Posted by andyb on October 26, 2005 at 09:31:06 from 213.122.84.200 user beardbiter.
In Reply to: Re: Naming etc (Questions for Ian (was Gill)) posted by Mike Dennis on October 25, 2005 at 19:35:22:
If you are curious about names I'd have thought boats and, especially, boatbuilding were right up your street. I treated myself to a copy of Classic Boat (magazine) the other day and realised that despite almost half a century of reading about and mucking about in boats I hadn't a clue what half the terminology meant!
The naming of boats is another good topic. In the AR tradition I've always named my boats no matter how small and insignificant but most people don't seem to bother. Then there are the rules defining the appropriateness of names. Mostly, such rules are unwritten but they exist. There are plenty of boats called "Peggy" for example but I be there are few called "John". "John Walker", howver, would make a fine name, I imagine a tug-boat or a fisshing smack somehow.
I'd always favoured traditional names, birds etc ubtil I read Iain Banks (or is it Iain M Banks) who has space ships with names like "Clear Air Turbulence" and "On meeting a new lover for the first time" bit of a mouthful though.