When I first read the title, I expected something about Joel Spolsky and was gearing myself up for a giant sigh. The actual piece was quite interesting (not th

When I first read the title, I expected something about Joel Spolsky and was gearing myself up for a giant sigh. The actual piece was quite interesting (not that a piece about a box of Joel wouldn't be, I suppose), and contrasting that with my expectations made me realize just how well-branded certain names become within their particular niches. Consider, for instance, that for different groups, "PG" most likely means a company (Procter & Gamble), a movie rating, or some other industry-specific thing. Obviously this isn't a particularly novel realization; perhaps it's even an "outsight" [1]. But it did strike me as interesting just how primed I was to expect a particular association for the relatively common name "Joel" - and reminded me once more of the importance of stepping out of the proverbial cocoon once in a while. [1] http://www.juliansanchez.com/2007/08/15/outsight/ http://www.juliansanchez.com/2007/08/15/outsight/