Just checking in, friends.
Hey you humans,
Sometimes I think I gotta sit down and write a proper post about all that's been going on, but as you may have noticed this Patreon page has been suspended for a long while, and not collecting pledges while I work a million works.
I don't want to try to narratize about this past year in some pithy internet style. I'm fine, in many ways better than ever, but also things are hard, but also things are going swell, and I've found more than enough thing to keep me busy in ways I hope are useful. So that's the gist of it. But I do want to check in with y'all.
So, hey, say hi in the comments if you want to. And, I ask, let's take a moment to not worry about being the fanciest clever internet humans of perfection, but just check in and say hi.
🐌,
Vi
Comments (193)
Hi...
And thanks for your work on The Witness, which is taking up all my entertainment time.
Hi Tom! It is such a good game though! I just did some early feedback and playtesting, but YOU'RE WELCOME :D
Hi Vi,
I can so relate to this post, heh! A lot of my energy went into calming myself down panicking repeatedly at the sheer amount of ugly hatred and all-around in the world around me and the way it seems to be coalescing into very scary actions... but then for me personally it's also been a very rewarding, and fulfillingly busy year. My youngest kid came to live with me while my middle child moved in with her mom, and it's been an awesome opportunity to connect/bond more with the youngest, and explore fun things together (at home, natch). I've managed to put up further boundaries in my communications with their mom, and finalized the separation (3 years into it) while maintaining a cordial relationship, and that feels great. Got to see all three of my kids through some cool milestones this year. I've been able to explore awesome new avenues of tech-related learning, delving into vintage 8-bit computing, assembly programming on the 6502 and 8080 processors, quirky old OSes that give you access to EVERYTHING but make it so easy to step on other software, too. Learned me some webgl/shaders last week. Way more than anyone wanted to know, ha - but yeah I relate to everything being fine but also very not fine but also, like, fine. :)
Hi Micah! I'm a big fan of boundaries, so congratulations on that! Glad you're exploring new things and being at least two parts fine.
Hey, Vi! I can relate to that spot of being fine but not fine but ultimately fine. Glad you're doing fine!
Hello and fine day to you, Frink!
Greetings. Glad you are doing alright. If there's anything that we as audience can contribute I'm always interested in what you put out. I'm also doing alright. Working towards a new job, really examining what I look for in a job. Just living you know.
Hi Ivy! I should probably be taking your lead in better examining what I look for in a job. Glad you're doing alright.
Hi!
Hey Chris, really good to hear from you! I didn't know if this post would reach all the folks who have been here through the hard times. I'm glad you're still here.
Hello! Good to hear you're doing well. Stay safe!
Hi Justin! You as well!
Greetings. I don't have much to say, so I'll just pass on what the juncos on my patio are telling me: "Keew! Keew Keew! Keew!".
Hey John! Birds know how to say "hi" so good though, tell them "keew" for me :)
Enjoy yourself. We know inspiration is like the weather; when a present for us materializes in your mind, it'll come leaping out on its own. Until then, just keep the table set. (I'm bad at metaphors.)
Hi Mike! I will set the table and close the cabinets and shovel the driveway and met the phors, don't you worry :)
Hello! Good to hear from you, keep on rockin!
Hi Dmitry! We got so much rockin to do!!!
Hi, Vi! Just a fly-by, cos I'm shy.
I'm actually not, but I felt all alliterative and rhymey. It will never be anything but doggerel, but does it qualify me as a licensed poet? No? Okay . . . moving along.
<3 love to hear from you
Hey Ever! Been a bit! Good to see you still doin' your thing :)
Waving hello! 👋 I'm glad things are mostly swell, even if they are also hard, and also isn't time weird?
Wow, time is definitely weird. How did time get so weird? Well, anyway Hi, good to hear from you!
Hi!
Hi Bastet! Good Hello to you!
Hi Vi :)
Hey Mr. Bartucz :)
Hi!
Hi Frank!
Hey there. Thanks for checking in. I'm glad you are out there being mostly ok. I'm the same, but in lots of different ways, I'm sure. Keep being relatively brilliant & perfectly human & know that someone you've never met cares about you & hopes that you find joy.
Hi Auntie Sash, doing my best. I think caring about each other matters, even on the internet in weird times, so thank you. I hope you find joy as well :)
Hi. Glad to see you're doing ok. Sad to not see more of you(r work).
Hi Sec. Bittersweet for me as well. Hope you're doing ok over there.
Hi Vi! Have fun!
Hi Vladimir! I'm definitely having fun and also having so many other things. Best wishes to you as well!
Hi Vi. Lot's of love. Keep on keeping on.
Thanks Graham, and Hi! I am keeping on so many keepons, you have no idea. There should be a medal. Hope you're keeping lots of ons as well.
Hi, Vi! It's great to hear that you're doing well. We miss you! <3
Hi Tom! To be honest sometimes I miss me too. Thanks for checking in.
hi!
Hi Amanda! Thank you for saying hi!
Hi Vi. Glad you’re doing alright considering the circumstances. Thanks for checking in and happy new year.
Hi Carolina! 2021, we got this!
Super glad to hear from you and that you are well! Cheers!
Cheers, Rhysling! :)
Hi, Vi. It's great to hear from you. Thanks for alerting us to your work with the Safra Center consortium. I alerted all my elected representatives, from the mayor up to Senators, about the plan, and I got some good feedback. My daughter is a huge fan. She is teaching an SAT review course using videos that are inspired by yours. I'm using "Doodling in Math Class" to inspire my collection of future elementary school teachers. Your efforts are having such a broad impact, it's an inspiration for all of us.
Hi Rob! Please say hi to your daughter for me! Awesome to hear you talked to your representatives, because as we know just in the past few days, it worked: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/21/executive-order-establishing-the-covid-19-pandemic-testing-board-and-ensuring-a-sustainable-public-health-workforce-for-covid-19-and-other-biological-threats/
Hey y'all! Hope you're doing alright!
Hi Raymond! I'm impressed by all of us around here who got through not just 2020 but the years before.
Thanks for keeping us informed, Vi! Your YouTube channel helped to inspire me to create my own, in which I strive to be a fancy clever internet human of perfection. Maybe I should just relax.
Hi mirror<3! The YouTube world is so different from when I started, I hope you're finding ways to have fun with it. What I'm sure of is the value of saying Hi, in a non-perfect manner, to humans who genuinely care. So, Hi!
Dear Vi, Hi! I really wish the best for you. May you keep on this "flow" of challenging and rewarding things that help you survive and that give you meaning. You area an inpiration to me! I also I'm trying to live my life the best I can <3
That makes two of us, Lorena! Thanks for writing in and best wishes <3
Really glad to hear from you and hear that you're hanging in there. Especially glad to hear you are working on projects that interest and excite you.
Hi Vi I was thinking about you the other day. Thanks for letting us know you are doing fine. Lately Bernie with his mittens meme re-ignite my passion for crocheting so I'm doing well.
Hi Kaoru! I will admit to laughing at loud at your mittens joke. I wish you well with the crocheting :)
great to hear from you. It's all fine on this side of the big blue marble. Best!
Best to you too, Marek!
hi!
Hi Manuel!
Hi! That's a nice note and I appreciated getting it in my inbox. Nothing fancy or clever here.
I appreciate your note too, Daniel :)
Hi! It's great to hear that you are doing well (at least in some areas). Not sure if this was intentional, but your "Suspend your Disbelief" video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deg1wmYjwtk) is marked as "made for kids" so I can't add it to a playlist for easy reference.
Heyo Christopher Coleman, one of the originals around here! At some point I enabled "made for kids" for my channel because disentangling from certain comment and algorithm systems seems right, especially where kids are involved, but now that you mention it the "suspend your disbelief" video is probably relevant these days. I'm almost scared to rewatch it after however many years since I made it, I hope it's still good.
I don't do parasocial interactions very often, but since you've asked, hi! :) Also let me use this opportunity to say that I think you're an inspiring human being and I'm glad that things are at least somewhat swell for you.
Hi Lukas! Samesies on the parasocial, though here on Patreon we aren't just parasocial but totally a legit BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP (even if currently not charging). Which for me means I get to worry less about the weirdness of the internet, and more about being able to say Hi if I want to. So thanks for saying Hi back!
Hi Vi! Good to hear from you, glad to hear you are doing okay. :)
Hi Maxion, good to hear from you too! It's weird to think how much has changed since years ago when this Patreon started ramping up.
That feeling of things being fine, but hard, but good resonates with me. Glad that's where you are, and wishing you well. :)
Thanks for the solidarity Jameel, what a weird year. Wishing you well as well :)
Hi Vi. Good to hear from you.
Hey Pedro, glad to see you around!
Hello!
Hi Hannah! Good to hear from you!
Hello Vi from New Jersey. I'm glad to hear you're getting along.
Hey David! (And New Jersey!) Yep yep, workin on it.
hi, hello, and a happy welcome back wildly blinking bits 1 and 0 with your return : D
Hi and hello paul, and happy good numbers to you!
Hi. I don't have anything to say about the past year, but today I got my first cookie story, and it was good enough to make me cry. Good job existing. I hope in all your hard and good things you got to cry too.
Hi Zach! We are doing so good at existing! Last year I actually at one point had a "did you cry" tracker in my daily agenda along with other things like exercising. I gotta work on my technique and dedication I think, but hey, we're doing pretty good I think.
Hi Vi. I generally shy away from comments, not having the perfect thing to say; thanks for the support. I'm glad to hear your year has been filled with meaningful things.
Hi Skyler! One of the things I think I like about Patreon is that in this patron-only comment section we know that everyone who sees it is a patron, so everyone has some shared context and shared investment. Here, this January 2021, perfection is as simple as saying Hi. So thanks for connecting :)
Hello Vi!! Know there's us guys supporting your work, even with the paused pledges :D hope you're good!
Thank you and hello! I can't tell you how stabilizing-nice-safe-good it is to know that so many folks have my back. I feel incredibly fortunate.
Hi
Hiiiii
Hey Vi. Glad to hear from you.
Hi Eugene! Glad to hear from you too.
Hello, really glad to hear things are more settled.
Hi Charles, doin' my best! Hope you're doin ok where you are.
Hi from London, Vi! Thanks for checking in with your many fans. :)
Hi Marc! Hello London! Thanks for checking in back :)
As usual, a breath of fresh air and Vi being honest and awesome.
Hi Garretym! Something I'm still trying to figure out is how to even communicate honestly when everything keeps changing and it's hard to know how to put things into words sometimes. I know lots of professional internet humans are struggling with that. But the most important thing to me is just staying connected even if it's simple, so I'm glad to hear from you!
Hi! It's nice to hear from you, glad to hear you're doing okay 🐙
Thanks Erik! 🐌
Hi! It's awesome that you said hi, too ;-) Stuffs can always hard and great, sometimes we have to acknowledge that and sometimes just focus on the great. I'm somewhere in between those as well. Wish you all the best, as always.
Stuff sure does stuff stuff, doesn't stuff. I feel like I need a philosopher to help sort out how to think about all of it. But good to be thinking about it together :)
Hello. Happy to hear from you. I've been studying light field stuff for a bit, and recovering from a particularly irksome virus.
Hi Yann! Bringing back memories of light field stuff. Sending my best wishes for your recovery from a most irksome of virus.
Be well. I had a chance to introduce yet another colleague to Twelve Tone, Laser Bat, and so on. Public Domain Day 2021 had me looking up Schoenberg, and a rant against fair use and how miguided bright lines are got me to thinking about Cage & 4'33" and which 30 seconds we could select to meet the pedagogical need without selecting the heart of the matter. I decided to use Schulhoff's In futurum to avoid any ambiguous legality. Anyhow, by then I was inspired to listen to the haunting and ironically harmonious Mary Had... enough times to cause it to rise toward the top of my recent and most popular play lists, followed by several rounds of the stunning Dona Nobis. Thank you for being a creator. I hadn't listened to your YT vids since earlier in the pandemic, after I had fatigued of homebaking bread and soup, and stretched my culniary skills by trying for a texamexihexaflexagon. Fail. Next time. Paul
Ahaha I'm glad you found a copyright workaround :) May the world give us peace, lambs, bread, and inspiration. Thanks for writing in, Paul! 🐌
Any of your pandemic work being utilized now?
Why I'm so glad you asked, Rick :) https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/21/executive-order-establishing-the-covid-19-pandemic-testing-board-and-ensuring-a-sustainable-public-health-workforce-for-covid-19-and-other-biological-threats/
Hi Vi. Sorry you've had hard times, and glad you've had good ones. Right there with you. Be patient with yourself and I hope the ratio of good to bad grows nicely.
Thanks Ron! I do love a good ratio :)
Hi, glad to hear you are doing well.
Thanks and Hi Andrew :)
Hi! 🐍 🐍 🐍 🐍 🐍 🐍 🐍 :)
Ah, those were the days :) 🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌
Hello, Vi! Getting cold and rainy in the Bay Area these days. I don't miss shoveling that much if I'm being honest but I'm glad you like it.
Hi Eric! I think the thing I like about shoveling is the human feeling of feeling strong doing non-artificial exercise. I got some core strength up in heeeere
Hi. Glad to hear you're doing well, looking forward to more news!
Thanks John, and Hi!
Hi! Glad to hear things are (mostly) going well for you and you have stuff to amuse you! The work you create, as well as your work ethic and drive to always be doing something, is a huge inspiration that's been helping me through my side of the COVID crisis, so thank you so much. I hope the hard things get easier, and good luck with this next year! How are Bela and Dogget?
🐌snails to you, AJ! Of many major giant things to do with covid, one tiny thing is that I haven't gotten a tuner in for Béla in over a year now. We're managing together.
Hi, Vi. It's 25°C where I am right now. Good to hear you're going well!
Hi Ronald! I got five million snows. This means I get to shovel, and I genuinely love to shovel.
Hello! I'm glad you're well. Did you notice Zach Weinersmith sh*tposting you a couple weeks ago? ;-) https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/numbers-3
Ahahaha this is great. I hadn't seen it, thanks for sharing :D
Hi, Vi. Glad you're doing well.
Thanks, Greg! Hope you're ok too!
Hi from Madrid! I've been revisiting my songwriting techniques recently and being reminded of your existence and skill is pretty useful! So thanks.
Hi to you and to Madrid, it's been a long time, Madrid! I wish you many songs, Félix :)
Greetings, from a place.
Hey! I also live in a place! Greetings back at ya :)
Hi! This past week I was wondering if you were still eating well :)
SO WELL, though. I finally learned how to cook big foods and meal prep, and use an instant pot, it's a revolution around here. Hi! :)
Hello from New Zealand! Thanks for checking in!
Hello to you and New Zealand too!
Hi Vi. Pleased to hear from you. I am working as a COVID19 case investigator now for my state health department. The work is demanding but it is what I signed up for and it offers a lot of autonomy, which I like.
Hi Andew, good to hear from you too! It seems a lot of us have moved into covid work. No surprise that there's a lot to be done, and I'm glad you're managing it. Snails and strength to ya.
HI, Be safe and be thankful
Hi Ali! Thank you, and wishing you well.
Hello from Jersey City! I'm glad you're well. :-)
Hi Stevonnie, and Hello to Jersey City! One of the last places I visited a year ago before covid lockdowns.
Hi Vi! Penguins are awesome 🐧🐧🐧
Hi Danni! I hereby confirm the accuracy of your assessment of penguins!
hi!! glad to hear you're ok, that's enough to aim for these days. things are weird for me, both static and intense but overall I'm making it work!!
Hi David! We got this!!!
Hi Vi, glad to hear things are hard but swell :)
Thanks Kev, and hi!
Hello all!
Hello Reed! Thanks for checking in!
Greetings! I'm happy you're busy and hope that the good bits more than outweigh the bad.
Hey Curtis! I do think the good bits do outweigh the bad, though together they all are forming an entire planet with a center of gravity, and I'm starting to think maybe I like being a planet. There's quite a lot of interesting things to being an entire planet.
Hello Vi! I thought of you last month on hearing that Henri, le Chat Noir (2012 meme cat extraordinaire) died recently, and remembering that I was first linked to your YouTube channel in 2012 through your composition "Nothing has Changed" being the soundtrack on one of the videos. It's really a fantastic piece of music. Glad you're well!
Hi Chris! I hadn't heard about Henri, if you happen to know where I might send condolences let me know. Glad you like the music though, it's on the list of "make a real recording someday" from way back when.
Hello! I was revisiting your YouTube videos just the other week. Turns out infinity is still confusing.
Hi Scott! Infinity wouldn't be infinity if the confusion ever ended, so you're doing great on that front :)
Hi from Italy!
Hi Simone! And Hi Italia, the country of half of my roots :)
Hi, Vi!!
Hi Max! ! !
Hi <3
Hi 🐌
Hi!
Hi Gregor!
Hi Vi, thanks for the update, glad to hear things are swell.
Thanks and you're welcome and hi!!!! :)
Hello!
Hello AND hi, Chris!
Hi from de!
Hi Arnim! :)
I was just thinking about you the other day while trying to get the last toothpaste out of a tube. Glad you’re out there doing Vi Hart things.
Always, Brian. You show that toothpaste tube. I believe in you.
Hi Vi! Glad to hear about the swellness. No, spellcheck, I did not mean “swelling”.
Oh hey Rick! Glad spellcheck and its swollen ego did not manage to successfully intercept your greeting :)
Well helloooo!
lol youuuuu
Hi from the 808! Good here, and glad to hear you're good. OK good then :)
Good good, that sounds good :) Hi!
Hi from nz! Thanks for checking in, glad to hear you're doing well and are keeping busy. <3
Always! Hello back to nz, only a tiiiiny bit jealous
Hi, I miss your posts and videos but I hope you are doing well!
Thanks, Stick!
🐌
🐌
Hi Vi! That sounds about right, hard but Ok ish over here too. Thanks for checking in! :)
Hi Elise! :)
Evening Vi, all is well in NY
Glad to hear you're ok over there, and NY too. So many check-ins overdue for me, and some much bigger than others.
Glad you're doing well vi!
You know it! Thanks for checking in, Nikhil!
Thanks for letting us know you’re alive and well!!
Oh hey hi and hello, from the good ol' days :)
hi
Hi Mitch!
Keep well Vi!
You too, Matthew!