The unfortunate tale of a place where everybody knows your name

[Ministryofgiraffes]

This is why we English and the Aussies use the word ‘Mate’ so much...you know everyone’s name then....

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

and you can do this... m8.

 

[TMHeimer]

I hear ya. Being a retired teacher, knowing students' names was a given. But I meet someone once-- forget it.

 

[pauldw]

Old politician's trick: "Good to see you!" Not, "good to see you again," because that would be a problem if you've never met. But the former lets someone interpret it like the latter if you have met before, and if not, will probably come across as "Good to meet you."

 

[loosenit2]

I for one can't wait for the second iteration of the google glasses. Imagine it, internet connected with facial recognition and instant search pulled up into a HUD, you see someone and it identifies them, starts scrolling info about them like their name, hobbies, families birthdays, you'd be the life of the party or the best salesman in the company.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Comrades, let me tell you a tale, learn and tell your kids.

See this: Mask name

So, I got this habit of displaying my name on the back of my mask to be identifiable in the waters to my instant buddies, whenever it happens (I prefer solo). I don't know if you ever got in a situation where a person you are to dive with looked unique on the boat but underwater among the other divers you can't pick him out? Well, I just wanted to make it easier for people.

The unintended side effect has reared its ugly head. After a winter and spring of not diving, I go back to the dive operator and everybody remembers my name. Hi, Alex, here, hi, Alex, there. Thing is, I don't know their names. So, I am greeted by my name like 6 months after not seeing people and all I can respond is, yeah, hi, ehhh, you. The sad, sad failing of mine. It is like an episode of Cheers where Norm has amnesia.

I for one can't wait for the second iteration of the google glasses. Imagine it, internet connected with facial recognition and instant search pulled up into a HUD, you see someone and it identifies them, starts scrolling info about them like their name, hobbies, families birthdays, you'd be the life of the party or the best salesman in the company.

terrifying..

 

[Texasguy]

terrifying..

It already exists by scraping images from social profiles: Go read this NYT expose on a creepy new facial recognition database used by US police

 

[Rickk]

This is why we English and the Aussies use the word ‘Mate’ so much...you know everyone’s name then....

I like the Newfie ( i.e. someone from Newfoundland) way.

Every one is "Buddy" unless there are two of them then they are Buddy and de other fella.

I am really bad with names, especially non Anglo Saxon names that I am not familiar with. Add in serious difficulty recognizing faces and I have a real problem.

I need to meet someone a half dozen times before I can recognize a face, then if I see them out of the regular venue I have difficulty recognizing them. It was a real problem when I worked with the military. People I knew well and saw every day look totally different at the mall out of uniform, especially the women who in uniform wore their hair in a bun and out of uniform they let it down. Often I would talk to them for a minute before I recognized their voices.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Yep, but you can’t call them that anymore unless you are one (I know....I know...)

the cool ones are ok with it...but some really aren’t...

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Hi Alex. How have you been?