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The parent wasn't simply talking about making it a "cash machine", they're talking about using it as a PR vehicle for science. And you don't have to be a child
by aninhumer 11y ago
The parent wasn't simply talking about making it a "cash machine", they're talking about using it as a PR vehicle for science.
And you don't have to be a child to appreciate the name, just not quite as allergic to whimsy as you seem to be.
- hartpuff 11y ago> You could do merchandise, books, characters He was talking about free merchandise, books, characters then?
- aninhumer 11y agoThey also said: > You could have Boaty McBoatface sale up to the ice caps to look at why they are melting. An example of how it could be used to deliver important messages. And merchandise can be part of the message anyway. (I should however note that I just edited my comment to include the word "simply".)
- hartpuff 11y agoAFAIK there's nothing to stop someone creating a character called Boaty McBoatface that teaches 4 year olds why the ice caps are melting, without having its internet joke name attached to a real life $300 million scientific research vessel.
- aninhumer 11y agoWell yeah, but that's not the same. And exactly what problem does attaching the name to a real boat cause? I think the objection to the name is far more childish than the name itself. "Oh no no no, we can't call it that. This is a serious boat, for serious grown ups."
- vidarh 11y agoIf only Spitting Image was still around. This whole thing is like designed for a solid round of mockery.
- hartpuff 11y agoIs it just $300 million scientific research vessels that should be given deliberately stupid names (that even the originator disowns), or everything?
- aninhumer 11y agoWhat? I said objecting to the name is childish. That doesn't mean I think everything should have whimsical names, and I really don't know how you interpreted that from what I said?
- hartpuff 11y agoDid I say you said everything should have whimsical names? I asked if that is what you thought. Can't you tell the difference? So what's your presumably non-childish objection to other things being given "whimsical" names?
- aninhumer 11y ago>So what's your presumably non-childish objection to other things being given "whimsical" names? I don't object to that either?
- hartpuff 11y agoMy God, this is completely ridiculous, but I'll try one more time. Do you or do you not believe everything should have a whimsical name? To save time: If your answer to this is "No, I do not believe everything should have a whimsical name", then what is your non-childish objection to whimsical names in some cases?
- aninhumer 11y agoThat's a false dichotomy. I do not believe everything should have a whimsical name nor do I believe they shouldn't. (Except in the sense that variety is preferable, but I don't think that's what you're getting at.)
- hartpuff 11y agoWow, it's extremely irritating to see this (parent) post downvoted by people who may not realize (till after downvoting) that what I replied to was edited - from denying what I said to admitting it, making my reply look redundant.
- TillE 11y ago> allergic to whimsy British public life is nothing but whimsy. Consider that "wheelie bin" is the actual normal name of a thing, not a cutesy nickname. A little non-whimsy is frankly refreshing.
- aninhumer 11y agoAs opposed to "panties", "burglarize" and "bangs"? There are words in all dialects that sound whimsical to outsiders, but internally they're so normalised that no one considers them whimsical at all.