Human Books and Baby Hippos

AuthorAuthor

Payton Mitchell & Hank Green
September 28, 2024

Hello!

It’s Pizzamas and things are actually even weirder than that. Years ago, I found a book in a trash can. It’s called “The Book of Good Times” and it told me it wanted me to help it become a human. That’s not…a thing that is possible, but it still wanted to try anyway.

When I opened the book it had lots of questions and quests for me and as I completed them (over quite a lot of time) something pretty weird started to happen…it definitely got more human. Like, obviously not human, of course, but as it filled up, something about it changed. And also, I changed. It helped me get in touch with myself and my humanness a little more.

Anyway, at the end of the book, it said I wasn’t enough and that it wanted to work with other humans…lots of them…as many as I could get.

And so we are doing a Kickstarter to see how many we can make. The cheap version is just $14, which these days is apparently the price of a single cocktail, and the nicer hardcover one is $27. You can pay a couple of dollars extra for either version for guaranteed shipping by Christmas.

This is a really weird project and I have no idea how it’s going to go. You can see the whole video I made about it here.

Thanks for checking it out…

Hank

PS If you’re wondering how I got the copyright to a book I found in the trash, sometimes there’s just a lil magic in the world, ok?

You can always email us at [email protected]

This Week in Stuff

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Lead exposure has fallen dramatically in the United States since the 1970s

Hannah Ritchie

Lead exposure has fallen dramatically in the United States over the last 50 years.

Despite being toxic to human health, lead was used in various products, including gasoline, paint, and pipes. However, there have been successful efforts to phase it out in recent decades.

The chart shows measurements of lead concentrations in children’s blood since the late 1970s, based on data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics. Both the average child and those with the highest exposure rates — the 95th percentile — show a dramatic decline.

Lead exposure is still a massive problem in many low-to-middle-income countries, where its use in paints, pipes, and other sectors is not monitored or controlled.

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.

This Week at Complexly

What is a cult? How are cults different from religions? And why do many religious scholars say we shouldn’t even use that label? In episode #3 of Crash Course Religions, we’ll learn why the line between cults and religions is much fuzzier than it seems.

Ever wondered what it takes to become a chef, teacher, therapist, or even an astronaut? Study Hall's brand-new series, "How to Become" breaks it all down for you! Whether you're dreaming of a career change or just curious about what it's like, each episode lays out the degrees, certifications, and steps to follow for a wide range of professions. The first episode "How to Become a Lawyer" is out now!!

Some Games to Play!

Nerdy Connections (by Complexly)

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SpellCheck.xyc (by Answer in Progress.)

Download Gubbins on iOS or Android!

This Gubbins postcard was made by Ella. Send yours to [email protected]

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Our most used internet references

Last week, we asked for your most common internet quotes. We loved taking this trip down memory lane into the depths of online culture with you!

Me and my brother constantly quote any line from History of the Entire World, I Guess by Bill Wurtz.

Abby

I am constantly telling my hubs that “when he’s being mean, this is who he’s being mean to” and showing him adorable pictures. (He’s never actually mean.)

Lauren

"Go piss girl" is said almost daily.

Charlotte

I think the internet reference I use most often these days is "Ew, brother ew!"

Kyle

My friend group - and regrettably myself - have taken the old "hardly know her" joke to the ends of the earth.

Chelsea

My TFA roommate and still best friend and I say “yeet” in almost every applicable interaction.

Adella

I've found myself often going back to "Banana for scale" whenever I get the chance to include said fruit in the picture.

Antonio

I say “I can’t believe you’ve done this” so often. Accent and all.

Emily

And that’s the end of the newsletter!

What’s the best pasta dish you’ve ever had? Send us the recipe, a photo, or a description of that perfect Trofie al Pesto you had in Italy that you can’t stop thinking about.

Send your pasta to [email protected]

We're Here is the newsletter of Nerdfighteria; the community of people that sprung up around Hank and John Green's YouTube videos. That community has many focuses and has spawned many projects but the overarching theme is that hopelessness is the wrong response to imperfection. What makes the world better is groups of people trying to understand and solve problems, and people can only do that for an extended period if they're having at least a little bit of fun.

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