The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 17

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Our curator was not kidding!
Message #1 Posted by Namir on 20 May 2007, 9:47 a.m.

A few weeks ago our web site curator, David Hicks, mentioned that he had a snag with a bank or something like that, because his name matched that of a terrorist. I almost fell off my chair when I read this piece of news!!!. Our beloved David was not joking!!! There is a bad guy out there with the same name (and a similar general look to add insult to injury). Personally I will vouch for our David if he ever needs to be cleared of any mistaken identity.

Namir

      
Re: Our curator was not kidding!
Message #2 Posted by Gerson W. Barbosa on 20 May 2007, 3:04 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Namir

Surely David was not kidding. Shortly before he mentioned here the problem he had at the airport I had seen a short notice on CNN about the other Hicks.

Having only two names, one of them not uncommon, as some of you appear to have, can easily lead to this kind of hassle. That's a trouble I will never have, as my middle name is very uncommon here. As if this was not enough it was mispelled at the notary's office (Washiski instead of Wasicki :-)

My wife, who had a problem of mistaken identy at the bank when she was single, readily appended my two family names to her own. Now her three middle names have to be abbreviated in order to fit in her papers. Nothing comparable to the names of those ladies and gentlemen though :-)

http://www.archontology.org/nations/portugal/port009/

Regards,

Gerson.

            
Re: Our curator was not kidding!
Message #3 Posted by James M. Prange (Michigan) on 20 May 2007, 10:02 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Gerson W. Barbosa

Yes, the "Australian David Hicks" has occasionally been in the news for a few years now.

I think it rather ridiculous that "our Dave Hicks" had been on any kind of "watch list" while the other Dave Hicks was securely locked up at Guantanamo, but I could understand having that name "flagged" after the other Dave Hicks has been released. On the other hand, if a "bad guy" knows that law enforcement is watching for him, how likely is it that he'd be using his real name?

Yes, having a fairly common name could well lead to some unfortunate confusion. I know of at least one other person right here in Michigan who has an exact duplicate of my name, and I think a few others around the county, and I wouldn't have thought that my last name was all that common. Fortunately, it doesn't seem that any of us has ever been in any really serious trouble with the law.

Regards,
James

                  
Re: Our curator was not kidding!
Message #4 Posted by Bruce H on 21 May 2007, 11:24 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by James M. Prange (Michigan)

It's a good thing that any al Quaeda terrorists haven't thought of changing their names to George W. Bush otherwise the country could come to a standstill! :-)

I'm told that there is a couple here in the UK who had twins and gave them the same first and second names, calling them by their third names which do differ. So there are two children with the same surname, first name, second name, address, date of birth and sex. Needless to say, computer systems are going to have a lot fun trying to keep up with them.

                        
Re: Our curator was not kidding!
Message #5 Posted by Ron on 21 May 2007, 12:57 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Bruce H

That sounds smart... Remind me to do that next time.

                              
Re: Our curator was not kidding!
Message #6 Posted by James M. Prange (Michigan) on 21 May 2007, 7:01 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by Ron

Quote:
That sounds smart... Remind me to do that next time.
Do what? Identify yourself as George W. Bush the next time that you do something terrible?

Regards,
James

Edited: 21 May 2007, 7:02 p.m.

                                    
Re: Our curator was not kidding!
Message #7 Posted by Ron on 21 May 2007, 11:08 p.m.,
in response to message #6 by James M. Prange (Michigan)

My bad! I should have noted that I was referring to the oh-so-wise parents, who will have caused significant trouble to their twins by the time they reach adulthood. I try to save my political comments for political forums.

                  
... on the other hand . . .
Message #8 Posted by Paul Brogger on 21 May 2007, 6:33 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by James M. Prange (Michigan)

. . . he has admitted to visiting China in the past. And it is said that he runs a couple of web sites that serve to foster contact among some, well . . . let us say, interesting individuals exhibiting very peculiar proclivities, including preferences for an arcane and not-very-widely-understood method of calculation. I think the candidate deserves further watching.

;-)

                        
Re: ... on the other hand . . .
Message #9 Posted by Dan W on 22 May 2007, 12:22 a.m.,
in response to message #8 by Paul Brogger

Yes, our own Mr. Hicks. Leading a double life. On the one hand, mild mannered museum curator. On the other, Headmaster of the secret society known as the Knights Cordic. Guardian of the mysterious Secret of the Radix, a secret that could change the universe, known only by those few who know the correct wrong answer to exp (ln (2.02)) .....


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