Talk:White & Nerdy/Archive 1

message: Most of the trivia is ridiculous. Explaining who MC Escher is, or what a soldering gun is isn't interesting trivia about the song. You might as well add a piece of trivia saying "This is what's known as a song, which is a short piece of music, usually including lyrics...".
I mean, c'mon. If you don't understand the english language, get a dictionary, we don't need a definition for every single word he uses in the song.
:Then why are you on Wikipedia in the first place? This site is supposed to do that, so the informed can stay informed. ArchKnight47 23:49, 5 June 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree, the explanations are not needed. If the person is that interested in MC Escher, they can check the article. --ASDFGHJKL=Greatest Person Ever+Coolest Person Ever 22:09, 7 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Most of the trivia is stupid

message: Enjoy. Saxbryn 09:48, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Userbox

message: Is the fact that the demand for the hoodie in the video was so great they complied notable, or not?
Yes Al noted on his Myspace blog that they will be sold, and to await more news. Arc88 03:34, 5 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Hoodie

message: I thought Chamillionaire stated White and Nerdy would be the lead single on the album.
:At this point it's probably largely a matter of semantics.  Don't Download This Song was called the "first single" by Weird Al, and I don't think Volcano even releases singles anyway. If you want to add "lead single" to the article, I don't think anyone would argue with you. --Maxamegalon2000 19:55, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Why not lead single? 

message: I think this article should be renamed White & Nerdy per the spelling on http://weirdal.com/catalog.htm --Elvis 14:05, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Done, though I do not have time to fix all of the links.  Anyone else who wants to is welcome do so. --Maxamegalon2000 22:09, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Spelling 

message: A tag was put up saying that the article needs to cite its sources. What specifically needs to be cited? I'd say that most of the major points are referenced -- is it the YTMND note? --Twilightsojourn 19:42, 12 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It might be the YTMND note, or it may have been the plot description, but now that it's online, that shouldn't be a problem.  I'm going to remove the YTMND comment, because it's not all that important, and the sources tag. --Maxamegalon2000 02:33, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Good job. Thanks! --Twilightsojourn 05:42, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Citing sources 

message: The article is in drastic need of cleanup, in terms of the page format. It looks like a mess, and is not up to encyclopedic standards.Spylab 17:18, 22 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Needs cleanup

message: What about a list a of all the things that Al says are nerdy? I would put it up, but I can't listen to the song or else it gets stuck in my head and I can't sleep.--Mullon 02:53, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  An Addition Idea I Had 

message: Someone deleted the references to Three 6 Mafia and John the Stutterer on the grounds that they were paid extras which somehow does now qualify as a cameo. The definition of a cameo is: a small theatrical role usually performed by a well-known actor and often limited to a single scene. I don't understand how being paid extras disqualifies them from being acknowledged as at least special appearances.
Since I don't want this to be an argument I'll accept any terminology (cameo/extra/special appearance) so that the fact that Three 6 Mafia and John the Stutterer were in this video is mentioned. Gdo01 22:09, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I removed them.  I traded emails with an unpaid extra who was in the bowling scene and he said the "gangstas" were were just paid extras (i.e. nobody famous).  They weren't even "gangsta" in real life.  One was named Courtney and was a dancer.  If you can find proof that it's Three 6 Mafia and/or John the Stutterer, please add it back in (with a citation).  I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else, and I'm going with what my friend says, he was there. --Elvis 19:39, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

text: I just watched the video very slowly, and I can tell you for absolute sure, that is NOT John the Stutterer in the end clip. Though he looks like him, its not him Aspensti 21:31, 20 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Cameos vs Extras

message: The article states that the equation in the background (Schrödinger's wave equation for the hydrogen atom) is wrong. I'm sure it's fine because it is in gaussian units. So that is what the Hamiltonian should look like.
I also noticed the missing h-bar but came to the conclusion about the units.
Can some quantum physicist not comment on that? I'm only a student!
"Can some quantum physicist not comment on that? "
Ok.--Planetary 02:02, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It shouldn't be mentioned either way as it is very much original research. JoshuaZ 20:36, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Please see my comment at "Rumors on the internet".  How can this be "original research" if it's plainly obvious from watching the video? Icemuon 10:54, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

text: There's something ironic going on above...Tomj (talk) 21:58, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Equation - it is not wrong 

message: Usually Al has long wavy hair, but for the video its very short and straight. I don't think he'd cut it just for a music video. Any ideas how that was pulled off? Arc88 02:38, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Actually, I was wondering the same thing. I figured he may have just gone all out and cut it for the video -- I wonder if it's been addressed anywhere. --Twilightsojourn 03:58, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, his hair looked fine when he was on Tom Green's Internet show last week.  I don't know; he does weird stuff with his hair in a lot of his videos. --Maxamegalon2000 04:28, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

text: He's mentioned that in an "Ask Al" column at one point. . . he says it involves tying his hair into very tight braids and then tucking them under a wig, and he's done it not only in the "W&N" video but also in "Ricky", "The Saga Begins", and a few others. Apparently it takes several hours and is rather painful, so let's all thank Al for being willing to suffer for his art. --keepsleeping  slack off! 12:35, 8 October 2006 (UTC)

text: No offense to him or anything, but i just think that he looks weird with the wig.--i wanna fly 22:12, 26 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: That's kinda the point *cough* =P ShadowUltra 02:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Al's Hair 

message: I was surprised to see that an item I'd added was deleted with the revision comments remarking about "useless trivia."  Of course it was useless trivia ;-) -- however, I disagree with its removal and have subsequently added it again with some more text hopefully illustrating its relevance.
From the first time I saw the video, the moment that stuck with me was the inclusion of an O'Reilly cover when mentioning Javascript, because it illustrates the depth of cultural references in the video.  Using an O'Reilly text scores serious geek points, but I couldn't come up with a WP:NPOV way to say that; besides, it seems tangential (and obvious) to state, and the Wikipedia article on O'Reilly Media mentions how they're considered the definitive text in many computer subjects.  I recognize that the significance I've placed on this moment is not necessarily universal; however, this is one of several moments Al terms "freeze frame gags".  It's a nerd video, from a nerd artist, that intentionally includes several subtle gags.  Besides, as long as the Trivial Pursuit questions remain in this article, I consider myself safe.   ;-)
I did agree with the removal of the section claiming Al was inaccurate in his rap about pocket protectors.  In "the pens in my pocket, I must protect 'em," "them" could correctly be referring to protecting the pockets.  (I'm amused with myself for even commenting on that.)
-Quintote 23:02, 9 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Useless trivia deleted? 

message: (I seem to use Best Week Ever alot here so forgive me). But when Wierd Al got the "Best Week Ever" award, Mary St. Clair stated that Chamillionaire thought that this song gave Ridin' mega-record status. Is this true? I would find it rather ironic that a parody gives you fame and fortune rather than the original song itself.
:Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
::And Chamillionaire (and people make fun of Al for calling himself "Weird Al"?  lol) wouldn't be the first artist to view being parodied by Al as a status symbol.  Kurt Cobain in particular felt much the same about "Smells Like Nirvana". -- Pennyforth 15:48, 12 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  This gives Ridin' mega-record status? 

message: I'd just like to take this time to thank all of you who so meticulously researched this video, especially the person who took the time to tell me all the questions on the Trivia Pursuit card.  You have proven Weird Al's point about Wikipedians in a truly priceless way.  I salute you all.  (And before you pester me, I should mention that, as my wife will testify, I myself am white, nerdy, and a loyal Wikipedian who has made many edits.) Roachmeister 10:29, 23 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You also need to thank the person who found and corrected the math  equation--Coasttocoast 04:19, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Thank you all 

message: "According to the cover of the yearbook, he was in high school in 1985. In reality, Yankovic graduated from Lynwood High School in 1976"
Is this a correction or trivia on Al himself (which would mean it's more suited to Al's own wikipedia article bio)? Is Al playing a character who graduated in '85 or is he playing himself ('76)? Maybe this distinction should factor into this.--FazzMunkle 05:35, 25 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Yearbook entry 

message: What does ROTFLOL means?
:"Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud".  It's a stereotypical Internet slang. --Maxamegalon2000 20:45, 28 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: WOW, whoever sterted this "ROTFLOL" topic is a n00b.  Just google it or ask a computer geek.  (JALsnipe 18:24, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

text: I was entertained simply by the fact that his face is in relatively the same coordinate position on the yearbook page in every picture.  Still kinda grumpy that the people playing chess are sitting in the wrong places, tho. Copyfilter 13:40, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  ROTFLOL 

message: I have read that there is a mod that can be added to minesweeper that makes it so that you can play the games with the keyboard rather than the mouse.  This appears to be the way that it is played in the music video.  So perhaps the statement in the article which reads "He is incorrectly shown using his keyboard to play this mouse controlled game" should be edited.  My source is http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1384277706451157121&hl=en.  You will find the information if you look at the comments.  The screenname under which the information is shown is pogo.  Will some white nerd please verify my source and edit the article.  Thank you.
:It goes without saying, of course, that a comment from Google Video is not an acceptable source.  Frankly, the entire video references section is horribly unsourced, and I'm tempted to remove all of the uncited original research. --Maxamegalon2000 06:38, 31 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Can it really be said that most of the video references section is "original research"?  It's just stuff that's obvious if one watches the video, possibly requiring a bit more of an explanation for those not nerdy enough (such as the M.C. Escher reference).  If someone were to analyze the video and write a paper on it, would it really make it all that more credible? Icemuon 14:58, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Well technically it would, if the paper was then published in a reputable place Pnkrockr 20:12, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Perhaps so, but it is unlikely to happen.  If everything on Wikipedia required a published paper as a reference, then we may as well throw most of Wikipedia away.  Take a look at any page describing a music album.  There most certainly are not published papers on each album, but it is worthwhile to have these articles on Wikipedia nevertheless.  Numerous people have asked me about references in the video, and if people ask, that means they can expect to find that information on Wikipedia.  If stuff is perfectly obvious by seeing it (such as reading the names of songs on the cover of the CD you just bought) then I don't see how that can be considered "original research". Icemuon 22:36, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Rumors on the internet 

message: I've been hunting around to see if there is an a capella version of this song anywhere. I know it must exist somewhere, since I've seen multiple links to expired filesharing uploads of it. It is, of course, done by putting the instrumental/karaoke version on top of the full audio version and inverting one of them, but I can't seem to get them to line up perfectly either. If Mr. Al deliberately made the instrumental different from the music heard in the full audio version to make this harder to do, would that be notable? --NERD42  EMAIL  TALK  H2G2  UNCYC  NEWS  06:13, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Only if a reputable source mentioned it.  --Maxamegalon2000 19:17, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  a capella version ? 

message: I think Weird Al looks like the character Sean Gidcomb on MadTV played by Michael McDonald in this video. --Jack Zhang 04:07, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  my opinion on a look-alike character to weird al in this video 

message: This makes me think of CITR (refer "Chapter 27"). Is it verifiable that this number refers to Al's number of friends and not something else (ie eh, CITR)?
27 is a number that appears in almost every Weird Al video. For instance the number of the terminal in Headline News, the number of friends on Al's myspace page in White and Nerdy, the number of the patient in Like a Surgeon, etc. Also the number 27 appears on the license plate on the cover of Straight Outta Linwood. Jsager75 04:07, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  recurring numb. 27 

message: It could just be me, but in the beginning when he is rapping about D&D, does he roll for attack (d20) and damage (d8) at the same time? --vanis 01:48, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You can actually roll for attack and damage at the same time, it speeds up gameplay a bit. ShadowUltra 02:30, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: possible error?

message: In the article you mention only the 2 cars, there is also the vehicle that Al rides in the park,
anyone knows what is it? Is it a fake (special effect) or do things like this exist?
:It's a Segway.  Icemuon 15:44, 18 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Vehicles 

message: Pascal in the song is most likely a reference to the programming language. ("At pascal, well I am number one")
-----------------
um wow good for you!  you just figured out what everyone else already knew..  dee-dee-dee --Joooeeeelllll 06:45, 21 June 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Not everyone else... originally I thought of the unit of stress. :-)  SietskeEN 13:53, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Reference to Pascal 

message: I'm not sure if I should include references to the issue covers and/or story indexes. I felt it was a bit much, but to do so would be rather simple to do. Mdinowitz 21:49, 19 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Comics 

message: While looking over the comic scene, I recognized some of the comics in the background. A fast lookup showed that they came out on July 19th, 2006. As they are on the 'new release' rack, that part of the video would have to be shot within a week of the 19th. I have not added this to the entry as it's probably useless trivia. Mdinowitz 13:34, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Video recording time

message: :I just noticed that Yankovic's nerd "costume" appears to be based on a young Bill Gates. Here's a shot of Gates on the cover of Time Magazine. right|thumb| Bill Gates Terek 22:47, 3 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Whoohh! A 5.25" disk! ;) 惑乱 分からん 11:07, 4 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Another Reference? 

message: In the extras, is it Jon Katz? --Prod-You 07:13, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The extra's name is indeed Jon Katz, but not that one.  The Jon Katz in the video is a gentleman in his early 20s who often posts on the Weird Al forums. --Elvis 15:11, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Sweet.  If I knew I could get in a Weird Al video just for having been a forum regular, I would have taken that up ages ago =P  I wonder if the WA forum had some sort of drawing, or did they just pick him because of some special contribution? Moderator, perhaps? Copyfilter 13:59, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Jon Katz 

message: I've checked Weird Al's "whiteandnerdy" MySpace page. Screech is not there. That's what I found while comparing the list on this article and the current list on that MySpace page. What happened? --Addict 2006 02:54, 6 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Screech is not there anymore 

message: The page is currently vandalised - 211.30.229.34 07:17, 7 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You are probably seeing an old revision. There's been no vandalism on this page for 50 minutes as of the time I wrote this. Gdo01 07:19, 7 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Vandalism

message: I'm just curious if it's one of those sci-fi uniforms, although ordinarily I'd be able to identify the series. DrWho42 20:01, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  What is [[Seth Green]] wearing? 

message: Hey, wasn't there a single cover on the article? I remember seeing it before but dunno if someone took it out. I'm just asking. --esanchez, Camp Lazlo fan! 05:51, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cover Single? 

message: Whoever is digging up these references in the music video is SERIOUSLY white and nerdy.  71.126.133.13 03:08, 26 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Obsessive Fans

message: I don't think it is and don't think it needs to be part of the article, but a lot of people I know thinks it's somewhat racist. I think it's not, because he's white and white people have had a history of being nerdy. I know Chapell's Show portrays white people as nerdy.
:I don't think it is racist because all critical (being "too much" of something) remarks are to himself, and not other people -- as racism is usually critical of others not being like oneself.  However, it would seem that the overarching motive of the song is to explain why he can't hang out/roll with/bowl with with the "gangstaz", which are in the beginning portrayed as being people visibly of african descent.  While most nerds tend to be either of european or east asian descent, there are plenty of each who aren't.  I think the white and nerdy references are strictly descriptions of himself, whereas making a song about facets of being of "average height and traditional mannerisms" wouldn't make for an especially appealing tune. Copyfilter 13:54, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Racist? 

message: No one's mentioned the outline of Pacman in red lights behind Al. Can't edit the article 'cause I don't have an account... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.36.77.198 (talk • contribs).
:I think it was mentioned. --Addict 2006 16:05, 7 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Pacman reference 

message: Why does the song only have 2 verses and 3 choruses? Why not 3 verses and 4 choruses like chamillionaire?- SCB '92 14:04, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't think there's been a reason given.  It could be that Al ran out of ideas, or maybe he figured a shorter song would get more radio play.  If I hadn't heard the original, I wouldn't suspect that Al's version was shorter. --Maxamegalon2000 19:16, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Verses 

message: After looking through the lyrics and the video of White and Nerdy, I saw no mention of Dungeons and Dragons.
:"First in my class here at MIT, Got skills I'm a champion at D&D, M.C. Escher, that's my favorite M.C." Gdo01 01:59, 4 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Song is cool, and I theres no mention on a dungeon nor dragons. --–  Emperor Walter Humala  · ( shout! · sign? ) 02:19, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: "D&D" is an abbreviation for "Dungeons & Dragons". –Llama mantalkcontribs 02:29, 9 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Oh, ok thanks. --71.126.146.7 00:50, 10 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Dungeons and Dragons?

message: Anyone know who the 3 people are playing tennis with Al in the video?  There is an older woman, a younger woman, and a young man.  Who are they?
--Joooeeeelllll 06:57, 21 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tennis Players 

message: I do not believe it is necessary to say the spoiler piece for two reasons:
1) it is still too soon after release; ignoring the leaked version (which is technically illegal), the book's been out for less than a day (as I write this), and even though the book page has the full plot, people looking information on the Weird Al video are going to be unprepared to find this bit of spoiler news.  Thus, either we put a spoiler warning on the page which is silly, or we don't state it out of courtesy for other readers.  (this is consistent with WP:SPOILER policy, since again, this is NOT a HP page, this is a Weird Al song/video page.
2) It doesn't aid in making the joke on the trivia card understood, beyond what is already stated.  All we need to say is that J.K.R. said (prior to the video) a character would die, and the trivia question extends this thought.  It is not necessary to say the result due to the events of the books is inconsistent.
Plus, this entire section is way too trivia heavy with lots of unsourced statements.  The less that we put in, the better. --Masem 02:35, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: If we're going to have minutiae like the Trivial Pursuit card in the article, we shouldn't go into any more detail than absolutely necessary. Yay hyperlinks. --Stlemur 03:48, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  harry potter spoiler 

message: It looks like the equation behind weird Al is the schrödinger equation. However, it seems that it is not entirely correct, but I'm not 100% sure... SietskeEN 13:38, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Oh, I see this was already discussed in Talk:White_%26_Nerdy#Equation_-_it_is_not_wrong, sorry. SietskeEN 13:50, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Schödinger equation 

message: Does anyone here know what the trivia question "F.D.R was he faking it?" meant? That confused me a fair bit. Ahmeri18 (talk) 18:44, 29 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: It means "Was he only pretending to be paralyzed?". --Stlemur (talk) 19:04, 29 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  F.D.R