Geek Culture: Hello, My Name is... Like?

Over the years, I've heard of some pretty damn ridiculous things, but this one may have just taken the cake: An Israeli couple has named their brand new baby girl Like, as in the Facebook "Like" button. Yes, seriously.

Parents Lior and Vardit Adler chose not to go with the most popular girls’ names in Israel right now — Noa, Maya, and Tamar — and instead go for a more unconventional approach.

The father said it’s important for him to give his children names that aren’t used anywhere else — at least not in Israel. Their first two children have unique names as well. One is named Dvash, which means honey in Hebrew, and the other is named Pie. The name wasn’t meant to be a gimmick or a way to make money from Facebook. The father said the word "like" had a "nice and international ring to it." He added that Facebook had become the icon of today's generation, but so did disco in the 70s, and you didn’t see anyone naming their kid Mirror Ball.


Although, this is not the first example of strange, tech-inspired baby-naming; in fact, one Egyptian couple named their baby Facebook, stating that they wanted to honour the social network's role in the recent Egyptian Revolution.

The least strange method of baby name selection is to go through what names you like, and checking to see if the corresponding URL is available, and going from there. A small but growing number of parents are getting domain names for their young kids, long before they can do more than peck aimlessly at a keyboard.

It's not known exactly how many, but the practice is no longer limited to parents in Web design or information technology. They worry that the name of choice might not be available by the time their babies become teens or adults, just as someone claimed the ".com" for Britney Spears' 11-month-old son before she could. Granted, this is less of an issue for those of us not in the public eye.

The trend hints at the potential importance of domain names in establishing one's future digital identity. Although some parents have yet to use the domain names they've bought, others are sending visitors to baby photos, blogs and other personal sites. Domain name owners have a variety of options to have their personal sites hosted, either for free or less than $10 a month.

With all of these new tech-inspired baby names, I've decided I'm going to name my next kid, Qwerty.

Technology: Vive La Resistance!!

In December 2010, an intense campaign of civil resistance began in the North African country of Tunisia (Geek reference: Tunisia was the place that once was the setting for Tattooine in the Star Wars saga) forcing President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who first assumed power in 1987, to step down and flee to Saudi Arabia. The protests were sparked by high unemployment, inflation, lack of freedom and poor living conditions.

These protests and civil unrest involved with the Tusisian Revolution lead to the Egyptian Revolution a mere 11 days after Ben Ali fled Tunisia. The uprising, in which the participants placed emphasis on the peaceful nature of the struggle, mainly comprised a campaign of civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil disobedience, and labor strikes. Egyptian protesters focused on legal and political issues not entirely unlike those of Tunisia. Ultimately, this led to the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, ending his 30 years in power.

Next came Libya, a country nestled between Tunisia and Egypt, whose dictator, Muammar Gaddafi has stated that he will die in power. Unlike the previous protests in Tunisia and Egypt, the Libyan uprising - which is still ongoing - has been a bloody one, with many violent encounters between Gaddafi's supporters and those who seek to remove him from power. In response, Gaddafi has shut down all internet communications, and arrested Libyans who have given phone interviews to the media. The turmoil in Libya has escalated to the point that the UN has declared a no-fly zone in the skies above Libya, and numerous US and British forces have been reported to have dropped bombs on Libyan airfields, and fired missiles at several defense systems.

In each of these uprisings, social networking and media outlets have been shut down, either briefly, or for a prolonged period. Has social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter given that much of a voice to the people that the leaders who are trying so desperately to cling onto power are in fear of them? Has the people seen for themselves what the West really is all about, and not the Infidels that their leaders have led them to believe for all these years? Even China is blocked Google's Gmail, in addition to Facebook and Twitter. Some say this block is targeted at political activists trying to start a "Jasmine Revolution" in the country. The question is, will it?