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Somewhat related: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names [1] [1] https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/ https://w

by DenisM 8y ago

Somewhat related: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names [1] [1] https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/ https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-...

sonnyblarney 8y ago
From that, the scariest one is: "People’s names are all mapped in Unicode code points." (i.e. some names are not doable in Unicode) My god man, if you can't be done in Unicode, you'll have to live in a hut somewhere as 'the internets does not want you'. Might be an interesting idea for those who truly want off the grid, as they can't be 'on' the grid in the first place!
- marzell 8y ago
  I would actually love to see an example of every list item he's presented. Well, except maybe the last one, might be disingenuous to ask for that.
  - vitovito 8y ago
    https://shinesolutions.com/2018/01/08/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names-with-examples/ https://shinesolutions.com/2018/01/08/falsehoods-programmers...
    - nextlevelwizard 8y ago
      Last one still doesn't make sense as soon as you introduce anyone who doesn't already know someone from the "tribe" (or whatever) or isn't related to anyone. You can't describe yourself as "my mothers oldest son" if I have no idea who your mother is. Or rather you can, but thats literally meaningless. How do these people even get someones attention? Is it always "hey you!", since you can't ask your mothers sisters oldest cousin to pass the meat at the camp fire if you have non family memebers present.
      - yorwba 8y ago
        The Machiguenga [1] are one example of a people using that system [2]. They apparently have no problem using the personal names given to them by Spanish speakers, but do not usually name themselves, instead preferring kinship terms. They probably don't (or didn't) have much contact with outsiders, which makes it possible to know enough about everyone you might talk about to accurately describe them without a name. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiguenga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiguenga [2] https://books.google.com/books?id=_JXC70OnxEgC&pg=PA9 https://books.google.com/books?id=_JXC70OnxEgC&pg=PA9
      - juliendorra 8y ago
        We do something similar when we say “hello Cousin” at a family event or address our parents (dad and mom). If your community is small enough (100 people) it could easily be applied to every type of relationship, at the exclusion of individual name. Also note that in many languages there is or used to be a dedicated word for very specific relationship to someone, with different word if the relationship is via the mother, the father, etc.
        davchana 8y ago
        In India, in my language Punjabi, we have different words for Sister of mother Sister of father Elder brother of father Younger brother of father Wife of elder brother of father Wife of younger brother of father Brother of mother Wife of brother of mother Son of brother Daughter of brother Son of sister Daughter of sister Husband of sister Wife of younger brother Wife of elder brother Sister of wife Brother of wife Husband of sister of wife Wife of brother of wife Brother of father of husband or wife Sister of father of husband or wife Wife of son of brother Wife of son of sister Husband of daughter of brother Husband of daughter of sister In English, most of these are Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, nephew, niece.
        punchclockhero 8y ago
        Nice to learn that Bulgarian is not the only language that is so precise about relations. However, many of these words are disappearing from usage as families get smaller and younger people don't learn them.
- CaliforniaKarl 8y ago
  It may be a bit fantastical, but I think one example is the time that Prince changed his name. See https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36107590 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36107590 for background. Did he change it legally? I don’t know, but for the spirit of the linked list, it probably doesn’t matter: He says his name is now something else, and so it is, and I doubt it’s in the Unicode tables!

by DenisM 8y ago

sonnyblarney 8y ago

From that, the scariest one is: "People’s names are all mapped in Unicode code points." (i.e. some names are not doable in Unicode) My god man, if you can't be done in Unicode, you'll have to live in a hut somewhere as 'the internets does not want you'. Might be an interesting idea for those who truly want off the grid, as they can't be 'on' the grid in the first place!

marzell 8y ago
I would actually love to see an example of every list item he's presented. Well, except maybe the last one, might be disingenuous to ask for that.
- vitovito 8y ago
  https://shinesolutions.com/2018/01/08/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names-with-examples/ https://shinesolutions.com/2018/01/08/falsehoods-programmers...
  - nextlevelwizard 8y ago
    Last one still doesn't make sense as soon as you introduce anyone who doesn't already know someone from the "tribe" (or whatever) or isn't related to anyone. You can't describe yourself as "my mothers oldest son" if I have no idea who your mother is. Or rather you can, but thats literally meaningless. How do these people even get someones attention? Is it always "hey you!", since you can't ask your mothers sisters oldest cousin to pass the meat at the camp fire if you have non family memebers present.
    - yorwba 8y ago
      The Machiguenga [1] are one example of a people using that system [2]. They apparently have no problem using the personal names given to them by Spanish speakers, but do not usually name themselves, instead preferring kinship terms. They probably don't (or didn't) have much contact with outsiders, which makes it possible to know enough about everyone you might talk about to accurately describe them without a name. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiguenga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiguenga [2] https://books.google.com/books?id=_JXC70OnxEgC&pg=PA9 https://books.google.com/books?id=_JXC70OnxEgC&pg=PA9
    - juliendorra 8y ago
      We do something similar when we say “hello Cousin” at a family event or address our parents (dad and mom). If your community is small enough (100 people) it could easily be applied to every type of relationship, at the exclusion of individual name. Also note that in many languages there is or used to be a dedicated word for very specific relationship to someone, with different word if the relationship is via the mother, the father, etc.
      - davchana 8y ago
        In India, in my language Punjabi, we have different words for Sister of mother Sister of father Elder brother of father Younger brother of father Wife of elder brother of father Wife of younger brother of father Brother of mother Wife of brother of mother Son of brother Daughter of brother Son of sister Daughter of sister Husband of sister Wife of younger brother Wife of elder brother Sister of wife Brother of wife Husband of sister of wife Wife of brother of wife Brother of father of husband or wife Sister of father of husband or wife Wife of son of brother Wife of son of sister Husband of daughter of brother Husband of daughter of sister In English, most of these are Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, nephew, niece.
        punchclockhero 8y ago
        Nice to learn that Bulgarian is not the only language that is so precise about relations. However, many of these words are disappearing from usage as families get smaller and younger people don't learn them.
CaliforniaKarl 8y ago
It may be a bit fantastical, but I think one example is the time that Prince changed his name. See https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36107590 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36107590 for background. Did he change it legally? I don’t know, but for the spirit of the linked list, it probably doesn’t matter: He says his name is now something else, and so it is, and I doubt it’s in the Unicode tables!