Initial Reaction

Researchers have found more evidence that people are moist robots. Apparently the initials in your name can influence your fate. For example, baseball players with last names that start with K, which denotes a strike-out in baseball, actually strike out more often. People who have a last name beginning with C and D get worse grades in school.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071116/lf_nm_life/initials_performance_dc

I scoffed at this report. Then I considered my own name. It starts with A, and I was a valedictorian in high school. And my full initials are SRA, which was the name of the reading system we used in grade school. I think it stood for Scholastic Reading Aptitude or something like that. Now I’m an author. Hmm…

My wife’s first name is Shelly, and she loves the seashore. My last name is Adams, and I like apples. It’s creepy.

Okay, okay, I know a few examples prove nothing. But I have always marveled at how athletes have such perfect names for athletes. You have your Joe Montana, your Tiger Woods, your Cal Ripken Jr. But you don’t have any boxers named Peter Pinkenberry.

Does your name fit your fate so far?

Comments

[Mike]

My last name is that of large Indian city to which my job is being outsourced to...Should have seen that coming.

[Justin]

My names Justin but I got a large penis

[Neil Sampson]

Hey Rita Mae,

Are you okay? Havent seen you post for a couple of items now. If your ill, get well soon - we need you to keep us sane on these postings!

Neil

[Howard Deutsch]

My last name is Deutsch and I still haven't invaded a foreign country or attempted to kill all of the nearby Jews.

[marmiter]

What do you call a man with a car on his head?
...Jack

What do you call a man buried in a pile of leaves?
...Russell

...and so on

[Jason Allen]

Shake and Bake stated "These are the very same people that feed Scott all of his Iraq news..."

Yes, some people get their news from sources other than Fox. Some people like to have a news source that doesn't have it's head directly up the Bush Administrations' ass.

[Tim c]

Hey 'Brad Snyder', 11:20 am, whatever happened to Annette Zurwalski, class of '66? Great initials.

[I. Dolittle]

Yes.

[Thom Newton]

My surname is Newton, and I'm sat in a Physics lecture.

[Robert]

What about the great English wrestler Shirley Crabtree? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Crabtree

[Nick Johnson]

My name is Nicholas Johnson, but I'm mysteriously _not_ a pornstar.

[deeplyflawedmuslim]

There's a doctor for the WHO that promotes circumcision as a means of avoiding getting aids. His name? Dr De Cock.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6176209.stm

[Ryan]

Scott, I think you should read Freakonomics, by Stephen D Levitt and Steven J Dubner. They have a fascinating chapter on whether or not your name can decide your fate.

[Dom]

Ooh I like the chance to be able to talk about me in one of your posts.

My name means 'little lion in lion valley on a Sunday'

It really does.

I have big curly hair, I like cats and I also like Sundays and the countryside.

[felize]

Scott, you're cheating - you had a blog on this already!

[Rudolph Randolph]

I have agreed with everything you have EVER written or said, until this day. Arbitrary associations can eat my moustache. WAIDAMINIT that's exactly what A.A. Milnes used to say!

[md05]

My last name is Douglas, which is ye olde speake for "black water". My Guinness addiction started before I found that out. Spooky.

[Mike]

My last name starts with "J" and I saw a bluejay once. Spooky.

[dave]

My last name is 'Waterman' and I'm made of 70% water!

[Andy Watt]

No. No more than it rains when people carry umbrellas!

Stoppit you Simian Choreographer! Next you'll be telling us your weekly meetings with Madame Zaza have suggested that your syndication only came about because of the rings around uranus.....

[Laj]

My name in Hindi means shy. "Elusive loner" could have been more appropriate, for my nature.

My sis' name means "red" or "prosperous". She gets red in sun, and is of the "fat and prosperous" type.

I think I've seen too many people who confirm to this theory. Also, sometimes some names without direct meaning appears to associate with a nature. eg, Paul may be talkative (more open than he could be in his circumstances - should not compare to others from different circumstances) and James may be calm and confident.

There are exceptions, of course. But I think just 20% people confirming to this can prove the theory of "more likely"

[T.G.]

My name begins with F, thankfully in my country qualifications where numeric, and you know what? I do really enjoy to F***.
Hehe, well quite a time ago I did read an article about an study that showed that bankers ranked the most ignorant persons among professions that require a minimun qualification, but in the last years I am absolutely sure that journalists have taken a considerable lead.

[Tatter]

Last name Dandy. I am irritatingly happy all the time.
Which can be a bummer at funerals

In the UK, if your last name is Baker it is twice as likely that your job is a baker. Weird, uh?

[Erik]

I have a long german last name...I'm a nerd who plans to be a scientist.

Definitely.

[BobNL]

Wow. That's striking.
You know, there are also studies that show that the the position of the stars and planets at the exact time of your birth predict important parts of your destiny and it also marks down the main aspects of your character.
Recently it was published that over 50% of these predictions are actually right. It is amazing.

BobNL