5 ms·

If they kept the name, they would have had positive public attention for years. Now they get nothing...

by cm2012 11y ago

JorgeGT 11y ago
Everytime they visited a port could have been, "Hey, Boaty McBoatface is coming to port this Saturday! Why don't you bring your kids to a fun science tour?". This is probably the first time that an open Internet poll has finally chosen a name that is fun and kid-friendly instead of "Hitler did nothing wrong" and they have decided to waste all the PR potential.
- gaius 11y ago
  "Adults don't take this seriously and neither should you" I'm being downvoted for this but trust me, that is the message teenagers would takeaway from the name Boaty McBoatface.
  - tombrossman 11y ago
    I'll upvote because it's a fair point but I think it could use more nuance. Here's an example: "The scientists on this ship have a sense of humour and are fun people" meaning that while they take the science seriously, the are approachable and not too worried about what you call their ship. Also, Sir David Attenborough is a national treasure and while I would have preferred the funny name, this is a very solid alternative.
  - liveoneggs 11y ago
    who cares what teenagers think?
    - gaius 11y ago
      People who say the name will get kids into science. It really won't, it will have the opposite effect. And this is obvious, so it's disingenuous to claim that was their reason for voting for it.
      - fossuser 11y ago
        It may be obvious to you because you already think that's the case, but it isn't obvious. My anecdotes and general 'intuition' (as unscientific as these things always are) are opposite to yours. I think it'd be viewed positively and wouldn't have the opposite effect as you suggest.
      - lucozade 11y ago
        I'm not sure I know anyone who voted for it in order to make children interested in it. They voted because they thought it was amusing. However, my children, many of their friends and some of their teachers are now aware that the UK is commissioning a polar research vessel. They definitely weren't before. I know of at least one junior school science teacher who has used this to seed a lesson. It's a point of interest, it's the start of a conversation. It gives science a different angle and a bit of colour. This is a good thing even if it was by accident. Sometimes we should just take the hand we were dealt and play it.
        zeristor 11y ago
        Do you mean they're using an ice breaker as an ice breaker to start conversations? A rather impressive video [0] of RRS Sir Ernesto Shackleton being droned. [0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbywX37mumc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbywX37mumc
        justratsinacoat 11y ago
        A slightly peevish note to future viewers: the drone in question is owned by the RRS Sir Ernesto Shackleton. I was kinda hoping for a clandestine in-port surveillance, but no, the views are of the the vessel as it works in Antarctica.
  - JorgeGT 11y ago
    Teenagers love when the people of the internet goes viral and manages to collectively upset/ridicule The Man. Conversely, they really really hate when government bureaucrats show them that democracy can be a farce and people's choices are worthless. Teenagers are on a complicated phase of life where adults ask them their opinions as if they were adults too, but then when they don't like the answers, use their power to override them. Which is exactly what transpires of this whole process.
    - visakanv 11y ago
      This is totally true. I still have strong memories of being passionate about being social activism, etc and then getting frustrated at being blocked over and over again (by school, govt bodies, etc).
      - yarou 11y ago
        A docile, numb, and drugged population is the holy trinity for authoritarians.
    - gaius 11y ago
      Tnis was not "the people", it was bored wind-up merchants on Reddit and Twitter. The lesson that those people should be ignored can only be a good thing.
      - sangnoir 11y ago
        > Tnis was not "the people", it was bored wind-up merchants on Reddit and Twitter. The lesson that those people should be ignored can only be a good thing. Yes, let's ignore the people who bother to vote because they are not the right sort of people. Instead, we'll do what our idea of a 'rational' voter would want /s
      - icebraining 11y ago
        Then why do an internet poll at all? Nobody would be complaining if NERC had just decided on the name by themselves. By launching the poll and then reneging on it, they just look foolish for failing to predict an obvious outcome, and somewhat petty for not owning up to it. And as I pointed out in an earlier thread, it's not like the Royal Navy ships never had playful names; some past examples include the HMS Speedy, HMS Child's Play, HMS Happy Entrance and HMS Arrogant (later renamed HMS Insolent).
  - pbhjpbhj 11y ago
    Why not the message "you can have fun and do serious work". Mind you the current outcome is more "adults don't take public opinion seriously".
  - kingkawn 11y ago
    we must keep up the performance of propriety for the sake of teaching teenagers how to teach teenagers.
  - partiallypro 11y ago
    Or Scientists aren't a bunch of stiffs and can have fun too, because it's a fun profession...that more people should get into.
  - hartpuff 11y ago
    I lost a boatload of karma last time this showed up by daring to suggest it was ridiculous to give a $300 million scientific research vessel a deliberately stupid name that even the guy - who is not a teenager, like most of the people here droning on about what teenagers want - who came up with it for a laugh doesn't think should be used. All you're going to do talking sense here is lose karma from self-styled non-serious people who actually seem to take this issue very seriously indeed. Edit: And as if right on cue, the cry-babies abuse their 500+ karma again... Hahaha.
  - rfrey 11y ago
    "Adults don't take this seriously and neither should you" Alternately: "Your suspicions are correct. There is no room for fun or playfulness in Science."
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > Everytime they visited a port could have been, "Hey, Boaty McBoatface is coming to port this Saturday! Why don't you bring your kids to a fun science tour?". Since the research vessels advanced submersible ROV is being named "Boaty McBoatface", they still essentially can, though to be as accurate it would have to be "Hey, Boaty McBoatface is coming to port this Saturday onboard the Sir David Attenborough! Why don't you bring your kids to a fun science tour?".
  - tremon 11y ago
    If I understand the article correctly, the submersible will simply be named "Boaty" though. Possibly because the entire name won't fit on its hull.
johan_larson 11y ago
Or if not that name, then some other irreverent choice. RSS I Like Big Boats & I Cannot Lie was my personal favourite. RSS It's Bloody Cold Here was good too.
- godshatter 11y ago
  These names remind of the names of Ship Minds in an Iain M Banks Culture novel.
dredmorbius 11y ago
The ROV is (or will be) named "Boaty". I agree though and hhave argued that the campaign was genius -- inspired or accidental. You can't buy this kind of publicity. Especially for science.

If they kept the name, they would have had positive public attention for years. Now they get nothing...

by cm2012 11y ago

If they kept the name, they would have had positive public attention for years. Now they get nothing...

Everytime they visited a port could have been, "Hey, Boaty McBoatface is coming to port this Saturday! Why don't you bring your kids to a fun science tour?". This is probably the first time that an open Internet poll has finally chosen a name that is fun and kid-friendly instead of "Hitler did nothing wrong" and they have decided to waste all the PR potential.

gaius 11y ago
"Adults don't take this seriously and neither should you" I'm being downvoted for this but trust me, that is the message teenagers would takeaway from the name Boaty McBoatface.
- tombrossman 11y ago
  I'll upvote because it's a fair point but I think it could use more nuance. Here's an example: "The scientists on this ship have a sense of humour and are fun people" meaning that while they take the science seriously, the are approachable and not too worried about what you call their ship. Also, Sir David Attenborough is a national treasure and while I would have preferred the funny name, this is a very solid alternative.
- liveoneggs 11y ago
  who cares what teenagers think?
  - gaius 11y ago
    People who say the name will get kids into science. It really won't, it will have the opposite effect. And this is obvious, so it's disingenuous to claim that was their reason for voting for it.
    - fossuser 11y ago
      It may be obvious to you because you already think that's the case, but it isn't obvious. My anecdotes and general 'intuition' (as unscientific as these things always are) are opposite to yours. I think it'd be viewed positively and wouldn't have the opposite effect as you suggest.
    - lucozade 11y ago
      I'm not sure I know anyone who voted for it in order to make children interested in it. They voted because they thought it was amusing. However, my children, many of their friends and some of their teachers are now aware that the UK is commissioning a polar research vessel. They definitely weren't before. I know of at least one junior school science teacher who has used this to seed a lesson. It's a point of interest, it's the start of a conversation. It gives science a different angle and a bit of colour. This is a good thing even if it was by accident. Sometimes we should just take the hand we were dealt and play it.
      - zeristor 11y ago
        Do you mean they're using an ice breaker as an ice breaker to start conversations? A rather impressive video [0] of RRS Sir Ernesto Shackleton being droned. [0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbywX37mumc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbywX37mumc
        justratsinacoat 11y ago
        A slightly peevish note to future viewers: the drone in question is owned by the RRS Sir Ernesto Shackleton. I was kinda hoping for a clandestine in-port surveillance, but no, the views are of the the vessel as it works in Antarctica.
- JorgeGT 11y ago
  Teenagers love when the people of the internet goes viral and manages to collectively upset/ridicule The Man. Conversely, they really really hate when government bureaucrats show them that democracy can be a farce and people's choices are worthless. Teenagers are on a complicated phase of life where adults ask them their opinions as if they were adults too, but then when they don't like the answers, use their power to override them. Which is exactly what transpires of this whole process.
  - visakanv 11y ago
    This is totally true. I still have strong memories of being passionate about being social activism, etc and then getting frustrated at being blocked over and over again (by school, govt bodies, etc).
    - yarou 11y ago
      A docile, numb, and drugged population is the holy trinity for authoritarians.
  - gaius 11y ago
    Tnis was not "the people", it was bored wind-up merchants on Reddit and Twitter. The lesson that those people should be ignored can only be a good thing.
    - sangnoir 11y ago
      > Tnis was not "the people", it was bored wind-up merchants on Reddit and Twitter. The lesson that those people should be ignored can only be a good thing. Yes, let's ignore the people who bother to vote because they are not the right sort of people. Instead, we'll do what our idea of a 'rational' voter would want /s
    - icebraining 11y ago
      Then why do an internet poll at all? Nobody would be complaining if NERC had just decided on the name by themselves. By launching the poll and then reneging on it, they just look foolish for failing to predict an obvious outcome, and somewhat petty for not owning up to it. And as I pointed out in an earlier thread, it's not like the Royal Navy ships never had playful names; some past examples include the HMS Speedy, HMS Child's Play, HMS Happy Entrance and HMS Arrogant (later renamed HMS Insolent).
- pbhjpbhj 11y ago
  Why not the message "you can have fun and do serious work". Mind you the current outcome is more "adults don't take public opinion seriously".
- kingkawn 11y ago
  we must keep up the performance of propriety for the sake of teaching teenagers how to teach teenagers.
- partiallypro 11y ago
  Or Scientists aren't a bunch of stiffs and can have fun too, because it's a fun profession...that more people should get into.
- hartpuff 11y ago
  I lost a boatload of karma last time this showed up by daring to suggest it was ridiculous to give a $300 million scientific research vessel a deliberately stupid name that even the guy - who is not a teenager, like most of the people here droning on about what teenagers want - who came up with it for a laugh doesn't think should be used. All you're going to do talking sense here is lose karma from self-styled non-serious people who actually seem to take this issue very seriously indeed. Edit: And as if right on cue, the cry-babies abuse their 500+ karma again... Hahaha.
- rfrey 11y ago
  "Adults don't take this seriously and neither should you" Alternately: "Your suspicions are correct. There is no room for fun or playfulness in Science."
dragonwriter 11y ago
> Everytime they visited a port could have been, "Hey, Boaty McBoatface is coming to port this Saturday! Why don't you bring your kids to a fun science tour?". Since the research vessels advanced submersible ROV is being named "Boaty McBoatface", they still essentially can, though to be as accurate it would have to be "Hey, Boaty McBoatface is coming to port this Saturday onboard the Sir David Attenborough! Why don't you bring your kids to a fun science tour?".
- tremon 11y ago
  If I understand the article correctly, the submersible will simply be named "Boaty" though. Possibly because the entire name won't fit on its hull.

johan_larson 11y ago

Or if not that name, then some other irreverent choice. RSS I Like Big Boats & I Cannot Lie was my personal favourite. RSS It's Bloody Cold Here was good too.

godshatter 11y ago
These names remind of the names of Ship Minds in an Iain M Banks Culture novel.

dredmorbius 11y ago

The ROV is (or will be) named "Boaty". I agree though and hhave argued that the campaign was genius -- inspired or accidental. You can't buy this kind of publicity. Especially for science.