California — cool since 1510
by Jeffery Racheff
As far as state names go, California is the black sheep of America. Rather than some stale, obligatory honor to a founding father, a lazy attempt to replicate somewhere in England or a halfhearted remembrance of a decimated Indian nation, …
May 18th: come to Office Hours
by Rose Linke
Stuck in a naming rut? Perfect timing. We spend the majority of our waking hours naming things, so we thought it would be nice to reach out and help those of you in naming need. We can’t work with everyone …
Love at first sight
by Jeffery Racheff
Love at first sight can be a pretty thrilling experience. One moment you’re locking eyes while feeling for ripe fruit at the supermarket, and the next you’re cuddling together in the checkout line planning your honeymoon. Yet for all its romance and adventure, love at first sight …
Glory Holes, and other terrible names to give your donut shop
by Jeffery Racheff
Bad names are everywhere. From the corner store to the corner office, people find themselves giving terrible names to the things they love, and no one seems to be able to stop them from doing it. Well, um, stop it. …
Finders keepers, sort of. How to name your new species.
by Ben Weis
Any person who discovers a new species has the right to choose its scientific name, and to party as best as scientists can. After the celebrations, it’s time to find a name for that new fern you found. I’m sorry …
The world’s biggest naming myth
by Jeffery Racheff
Leaping from his bathtub, running naked down the streets of ancient Syracuse and screaming EUREKA!, Archimedes had a great idea. The Greek inventor, engineer and all-around bad-ass, bare-assed scientist had just discovered one of the most famous principles in science …
Lost in translation — why having a pronounceable and spell-able name matters less than you think
by Brook Barman
Everyone wants the perfect name. They want it to be edgy, imaginative, and inimitable, but only so long as it’s also easy to spell, easy to say, and impossible to forget. The only trouble being, easy and evocative are natural enemies. And nothing is …
Tiny woman trapped in iPhone sues local man
by Jeffery Racheff
Attorneys representing a woman who lives in a local man’s iPhone 4S have filed a lawsuit against him, claiming he keeps her trapped in his smart phone, expects her to instantly know how to get to places she’s never heard …
Pandas, giraffes and magic dragons: animal names for those OTHER San Francisco Giants
by Jeffery Racheff
The San Francisco Giants need help. Falling fast in the National League West and trailing in the Wild Card race, the 2010 World Series Champions could use a serious boost if they want to make the playoffs this year. That’s …
Ten years after 9/11, what do we call Ground Zero?
by Jeffery Racheff
A visitor to Lower Manhattan today has to admit: New York City looks a whole lot different than it did on September 12, 2001. Emerging from what used to be the rubble of America’s most disastrous terrorist attack are the …