1-2 Sep 2010
I woke up around 6:00 PM, and took 1 piracetam and choline at 7:00 PM, 12:00 AM and 5:00 AM. I continued reading about Rwanda, which is still just as terrifying, especially because of how mundane the whole ordeal was to all the people recruited to become killers - it was just something else for them to do. They didn't even have trouble identifying who was a Tutsi and had to be killed. They already knew who they all were. They were their neighbors.
I finally got around to writing the next video last night, over the course of about 4 hours. There's a certain process I have for writing. If I'm responding to someone, when I first watch their video, I'll just record my immediate impressions and any responses that come to mind. Then I watch it again, recording whichever specific points they made, figuring out which ones can be grouped together and picking out which ones need to be answered. Once that's done, I make a list of these arguments and map my replies onto the appropriate points. I try to put them in a certain order, more or less, and then weave it all together into one single, long piece as if I had just written it straightforwardly.
I was pretty tired last night when I wrote it, but I think it's still pretty decent. It took some effort to get started, but once I was into the groove of it, it wasn't too difficult. I do hope people enjoy it. I would have posted this last night too, but I was too exhausted to write anything else. This is apparently not an alertness drug. I'm still feeling pretty "together" and in a good mood, though.
i can't imagine actually writing for a video (probably why my videos suck) to tiring for me
My impression watching your videos is that you're reading from a teleprompter. You have great content and writing, but the presentation lacks emotional dynamism. Your facial expressions, nonverbal communication, and tone don't really seem appropriate at times for the content you're delivering. For example, in the video where you announce the Prop 8 results, the tone is right on for the 'This is amazing!', but your body is stiff and not affirming of the excitement you're telling. But hey, what do I know, I'm just a schmuck that watches youtube videos, and you've been making a lot more videos, and a lot more regularly.
Sometimes it's like I just focus so much on one thing that other channels of communication like body language are basically shut off. I'm aware of this, my brain is just weird.
I consider it a positive. There's nothing to be distracted by, just your points and your emphasis, both well ordered and focused. Even if you were to throw in body language, it probably wouldn't do much to strengthen your points, all it would make you is more appealing to look at, and you're fine as is :)
The Rwandan Genocide was, besides being a very tragic occurrence, exemplary of the type of depravities that human beings are capable of enacting upon one another. The same sort of behavior that one can be sure to expect if he or she happens to turn into the evening news or towards those who so happen to hold any opinion that is branded by the general populace as “different” or “other”. These ideas are considered to be a lesser variant of a more true or essential state and that the former are simply a derivative form of the latter. For example black is the derivative or white, man that of women, homosexual that of heterosexual, evil that of good, madness that of sanity etc. In reality the more essential state is simply the most powerful or accepted idea or conception of human nature and is no more valid or invalid then its dichotomic counter-part. Human nature is no exception, as the Rwandan Genocide has shown us, humanity is capable of the most deplorable acts, as well as acts of altruism and benevolence. No state fully describes the entire nature of our being. What are your views on human nature or binary opposition? I’ve been following your blog for a couple of days now and I can’t seem to figure out your stance here, as a secular humanist I presume you have a view similar to Richard Dawkins and his followers, but also it seems you give the individual more prominence in defining who they are or are not then the typical humanist. Good luck with your life and I hope you respond soon.
Considering that ZJ's not getting paid a salary to do his videos, I don't think he has a great deal of time to memorize 10 minutes of text (You try it sometime). I would rather have ZJ's wit and perspective, then to have him dancing around and making all sorts of faces into the the camera for entertainment value. Sure, it may look as though he's reading off a teleprompter, but that's only because he is.
I suspect that the sunglasses were a trick to keep people from noticing that he was reading. :)
Anyway, I don't see a problem. I enjoy ZJ's vids very much, even if he was doing an audio podcast, i'd still enjoy listening. Keep up the amazing work, ZJ!
Yes, I agree. I think of it more as an essay or speech then anything else. Content is much more important presentation, not to say that his presentation is bad or anything. :)