mostly, I just liked the title...

[alexr_rwx]

The Rudnick is switching into Social Sciences Researcher Mode again. Mostly because he's been reading Marty's copy of Sex/Machine, which is this big collection of cultural studies essays about gender/technology interactions...

Not that you guys are any sort of representative sample, but... could you comment up some responses? I'm curious:

- Does your computer have a name?
- Do you tend to anthropomorphize your computer?
- Do you normally name and/or anthropomorphize your things?

Comments

[oniugnip.livejournal.com]

Hoooo! First post!!

- Yes. elrond, eowyn, treebeard, cirdan, and aragorn all have names.

- Often... I think of elrond and eowyn as having personalities, at least. That's silly, yes. However, elrond is more warm, open, friendly -- he's older, more accepting, and has seen a lot more software (and hardware -- he's on his fourth motherboard and second case) go by ... so he knows an ugly hack when he sees one, but it doesn't bother him as much. eowyn is younger, more tightly controlled. She's only seen things done The Right Way and has more of a mind to be exclusive towards things that are less than classically beautiful. She's female, and a Sony laptop with sleek lines.

- Not so much. My car (the Geekmobile) gets personified a little bit, but I think he's my only other named posession.

... so how scary is that?

Answers

[zip4096.livejournal.com]

I'm in the grad lab about to start on merging elegant code with ugly code- feeling a bit of wanting to avoid/procrastination creeping in...

But, to answer the questions (which you already know I think):

Yes, my computer has a name: "nameless", haha!

I don't anthropomorphize nameless very often on a conscious level, but there is a sort of vague mental entity at which I direct frustration with the computer on occasion.

And computers I own are the only objects I name regularly; I don't tend to anthropomorphize... hm, come to think of it, though, I do sort of anthropomorphize my car- a long time ago I'd thought of naming it "Mohammed"... It feels friendly and dependable- a big guy like Thomas Perkins (remember him? He'd always give me these huge hugs and clear lift me off the ground).

[dramatis.livejournal.com]

-Yes. Giggles's name has always been Giggles. :-) If, however, I got a laptop, I might rename her just to fit a scheme (such as, like one I've considered, Jade and Ruby).
-Very much so. It's not "Giggles has a b0rked processor," it's "Giggles is in a coma. She's temporarily lost brain function."
-Not really. If I ever do it again, I'll probably do it to my car.

[vitamorsque.livejournal.com]

-yup. Jack! (and Thalia, and Jack-0), as well as "my little commodore" and "my favorite coco"
-sometimes, although not very often. i really tend to think of them as machines...just machines that i take extra special care of.
-on the rare occasion i will, but its usually something like a tree or an animal. particularly animals, and i can long conversations with them ;) i prefer things that respond, but for some reason i treat most all things...wait a sec. actually...i do tend to pat doors when i hit them too hard and say "there there, im sorry!" and ill thank my car for getting me to work, and ill apologize to trees for playing with their leaves (by ripping them off). so yeah, but i don't tend to name things, as to me...naming something is very special and not to be done with just any old thing, or indeed person. but the things that i actually OWN no...they are just things to me, for the most part. odd, huh?

[smileydee.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, and yes.

My computer has a name, and so does my iPod, and so does my car, and so does my other computer.

My things all have distinct personalities.

I cried when Ben (my car) broke down yesterday. He's a good car and I love him.

[tabandlow.livejournal.com]

-No

-Only when I'm programming and only when the computer's misbehaving. Then I do talk to it, like "You worthless piece of crap! Why do you hate me? There's nothing friggin' wrong with my code!" I do believe that my computer secretly hates me.

-No

But then again, I am the non-CS CS person. :)

[the-itch.livejournal.com]

-Each of my computers is named after a member of the Grateful Dead. The linux box is garcia, the iMac is weir, laptop is lesh, and two older computers I have were pigpen and barlow. I never use their names in speech though.

-I think that's illegal within city limits here. And anyway, we are low on hot sauce and fishbowls.

-Every chance I get.

Okay, I admit, I have no idea what anthropomorphize means.

[rheavatarin.livejournal.com]

1) Yes, I name my computers. The desktop is McKie and its virtual machine is Tria. My laptop is Gar and its virtual machine is Havvy.

2) McKie I do sometimes. I try to refer to him by his name as often as possible. My poor laptop has had so many formats and operating systems on it, I think it is a little schitzo and doesn't know what is going on.

3) Really, my computers are all I anthropomorphize. Though my sister has taken the car I had in HS and officially dubbed it the "Rossmobile" and has personalized it to heaven, hell, and back again.

On a completely unrelated note....

[(Anonymous)]

http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/

This provides a great deal of amusement. You should peruse the 2003 and 2002 contest winners when you have a chance, for lots of time-wasting laughter. I'm particularly fond of the "Vile pun" awards section. Also you should enter something next year... I can't help but have my imagination tugged back to when you were writing an odd little short story during some CS clss (2340?) about some mad professor reading his books when he had a revalation but the pizza guy came so he folded the note up and put it in his pocket and... er, yeah, so forth and so on. I bet you could come up with a highly amusing little entry for this contest ^_^

~Lisa lisa

And Thy Computers Shall be Called

[(Anonymous)]

My computers are cumulus, stratus, and cirrus. I don't produce their names in conversation, but I'm not sure why. I can't say that I anthropomorphize them. I'm pretty sure this is because tools seem to be more like artificial limbs (which get closer and closer to being part of me as I become more adept at using them) to me than business associates. When something goes wrong, I usually blame myself (and not the machine). I'm usually right. I suppose this means that all my computers share my personality (a horrid thought!). Then again, psychological introspection is supposed to be a crock.

Clouds are cool, anyway.

~samarin samarin~

[falun.livejournal.com]

while a tad late i'm gonna post because i'm bored (the only thing that could drive me to lj'ing)

- my computers do not have names
- nope
- my code... almost all code I write has personality, and physically beauty (or an appalling lack of at times)