Naming Office Equipment: Our Weird Habit

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the practice of naming office equipment and other inanimate objects, exploring the humorous and personal connections people create with their tools and devices. Participants share their experiences and suggest names, while also questioning the motivations behind this behavior.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe their office equipment with whimsical names, such as "Diablo II" for a troublesome printer and "The Nommminator" for a shredder.
  • Others share their experiences of naming various devices, including printers, laptops, and even fish, often attributing names based on the equipment's behavior or characteristics.
  • A few participants express skepticism about the practice, suggesting it might stem from boredom or a need for amusement in the workplace.
  • Some individuals mention naming conventions based on themes, such as naming servers after beers or giving Bluetooth devices old man's names.
  • There are humorous anecdotes about past experiences with named equipment, like a printer called "Beelzebub" and a gas chromatograph named "Master Kan."
  • One participant notes that they do not typically name inanimate objects but found it interesting that others do, particularly in relation to a Roomba they purchased.
  • Another participant humorously mentions naming their soldering iron "The Gloryholer" due to its elusive nature.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that naming inanimate objects is a common and humorous practice, though some express uncertainty about the motivations behind it. There is no consensus on whether this behavior is normal or peculiar.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reflect on the emotional or psychological reasons for naming objects, while others simply share names without delving into deeper meanings. The discussion includes a mix of light-hearted banter and personal anecdotes.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may interest individuals who enjoy humor in the workplace, those who engage in creative naming practices, or anyone curious about the personal connections people form with their tools and devices.

  • #31
Math Is Hard said:
We have this thing about naming equipment in the office.

The printer/copier/fax is called Diablo II or Spawn of Diablo. It's a cranky machine that responds well to voodoo offerings like shiny pennies, red ribbons, and chicken bones. It is not nearly as troublesome as Diablo I.

Then there's Willis, a printer that constantly complains it is out of paper when it isn't, and gives other erroneous error messages. leading us to say "whachoo talkin' bout?".

Squeaky (another printer. I think this one is obvious).

The Works (the printer that always works. Well, almost.)

The Nommminator is our shredder. (Omnomnomnomnommm!)

We have 3 new laptops now, and I am trying to think of names for them. I guess it's like naming kittens, though - you have to give it some time for their personalities to emerge. But I am open to suggestions.

Anyone else do this with office equipment? Or are we just really weird?

Ok... (and I thought that I am crazy).
 
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  • #32
Moonbear said:
if you submit any sort of review to their website, it actually asks what you've named the thing.

May I humbly suggest "Nicolette"?

I'll just lie low and let that sink in for a second... :rolleyes:
 
  • #33
I interned at a place that had a printer with a picture of Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite taped to it. (It was a pun on the brand name--Ricoh.)