[extropy-chat] Atheists launch inquisition...

[Amara Graps]

Mike Lorrey, quoting the news article:
>>...at Stevens Creek School in the
>>  San Francisco Bay area suburb of Cupertino...

Spike:
>I wonder how they figure Cupertino is a suburb of
>San Francisco?  It is closer to the more populated
>city of San Jose.  San Jose gets no respect.

San Jose is more populated, but unless you are from California, or the
from western US, the probability is low that you know where it is.

I lived in Cupertino for ten years and in other parts of the Silicon
Valley for four years, but if I say to people here, that I used to
live near San Jose, California, then I get a blank stare. If I say
that I used to live in the Silicon Valley, then I get a glimmer of
recognition. And if I say that I used to live in the San Francisco Bay
area, they smile and nod and tell me what a wonderful city that is (if
they visited, or if it on their future vacation plans).

Therefore, for me communicating with foreigners, the San Francisco area
is a much simpler location for me to give to them. I'm not surprised
the newspapers use it too (it would be more accurate for them to say
it is in the Silicon Valley than the 'suburb' used above, though)
-- 

Amara Graps, PhD
Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario (IFSI)
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF),
Adjunct Assistant Professor Astronomy, AUR,
Roma, ITALIA     Amara.Graps at ifsi.rm.cnr.it