explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1554: Spice Girls

2015-07-22T11:16:13Z

108.162.254.107:

Is this a reference to "seven"[https://xkcd.com/1417/]?
*Brother, who art thou? [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 06:48, 22 July 2015 (UTC)

(above is not me)I think that the final frame may also be a single element of different sets: Gender {properties of a noun/pronoun, such as case and number}, Baleen {types of whales} are relatively clear the others I can only guess (POG {#1 games of the '90s}?(pretty wild guess), story {if it were "plot" or "setting/scene" I'd guess "elements of a story", but I don't know what "story" could be an element of}, Sarah could either be of biblical significance (mothers of Abrahamic nations?) or popular name significance--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.26|173.245.52.26]] 06:14, 22 July 2015 (UTC)

Is it just me, a coincidence, or did Randall use the "90's Theme" quite often, lately? [[1546: Tamagotchi Hive]], [[1548: 90s Kid]], [[1552: Rulebook]] and this one are all about things more or less popular in the 90's [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:56, 22 July 2015 (UTC)

I think this is a reference to J.L. Borges' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_Emporium_of_Benevolent_Knowledge| Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge], a supposed Chinese manuscript in which animals are divided into categories that seem to us to be completely crazy. Borges is trying to get us to imagine a culture that would find such categorization natural, and hence show how our own ways of organizing the world might seem crazy from the outside. If this is correct (and not just a massive overintellectualization!) Randall is showing us the madness of dividing women into ginger/scary/baby/sporty/posh, and hence the madness of pop culture. Whether this is the intent or not, reading Borges is Not Optional! [[User:Timband|Timband]] ([[User talk:Timband|talk]]) 10:41, 22 July 2015 (UTC)

Someone should add a reference to the Spice Girl #1511 comic, aside from "not to be confused with..." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.107|108.162.254.107]] 11:16, 22 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1554: Spice Girls

2015-07-22T11:15:54Z

108.162.254.107:

Talk:1534: Beer

2015-06-05T10:47:18Z

108.162.254.107:

I hate the taste and smell and associations (such as urine and vomit where they shouldn't be). A friend used to freely admit he didn't like the taste and only drank to get drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.161|108.162.249.161]] 06:24, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

This is why there are so many different styles of beers, or wines, or other alcoholic beverages. I personally don't care for IPAs, but will rarely pass up a good Pilsner.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.189|108.162.238.189]] 07:37, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Is it possible that the characters, being American, have only ever tasted American beer? So when Cueball says that "all beer tastes kind of bad" hat he really means is "all <em>American</em> beer tastes kind of bad"? That would make a lot more sense (especially if you assume that they only buy from the major brands, and haven't yet tried beer from microbreweries.) --[[User:PeR|PeR]] ([[User talk:PeR|talk]]) 09:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Agreed. Major brands suck, but probably in most countries, even Germany, where people usually have very high opinion about German beer. There are thousands of small breweries, though, some with a very old tradition (like in monasteries), and many just popping up recently. At some microbreweries you have to order weeks in advance, but the brew you get is really exceptional, and you'll drink it at room temperature from wine glasses. Absolutely not meant for getting drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.107|108.162.254.107]] 10:47, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:385: How it Works

2014-06-18T04:15:47Z

108.162.254.107: stereotype threat

I will admit, after I finished Calc 1, I came across this yet again via the random button, and kind of rolled my eyes. Then I read the title text, and this became one of my favorite comics. --[[Special:Contributions/140.198.42.64|140.198.42.64]] 00:19, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

This type of generalization also has a special name called "Stereotype threat". Research shows that women/girls who are good at math (identify as good at math) will do worse on hard math questions when they think (consciously or unconsciously) that her own personal failings will reflect on the negative stereotype. (Real example: a group of professors asked SAT testing body to ask for demographic questions (gender/race) after the test instead of before.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.107|108.162.254.107]] 04:15, 18 June 2014 (UTC)