John Hodgman on the coming apocalpyse

Our friend John Hodgman delivers an important message about the imminent apocalypse. For more of Mr. Hodgman's wisdom, I'd suggest his Complete World Knowledge boxed set of books.

UPDATE: Attention! If you're in Brooklyn on December 21, don't miss "what is likely to be the last night of comedy entertainment ever" as John performs That Is All, Ragnarok Live!

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia

It is a sad state of affairs that reasonably articulate people such as John Hodgman are seriously considering the end of the world on 21st Dec 2012. After 21st Dec John Hodgman will appear to be no different than Harold Camping. We should do our best to dismiss the preposterous theories of John Hodgman and others. Seriously! Please, a blood wave, a wave of blood! This is utter nonsense. I think John has been reading too much sci-fi, for example when he mentions “the ancient and unspeakable ones” this could be straight out of a novel instead of a realistic fear. I shake my head in utter dismay regarding the human race. THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR! The world will not end!
- John Fleming
  
  But surely Mister Hodgman cannot be wrong. If he is, then why am I sitting on top of this freezing-cold mountain in a white robe? Please take your hateful apocalypse-denying invective elsewhere, sir!
  - mocon
    
    “But surely Mister Hodgman cannot be wrong. If he is, then why am I sitting on top of this freezing-cold mountain in a white robe?”
    
    Because, let’s face it, you look great in that white robe.
- Lurking_Grue
  
  Dude, the unspeakable ones are real and will wake soon. You are going to look rather silly when you are caught without jars of mayo and urine.
  - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
    
    I will buy some mayo just to be on the safe side, although I am sure the world will not end, it’s just that I do like mayo and John reminded me I am running low.
- PaulDavisTheFirst
  
  reasonably articulate people such as John Hodgman are seriously considering the end of the world on 21st Dec 2012
  
  somehow, i’m just not getting the sense that you get hodgman at all. am i right?
  - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
    
    Oh I get him alight, he is just another one of the crazies, no different to Harold Camping, in fact he is probably worse.
  - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
    
    [EDIT: Oh my comments are now reinstated, I'll go back to sleep now. Crisis has been downgraded to DEFCON 5.]
    
    Boing Boing censored my comment to you last time, which is a shame because I made no back-up copy, so I will be brief. It seems they and you don’t get sarcasm, how ironic.
    - Antinous / Moderator
      
      It certainly looked like hostile trolling to me.
      - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
        
        Jesus, do you really think I was serious? The whole article (video) is about sarcasm, thus sarcasm in response was certainly valid but you’ve now deleted a brilliant piece of my humour. #Buzzkill. I thought BoingBoing was all up for freedom of expression?… the vibrancy of the net etc? What would Cory say?
        
        Someone else in comments said I don’t get BoingBoing and maybe ironically they are right. Could you at least supply me with copies of my comments you deleted?
      - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
        
        So are you going to let me have copies of my comments? I will publish an article about it and let the public decide if your censorship was valid. Or you could just reinstate the comments.
      - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
        
        Can’t seem to find your email address for complaints, dispute resolution. Disqus says: “Most websites have a contact form or email address listed to get in touch with their moderators or support team.” So what is the situation with BoingBoing, is there a valid path for dispute resolution or is it mere blind tyranny? A wall of authoritarian silence?
      - http://Valanx.org David Deutsch
        
        No, simply make your sarcasm funnier next time. What you wrote was so infinitely dry, I had lots of trouble deciding it was sarcasm in the first place.
      - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
        
        Amusingly David Deutsch, other people have often been unintentionally fooled by overly dry humour: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/29/fooled-by-the-onion-8-most-embarrassing-fails.html
        
        Deadpan delivery can be funny, especially when people don’t detect the irony.
- jimh
  
  I’m actually trying to figure out if this is some meta sarcasm/next level shit, or if you might possibly be serious.
  - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
    
    Oh I’m deadly serious. I am certainly not being sarcastic, and what on Earth does “next level” mean? Do you think we are playing a computer game? You may also want to correct your typo where you have written meta instead of meat. Prior to your usage of “meta” I’d never encountered “meta” before but apparently it relates to html coding, … it is about metadata, which makes no sense in the context of sarcasm thus you must have been trying to type “meat sarcasm,” yes? Some meaty sarcasm to go with the mayo? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_element
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/7W7Q7RHM4T4MHJXPRI5MS5MYOI KTUF
      
      S.U.
      Please take a short course on comedy.
      - http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
        
        Surely it is very comedic when people don’t get the comedy. When Chinese media thought the Onion’s article regarding Kim Jong-un was true, that he really is the sexist man alive, it was incredibly funny, and I concur he is incredibly sexy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20518929 http://www.npr.org/2012/12/01/166293306/the-onion-so-funny-it-makes-us-cry
        
        Amid the frustration at being temporarily censored I can tell you I have had many a laugh. Farce has been in the forefront of my mind.
- http://Valanx.org David Deutsch
  
  Poe’s law is strong with this one.
http://marjaerwin.livejournal.com/ Marja Erwin

Why should I take this seriously? Is he the Fifth co-Eagle of the Apocalypse? Is he one of the Lost Priesthood of the Rainmakers?
- John Fleming
  
  He is both co-Eagle and Lost Priest! His newsletters were very clear on this point.
coiled embrace

Yes… John needs to be reading more science and assimilating more FACTS as to how the world really runs.

The world needs more humorless materialistic fundamentalists like you to legislate reality for poor schmucks like Hodgman.
Ashen Victor

“Mayonnaise is really good to get rid of urine stains… and you gonna need THAT!”
atteSmythe

dat kerning
Boundegar

I find it telling that he omitted the part about the daikon radishes. If you didn’t subscribe, that alone could seal your fate.
http://artdonovan.typepad.com Art

How to survive?
Duck and Cover!
And bring plenty of Ritz Crackers and peanut butter.
jimh

“Hodgman” is misspelled in the post title.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Not anymore.
  - http://Valanx.org David Deutsch
    
    Still is for me…
BarBarSeven

Hodman?
teapot

Even the Australian PM got in on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ebtj3gDaE64

Oh, and Singularity Utopia: welcome to BoingBoing. Stick around and you might get it eventually.

PS: Does the singularity have to be so colourful?
- http://singularity-2045.org/ Singularity Utopia
  
  I doubt I will ever get the BoingBoing nonsense, besides I have more important things to do such as playing sarcastaball.
  
  The Singularity can be any colour you want, or no color, just manipulate the hue and saturation.
http://profiles.google.com/macrumpton Michael Crumpton

Oddly, as John started to speak, I was imagining him as Higgins in a vastly improved remake of Magnum PI, where Higgins is the main character and Magnum the amusing sidekick.
Tommy

“This is the end, the end of the world
For five thousand years you must surely have heard
Nostradamus and Jesus and Buddah and Me
We said it was coming and now wait and see”
Bob geldof – The End of the World