the question, John... WHAT'S IN THE BOXES
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nerdfighteria has always been associated with the feeling of love, compassion and understanding. So projects like P4A and Esther day are cornerstones of the community. But there's also the childish element to it: hanks songs, and happy dances and putting stuff on your head.
What I want to archive, more than anything, is the collection of feelings. No clue how to do that though...
Ashna Gera and Sharpie pen on your face
Ashna Gera write a book
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When I think vlogbrothers, I think of the video of Hank humping everything, or his plethora of jokes in 3 minutes, and French the Llama, and Sharpie Face!
And I'm a huge advocate for taking photos and printing them out! I did that this evening, I'm glad you're promoting it!
Sharpie Face is the first thing I think of when I think of Vlogbrothers, lol.
If I had to choose a few things to archive it would be truly exhausting.
Because this community (like real life communities)isn't defined by its moments but by the daily interactions between it's members.
I don't think any one can truly imagine the past correctly,there is something intangible about it,we are more than the sum of our parts.Dftba
WARNING: If you plan to read an abundance of Katherines (Which I highly recommend and is really relevant to your comment) and do mind knowing a quite important message in the story beforehand please do NOT continue reading.
---POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER AHEAD---
'The past is a logical story, it's the sense of what happened. But since its not remembered yet the future doesn't make any fudding sense at all.'
Which to me says two things, 1 - (the irrelevant in this situation) One can't say something about the future by remembering the past. 2 - Remembering a situation differs from living in the moment. It's true no one can image the past totally correctly, but that doesn't matter.
'telling a story changes other people just the slightest little bit, just as living the story changes me. An infinitesimal change. And that infinitesimal change ripples outward- ever smaller but everlasting. I will get forgotten, but the stories will last. And so we all matter- maybe less than lot, but always more than none.'
hylke45 I had the pleasure of reading an abundance of Katherines a few years ago.
I didn't realize I was mentioning something related to in it in my comment which is weird. Anyway,the lengths you went to to ensure nobody got a spoiler speak highly of you as a person
hylke45, thumbs up for giving spoiler warnings. Thank you.
When i think of Nerdfighteria, I think of Esther cause i love her and i miss her. And i wouldn't have known her if it wasn't for this community.
I agree. Save everything we have from Ester.
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archive but a single pizza John poster
Brandon only one? I mean, I get the whole, preserve only what important but...
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Yours Indubitably Loomhigh223555 yes one. one pizza John shirt with no context with it.
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ameliorated I like that thinking, no context.
If I could see future peoples faces...
as someone who has a hard time engaging in communities, keep being so positive about your community. I've been a fan of crash course and your work for awhile, and it has made me feel like part of a community just by watching and listening.
I'm 22, and now John, this year I'm going to print pictures and make a scrapbook. Thanks for the nudge.
Hey! Three million subscribers!
Congratulations Hank and John!
Does one of the boxes contain an embarrassing photo of Spongebob at the Christmas party?
Natalie Rodgers you're my best friend.
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What does the plus sign mean on youtube?
Miranda Shea it's basically like upvoting or liking. But the algorithm values replies over likes so commenting a "+" is a way to get more people to see the comment you like.
David Traina Thanks! I have seen it alot and even had people comment plus signs on my comment and I didn't know what it meant
I think the most important and the most lasting aspect of nerfighteria and all of the content it creates has always been the dialogues that it inspires. The conversations that get started in comments or forums, the video replies to thought provoking videos, and the art created as a response to or as a method to process the feelings that these videos inspire should, and in my opinion will be what is saved and remembered by and about this community.
One of my more artistic friends recently took a Polaroid of me because he saw " a moment of value". Those were his words, not mine, but in conjunction with this video topic, I am left wondering at the coincidence.
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After having a few hard drive crashes and failed media I have come to learn that everything unique, or directly related to you is important. For that reason I keep every picture and most videos in quadruple digital all tagged. Then once a year I curate edit the photos to put in a photo book. Some edits being quite extensive where I combine multiple group shots for more the picture I was trying to take.
The originals still being important.
With my grandmother just recently dying and having lost a cousin and son of another cousin, it reminds me that you never know what will be important to you, or someone else, or the reasons why.
I 100% agree with the entirety of this video, but I have to pose the question: how do I stop myself from *trying* to archive everything? In a hyperconnected world, how do I detach myself from the Cloud and see with my eyes rather than through the viewfinder of a camera?
Every once in a while, when you have the urge to look at a phone or so, don't. Force yourself not to and reward yourself with something else. (Ex: Give yourself a chocolate bar when you don't pick up your phone in an hour. But the reward doesn't have to be food.) It slowly becomes a habit where you don't need your phone as much anymore. Works for other devices too. (Or at least it worked for me.)
I don't know your life so I have no idea if this is true or not, but the issue is less how much time you spend absorbing the world through the cloud, but not just looking around at moments in your life that seem insignificant. Occasionally, when you are walking down the hall at your school/work/home or whatever try to appreciate the life you've led up to this point and the world around. Looking at the mundane with wonder and awe and can not only improve your mood but (at least for me) train you to no longer seek out more "interesting" things through your phone.
You just have to make a choice to let it go. It sounds easy but it isn't, you have to stop and make a conscious choice to enjoy things for what they are. My technique is usually to limit myself to one or two pictures of any one thing - I'm not a professional photographer so vacation snaps don't have to be a work of art, they just have to be enough to help me to remember the experience of being there. Once taken the camera/phone is turned off and put completely away in my bag and I enjoy the thing for myself so that I can remember it when I look back at the photos.
PS pro-tip never NEVER walk around with your phone out, if a thing isn't worth stopping to take your phone out of your bag to take a picture of it, then you don't need a picture of it. That way you have to experience everything yourself to decide whether or not to take a picture of it.
You know, it's actually really funny. I suffer from essentially the exact opposite problem. I'm not attentive enough to take photos for social media, what few accounts that I have. There aren't any pictures on my Instagram, and I haven't posted a real tweet in some months, perhaps longer.
For me, being disconnected like that is a simple matter-- though don't mistake simple for easy. For me, its always been a case of being okay with saying, "You had to be there."
It's a phrase that I think is slowly losing its value, what with how everyone is at all times ready, willing, and able to capture a moment at the slightest provocation that there might be a moment worth capturing. A perfect example is how more people seem to be content to film a concert they attend to post to their Facebook or Snapchat, instead of putting the phone aside and letting the music take you places. An event like Woodstock would have been a much different thing if everyone was more worried about making sure it looks like you're having fun than actually having fun.
So it all comes back to that one phrase, I think. "You had to be there." A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say, but some stories need to be told, not seen on a phone. Find a place for that kind of mentality, and I think it's possible to be both connected for the future and present for the now.
Just see through your eyes. It's easier that way.
This probably isn't helpful but Vlogbrothers and Nerdfighter makes me think of community, acceptance, learning, and growth. One thing that stands out for me is the friendships I have made through (mostly) the nerdcrafteria minecraft server. I now have some truly amazing friends thanks to joining that server and I've been introduced to truly amazing people and ideas. Thank you John and Hank and everyone else involved for that.
I'm, only 18 and I've realised a lot of memories I photographed when I was 12 are now gone or deleted because I was embarrassed by them, and I really regret it. My way of preserving my digital memories is to make them physical. I started printing off photos that had some meaning to me, and when I was 15 I started writing journals to documents my thoughts, feeling and events in my life. Journals act as a way to see right into your past mindset without your current memories interfering. Also transferring things to memory sticks and hard drives is always a good idea, even though I use icloud and google drive, I don't trust it to always be there, by my hard drive will be, as long as I don't lose it. Try to make your digital memories into physical ones if you can, and keep them stored in a good place, like a memory box. One day when you want to look back at when you were 23 you can go to your memory box/s and be thankful that you took the time to make digital things physical.
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The best videos for me have been the old montages that have tons and tons of nerdfighters planting trees and drinking blenderized cake and sending artwork and putting stuff on their heads and doing their happy dances. I think those truly show the spirit of the community more than anything else. Also they feature tons of awesome music that deserves to be preserved.
The kindness. I'm a fairly new nerdfighter, but was has made love this community the kindness. I would like posterity to know that not everything from this time was terrible. People coming together to decrease world suck has happened/is happening.
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When I think of Vlogbrothers I think of two of the most inspiring people I know, who have created one of the coolest, most unique environments in the digital world. Somewhere I can learn and attempt to understand the complex world around me a little better. The internet makes me feel many types of things. From anger at my feed of polluted fake news media, to sadness from all the heart wrenching true stories I read, to warm and fuzzy from all the cat videos. But here, I find myself with the feeling of hope. Something I have never craved so much, until recently. I am 23, and am so grateful for my English professor 3 years ago to introduce me to your channel. 😊
I haven't been in the community that long, but I think the Nerdfighter survey data would be a good thing to archive, not just for the quantitative data but for the sections people filled in on their own like the "anything else you'd like to tell john/hank" one. I bet there were some interesting responses. Same for the follow-up survey for Nerdcon Nerdfighteria.
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Hankler fish, thoughts from places stuff has been particularly touching, hank's songs, different thought experiments like the evil baby orphanage you have left us with, Project for awesome, you guys talking openly about real issues like pain, cancer, chronic disease and such.... there are so many wonderful things about this community.
I am a history student who is actually currently using internet sources(as in writing history about websites) for my bachelor, and let me say: save as much as is at all possible. You might imagine that scholars won't care in the future, but that isn't correct. Nothing, and I really mean nothing, is too inconsequential to not be of importance of some question. We can't know what historians of the future would wish they had available, so we must give them the broadest possible material. The reason why archives don't save everyones information is because there isn't room. digital media will not have the same limitations.
Therefore, I will also give this recommendation to everyone: On facebook, there is an option to download the information Facebook keeps about you in a zip-file. Do that, and keep it on some hard-drive or in the cloud. You have no idea how valuable historians 200-300 years in the future will find your specific facebook information. I know I wish we had similar sources for ordinary people that lived 200 years ago, and it would be sad to see that information go away.
It is the nature of all new media that they are kept really poorly in the beginning, because no one thinks of a potential future where we wished we had access to it. Movies from the first 30 years of the film-industry are not nearly as well kept as books from the same era for example. At some point, we will have a functioning internet archive that everyone can be happy with, but because the archives can't save information that is personal, as in, behind a log-in, it is vitally important that we all try to save as much as we can, even if we ourself don't think anyone will care.
I'm really happy that you made this video John, this is an issue that I find very important, but is in my experience rarely talked about outside of academic circles.
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loran1212 Sorry but long term digital preservation is really hard, storage and resources are not unlimited. Selection is required even with big data and deep searching of data sets. A similar thing happened with a huge increase in paper in the 20th century--from which the modern archives emerged over older scholarly practices. Archives are changing again in response and will need to meet the future.
audiblebeauty sure, but the limitations are mich smaller, do more can be kept. What I'm saying is that that will not even be relevant if there is nothing to keep. I know the archives save a lot of information, and at least here in Denmark I can have no objection to the way they store websites, but the concern over how much space it fills is a completely different one from what to do with the 90% of the web that is deep web, and the discussion over what is relevant information.
What I like about the content you make here is the balance between silly and serious. Some things are so light hearted yet others are very intellectual, and I like seeing the combination of the two throughout all of the work you do. I don't know what would be the best thing to archive to express that, but that feeling is what I would want to keep.
In hindsight my initial reaction may have been sub-par. I prefer to print my pictures (though most are just pictures of various sunsets so take that with a pinch of salt) regardless of if they're any good. Pictures of pets, friends, family even some from funerals (with permission) are all oddly poignant. My 21st celebration was to go to the beach with a bottle of prosecco and stand about with my siblings (and one boyfriend), Nan, Mum and dogs drinking alcohol from blue paper cups. The pictures are definitely silly in a very understated British way-at the beach, drinking alcohol, wearing coats because Britain. Nerdfighteria feels the same. Silliness with a very real foundation of emotional worth. Archive the good and the not so good bits, because we'll still remember it even if some of the data has been lost, the memories will still live on.
When I think of Nerdfighteria, I think of a beautiful blend of the silly and the important, the broad range of discussions and the deep dives into what makes us as nerds happiest, and overall, a proud sense of being part of something big and hard to define (its hard even to say what "nerdfighter" means). So, in answer to your question, John, everything Nerdfighteria is equally a part of this goofy, gorgeous, heartfelt and pun-filled labyrinth, and I have absolutely no idea how one even begins to narrow it down.
the kitty in that picture
it gives me hope
Me too. All hail kitty
Dear John, another thought provoking few minutes of awesome. As always thank you! Nerdfighteria has been a truly important place for me the last couple of years, along with Skyrim it is one of my favorite "places" to visit. Thank you both for all you do, and for the inspiration you give us. I am a nerdfighter from Ireland, who lives in New York and I have been thinking about a lot of these topics. WHAT IS NOT OK? is a recent project I put together that y'all may get something out of. Would mean the world if you could cast your eyes on it for a milisecond. DFTBA.
Keep making things! Great stuff dude :-)
Whoa, thank you I really appreciate it!
Books are presents of complexity and love wrapped in the simplest wrapping paper.
Please keep at least one reunion video. They're so wholesome and really show the life of this channel.
Seriously, WHAT'S IN THE BOXES?
Ahmed Adel 2 boxes have been opened or moved out of frame.
bombs, there are bombs in the boxes
I'm guessing blank pages to sign and add to new book. John did them for the last book without a ton of time and (if I remember correctly) needed physical therapy.. Figuring he is just planning better this time.
+Bearlizz234
Somewhat depressing thought, but this community is large enough that at least a few (probably quite a few, but my knowledge on these statistics is extremely limited) people have died without knowing.
Punches in the face for D. Trump?
The things that really impacted me over the years where the thoughts from places videos, undoubtedly. They are so often very insightful, and I really appreciate them
I started this channel (NFi, Nerdfightersinfo) back in 2013 off the back of the Nerfighters Ning, and the Vlogbrothers channel, and I am now involved with the wonderful documentary series "The Road to Nerdfighteria" and I think both things I just named are important of archiving the past, present and future! Because it highlights how people found this place, how they use it and interact with it, how they view it and how it affects them and THAT is the legacy Nerdfighteria creates. I've been around since the very 2.0 early days and I used to run the Ning alongside/after Ningmaster Tom and a lot has changed. But then so have I and so has the world around John. Im still grateful for it all.
I am looking forward to representing both community channels at VidCon in Anaheim, all the way from England, so yes archiving is important. It lets us look ahead as well as look back. I typed more than I intended to xD
Dave Johnson
(NFi, and Road to Nerdfighteria)
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I think of not forgetting to be awesome, imagine others complexly, and thinking. Thinking on a deeper level, thinking about obscure ideas, and videos like this that put thoughts in my head that I otherwise would not have realised existed. Keep creating and being awesome nerdfighteria
I think a piece of advice from minimalism says it best. You are not your stuff. Your memories don't exist in your stuff. So even if there are giant gaps in your archives, that doesn't make those missing things less real. Archiving is personal and each individual will find some things less important for the future than others. I would hate to see puppy sized elephants vanish, but they won't in a way. Do future generations need to know about them? Probably not and that's cool. But they make this generation of Nerdfightaeria really awesome right now. For some things, that's enough. The Project for Awesome on the other hand would probably be a great thing to show future generations that would actually teach them something.
MaryEatsMonkeys do you follow the minimalists?
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Maya S omg maya I found you in the comments
Yeah!
I agree up to a point but I feel that my great-great grandmother is more real to me because of family heirlooms. It turns out that keeping some of her stuff was nice thing thing to do for many people.
Apart from all the great things the both of you achieved alone, with this channel, and in any other ventures, I think vlogbrothers and Nerdfighteria also have something very special that isn't easily captured in one picture, webpage or link; the close, transparent and trusting behaviour between the audience and the creators and between audience members themselves. Apart from the great achievements like the foundation to decrease worldsuck I think that this part of hank being hank and john being john in a quite vulnerable way is what makes this channel so great. I'd love to see this growth of the connection of you guys and the audience being archived and stored.
Your pants (or our pants) for sure is one thing that if possible should be archived in someway, i loved hanging out there
Emmy Farrell 😏
Yes! Love the profile pic btw ;-)
Quite honestly when I think of nerdfighteria I think of family of community. I remember days spent in my best friend's backyard watching brotherhood 2.0 videos when I was in elementary school. I think about all the incredible interactions I've had and friends I've made. I think about all that I've learned from you, Hank, and the community as a whole. I remember past p4as and question Tuesday's. I remember Hank spending 15 hours in a target. I think about the notes I've left in your books at Barnes and Noble that I can only hope someone read and smiled because of it. I don't know if all those things, those memories are archivable but I know that I will always remember them. So thank you. Thank you for giving me all of these things even though you'll probably never know who I am. Dftba Ryan (Siena)
Pizza John and French the Llama must be saved!!
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When I think of Nerdfighteria I think of Hank's songs and peeps and tiny chickens disease and pizzamas and evil baby orphanage and reunion videos. I rewatch videos of those things the most and it would be nice if they continued to exist. If possible though I think saving the entire history of vlogbrothers would be good. I have a ~thing~ about consuming media in order so when I first discovered the channel after reading one of John's books I went back at started at the very beginning and watched the entire archive. I would spend hours binge watching video after video hiding under my covers until 3am. If I had just seen a Vlogbrothers greatest hits playlist I wouldn't have gotten to know you guys in the way I feel I do and I might not have become such a dedicated nerdfighter. I think every video is valuable.
omg. I lost all my life's history and pictorial memories when my hard disk crashed on me. I didn't have more than 1000 pics in it, but they were the most varied and awesome pics and had amazing stories behind them. I just didn't want to upload my stuff to the cloud and help AI's by compromising my privacy. In the past 4 years, I have taken over 4000 pics and this video is interesting to me cuz I literally spent the last few days curating these huge piles of useless pics and managed to delete over half of them. I no longer care about privacy and just want my memories to stay on the cloud forever until I manage to print out all that I want to in the future.
I made a mistake while I was backing up my photos to the cloud, every photographed memory of the two agonizing years I spent at my first college, in the long-distance relationship with my now-husband and all of the images we shared and saved when we couldn't physically see one another, gone. Nearly every photo of my first kitten, documented with the obsessive intensity of a new pet-parent who couldn't stand to leave their cat alone so he came on car rides, grocery trips, babysitting stops, church concerts, and fell asleep so often tucked somewhere on my person, gone.
Essentially, I feel you, and the loss of your photos, and the newfound need to make sure they are all saved.
@@flowersandeverythingelse2369 What mistake did you make? What happened to the photos?
I haven't been here long. I came around when Hank made the song about how everything dies (cannot remember title, please forgive). But I personally think that Nerdfighteria is shown through what is happening right now. The fact that you ask Nerdfighteria questions and of their opinions and really just include everyone. Sure, it also has values and love and general compassion, but they all show just how involved the community is. And I think that's beautiful.
When I think of nerdfigheria, and the vlogbrothers, I think of the ageless joy of relishing in a community that patrons art, and science, and the pursuit of finding meaning and togetherness in this vast cosmos. It's both soft nostalgia for my teenage years of edgy books, broken hearts and bad poetry, and my lingering sense of excitement towards the future... all thanks to a sentiment instilled in me by two brothers, the notion that I can make this life more that the dusty walk of the masses, that I can be a conduit of inspiration and passion and hope and love. And honestly, no matter what the ravages of time do to the internet, the vlogbrothers will forever and always have been a larger part of my heart than they will ever know.
I just turned 23. Thanks for the advice :).
Annette Vernon I'm 23 too. I felt like John was talking to me lol
Annette Vernon I just turned 23 too, and it took me a moment to remember that I am that age. I literally jumped at the realisation when John mentioned taking photos, and that it probably means I'm approaching weird-proper-adulthood. Now I feel the desperate need to go and take photos and do stuff... Like actual things that aren't sitting in bed watching vlogbrother videos. Do you feel the same? sorry for the rambling comment ^^;
Mooncalfproductions YES. SAME. Specially when he mentions that at that age he started LFA. I feel terrible
Two things. One: This. This is probably the best VlogBrothers video I've ever watched. Definitely a favorite.
Two: great, thanks John. I'm already a compulsive taker of photographs and I'm already a hoarder, but now you've planted the idea in my brain that I had better have TWO of everything if I really want it to last. I need a physical copy and digital copy of my thousands of photographs. Oh good.
But also, actually thank you. Thanks for making this, because it's one of the most though-provoking VlogBrothers videos of all time.
Historians would probably think I'm a no one because I have so many pictures of everything that's not me. I almost never take pictures of myself and I try to avoid the camera. But I have hundreds of photos of my dogs being adorable dogs.
I've watched a lot of your videos and the ones where you speak about your visits to Ethiopia and refugee camps I find particularly valuable and moving. Specifically the video when you speak about your visit with Aida and Majeeda. Twice in the video you say something that really hits home for me.
The first how you expose the viewer to the loss the girls have experienced. "...I want you to know. I want you to know there should be another sister here."
At the end of the video you say, "To see the humanity in others is to glimpse it within ourselves." I've repeated these words many times to others when discussing current events because I think there is a great deal of wisdom there. Thanks for that.
Videos like these and the statements they make should be saved and archived. They are valuable.
I think it would be cool to archive the year-to-year progression of how much money Nerdfighteria raised during the P4A
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Emma Rivera not very humble
One of the things I like about your videos is that you guys get me to think about things that I should probably spend more time on. John, although most the time your videos are intriguing and make me think they're not always the most relevant to me personally but this was and I thank you for making it. I hope that plenty of others find this video relevant to their lives as well and give them something to think about.
I think it's difficult for anyone to focus on the admittedly amazing questions in the video when we're all so distracted by WHAT IS IN THE BOXES??????
For me, pictures of the Dutch & Belgian nerdfighter gatherings I've been to should be preserved. I've been very lucky to have gone to these gatherings and found so many friends through the community. And even though I don't like being in pictures a lot, I"m grateful there's always been people at these gatherings who have thought to make photo's, sometimes capturing me in the spur of the moment. I look very fondly at these pictures, seeing how much fun I had while they were made.
I've started using disposable cameras again because this generation is the generation that has taken the most photos but will have the least
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Yes! I got an Instax camera for Christmas last year and since then I have made sure to take a picture at least once a month. I love having physical pictures from throughout the year, and have found with using it I have become more selective as to which experiences/places to document on film vs. just taking a picture on my phone.
I've been watching these for two, maybe three years. This is a fantastic channel with two fun hosts, and lots of interesting thoughts and info. Its so inspiring to see that a long running, conversation? string of pearls? pop-topic discussion? stream of conscientiousness? between two brothers can get so many people to watch week after week, and not only that, get people involved in real world issues. I think that's whats happens I'm a little drunk and it late. Its such a simple idea, its just two brothers talking to each other through the internet, and everyone is involved. Somehow there's a community around that. I'm just now looking at the first comment, the pinned one, its something about a scavenger hunt, I don't even know whats that's about, but its things like that. I'm sure its some sort of ARG that you all are involved in. Like, that's crazy there's a community of complete strangers and you all come together to play these games, support this soccer team and watch these two men continue to grow their relationship from hundreds of miles away. And yet, what should you save? nothing. leave it. when UA-cam collapses into the next...whatever, just let it fall with everything else. let it be a memory for those who experienced it first hand. let be told as countless anecdotes to future generations who never knew life the way we do now. Let everything that's been said here die here as something special to the few hundred thousand that got to hear it from their smart phones and laptops. This weird experiment that we all got to witness first hand is for us and us alone.
For everyday there is a tomorrow, until there is one day that don't.
I just realised that I've been a nerdfighter for 2 years now, almost to the day. Things I think you should archive are the events you've held, the books you've written, the UA-cam channels you've started and also that Fitness for Nerds video.
Archiving some of the punishment videos would be good. Also the first video from each of you
Idk just when I think of nerdfighteria I think of the feelings of happiness and acceptance into a community, no really specific videos
My mother recently passed away and though we have tons of pictures online. I realized I really wanted physical pictures of her around. Went to the store and printed a bunch of photos. While the ease of taking and storing so many photos is nice, it's also nice to be able to hold those memories in your hands.
Yeah. That's why we have access to apps like Groovebook. Take pictures! Then have them printed once a month! :) I have to admit, I still rely too much on Facebook to keep my memories (pictures) from a while ago.
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I personally love the video where you blended a happy meal and ate it :)
Also, I don't remember a disturbing amount of your content I've watched which freaks me out. So, I just remind myself how this community made me feel, I remember the meaningful connection I felt with complete strangers and its like being wrapped in a meadow of hugs
thank you for that
Wait, has a box been eliminated? Is John fighting back against the impending aboxalypse?
Great video and very close to some of my real work - preservation of assets. I had three specific thoughts sparked from this video:
1) An individual should consider what, and how, they want to archive their 'stuff' for the purpose of reflection in the future. Digital photos, printed photos, a journal, a small book or poem collection, etc.
2) A completely different type of archiving happens when you want to preserve 'stuff' for human kind. Make donations of content to libraries, universities, museums, etc.
3) I do think that more often people are so focused on capturing the moment they forget or even miss out on experiencing it! You have to live and be in the present, a photo or video is the 'nice to have.'
aw cute kitty on the picture
where is it now?
MeowAlien にゃあエイリアン It was pretty long time ago, propably dead.
sorry
Last I heard, it was still around! When the relationship ended, my (former) partner ended up with the cat (partly because I was allergic, and also because I was psychologically incapable of caring for another creature.) -John
vlogbrothers Yet you have a child.
Edit-nvm you said was😆😅
He's also not 23 anymore. So yes, was. :P
Hank and John's big ideas and, just as important, thoughtful ideas are worth saving. The way this community draws attention to ideas over those dramatic and angry ones that are focused on by most media is beautiful. If that made sense. Also the amount of kindness in the comment section, is very special, I think.
Yes, but, what's in the boxes?
Man, that's a good question to bring up? Honestly, when I think of Nerdfighteria, I think of the acceptance and sense of community you two bring to your audience and, I think, some of the videos that need be archived are the ones that bring an especially important message to others-- like the one where Hank talks about the bullying he experienced growing up. There was also the very first Vlogbrothers video I watched with John while he was in the airport talking about, I think sex education and the influence pop culture has on how we perceive sex? I don't remember exactly, that was years ago, but I do know it was significant to me at the time. And it's what started my journey through the Vlogbrothers, however minuscule my presence has been.
I'm new so I think of boxes
The video you (John) made on Charlie's channel about being 30! It was the first thing that peaked my interest in Nerdfighteria, and though I'm a little embarrassed by that fact, I feel like I'm not alone and therefore that connection is important to the story of the community. Also it's a cool video.
Puppy sized elephant
Webkinzgirl240 That was one of my first thoughts, too.
'The search for growth in change, and the subsequent developments that come from living in life' is what I think best describes what you guys do and what strive for.
Was this sponsored by 23andMe?
John! I love that there is an opportunity to archive parts of the Nerdfighter Community. For part of my degree I interned at a university archive and I think the most important thing to archive is the transcripts of the videos (maybe not all of them but ones that maybe the Nerdfighter community believes to be the most important) I think archiving the Vlogbrothers and Nerdfighter community will be an interesting challenge.
Thank you for being you!
Hey John, I've been organizing my family's basement for the past week or so and archiving, cataloging, and plain organizing things kind of becomes an obsession until it's completed. The best advice I can give is that the medium in which you store records and memories and information doesn't matter. What matters is finding the perfect balance of order and disorder within the process to accommodate people who know exactly what they're looking for and people who don't.
I'm newer to the community, and to me the community just seems to circle around Hank and John and their quest and passion for science, knowledge and making the world a better place. That's always been my perspective anyway. I like watching these videos because they're encouraging and educational.
Honestly the videos that remind me the most of vlogbrothers are the weirder ones without much of a central theme, like the one where Hank explains how he and John (sort of) have the same name. I mean I'm a little biased, since those are always my fave videos, but that casual yet informative and fun sort of thing is what defines this channel to me.
This is one of the reasons I still like using disposable cameras.
Also, I have a very strict no social media policy for the pictures that come out because I feel like I photograph things very differently when I know there's not a possibility for them to be shared and seen. I encourage everyone to do this.
I'm also turning 23 in a few weeks and its freaking me out so thanks for that reminder John.
I'm new to vlogbrothers and this thing that's called Nerdfighteria for some reason, and I think of all the weird rituals you guys follow: starting and ending every video with "Good morning ___" and "I'll see you ____", video duration limits, punishments, scavenger hunts, the many-jump-cut editing style, ... I don't know why you do most of these things, but it's a big part of what makes your channel unique IMO.
Please preserve all of Hank's songs and every collaborative work you produced.
When I think of Nerdfighteria, I think of all the inside jokes primarily, but I also think of all of the community projects and even the big stuff like Vidcon or Crash Course, etc. I feel like Vlogbrothers is doing a lot of the "behind-the-scenes" stuff to make the UA-cam community work better, and I think that will be something important to keep for the future.
I think everything in our community should be saved there is always a lesson to be learned from the videos, the art, and even the comments. It even shows what we can do when we all try to imagine others complexly or focus on a cause for good. Now is that possible I don't know, but that is what I think. I love this corner of the internet, I really do the people here are wonderful and so kind.
I think of a community where I feel welcome always. I'm welcome most of the time irl but at times when i'm not, nerdfighteria is still here. That's what I think of when I think of Nerdfighteria.
Archive Esther I have thought about her a lot lately. Not knowing her at all. Yet.....the compassion and love you two showed for her kept a special part of my personality frozen in Time. Please archive and talk about her.
I have a whole lot of pictures of myself at 23. Mostly because I realized the beauty of selfies this year! Not necessarily to post anywhere, but often just so I can have photographic evidence of days when I felt good about myself to look back on when I don't. It is surprisingly helpful.
I'm 23 and I actually just spent an hour today with 65 pictures from the past 3 years that I printed out recently. I made a collage for my office and put some really important ones in frames. It was such a wonderful experience. I didn't print out all the pictures I took this year, but going through the ones on my phone and on facebook and instagram to pick the ones I wanted to print provided me with a lot of insight into the memories I value and the kinds of things I wish I had taken more pictures of
I found nerfighteria when I was feeling alone and in need of something big to be a part of, a community, friends, something I didn't have irl. I met here so many amazing people, I laughed with them, got excited with them, and basically made some good memories. this is what i want to be archived. The sense of community, of accepting anyone who wants to be a part, with all their quarks and weirdness.
One of my favorite videos from earlier vlogbrothers was when Hank had to be at Target for a long time because he went over the time-limit fo a video. I love some of the earlier content and especially some of the videos where you guys are traveling and seeing other places--definitely the video where you went to the refugee camp, or pictures from that video.
This is literally a huge part of my degree in Digital Media and Information Studies. The thing that stands out to me about the online community is that it is just that a community. The best way to preserve that may be to print out comments on videos or for people to write open letters and have them printed and kept. It is like video game preservation. It is almost impossible to preserve the experience entirely but we should at least try to keep a slice of the community feeling that the early internet provided people with.
I'm a photographer and I make films, so by nature I always have the thought in my head 'I should be filming this'. I've got into the habit of making videos for every holiday, every month etc. Last year, the hard drive on which I kept all my raw footage and photos from about 5 years past, got corrupted. Everything that I hadn't put on facebook or youtube was gone and I must admit I did cry. I had lost years of memories and thought I'd never be able to revisit them again, and as a very nostalgic person, that upset me. Then I realised that just because I didn't have physical, actualised versions of these times, that doesnt mean they didn't happen. I have my actual memories of those times, I can talk to my friends about them, I can remember what I ate and what I saw and what I sang. We shouldn't be so caught up in recording everything just with the purpose of looking back. We should instead try hard to recall the good times stored in our brain as a way to remind ourselves that there are more good times to come.