Miscellaneous desk
< October 6	<< Sep \| October \| Nov >>	October 8 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

October 7

Resource management act in India

Is resource management act ruled in India? If yes, give detail information about it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.169.1.87 (talk) 10:40, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I can't find any evidence of an Indian Act of Parliament called the "Resource Management Act" or similar. If that's not what you're asking about, could you please explain a little more clearly what you want to know? - Ka renjc 13:49, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

NB I added a header to your question. - Ka renjc 13:57, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Resource that allows map overlays?

Is there any online resource which would allow me to choose two random geographical areas, say France and Texas, or Israel and New Jersey, and overlay their maps or compare them side to side in the same scale? I can draw a pretty good map of the world freehand from memory, but I can't visually compare the sizes of any two arbitrary areas in my head. μηδείς (talk) 20:55, 7 October 2012 (UTC) [reply]

side debate

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

"Same size" isn't as trivial as you might think, on maps of a spherical surface, as you have different projections with different distortions. So, you can't even get all 1 km lines on a single map to be the same size, much less on two maps. StuRat (talk) 21:12, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

And, rather than overlay them, why not just place two maps at the same scale next to each other ? Sounds a lot easier. StuRat (talk) 21:12, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Reread me, I did say side to side. And any system based on the same globe should have the same scale and projection. I am not just looking for maps, I could do that myself with a googling. I want one uniform system that allows me to place any two areas next to or over each other. μηδείς (talk) 21:20, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

OK, that's not what wikt:overlay normally means. I'm not sure what you want which you can't get just by opening two browser windows, containing two Google maps, at the same scale, in the two adjacent windows. StuRat (talk) 21:31, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Here you go, in case you are not sure what English words mean in English: http://www.tipmedia.org/graphics/Israel-NewJersey.jpg μηδείς (talk) 21:59, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that's exactly what an overlay is. Apparently you don't know what "side to side" means. StuRat (talk) 22:31, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Well, like I said, I want a resource that provides two such maps for me. Asking google images or maps for such maps will be extremely time consuming and hit and miss, unless you know of some way of setting google maps for scale that I don't. I have to assume someone has come across some mapping website that allows one easily to compare to such locations arbitrarily, even if you, haven't. μηδείς (talk) 21:39, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It took me about a dozen clicks and typing in the names "Israel" and "New Jersey" to get them side-by-side, showing the sizes to be about the same. They came up at the same scale initially. If they hadn't, just clicking on the + and - would alter the zoom level until the numbers on the scale match. I can't see any specialized software being much faster. StuRat (talk) 21:47, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Are you actually trying to answer my question, StuRat? A dozen clicks which cannot be repeated for another comparison don't strike me as helpful. Perhaps such a resource as I am looking for doesn't exist. But whatever the case, your answers have been entirely off point and unhelpful. Why not try editting an article, in stead of answering some ref desk question you have no answer for? μηδείς (talk) 21:56, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

My point is that there's unlikely to be such a software product, as there's little need or demand for it. You might as well ask for software designed to draw two triangles next to each, with identical dimensions, but in different colors. Why would anyone write such a program ? I could be wrong, but don't hold your breath. StuRat (talk) 22:05, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I am sure you have heard of the fallacy of trying to prove a negative. μηδείς (talk) 22:28, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The pictures aren't really pretty on this one and they aren't side-to-side but it gives you an idea. AlexiusHoratius 22:22, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The post above was awarded this star--*--originally placed afterwards. My editing privileges were blocked for this vandalism. Rather than retract the star, it stands here by itself. Please accept my apologies. μηδείς (talk) 01:36, 9 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that is exactly the sort of thing I am looking for. I would not be averse to a more detailed system. I will try it out, thanks! μηδείς (talk) 22:28, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ah yes, an actual overlay (not side-by-side), which does require a special program. StuRat (talk) 22:29, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

That's great, Alexius. Not exactly arbitrary, since there is a list, but it covers what I was looking for. A star for you. μηδείς (talk) 22:34, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Excellent Alexius, a response in the spirit even if not to the literal question posed. I'm glad someone gets it. hydnjo (talk) 00:41, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

He did answer the question as literally posed. The section title is not the question, nor is it supposed to be, per the quidelines at the top of the page. μηδείς (talk) 01:18, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

After having looked at the link, I'd like to point out that Vermont is not a major exporter of vermouth. Or have any special relation to calendars. Why else would the creators of the site call Vermont, Vermonth? Dismas|^(talk) 00:57, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Stu, I don't really see what your issue is. Yes, the title clearly say "overlay" but the question further refines the idea and asks specifically for "overlay... or compare them side to side" (emphasis mine of course). And Medeis, using Google Maps, I have a scale in the lower left of the map that states what scale objects are. This is what, I think, Stu was trying to get at. Pull up two browser windows with one map each and zoom each so that the scale on each is the same. Dismas|^(talk) 00:53, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that was my point (I should add that there are a limited number of distinct scales, so you can't get two maps at almost the same scale). There was some confusion above over whether we were talking about overlays or side-by-side maps, but it's all figured out now. StuRat (talk) 00:56, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I am quite familiar with google maps, and if it has a "compare" function someone can still point that out. Any confusion here has been in one mind only, not collective. μηδείς (talk) 01:18, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I think the issue here is that whenever StuRat doesn't know something, he likes to try and make it seem like it's the OP's problem or misunderstanding, not his. He's apparently incapable to refrain from posting in such situations, and he makes sure that his horses are good and dead before he moves on. --Mr.98 (talk) 01:21, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with 98 but think that some of this belongs at talk. hydnjo (talk) 02:55, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

This one is a kind of Google Maps mashup kinda version of this idea: http://overlapmaps.com/ Pfly (talk) 06:34, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The post above was awarded this star--*--originally placed afterwards. My editing privileges were blocked for this vandalism. Rather than retract the star, it stands here by itself. Please accept my apologies. μηδείς (talk) 01:36, 9 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

OH, that is most excellent, Pfly. A star for you as well. This site will occupy me for hours, which should please everyone. I always wanted to see Bavaria overlaid on Pennsylvania! μηδείς (talk) 18:20, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

PS, after posting that I wondered whether, or if it dealt with the map projection issues inherent in Google Maps, which uses a Mercator-type projection. To test I had it overlay Brazil on Greenland and it clearly reprojects the overlay more or less appropriately for area comparison. The Brazil overlay on Greenland, however, extends too close to the north pole for the projection to handle—the projection math breaks near the pole, resulting in Brazil acquiring some gigantic spikes—one apparently infinite. Overlaying Greenland on Brazil is better, except for Greenland being squashed west-east. But at least the app does reproject the overlays, allowing reasonable area comparisons, at the expense of shape—especially when comparing polar and equatorial things. But then, shape distortion is the price you have to pay in exchange for equal area mapping. Pfly (talk) 07:04, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Not necessarily that bad though; there's no real reason why a program would have to assume that the projection reaches maximal distortion at the poles: you can orient your projection surface at any arbitrary location: in fact for maximal accuracy you'd probably want a program that used a movable projection; one that recentered the projection over whatever area you were trying to map that time. --Jayron32 13:07, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Certainly true. I can imagine a much better area comparison mapping app, though perhaps not one that relies so heavily on Google Maps, or at least uses Google Maps as the base on which overlays are put. Pfly (talk) 15:46, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

For numerical comparisons, see Category:Lists by area.

—Wavelength (talk) 15:22, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The ideal app for this purpose would consist of two transparent globes (actual globes, not map projections) of identical size, with a common center, each marked with coastlines and borders (and perhaps lat/long lines) in a different color. Each globe could be rotated in any direction independently around the common center. There must be a way to build such an app. → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 23:02, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Actual globes sure, but if you mean displaying a globe on a flat computer screen then you've already got a map projection, specially an orthographic projection. Just saying. Pfly (talk) 01:05, 9 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

An innovative person might wish to invent a spherical computer screen.

—Wavelength (talk) 02:03, 9 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Along these lines? -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 02:12, 9 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It would work with virtual globes, too. Even a program as simple as SketchUp allows you to draw a virtual sphere and spin it every which way. → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 02:19, 9 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

My Internet research has revealed to me that Microsoft introduced a spherical computer screen in 2008.

See http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Here-comes-Sphere-Microsoft-debuts-computing-in-1280551.php.

—Wavelength (talk) 02:31, 9 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Awesome links all . . . you have been bookmarked! Marketdiamond (talk) 09:37, 9 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Chinese food

Why is it that Chinese food isn't as good as food from surrounding countries (e.g. Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian)? --168.7.239.5 (talk) 21:14, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Here you need to distinguish what is meant be "Chinese food". Within China, there are many types, like Cantonese cuisine, Szechuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Mongolian cuisine, etc., all of which are healthier than Chinese-American cuisine (and presumably the equivalent in Europe). Chinese food, due to the larger population of China, made it's way into Western diets sooner, back in the bad old days when people liked a stick of butter with their meals. So, the originally healthy Chinese food was adapted to fit in, with more meat and grease and salt, and fewer veggies. Those other foods entered the Western diet later, and largely avoided this fate. StuRat (talk) 21:20, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I had an interesting experience once of going to a Chinese restaurant, in the US, with a Chinese person. He tossed the menu aside, saying "That's just for Americans", talked to the waiter in Chinese, and then had a much healthier meal brought out than anything you find on the menu. Presumably, as Americans are looking for healthier foods these days, more Chinese restaurants will offer authentic Chinese foods, while preserving the greasy foods for those who prefer them. I go to a Chinese buffet which has both, including things like seaweed, which probably wouldn't appeal to the average American. StuRat (talk) 21:24, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The question is personal opinion, and calls for opinions in response. It is not appropriate for the Ref Desk. Bielle (talk) 21:33, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, you took "good" to mean "tasty", which is opinion, while I interpreted it as "healthy", which is quantifiable. StuRat (talk) 21:37, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I have to agree with Bielle. But I am not surprised that Mister "I have never seen a question I could not respond to" has responded to it. μηδείς (talk) 21:43, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If that is true, StuRat, then perhaps you need to quantify it and/or the OP needs to say in what way one is healthier than the other. Your first paragraph is opinion even if its theme is about "healthy" and there is no mention in the question about American food. Bielle (talk) 21:50, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

(EC) Stu's answer was right. Chinese food is good - depending on where you go, and what your tastes are. I have had some great Chinese meals in the UK, and conversely, some terrible ones in China. The food is made specially for the locals of the country the restaurant is based in. It would make bad business sense to make it to the taste of people thousands of miles away. If you don't like it, don't eat it. It just depends on what you want. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 21:56, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Also note that the authentic Chinese diet heavy in veggies and rice and light in meat wasn't entirely by choice, economics also played a role. Now, as their economic situation is improving, they are moving more towards a Western diet, and their health is beginning to be affected, accordingly. We may even hit a point where the Western diet is healthier than the Chinese diet, similar to how the percentage of smokers is higher in some third world nations. Affluence eventually brings with it health-consciousness, but not immediately. StuRat (talk) 21:59, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

And now we continue with opinions. (And, you will no doubt be pleased to read, that is my last comment here on personal opinions that do not even address the OP's personal-opinion question.) Bielle (talk) 22:17, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Gotta agree here. There's no such thing as a single food item, let alone an entire national cuisine, that is "good" or "healthy" in all circumstances, for all people, at all times, without regard to exactly what specific foods are chosen, how much of them are eaten, how often, combined with what else, or many other factors. The OP's question makes an assumption ("Chinese food isn't as good as food from surrounding countries") that cannot possibly be confirmed, and doesn't even have any meaning. It should not have been answered; clarification should have been sought. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 22:38, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

In the case of some national cuisines being healthier than others, it most certainly can be proven, by comparing the typical diet in one nation with another. Yes, it's possible to find something healthy or unhealthy in each, but that's why we go with the average for such comparisons. If you decide you can't reach any conclusion because of overlapping outliers, then you'd rarely reach any conclusion at all. StuRat (talk) 22:41, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

But it's the so-called outliers that are the norm for so many people. The Western diet can be extremely healthy, or extremely unhealthy, or anywhere in between, depending on exactly what choices are made. In cities at least, we have access to almost every major food item on God's earth, yet there's still an already massive obesity and diabetes problem that just gets worse and worse, and which cannot be attributed solely to sedentary life styles. What is the "average Western diet"? What is the "average Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese/Indian diet"? These are absurd concepts, and get more and more absurd as we become more and more exposed to external foods that most of us had never even heard of before they became fashionable. There are recommended diets put out by food authorities, but obviously very few people actually pay them any heed.

Elsewhere you're having trouble understanding what "This product will make your computer go 100% faster" means, but you have no trouble accepting with only a slight modification a far vaguer sentence like "Chinese food isn't as good as food from surrounding countries". I don't get that. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 23:41, 7 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

There's no problem determining what the average US, American, or Chinese diet is. Just determine the average number of calories, fat grams, saturated fat grams, trans fat grams, etc., down to as much level of detail as is desired. Indeed, to try to explain health trends in populations without considering the average diet for that group is bound to be unsuccessful. If we find a certain disease is more prevalent in a certain population, looking at what that population eats, for both deficiencies and overabundance, is key to isolating the problem. StuRat (talk) 00:32, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Why is Chinese food so different from the food in all the surrounding countries? --128.42.220.195 (talk) 18:35, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think it is. Rice is a common ingredient, as are mixtures of vegetables and sauces, with either seafood (in those nations which border the sea) or meat/~~foul~~ fowl mixed in. StuRat (talk) 19:20, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Who are you calling foul? At the broad level there are those obvious similarities, but there are subtler differences. It's essentially the same question as "Why is French food so different from Spanish?", "Why is French food so different from German?", "Why is French food so different from Italian?", "Why is French food so different from British?", "Why is Czech food so different from German?", "Why is German food so different from Danish?", and so on. -- Jack of Oz ^[Talk] 19:22, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Stu is right. There's no enormous difference between southern Chinese food and Vietnamese food. Many Chinese dishes are popular in Vietnam, and there are restaurants run by Chinese-Vietnamese. Itsmejudith (talk) 20:06, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

AHEM. --Jayron32 22:14, 8 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]