Something I admit I never really got: naming a computer, iPhone, or iPad. But thankfully, there’s a set of recommendations to help us out! From 1990:
As soon as you deal with more than one computer, you need to distinguish between them. For example, to tell your system administrator that your computer is busted, you might say, “Hey Ken. Goon is down!”
And while you might shy away from “Goon” (with good reason), you might also want to avoid naming a computer after yourself:
It is especially tempting to name your first computer after yourself, but think about it. Do you name any of your other possessions after yourself? No. Your dog has its own name, as do your children. If you are one of those who feel so inclined to name your car and other objects, you certainly don’t reuse your own name. Otherwise you would have a great deal of trouble distinguishing between them in speech.
I’m not sure. Ryan’s computer, Ryan, might disagree.
Posted in Get Off My Lawn, Technology
Ryan September 5, 2012, 3:11 pm
Since college, I’ve named my PCs after the boroughs of NYC. I have two wireless routers, one is 5boroughs and the other is Subway (the one under my desk, natch).
I am at the point, though, where I’ve used all five boroughs, so I may have to start using neighborhoods or just go with “Ryan.”