Computer Names
A pastor of a church who was previously a sailor, was very
aware that ships are addressed as "she" or
"her." He often wondered what gender should be
used to address computers. To answer that question, he set
up two groups of computer experts.
The first had women in it, and the second had men. Each
group was asked to recommend whether computers should be referred
to in the feminine or masculine gender. They were asked to
give four reasons for their recommendation.
- The group of women reported that the computers should be
referred to in the masculine gender because:
In order to get their attention, you have to turn them
on.
- They have a lot of data, but are still clueless.
- They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half
the time they are the problem.
- As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you
had waited a little longer, you could have had a
better model.
The men on the other hand, concluded that computers should be
referred to in the feminine gender because:
- No one but the Creator understands their internal logic.
- The native language they use to communicate with other
computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.
- Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term
memory for later retrieval.
- As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find
yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for
it.