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Am I the only one who laments this trend of using a common first name as a product name? When I see this, my first reaction is that the company lacks any empath

Am I the only one who laments this trend of using a common first name as a product name? When I see this, my first reaction is that the company lacks any empathy for people who have the name they're co-opting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2021/people-named-alexa-name-change-amazon/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2021/p... https://archive.is/w8r58 https://archive.is/w8r58

decGetAc 2y ago
Probably, I share a name with a product and I couldn't care less. It's wild that some would feel bad much less consider it lacking empathy. I don't like first name product names for other reasons but not because they share a name with humans named the same
arockwell 2y ago
100% agree. It is shitty and rude. Not to mention it does not even make sense.
- stuckkeys 2y ago
  Not sure about the “rude” part. It really depends on the person. But yes, it can get annoying rally fast. Therefore “shitty” indeed. But yeah, I do think it is very cheezy and lazy when companies do this. When I talked to someone that worked there, I guess it was because of the hard constant “X” -it would make a better Hollywood movie if they said Artificial. Language. Expanded. Xenomorphic. Amplified. A. L. E. X. A.
- wpm 2y ago
  Devin comes from "dev in chat", a common phrase in livestream chat rooms to signal that the developer of the game or product being showcased was present.
  - solarpunk 2y ago
    why not just call it dev
    - hiatus 2y ago
      Dev is also a human name.
hiatus 2y ago
How is it lacking empathy? Devin is not something invoked by voice, so I fail to see the comparison to Alexa. edit: > Eschew flamebait. Avoid generic tangents. Omit internet tropes. > Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something.
Cataleya 2y ago
[flagged]
alexjplant 2y ago
The short version of my name is one letter away from "Alexa". You can imagine how many comments and jokes about Amazon's AI assistant I've been party to for the past decade. Although it may be hard for you to believe I actually don't really care, much as you probably don't care about the hot dogs bearing your name that you see when you walk down the cold aisle in the grocery store. Should they instead call the anthropomorphized AI assistant something like "W'rkncacnter" to preclude the possibility of name collisions (chaotic entities imprisoned in alien stars notwithstanding)?
- psygn89 2y ago
  My Japanese mom always thought it was weird to put peoples names to destructive forces like hurricanes. I think she said in Japan use some numbering system (might be as simple as incrementing, I don't remember).
  - daveguy 2y ago
    The US did this for a long time -- only numbering storms. In 1953 they switched to a list of names, female only. Then 25 years later to male and female names. It is kinda weird, and if they're destructive enough the name is retired. I think the idea is that people would pay more attention to human names in the warning process as the hurricanes approach land.
    - BrawnyBadger53 2y ago
      I could definitely see the support response to a major storm being better when it's easier to communicate and identify a specific storm.
  - laptopdev 2y ago
    When I was 7, my family's Japanese foreign exchange student was being introduced to me. She bursted out laughing saying my nick name Dev Dev sounded like "fart fart" or "fat fart". Had the nickname fart fart until my sister moved out of the house. Maybe you could confirm, but ChatGPT tells me in Japanese Debu colloquially and offensively means "fat" or "chubby", and Bu is an onomotapoeia for a fart noise, like "prrt" in English.
bravetraveler 2y ago
They gotta be Joshing us! How's Dic-I mean, Richard? Just having fun. I see what you mean and vaguely support it... I just won't lose anything over it
mewpmewp2 2y ago
I don't care about it potentially being a real name, because I doubt it would be a household item, but somehow the name itself for this particular product seems offputting. If it had to be a name for a product, it seems like to give me some sort of cheap male grooming or AXE body spray product vibes.
slickdork 2y ago
As someone named Devin who works in tech, I greatly hope this project fails. :)
- Buttons840 2y ago
  No, I'm Devin. At least our names got attached to an upstanding product, and one that is likely to languish and fail. We're not the next "Alexa", I hope.
zamadatix 2y ago
I think it's different when the product is an tool you call by name to use vs just the name of the tool. E.g. the article is about "Alexa" and I'm not sure most people even realize there are ways to use it without saying "Hey Alexa" every time. Without that type of callback association it's not a very serious concern.

decGetAc 2y ago

Probably, I share a name with a product and I couldn't care less. It's wild that some would feel bad much less consider it lacking empathy. I don't like first name product names for other reasons but not because they share a name with humans named the same

arockwell 2y ago

100% agree. It is shitty and rude. Not to mention it does not even make sense.

stuckkeys 2y ago
Not sure about the “rude” part. It really depends on the person. But yes, it can get annoying rally fast. Therefore “shitty” indeed. But yeah, I do think it is very cheezy and lazy when companies do this. When I talked to someone that worked there, I guess it was because of the hard constant “X” -it would make a better Hollywood movie if they said Artificial. Language. Expanded. Xenomorphic. Amplified. A. L. E. X. A.
wpm 2y ago
Devin comes from "dev in chat", a common phrase in livestream chat rooms to signal that the developer of the game or product being showcased was present.
- solarpunk 2y ago
  why not just call it dev
  - hiatus 2y ago
    Dev is also a human name.

hiatus 2y ago

How is it lacking empathy? Devin is not something invoked by voice, so I fail to see the comparison to Alexa. edit: > Eschew flamebait. Avoid generic tangents. Omit internet tropes. > Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something.

Cataleya 2y ago

[flagged]

alexjplant 2y ago

The short version of my name is one letter away from "Alexa". You can imagine how many comments and jokes about Amazon's AI assistant I've been party to for the past decade. Although it may be hard for you to believe I actually don't really care, much as you probably don't care about the hot dogs bearing your name that you see when you walk down the cold aisle in the grocery store. Should they instead call the anthropomorphized AI assistant something like "W'rkncacnter" to preclude the possibility of name collisions (chaotic entities imprisoned in alien stars notwithstanding)?

psygn89 2y ago
My Japanese mom always thought it was weird to put peoples names to destructive forces like hurricanes. I think she said in Japan use some numbering system (might be as simple as incrementing, I don't remember).
- daveguy 2y ago
  The US did this for a long time -- only numbering storms. In 1953 they switched to a list of names, female only. Then 25 years later to male and female names. It is kinda weird, and if they're destructive enough the name is retired. I think the idea is that people would pay more attention to human names in the warning process as the hurricanes approach land.
  - BrawnyBadger53 2y ago
    I could definitely see the support response to a major storm being better when it's easier to communicate and identify a specific storm.
- laptopdev 2y ago
  When I was 7, my family's Japanese foreign exchange student was being introduced to me. She bursted out laughing saying my nick name Dev Dev sounded like "fart fart" or "fat fart". Had the nickname fart fart until my sister moved out of the house. Maybe you could confirm, but ChatGPT tells me in Japanese Debu colloquially and offensively means "fat" or "chubby", and Bu is an onomotapoeia for a fart noise, like "prrt" in English.

bravetraveler 2y ago

They gotta be Joshing us! How's Dic-I mean, Richard? Just having fun. I see what you mean and vaguely support it... I just won't lose anything over it

mewpmewp2 2y ago

I don't care about it potentially being a real name, because I doubt it would be a household item, but somehow the name itself for this particular product seems offputting. If it had to be a name for a product, it seems like to give me some sort of cheap male grooming or AXE body spray product vibes.

slickdork 2y ago

As someone named Devin who works in tech, I greatly hope this project fails. :)

Buttons840 2y ago
No, I'm Devin. At least our names got attached to an upstanding product, and one that is likely to languish and fail. We're not the next "Alexa", I hope.

zamadatix 2y ago

I think it's different when the product is an tool you call by name to use vs just the name of the tool. E.g. the article is about "Alexa" and I'm not sure most people even realize there are ways to use it without saying "Hey Alexa" every time. Without that type of callback association it's not a very serious concern.