[John]

I've been working on a locale library which Kris is interested in adding to Mango. It'll include a number formatting module, using the selected locale's currency and numeric patterns. As potential stakeholders, I wanted to ask people which of the following forms you'd prefer to access these functions with:

[kris]

My tuppence ha'penny:

The first instance: Number.format()

[teqdruid]

The first one. Consistency with the rest of Mango is important.

~John Demme

(What is is about D that seems to attract people with the name John?)

[John]

[JJR]

John and John, I'm just resigned to fact that this world is full of people bearing that name!

Reverently,

John

[kris]

Must be a western/northern hemisphere thing? In Australia, apparently everyone is called either Bruce! or Sheila!

What appear to be real Names (like Derek Parnell) are just clever nicknames instead, intended to confuse Pommies, Yanks, and various other lesser mortals

[John]

Surprisingly, John isn't the most common name in the English-speaking world. Nor even here in the UK. According to the Office of National Statistics, John started to fall out of favour in the 1960s, and lately others have taken over, with Jack, Joshua and Thomas being the top three. In 2005, John ranked a lowly 73rd, below even Harley and Alfie.

Parents aren't too creative when it comes to naming their offspring. But when they try, the results can be comic. In the US, Lexus has appeared in the top 1000 every year since 1993.

Then there are the parents who don't think of the consequences of the name they saddle their children with. Like mine, for example. Surely they weren't sober when they christened me with the rather feminine-sounding first name that led to all sorts of confusion (and puns on male genitalia) at school.

I've since switched my first and middle names, and hence am now a common (though not as common as you'd think) John.

John [second name withheld] C.

[larsivi]

[kris]

[John]

More from the department of funny names: the B-movie actor Rip Torn. And no discussion of this kind can pass without a mention of the legendary Thomas Crapper, who, contrary to popular myth, didn't invent the flushing toilet, nor does the profanity derive from his name (it was in use at least 400 years before his birth).

John C.

[gileadis]

[pragma]

Years ago I was on my way to talk with a therapist my HMO allocated to me. I followed the directions to the professional building, and went about looking up the doctor's name on the leger/index posted in the lobby; to make sure that I had the right place and room number.

While browsing past all the different companies and professionals, one stuck out like a sore thumb.

Harry Beaver, OBGYN.

I asked around, and learned that this wasn't a prank. The guy's legit.
_________________
-- !Eric.t.Anderton at gmail

[kris]