Geek & Sundry Vlog Challenge #2: Battery Licking Fun

Around noon today, I hit 1,000 votes on the Geek & Sundry vlog contest. My science vlog is still around 20th place out of 30 (actually, out of 29, looks like).

Don't forget to vote.

(At least) once a day!
(Plus, you can watch the video at that link, too.)

Ten of the vloggers will get spots on the Geek & Sundry vlogger channel line-up. I spent most of the first week of the contest in 27th place, but have had a good rally since Monday, when I put a proposal out there that if we reached 1,000 votes by midnight on Friday, July 19 - that's today - then I'd record, sing, edit, and post a music video of me performing the 1980's classic "She Blinded Me With Science."

Music video coming

My initial thought upon reaching 1,000 votes was to try to record the video tonight and get it up over the weekend, in an attempt to drive more voting with a little bit of viral buzz. But, honestly, I'd like to do a good job with it and not rush things, plus give myself enough time that I can get some friends to show up in the video if they'd like. So the video will be coming ... hopefully early next week. I'm hoping to film over the weekend and have it finished up on Monday, but I'm not willing to commit to it, since I will be trying to use some video editing techniques that are new to me.

Second Challenge

In the meantime, to keep everyone motivated, I have a second offer to put out there:  If my votes reach 1,500 by the end of the contest on Monday (1:00 pm Eastern/10:00 am Pacific) then ...

I will film a video of me licking a 9-volt battery. 

If anyone's concerned that this is dangerous ... it is, but only a very little bit. I got the idea for this one from Gever Tulley's 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do).

So stay motivated. Keep voting. Spread the word. If you do, then I promise ... I will do something stupid and mildly discomforting.

Geek & Sundry Vlog Contest Update

Things are going great on the Geek & Sundry vlog contest.

Okay, not so much great as ... much better than a few days ago. I've gone from 27th place in the rankings to 23rd, and am only two spots behind the other science vlog on the list! If we keep up the momentum we're gaining, and possibly get some more exposure, then great!

For background, I have a science vlog that is in the running as a finalist for inclusion on the Geek & Sundry YouTube channel as a regularly recurring slot in their schedule. Twice a month science vlogs! Very awesome.

Want to help? Vote here!

The Last Few Days ... And How You Can Help Humiliate Me

What contributed to the recent rally? I think I had a fairly good showing on the Potential Vlogger Hangouts #6 video (linked below) that I participated in on Sunday afternoon, but ...

Honestly, I watched the 5 Potential Vlogger Hangouts before mine, and pretty much everybody was awesome. I think there were maybe a couple of people who probably didn't gain a lot of supporters, but I've gotta admit that I was really hoping for some people to just really suck and lose all support, and none of them did. Even on subjects that I personally didn't find interesting, I tended to find the contestants very personable, compelling, and likable ... which just makes it all the more difficult to root for their downfall.

Anyway, here's the potential vlogger hangout that I was in, along with Nik & Mike of "Based On" and the video game fashion girl Amanda:



In this Hangout, we were asked for a theme song. I chose "She Blinded Me With Science." So on Monday morning, I was trying to think of a way to spur on a rally over the last week of voting ... and here's what I came up with:

I pledged that if I had 1,000 votes by midnight on July 19, I would record, sing, edit, and post a music video of "She Blinded Me With Science."

And as of right now, we are making progress toward hitting that goal, and I'm pretty sure the promise to humiliate myself has had a lot to do with this.

More Humiliation Needed?

I also just discovered that the voting is going to be extended beyond Friday, over the weekend (and possibly into Monday ... still awaiting clarification on that).

So, here's the question ... does anyone have any tips on techniques that I can implement in an attempt to rally even more votes over the next 5 or so days? Bribes that I can offer? Blackmail I can implement? Anything?

If we hit 1,000 by midnight on July 19 - and we may be on track for that target - then what should come next? My inclination is to offer some other tantalizing reward if we reach 2,000 votes by midnight on Friday.

Any suggestions? The floor is yours!

Vlogging Success at Geek & Sundry

Today, I received an e-mail telling me that my audition video for the Geek & Sundry vlog channel has been selected to be among the 30 vlogs that move on to the second round of voting. My theme for a vlog was ... Science!

But my aim isn't to do cool science experiments, because - while cool - there's absolutely no shortage of such demonstrations on the internet (and they require a lot of clean-up). Instead, my focus is on the overall culture of science, the way scientific discoveries build on each other, why scientists work the way they do, and so on. Here's my initial audition video!

And, despite not making it into the top 30 in votes, apparently I caught the eye of the channel's founder, Miss Felicia Day herself, because she commented favorably on my YouTube page, and the channel decided to move me forward. I suspect it as the back-up support of Albeart Einstein, sitting there behind me in the video.

Anyway, I'm now working on a second video. I have some ideas, but do you have any suggestions about topics that I should cover? If so, leave a comment, as I'd love to add it to my list of topics to cover.

The second round will begin on July 10 at 10:00 am Pacific/1:00 pm Eastern, along with 29 other candidates. You will be able to vote each day from July 10 through July 19 at midnight Pacific.

The voting matters a lot more in the next round, so keep watching for when the link becomes available for the votes. Thanks!