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=67&SUBID=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