It’s puzzling, OP. The default guess is, they are prominent writers in topics you are interested in.

They are prominent writers. But the topics don’t quite click.

All three happen to be programmers; but Pegah has only posted one answer on programming (and a curt one at that). And there’s nothing in your profile, OP, to indicate that you’re interested in programming.

Pegah has posted in Countries of the World, a topic you follow; and Iran, which she posts a lot about, is a Country of the World.

Jessica posts on Computer Science, which is… tech, and you do Electricity, which is… also tech. Joshua posts, among many other things, on Java, which is… tech, and on Science, which is… related to tech.

The recommended writer thing is a bit opaque; there’s a fair bit of just plain “this person is popular” in there. But they do seem to be popular writers that at least tangentially relate to your interests.

• Michael Masiello: what are your views on theodicy? (“Fuck you” is not an adequate answer)
• Am I also Shaytan?
• Am I also Kali?
• Am I also Angra Mainyu?
• Am I also the Demiurge?
• If God is Good is He also God? If God is God is He also Good?
• Should pronouns referring to Satan be capitalised?
• Why do I get to have all the good tunes?
• Is The Devil Went Down To Georgia really a good tune?
• Seriously?

• If I’m meant to have all the good tunes, what explains the albums of Anton LaVey?
• How can I revive Manichaeanism?
• How can I distance my brand from Alisteir Crowley’s?
• Are the Rolling Stones still writing good songs?
• How about those South Park guys?

Originally Answered:

How western is the republic of Greece and its locals?

Vote #1 Goru Yamato: Goru Yamato’s answer to Are Greeks truly “western”? How can they be western if they are orthodox? In that case, why aren’t the other orthodox countries considered western? Μπράβο σας, Γιαμάτο-σάμα!

I’ll just add that the struggle between the Hellenic and the Romaic, the Western and the Eastern orientation of Greece, was a defining cultural conflict within Greece. Greeks were not Westerners on the foundation of the Modern Greek State. Greeks had to be taught they are Westerners. A lot of Greek culture is still not Western. And Greeks throughout the 19th century, and well into the 20th, referred to Western Europeans as Franks. Which they wouldn’t do if they considered themselves Western Europeans.

The term Franks has fallen into disuse in the past generation or two. Not coincidentally, Greeks have embraced the project of the European Union: for all that they loathe Germany right now and are pushed against the wall, they really do want to stay in.

Greek culture has been in transition; but then, all cultures always are. More importantly though, Greeks themselves have come to embrace a Western identity. Which matters more.

… What are you doing here still? Vote #1 Goru Yamato: Goru Yamato’s answer to Are Greeks truly “western”? How can they be western if they are orthodox? In that case, why aren’t the other orthodox countries considered western?

There is a mental barrier for me, as a longtime resident of Melbourne: Melbourne ends at Mt Eliza. The mental barrier is to do with continuous buildings: there is a break in construction just south of Frankston, and there is empty land between Mt Eliza and Mornington (even if it is roughly 5 km).

The break in coverage of the metropolitan railway is another such construct: there is empty land between Dandenong and Pakenham (though not for long), but I think of Pakenham as part of Melbourne, because the train ends there.

There are people that commute into Melbourne CBD from the Mornington Peninsula, and for that matter from Geelong; but I would stick with the continuous building criterion. You are right that Melbourne has uncommon urban sprawl; and Sydney’s is worse. But I would think of Melbourne still as having a 50 km radius, not 100 km.

Habib, you’re on a roll here, aren’t you!

• Confucian virtues
• Industry
• Most people I hanged out with at high school. And undergrad.
• Spicy food
• East Asians, Not South Asians; I’m from Australia, not the UK
• East Asians, Not West Asians. Does anyone even say “West Asians”?
• East Asians, Not North Asians. People definitely don’t call Siberians North Asians.
• East Asians, Not Central Asians. Huh. It really is all about extended Sinosphere, isn’t it.
• South East Asians. Kinda sorta extended Sinosphere.
• My neighbours’ parents, who yell too loud in Chinese at their kid.
• My urbane Taiwanese psychologist friend, and his darling kids.
• Lots of cultures with venerable history, that I know too little about.

What Christine Leigh Langtree said: Vote #1 Christine Leigh Langtree’s answer to Do Australians cringe when non-native English speakers attempt to learn the Australian accent?

I’ll add that most dialect speakers dislike their accent being mimicked, not just Australians; I know I resented the hell out of 1960s Greek comedies’ bad imitation of Cretan. If you don’t get it right, it does come across as mockery.

BUT for non-native speakers… we make a lot of allowances, because we know it’s not mockery. The accent will gradually come naturally anyway. And the less self-conscious you are about it, the more readily it will happen. We have met IRL, Miguel, and your accent is still mostly US/Philippines—but not completely!

I was the OP of the first of these questions, to make a point: we should not criticise Americans for not knowing the geography of places they are not that involved in.

I am now so, so screwed:

Was I even remotely close?

• Nagaland: misplaced by two states
• Assam: Yes!
• Uttar Pradesh: misplaced by two states.
• Rajasthan: Yes!
• Tami Nadu: Yes!
• Kerala: misplaced by three states.
• (West) Bengal: misplaced by one state.
• Come on, why didn’t I get Kashmir? I think I wasn’t sure whether it was a state or not.
• I didn’t even know Lakshadweep (the islands to the southwest) was a territory. (Not a state though.)

Not… great. Sorry, India.

First thing I do every morning is spend at least a half hour replying to comments in my notifications. I’ll comment on answers I read during the day, when something strikes my fancy; maybe a dozen a day? Maybe 20? I should count some time.

I use Quora sociably. Not to the exclusion of my intellectualising, and often as a supplement for my intellectualising—I often have quite good intellectual to-and-fro. I also have lots of good banter. Commenting is a core part of my Quora experience. And not just mine.

Some stereotypes are to listed here: Aaron O’Connell’s answer to What are some cultural differences between the states of Australia?

Here’s mine:

• South Australians: more prim, more English. Boringest state capital city ever.
• New South Welshmen: enemies to the Victorians. Sydneysiders: Uncouth, arrogant.
• Victorians: enemies to the New South Welshmen. Melburnians: Stuck-up hipsters, arrogant.
• Tasmanians: inbred, farmers.
• Queenslanders: reactionary, Deep North, insane.
• Northern Territory: Crocodile Dundee.
• Western Australia: Nouveau riche miners. Don’t want to be in the same country as the rest of us.
• Australian Capital Territory: Public servants. Boringest national capital city ever.

When one of the earliest of the following happens:

• Quora goes broke
• I get banned
• I decide it takes up too much of my life
• It stops being fun

Probabilities and timeframes:

• Quora goes broke: 5 yrs, 70%
• I get banned: 2 yrs, 30% (no BNBRs yet, but the more popular you get, the likelier it gets)
• I decide it takes up too much of my life: 1 yr, 30%
• It stops being fun: 30 yrs, 5%