Barbara Walters: So, Joe, just how did you get the nickname "Amps"?

Joe "Amps" Palen: Well, Barbara, let me show you part of the thread that led to my nickname...

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Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 11:30:52 -0800
From: "Joseph G. Palen" [palen@nosc.mil>
To: Bob Ryder/NRaD/ACMS [Bob_Ryder/NRaD/ACMS.ACMS@notesgw>
Cc: "James M. Rethwish" [reth@pillar.nosc.mil>,
linda_mcclure [linda_mcclure@notesgw.nosc.mil>
Subject: Re: Sat Nite

> Engineer dorkness...no way man.  More like genuine inspiration and thoughtful
> planning.  Paper is a hell of a lot cheaper than sheets of plexiglass in the
> mistake area.  Could you imagine making a 1/4" mistake in an eight foot piece
> of plastic and having to buy it all over again especially if you think you can
> get a whole kit out of one piece....D'OOOOPS!!  Go for it man.  Hope the
> plastics dude doesn't give you any grief or bad news.

I concur, Mister Frets.  Maybe one of these days we'll all stop slamming ourselves
for being the type of people that do the types of things people like us do.

Huh?

Why is it "uncool" to be creative/inventive/etc.?  You know, maybe, like, part of
the reason is, like, because we, like, continue to buy into that idea?

ANYWAY... what I'm trying to say is, I think what Sticks is doing _is_ cool.

  Joe "Tired of Perpetuating Negative Stereotypes About Positive Things" Palen

P.S. I need a nickname, man!  So does Linda... or does she have one I don't know
about?  Anyway, we need nicknames like Frets and Sticks!!  Hmmmm....

-- 
(Joe@Work) mailto:palen@nosc.mil
(Joe@Home) mailto:joepalen@cts.com
(Joe@Play) http://www.users.cts.com/sd/j/joepalen
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From: Linda McClure/NRaD/ACMS [Linda_McClure/NRaD/ACMS.ACMS@notesgw>
Date: 28 Mar 96 12:48:11 PS
Subject: Re: Sat Nite

Considering YOU came up with the Lindarella so long ago... of course that would 
be a great one... but since Jim is Sticks (or is it Stix?) and you're Frets... 
maybe Joe and I should have, like, musical references (just a thought)... Like 
I could be 'Octavia' or 'Strings' or well, Lindarella seems the best 
actually.... Joe could be 'Mikey'.. wouldn't that confuse folks?!!

DO I hear any votes for Lindarella and Joepapa
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From: "Joseph G. Palen" [palen@nosc.mil>
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 12:59:26 -0800

Yes, that would confuse folks.  Sticking with your idea about musical references, 
and Frets' mentioning double-meaning, two possibilities for me would be "Chords"
and "Amps".

     Chords (as in combinations of notes, or as in vocal chords)
     Amps (as in electronic amplifiers of sound, or measuring electric flow...
            or as in "He's sure amped, man!")

Sounds like I'm leaning towards "Amps", doesn't it?  What does the gang think?!
After all, the best nicknames are the ones that other people will use, aren't
they?

                   Amps
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From: "Joseph G. Palen" [palen@nosc.mil>
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 13:04:53 -0800

> maybe Joe and I should have, like, musical references (just a thought)... Like
> I could be 'Octavia' or 'Strings' or well, Lindarella seems the best
> actually....

P.S.  I vote for "Strings"... since it's election week, it seemed the thing to do.

 Signed...                 Chords?
                           Amps?
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From reth@pillar.nosc.mil Thu Mar 28 13:08:57 1996
Subject: Re: Sat Nite

First, I vote we change the subject line to "Nicknames"...
Sticks

PS - Amps sounds more radical, man!
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From reth@pillar.nosc.mil Thu Mar 28 13:23:24 1996

Not to pick nits, Amps, but it seems to me that the *only*
nicknames are the ones that other people will use...
Sticks
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Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 14:25:42 -0800
From: "Joseph G. Palen" [palen@nosc.mil>

At first, I chuckled, and thought, "He's got me there!"...

Until I recalled some people I've met in showbiz with self-appointed nicknames.  

Then again, I still think you're right.  Most of those weren't _true_ nicknames,
since nobody else used them.  That may not be as per Webster's definition, but
then he's been dead for years... so what does _he_ know?!

An example... William "Rock The House" Lewis.

How's that for modesty?  Not to mention inaccuracy.  It may go without saying
(but I'll say it anyway), but nobody called him that offstage.

                 Amps
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Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 14:29:51 -0800
From: "Joseph G. Palen" [palen@nosc.mil>

Linda McClure/NRaD/ACMS wrote:
> 
> My vote is for Joepapa, or if musical refs then how about "supercharged double
> whammy" or "kickstand" or "crybaby" (real guitar aficionados like Frets will
> get this product-name allusion) or "gauge" or ..... Signed, Harmonia (but I'm
> still quite partial to the non-music ref 'lindarella')

Frets has already called me Amps, and although I like "JoePapa" for my e-mail
tags, me thinks that Amps might Sticks to me for musical purposes.

As for Harmonia or Lindarella, I'm not ready to vote yet.  I do like the idea of
having your nickname be unlike the others, so either would be nice.  Having a
multi-syllabic name, not ending in "s", would give a nice twist.

                Amps
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From: Bob Ryder/NRaD/ACMS [Bob_Ryder/NRaD/ACMS.ACMS@notesgw>
Date: 28 Mar 96 14:57:38 PS
Subject: Re: Nicknames

So is it official, is Joe'e email 'handle' Amps????  My vote is for Amps...it 
kind of goes along with the music/comedy thing a little bit....what do I know.  
BTW I kind of like this real time email thing....is there a chat window we 
could open up???

frets
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Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 15:38:25 -0800
From: "Joseph G. Palen" [palen@nosc.mil>

> So is it official, is Joe'e email 'handle' Amps????  My vote is for Amps...it
> kind of goes along with the music/comedy thing a little bit....what do I know.

You know enough to cast the deciding vote (since mine didn't count).

> BTW I kind of like this real time email thing....is there a chat window we
> could open up???

I only know how to have two people involved in a chat (on Unix).  What we really
"need" is a multi-participant net-conferencing application.  Just think of the
time we could save.  Yes, I said "save", not "waste".  Think about it.  Sure,
we'd be wasting some time talking to each other in non-work-related chats.  But
mostly, we'd be saving time by NEVER HAVING TO LEAVE OUR DESKS!! There'd be no
wasted time walking around, going into the sunlight, etc.  Heck, if we added a
colostomy bag to the system, we'd REALLY save time!!!  Yeah!! That's it!!  And
then all we'd need would be COFFEE I.V. HOOKUPS!!  YEE-HAW!!!  WE'RE MOVIN' NOW...
HEY, KIDS?!?!

                  (Definitely) Amps
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[NOTE: I figured that even if the thread continued past the above message, it was time to stop it here for my home page. Once you reach a "colostomy bag" reference, it's all downhill from there!]

[NOTE #2: Okay, so I was wrong. Here's one more message to close the thread...]

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Subject: Re: Nicknames 
Date: 29 Mar 96 6:53:45 PS 
From: Bob Ryder/NRaD/ACMS [Bob_Ryder/NRaD/ACMS.ACMS@notesgw>
To: "Joseph G. Palen"

Amps:

It's OK big guy....I know of this real nice hotel you can stay in with lots of
nice people and they give you all these nice crayons to write letters home
with....

frets
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