Re: What is the origin of the nickname, Texas quotes?
Chas. Owens wrote: Like a true Texan* (grin), he skewed the numbers to make Texas look bigger than it is. It is between 2.4** and 2.5*** when you include ... * I am resident of Virgina, so I have no axe to grind; I am just looking for a definitive answer. ** random sites on the Internet *** wikipedia: 663267/261797 = 2.5335 Ouch. But, back to Perl I didn't get an answer to my follow-up question: So, it's because this is so much bigger than «this», this, or 'this'? Chas. Owens wrote: *** wikipedia: 663267/261797 = 2.5335 As for skewing the numbers Actually, I just grabbed the land areas from the text of the two Wikipedia articles (570,380 /261,797~=2.1787). I didn't even notice that I was getting land area only. I didn't even see the total area that was conveniently available in the summary boxes. Really. I swear it. As a matter of fact, I've always been sensitive to the perception that Texans are braggarts. We had a family move to our area from California when I was young. They irritated me so much by their continual claims of California's superiority that I decided I never wanted to appear that obnoxious to anyone else, even if I am proud of my home state. Too many Texans are like a friend of mine who has a sign by his front door: Never ask a man where he's from: if he's from Texas, he'll tell you; if he isn't, there's no point in embarrassing him. Makes me cringe, even if it /is/ all in fun. I told an Alaskan friend about that sign, and that's when he told me that if we didn't shut up about it, Alaska would split itself in half and make Texas the /third/ largest state. I suppose it's a measure of Texas pride that I was in my forties before I knew that Alaska was /that/ much bigger than Texas. =thom -- Numbers are like people; torture them enough and they'll tell you anything.
Re: What is the origin of the nickname, Texas quotes?
On Fri, Dec 07, 2007 at 11:25:14PM +, Andy Armstrong wrote: On 7 Dec 2007, at 23:19, Chas. Owens wrote: That is my take on it: Everything is bigger in Texas, even French Quotes. You know, from a complete outsider's perspective, I really prefer the Paris, Texas explanation :) Everything is bigger in Texas *except* Paris. Larry
Re: What is the origin of the nickname, Texas quotes?
On Thu, Dec 06, 2007 at 12:12:36PM -0700, Thom Boyer wrote: Larry Wall wrote: Good guess, but no. It comes from the fact that Texas always bragged about how they were the largest state in the union, and had the biggest everything, including ten-gallon hats. That was before we added Alaska. Now if they pull that stunt we offer to carve Alaska up into 4 states, in which case Texas would be the 5th largest. But Texans still like to think big, and we love 'em all to pieces for it. Especially Patrick these days... :) Larry So, it's because this is so much bigger than «this», this, or 'this'? By the way, as a native Texan, I find offensive your claim that Texas*4 Alaska. The truth is hurtful enough: Texas*2.1787 = Alaska I had to carry it out to 4 decimal places so I wouldn't have to round the last digit UP. :-) My claim is just that that's how the standard joke goes. (I suspect the 4x probably arises from casual inspection of a mercator projection, where Alaska does look four times bigger. But then, that's the fault of Texas for being closer to the equator. :) Larry
Re: What is the origin of the nickname, Texas quotes?
On Dec 7, 2007 11:50 AM, Larry Wall [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Thu, Dec 06, 2007 at 12:12:36PM -0700, Thom Boyer wrote: Larry Wall wrote: Good guess, but no. It comes from the fact that Texas always bragged about how they were the largest state in the union, and had the biggest everything, including ten-gallon hats. That was before we added Alaska. Now if they pull that stunt we offer to carve Alaska up into 4 states, in which case Texas would be the 5th largest. But Texans still like to think big, and we love 'em all to pieces for it. Especially Patrick these days... :) Larry So, it's because this is so much bigger than «this», this, or 'this'? By the way, as a native Texan, I find offensive your claim that Texas*4 Alaska. The truth is hurtful enough: Texas*2.1787 = Alaska I had to carry it out to 4 decimal places so I wouldn't have to round the last digit UP. :-) My claim is just that that's how the standard joke goes. (I suspect the 4x probably arises from casual inspection of a mercator projection, where Alaska does look four times bigger. But then, that's the fault of Texas for being closer to the equator. :) Larry Like a true Texan* (grin), he skewed the numbers to make Texas look bigger than it is. It is between 2.4** and 2.5*** when you include inland bodies of water, and when you include territorial waters it may well have a 4 to 1 ratio with Texas (since it is effectively a very large peninsula and Texas has a relatively small coastline). I have placed calls to both Alaska's CGIN and NOAA NOS* and they are trying to find the area of the two states' territorial waters for me**. I was not able to find a Texas resource, but so far it looks like the NOAA NOS and OCS*** are going to be the best bets anyways. * I am resident of Virgina, so I have no axe to grind; I am just looking for a definitive answer. ** random sites on the Internet *** wikipedia: 663267/261797 = 2.5335 Census and Geographic Information Network: http://almis.labor.state.ak.us/?PAGEID=67SUBID=114 * National Ocean Service: oceanservice.noaa.gov ** Yes, I am anal, insane, and on narcotics (I had my wisdom teeth extracted this morning) *** Office of Coast Survey: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/programs/cs/welcome.html
Re: What is the origin of the nickname, Texas quotes?
On Thu, Dec 06, 2007 at 09:36:36AM -0700, Thom Boyer wrote: From S02: The double angles may be written either with French quotes, «$foo @bar[]»||, or with Texas quotes, $foo @bar[],|| as the ASCII workaround. I'm curious about the naming of Texas quotes. My guess is that the name is inspired by the existence of a town called Paris, Texas. That city's name might remind you of France, but isn't the real thing. Similarly, Texas Quotes|| might remind you of «French Quotes», but they're not quite as elegant. Have I got that right? Good guess, but no. It comes from the fact that Texas always bragged about how they were the largest state in the union, and had the biggest everything, including ten-gallon hats. That was before we added Alaska. Now if they pull that stunt we offer to carve Alaska up into 4 states, in which case Texas would be the 5th largest. But Texans still like to think big, and we love 'em all to pieces for it. Especially Patrick these days... :) Larry
Re: What is the origin of the nickname, Texas quotes?
Larry Wall wrote: On Thu, Dec 06, 2007 at 09:36:36AM -0700, Thom Boyer wrote: From S02: The double angles may be written either with French quotes, «$foo @bar[]»||, or with Texas quotes, $foo @bar[],|| as the ASCII workaround. I'm curious about the naming of Texas quotes. My guess is that the name is inspired by the existence of a town called Paris, Texas. That city's name might remind you of France, but isn't the real thing. Similarly, Texas Quotes|| might remind you of «French Quotes», but they're not quite as elegant. Have I got that right? Good guess, but no. It comes from the fact that Texas always bragged about how they were the largest state in the union, and had the biggest everything, including ten-gallon hats. That was before we added Alaska. Now if they pull that stunt we offer to carve Alaska up into 4 states, in which case Texas would be the 5th largest. But Texans still like to think big, and we love 'em all to pieces for it. Especially Patrick these days... :) Larry So, it's because this is so much bigger than «this», this, or 'this'? By the way, as a native Texan, I find offensive your claim that Texas*4 Alaska. The truth is hurtful enough: Texas*2.1787 = Alaska I had to carry it out to 4 decimal places so I wouldn't have to round the last digit UP. :-) =thom
