Nominative determinism goes respectable鈥�
AS READERS know all too well, this column has extensively documented the phenomenon of nominative determinism, the tendency of people to gravitate towards areas of work that fit their surname. Now new areas of nominative investigation have been opened up in a paper entitled (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol 82, p 469).
On the assumption that 鈥減eople prefer things that are connected to the self (for example, the letters in one鈥檚 name)鈥�, authors Brett Pelham, Matthew Mirenberg and John Jones found people are 鈥渄isproportionately likely to live in places whose names resemble their own first or last names (for example, people named Louis are disproportionately likely to live in St. Louis)鈥� [and to] choose careers whose labels resemble their names (for example, people named Dennis or Denise are over-represented among dentists).鈥� The authors conclude that 鈥淚mplicit egotism appears to influence major life decisions鈥� and state, perhaps rather gloomily, that 鈥淭his idea stands in sharp contrast to many models of rational choice鈥︹��
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鈥ut why did they do that, then?
WE FIND the previous notions intriguing, and wonder what the authors who propose them would have to say to Feedback reader Chris Rundle.
He has written to us in a state of puzzlement about people who, contrary to the dictates of nominative determinism, choose what may appear to be the least appropriate profession possible for someone with their surname.
The example he gives is Nicholas Burns-Cox, consultant urologist at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, UK.
HERE are two stories about crooks making dumb decisions. The first concerns with the computer and special driver鈥檚-licence printer that he had stolen from a Missouri state office. Unfortunately, he couldn鈥檛 get the printer to work. So, IDG news service reports, he called the manufacturer鈥檚 technical support line and asked to buy the software that would get it running.
鈥淭he first words of an email Alan Potter received from First Direct bank were: 鈥淚f you cannot see this email, click here鈥濃��
That might have made sense if it had been an ordinary printer, but tech support quickly recognised that the printer was not in the proper hands 鈥� and the caller had conveniently left his phone number. Timothy Scott Short is now facing charges that could add up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
And in Brisbane, Australia, a man faces charges over the theft from a firm named Fleetlink of a demonstration pack, a laptop computer and half a dozen GPS vehicle tracking devices.
Five days after the theft, according to Australian news service , the thief couldn鈥檛 resist plugging in the navigation software 鈥� which immediately alerted Fleetlink to his location 鈥渆xactly 8 kilometres or 13 minutes and 41 seconds away鈥�. Police raided his residence and found most of the stolen property there.
Reader Joanna Davis is most surprised at the precision with which the GPS equipment predicted the journey time to the loot. She wonders how it knew whether the traffic lights would be red or green on the way.
SCIENTISTS at the Royal Institution in London appear to have made unpublished advances, Harold Fuchs suggests, sending a photo of a notice in the room adjoining the RI鈥檚 newly refurbished theatre: 鈥淧lease accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused during the refurbishment of the antiroom.鈥�
Presumably, this is a room made entirely of antematter.
Flirt with science competition
FINALLY, don鈥檛 forget to send in your entries to our 鈥淔lirt with science鈥� end-of-the-year competition. You are invited to seduce the person of your dreams with a science-related chat-up line (17 November).
You may submit more than one entry. All entries must reach us by Monday 3 December 2007 and should be no longer than 30 words. Send entries by post to: New 杏吧原创 Feedback Competition, Lacon House, 84 Theobald鈥檚 Road, London WC1X 8NS, or by email to: feedback@newscientist.com 鈥� please write 鈥渃ompetition鈥� in the subject line 鈥� or enter online at www.newscientist.com/feedbackcomp.
Ten lucky winners will each receive a New 杏吧原创 goody bag consisting of: a 128-megabyte USB stick, a set of the three New 杏吧原创 best-selling books (How to Fossilise Your Hamster, Why Don鈥檛 Penguins鈥� Feet Freeze? and Does Anything Eat Wasps?) plus a fabulous New 杏吧原创 bag (vibrant blue on the outside with a zingy red lining, a zipped pocket under the main flap and an internal pocket to secure your laptop).
The results will be published in the 22/29 December issue of New 杏吧原创. The editor鈥檚 decision is final.