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Anglerfish and Talking Dogs
Payton Mitchell
February 14, 2025
Hello!
If you’ve never participated in the Project for Awesome (P4A) before, or if you don’t really know what it is, you’re probably thinking, “WHY do Hank and John keep talking about this thing!?”
There are two main reasons why we (Nerdfighters, Hank, and John) promote P4A so hard.
Let’s start with the basics: P4A is a livestream event that raises millions of dollars every year for charities that desperately need funding. This is the most obvious (and important!) reason. Since 2007, P4A has raised over 22 million dollars. 25% of the money raised during P4A goes to Partners In Health, 25% goes to Save the Children, and 50% goes to organizations voted on by the community! Many of the organizations chosen as beneficiaries are small, so a grant from P4A seriously changes their annual budget and their annual impact. You can watch videos to learn about nominated organizations and vote for your favorites at projectforawesome.com
The second reason we go on and on about P4A is because it’s a community-building event that anyone, anywhere can participate in. We gather from around the globe for one weekend to talk to each other live. We make new community jokes, meet new livestream hosts, reunite with returning hosts, and do important work together. I wish all work that does this much good could be this fun.
Several people have emailed us and asked how to participate in P4A for the first time. A 48-hour livestream sounds (and is) overwhelming!
If I were a P4A newcomer, I would go to projectforawesome.com/schedule and look through the livestream hosts. If you see any names you recognize, set reminders to tune in during those time blocks. If you don’t see any names you recognize, some of my favorite recurring segments are the first joint Hank and John hosting time (12 p.m. - 2 p.m. EST on Friday), Animal Wonders (5 p.m. - 7 p.m. EST on Saturday), and Brennan Lee Mulligan (12 a.m. - 1 a.m. EST on Sunday).
In addition to benefiting great organizations, your donations can be redeemed for perks! You can donate to get perks at projectforawesome.com/donate until noon on Wednesday, Feb. 19. I always donate to get the Digital Download Bundle! It’s a big assortment of digital goods like exclusive podcasts, art, and videos from the livestream hosts and community members. There are physical perks, too, like a t-shirt or commemorative coin.
I hope to see you there!
Payton (Hank and John’s Social Media Manager & Managing Editor of We’re Here)
You can always email us at [email protected]
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If you read this before Sunday at noon EST, the Project for Awesome livestream is happening now!
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The twin baby boom
Saloni Dattani and Lucas Rodés-Guirao
The share of births that are twins has changed over time.
The chart shows data for France, Canada, the United States, and England & Wales in the Human Multiple Births Database.
As you can see, twin births have risen dramatically since the 1980s.
One reason is the use of reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), which have made it possible for many more couples to conceive. During procedures like IVF, multiple eggs can be used at the same time to maximize the chances of a successful pregnancy, which can lead to twin births.
Another reason for the rise in twin births is that the average age of women at childbirth has risen. Older women are more likely to have twin births, even without using reproductive technologies.
Twin births are a chance event, but data shows they can also be influenced by societal changes and reproductive technologies.
Our World in Data is a UK-based non-profit organization that publishes research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems. You can find more of their data insights here.
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If you post your results on social media, we’d love it if you post a link for folks to subscribe to “We’re Here” (https://werehere.beehiiv.com/subscribe)
Let’s make Awesome Undies perfect!
These Undies are AWESOME, and you have the chance to try them out! Good Store has three killer designs that match past Awesome Socks, and they want to hear your opinions. Take the Awesome Undies style survey to get in on the ground floor of product development. Good Store wants to make the perfect pair of undies for YOU!
Your Project for Awesome highlights
Last week, we asked for your favorite moments of P4A. Thanks to everyone for sharing your memories and excitement with us! We’re beyond excited for the much-needed weekend ahead.
What I love about the P4A livestream is the density of the absurdity. I usually only tune in for an hour or two, but I still feel like it catch some truly iconic moments. Hard to pick a favorite honestly.
A few years ago, I met these twins that I was in grad school with—and it turned out we were all nerdfighters and had been since we were kids. We ended up moving across the country together, and now every year they, and I, (along with my husband) pile blankets and mattresses into our living room. We watch P4A and have a two TV set up so that we can also do puzzles in the dining room. We plan meals and take off work. We share perks and make jokes and vote for causes we believe in. And we’re here. Which is, honestly, my favorite part of P4A every year—the being here part—and has been since I was a weird teen girl watching it by herself in her bedroom.
I don't remember what year it was, but Destin and Emily Graslie were looking at an Australian $10 note under a microscope and discovered the text of the opening stanza of The Man From Snowy River.
The 2022 stream was my third date with my partner (yes, all 48 hours). We started officially dating to the chaotic sounds of Destin’s segment. We’ve shared every P4A since, and this year will be our first as a married couple!
Brennan Lee Mulligan. Meets. Jarrod.
I was cursed, I died, I arose, undead, to vote against Jarrod as mascot.
One P4A memory I think back on a lot is from a few years ago when Flula (and I) learned that Hank’s first name isn’t Hank and proceeded to then refer to Hank as ‘Billy Hank’ for the next hour or so. The name ‘Billy Hank’ lived rent free in my brain for months after.
One of my favorite traditions is watching the adorable animals at Animal Wonders make their incredible works of art.
The recent Banana Loca shenanigans have also become a favorite for me and every year I look forward to the inevitable creation of a new mascot (or mascots plural) of the livestream.
Overall, I’ve loved every moment of getting to grow up in this amazing community and seeing all of our hard work pay off in ways both big and small.
My friends and I still listen to and reference the "I wanna be a crab" song from a few years ago - what can I say its a bop! Hank's "pretend to be a crab you have to do a good job" Crank Green moment is a highlight as is Ol' Trashwater!
This year my best friend and I are living together and so are hosting a p4a sleepover party! We've been planning this since before we moved and I anticipate it being one of the highlights of my year—the group chat will finally be in person!
My first P4A was 3 years ago.
It's overwhelming. It's also the first time in Nerdfighteria that it felt like there were so many inside jokes that I would never fit in. BUT. I realized that a shocking number of those jokes are made up during the P4A THAT year! So while I miss some of them, they're usually from just an hour prior. The chat can help you get caught up, and the various hosts will introduce things. AND If something seems super random, it usually is. It might not be a joke from a year prior. It's a brand new shananigan! It's the best organized chaos I've ever seen. And it does good at the same time!
You made it!
There are lots of bizarre food combinations eaten by hosts during the P4A livestream. What’s the strangest food combo you’ve ever tried? Do you have a unique pairing you eat regularly? Let us know!
Send your weird food to [email protected]
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