Re: the large listing of weird phone book entires too long to quote reasonably
All that means is that it’s what the owners of that phone line gave to the phone company as their name. In my town for quite a few years, a particularly raucous frat house was listed under the name Jablowme, Heywood. You can also find pretty much any popular fictional character if you do phonebook searches (i.e. Clark Kent, P.W. Herman, etc.)
Speaking of Clark Kent and weird names, my town of Bloomington, IN has a ‘Lois Lane’ and a ‘That Road’ for two street names. Go figure.
Okay. I may get flamed for this one, I don’t care. I find it beyond irresponsible for anyone to “publish” that list of REAL names, addresses and phone #'s on this board. It served NO purpose to include personal info, other than to invite everyone who reads this to call them, and harass them. I have asked that the posting be removed. Before I get flamed to death on some idiotic First Ammendment Issue, remember… privacy is valued out here, as it is in the real world. None of those people listed offered their private info willingly.
Of course…before the author of that posting flames me, he/she had better put their privacy where there keyboard is, and offer identical info on…themselves. See?? NOT such a funny idea when it is you. :((
I would beg that it be removed…- OR, re-posted, just showing the hilarious names. The whole idea of that kind of wholesale invasion of privacy is, to me, highly distressing.
I am now placing my body in a Nomex (r) Suit.
Typer
" If you want to kiss the sky, you’d better learn how to kneel "
Just listing such names would not’ve been at all convincing. As noted above, even adding the “personal info” (publically listed information of address and phone number) only indicates a real phonebook entry, not necessarily a real person or a person legally named as such, but it at least adds a certain amount of substance to the post. The most exotic entries are either total fakes or people soliciting attention with either fake or legal names as listed. The implication that even some odd lurker to this message board would call one of these numbers or would write to one of the addresses, just to get a giggle from hearing them answer to their name, is pretty far out, but in any case, such an act wouldn’t be very lethal.
Personal names and addresses and fake ones placed in phone directories are not copyrightable.
Although I think the chance any of our teeming millions would do something as childish as making harrassing phone calls to people with funny names is extremely remote, I have inserted the 555 prefix into Ray’s number listings.
I realize the names and numbers have been placed in the phone book as a matter of public record by the persons possessing the “funny” names, but it’s not in the spirit of the Straight Dope to parade their personal information in public to no good purpose. Let’s all agree Ray’s people were not fictitious and leave it at that.
NanoByte-
Nomex is a trademarked product that a fire-retardent. It is used in firefighting clothing, and equipment.
Nick- Thank you so very much for making that adjustment to the posting. The hilarity is not limited by it, and privacy is restored. I appreciate the work it must have taken to do this, thanks :)
Now, I didn’t witness any of these names myself, so I can’t vouch for their authenticity, but my father SWEARS that, when he was an inner-city pediatrician in Philadelphia, the interns used to suggest names to unwed mothers. He cited Lemonjello and Orangejello (twins, of course), Female, and my favorite (and he claims to have seen this kid in the nursery): a poor guy named “Positive Wasserman Jones.” After the syphillis test. Yikes.
A guy who retired from where I work is named Richard Oder.
Steven Pinker, in his new book “Words and Rules” relates the story of a “woman in the throes of labor who overheard what struck her as the most beautiful word in the English language and named her newborn daughter ‘Meconium’, the medical term for fetal excrement.”
Well, my father’s sticking to at least the Lemonjello/Orangejello story. And he updated me: how do y’all like the sound of “Turkisha”? Not a fan? Be glad you weren’t born on Thanksgiving Day at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philly.
