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About Naming

Mommy, where does bubble gum come from?

By Alex Altman, Senior Health Correspondent Bubble gum ain’t what it used to be.  When I was younger Bubblicious, Chiclets, and Bazooka Joe used to be top-shelf stuff.  Sure, the flavor in a piece of Bazooka Joe only lasted ten minutes, but it was a good ten minutes brought to you by real sugar.  Today…

Let’s not rush into this: Planned Parenthood Express

Some things should never be express. For example, haircuts, NASA launches and adoptions all seem to be things where rushing might be a bad idea.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Planned Parenthood belongs in this category too. The group started opening ‘express’ locations in 2003. They describe them as…

Top 10 things to look for in a naming company

f you’re looking for help naming a company or product, here are 10 simple things to look for in a naming company: 1. A pulse. Why do naming companies strap themselves into a straitjacket with terminally boring names like Namestormers and Nametrade and Namix? If they can’t name themselves, how can you expect them to…

What does the apocalypse taste like?

by Eli Altman Recently I went into 7-11 to try their new Slurpee flavor: Apocalyptic Ice. It was created as a promotion for Terminator Salvation which will hit theaters across the U.S. tomorrow. We were more interested to find out what the apocalypse tastes like–surprisingly, not half bad. Take a look: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixyTrJM9qIg]

Tip of the Hat: Benefit Cosmetics

by Susan Gertman and Eli Altman Today, our Tip of the Hat goes to Benefit Cosmetics–They broke the mold in the beauty business. Way before MAC and Sephora arrived on the scene, Jean and Jane Ford created a fresh alternative to the intimidating experience of buying beauty products in big department stores. Here are some…

Best name in the NBA? We’re going with Speedy

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and I wanted to take a moment to discuss the player with the best name in the league. Jesus Shuttlesworth is fictional, so he’s out. It’s not Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Zaza Pachulia or Hedo Turkoglu—it’s the Atlanta Hawk’s own Speedy Claxton. How cool of a name is that? It…

Naming the pandemic: it’s a flu-id situation

We said yesterday that the name of the pandemic was becoming a political football. Well today, the ball is still in motion. President Obama opened yesterday’s press conference by calling it the H1N1 flu virus. I know he promised us a science-based administration, and maybe H1N1 could slide by as a name for a star…

Tweet tweeter twitter. What does Twitter mean to you?

by Eli Altman I’m not going to talk about how popular Twitter is. I’m not going to debate its merits or talk about how it’s ruining America’s youth. There are tons of places to talk about that (including on Twitter) and I think it has been discussed ad nauseam. Instead I want to talk about…

The Porsche Panamera gets put to the (naming) test

by Eli Altman Yesterday, recession be damned, Porsche debuted the newest addition to its lineup at Auto Shanghai—the Panamera. It’s a four-door luxury sedan that starts at $89,000 and tops out around $132,000 with all-wheel drive and some turbo. U.S. sales are set to begin in October. While we like talking about cars, we love…

Leonard Cohen on how to write a song or name a company

Leonard  Cohen is a powerful, dark, romantic figure in my life. Along with Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, he is a guide in the night.  Funny that he spent five years in a monastery. While Cohen was being cook, driver and late-night sake drinking buddy to the roshi, his business manager was apparently being a…