Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The True Size of Africa (2015)

kai.sub.blue

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 226 posts

Re: The True Size of Africa (2015)

#141

Post by msrenee »

js2 wrote: post #79
init wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As the other commenter responded, I'm referring to the linguistic, socioeconomic and judicial homogeneity. Even though the US is culturally diverse, it still has a single currency, a single dominant language and a single jurisdiction (with minor state specific legal requirements). I only need one US visa to travel to all 52 states. A software company taking payments in the US has access to all 52 states. A peach cobb…

Do you have any idea how many different kinds of sandwiches we have in this country? You're just not looking at the right things for diversity! :-) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/14/dining/field-...

Good article. They rightly attribute the reuben sandwich to the Blackstone hotel.

Anyway, I'm enthralled by the idea of a lobster roll. I had clam chowder one time when we were in New England and it blew me away. I ate the pint and tried to go back and buy another, but my husband stopped me. I've had it a number of times since back here in the middle of the country and it doesn't even compare. Even in fancy restaurants, it's just not the same. I really want to try a lobster roll, but I have the feeling I'm not going to find one around here that does the sandwich justice.

Re: The True Size of Africa (2015)

#144

Post by tomrod »

layoutIfNeeded wrote: post #89
tomrod wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coming from a background most would consider rough and tumble in the US, this is true. However, you're missing a bit part of it. Americans don't understand governance models very well. Provinces are to counties and states are to small countries. What does federal map to? Mental model says next one up - continent. I'd argue its not precise to consider Americans dumb, just inexperienced outside our bubble.

>I'd argue its not precise to consider Americans dumb, just inexperienced outside our bubble. Indeed! Funny, because others replying to my comment seemed to be similarly inexperienced outside their well-educated Silicon Valley / Ivy League bubble… :^)

I can't speak for them. I don't know that many to have any sort of reasonable basis.

Re: The True Size of Africa (2015)

#145

Post by tptacek »

gundmc wrote: post #56

This reminds me of my favorite scene from The West Wing where they talk about how misleading the Mercator projection is with regard to the size of Africa. https://youtu.be/eLqC3FNNOaI

The alternative projection used in that episode is apparently pretty bad too. (It's a great scene, though!)

Re: The True Size of Africa (2015)

#146

Post by lhorie »

tedunangst wrote: post #127
lhorie wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GP is saying that if you're comparing to the US, it would make more sense to compare to e.g. Ethiopia (a single country with several ethnical groups and languages) than compare Malawi to Guinea (two different countries, thousands of miles away from each other)

Vermont and Idaho are also thousands of miles away from each other, a distance not achievable within Ethiopia's borders. I think people are missing the point, so to make it clear, in the US, you can move from Los Angeles to New York (not even extreme ends of the country) and experience the same culture, language, TV shows, cell phone, etc. at both ends. That would be the same as moving from Madrid to Moscow, or Lagos…

Sure but if you consider that you could say the same about e.g. Moscow/Vladivostok or Sao Paulo/Manaus or Sydney/Perth, it doesn't seem like homogeneity is that unique or impressive of a characteristic for an expansive country. IMHO it's more notable to point out that there's a language barrier between Toronto/Quebec despite them being only a few hours away from each other, a form of heteregenereousness that is also present in many countries in Africa, whereas in the US, there's a relatively high level of homogeneity even taking into account highly international places like Chinatowns because of the melting pot effect.

Re: The True Size of Africa (2015)

#147

Post by jamnik »

js2 wrote: post #79
init wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As the other commenter responded, I'm referring to the linguistic, socioeconomic and judicial homogeneity. Even though the US is culturally diverse, it still has a single currency, a single dominant language and a single jurisdiction (with minor state specific legal requirements). I only need one US visa to travel to all 52 states. A software company taking payments in the US has access to all 52 states. A peach cobb…

Do you have any idea how many different kinds of sandwiches we have in this country? You're just not looking at the right things for diversity! :-) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/14/dining/field-...

Like In France you have diversity of wine and cheese, diversity of beer in Germany, not to mention Poland being so kiełbasa-diverse? Yep, diversity, diversity, diversity...

Re: The True Size of Africa (2015)

#148

Post by js2 »

msrenee wrote: post #141
js2 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any idea how many different kinds of sandwiches we have in this country? You're just not looking at the right things for diversity! :-) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/14/dining/field-...

Good article. They rightly attribute the reuben sandwich to the Blackstone hotel. Anyway, I'm enthralled by the idea of a lobster roll. I had clam chowder one time when we were in New England and it blew me away. I ate the pint and tried to go back and buy another, but my husband stopped me. I've had it a number of times since back here in the middle of the country and it doesn't even compare. Even in fancy restauran…

The lobster roll is really delicious.

I’m sure you’re aware you had New England clam chowder, And that there’s also Manhattan clam chowder. But few folks know there’s also a Hatteras clam chowder. It’s made with a broth and the taste of clams really comes through a lot better than with the cream or tomato based variants.

https://blog.carolinadesigns.com/outer-banks-food/hatteras-i...

(And now that I’ve worked my way to the Carolinas… if you’ve never had shrimp and grits, look it up. Yum.)

p.s. as good as lobster is, stone crab is even better.

Re: The True Size of Africa (2015)

#149

Post by birdyrooster »

init wrote: post #35

Africa has 54 countries, thousands of languages and 1.2 billion people. As an African, whenever I see this map I'm more astonished by how densely populated Europe and India are, how big and populated China is and how homogeneous the US is compared to its size.

What does it mean to be an African? Is there unifying culture of all of Africa? Like when I say I am an American, I don't mean the continent, I am talking about living in the US, but when someone calls themselves an African, what can I glean from that other than they live on a large, heterogenous continent?
Post reply on HN