9 year old discusses "The Universe"

Zia Hassan

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Published on Apr 8, 2013

*nearly unedited, anyway

FAQ
Q: Are you the father of these insightful children?
A: Nope, this is the first time we'd ever met. My fiancee was babysitting and I happened to stop inside.

Q: You just happened to have your camera?
A: My mom always told me to be prepared. I usually will always have some sort of "capture" tool on me, 

in case something cool happens. I was also headed to Singapore and Malaysia in a week and I had *just* 

bought the camera and wanted to shoot as much test footage as possible, so it was in my car. Obviously, 

I didn't see this coming.

Q: Is this just stuff they heard their parents say?
A: I don't know for sure, but I'd be really surprised if their parents primed them for questions such as 

"Do you believe in alternate universes?" and "Why are sports necessary?"

Q: Are they home schooled?
A: Nope.

Q: Have you sent this to Neil DeGrasse Tyson?
A: I didn't send it personally, but it's been sent on my behalf. Neil responded by saying that the 9 year old 

should host Cosmos, in 2050.

Q: How in the heck did these kids become so insightful?
A: I don't know. one comment I keep hearing is that there are many kids who say insightful things - 

that this is nothing special. I agree that there are many kids who say insightful things. If you ask a child 

a challenging question about something they're interested in, they will often surprise you. There have been 

a number of different narratives that forums/blogs/media have created surrounding this video, and I enjoy 

all the different interpretations. In my opinion, what makes these kids special is their ability to be open 

and articulate when someone they've never met before starts asking about their interests. Still, to me, 

this is a reminder that the future is probably full of intelligent kids whose wisdom is waiting to be unlocked.

Q: Why'd you edit out your bits originally? It's more fun to hear the back and forth.
A: I ramble a lot, as you'll see... and I was a bit awestruck so I was self-conscious. Still, I realize this video might 

be more powerful as a conversation, and I also wanted to disprove the people who thought this was scripted :)

Q: Why'd you turn off comments?
A: If you want to discuss the video, there are a ton of forums to do that (and they're probably tired of discussing 

it at this point). I won't disable comments on all of the videos I make, but sometimes having the comments on 

is a bit like leaving a movie theater with a friend who immediately starts giving their not-so-well-thought-out 

opinion before you've had a chance to make your own. In other words, it's distracting and this video deserves some 

space once it has finished playing. I hope you can understand, and I hope you can discuss this video elsewhere. 

Send me YouTube messages, emails, tweets, whatever you want. I'll do my best to respond. 

Q: Okay okay, but are you gonna do another video with these awesome kids?!
A: To be determined.