RRS Boaty McBoatface

[drdoug]

As the man said, it's an absolutely brilliant name. But the forces of repression are seeking to steal this minor crumb of circus fun from the good people of Britain.

Jo Johnson was not getting it on multiple levels. Firstly, and more boringly, he was seeming to claim it as a Departmental responsibility, on the grounds that the Department for

Comments

[uon]

I find the whole "Serious ship must have serious name for serious scientists to do serious work" thing kind of bizarre. Has Jo Johnson ever met any scientists? In particular, the sort of scientists who'd be prepared to spend months on a boat near the Antarctic?

[drdoug]

Well, no, he hasn't, not really, I'd guess

[drdoug]

I'm also reminded of a short piece of writing from ages ago about what happens to the folk who overwinter in Antarctica, from the pre-Internet days. When they made contact again in the Spring the relief party could hardly understand a word they were saying. They'd had a limited supply of films to watch, and so ended up editing them together for kicks, and then turned that in to an incomprehensible (to outsiders) set of references and in-jokes built on fragments spliced together from porn and Cat Ballou.

[thekumquat]

Exactly. The scientists on the ship will call it Boaty McB no matter what, and I predict many news reports of their discoveries starting "Scientists working in Antarctica on the RSS Wotsit, better known as Boaty McBoatface, have found that..."

[drdoug]

Yes, I'm sure you're right - this ship *will* be called Boaty McBoatface. The argument is only about whether it has an alternative official name too.