Cerdic | 22 Mar 2016 2:44 p.m. PST |
Our national sport is not, as some believe, football (soccer). It is, in fact, taking the p. Yes. We are a nation that hates to take things seriously. A brilliant example of this attitude has been in the news this week. A new Polar exploration vessel is being built, and the public were asked to suggest a name for it and then vote for the most popular. Suggestions included Pingu (an animated penguin) and Usain Boat. But the winner, by a mile, is…. Boaty McBoatface!!!! |
David Manley | 22 Mar 2016 2:58 p.m. PST |
Also don't forget our wargamers are insufferable snobs, apparently :) |
Zargon | 22 Mar 2016 3:05 p.m. PST |
And so it should be nothing wrong with the name and I say this because.. What brainfa*t allowed the public to pick names for a polar explorer ship via a competition vote. Idiots are served idiotic choices. What's wrong with naming such a ship after Captain Cooks famous ship Endeavour? So on to Boaty McBoatface. Wonder if it get a HMS in front of that to rub the salt in ;/ |
dwight shrute | 22 Mar 2016 3:07 p.m. PST |
I guess the Scots will claim it when they win the next Independence referendum then ? |
Tarleton | 22 Mar 2016 3:13 p.m. PST |
I'd vote for them to go Independent! |
etotheipi | 22 Mar 2016 3:15 p.m. PST |
My two experiences with public ballots of this sort resulted in naming the Norfolk, VA Sharx indoor soccer mascot (yes, a shark) Chum and naming the Columbus, OH Major League Soccer team The Crew in honour of the road construction crews that are eternally moving clockwise on the beltway around the city. |
JimDuncanUK | 22 Mar 2016 3:31 p.m. PST |
The ship will be called RRS <insert name here>. RRS stands for Royal Research Ship which is nothing to do with the Royal Navy whose vessels use the HMS prefix (Her/His Majesty's Ship). |
Rhysius Cambrensis | 22 Mar 2016 3:36 p.m. PST |
I would call it RRS Whose Got The Chablis Because We Are Now In International Waters, What, No Chablis? Right, We Are Turning Round Now! |
Sigwald | 22 Mar 2016 3:37 p.m. PST |
Saw a new article on the matter. I would have cast a vote for Phil McCracken but Boaty Mcboatface is pretty awesome too |
pmwalt | 22 Mar 2016 5:35 p.m. PST |
Never ask a question you're not prepared to receive the answer … |
ochoin | 22 Mar 2016 6:25 p.m. PST |
I'd vote for them to go Independent! And there's that attitude that fuels the fires. Lovely. |
Goober | 22 Mar 2016 6:57 p.m. PST |
Best comment i have seen on the process so far is: "I wouldn't trust the internet to pick my breakfast, let alone a £200.00 GBP million research ship." |
Rubber Suit Theatre | 22 Mar 2016 8:03 p.m. PST |
It shouldn't have come as a surprise: link |
Andoreth | 23 Mar 2016 4:35 a.m. PST |
Surely this is a ship so it should be Shippy McShipface? |
GarrisonMiniatures | 23 Mar 2016 6:23 a.m. PST |
It is worth noting they had the sense to say that they were asking for suggestions – it's not a binding vote. |
arthur1815 | 23 Mar 2016 6:28 a.m. PST |
It might hbeen better to have given a selection of suitable names from which to choose… Andoreth's suggestion runs the risk of the 'b's being slightly misheard as 't's – with very unfortunate consequences! But then, the crew of HMS Bellerophon did call her 'Billy Ruffian' so perhaps Boaty McBoatface isn't that bad… |
Old Wolfman | 23 Mar 2016 7:13 a.m. PST |
And HMS Agamemnon's crew called their's "Eggs 'N' Bacon",if I remember rightly. |
Hafen von Schlockenberg | 23 Mar 2016 8:32 a.m. PST |
And it's the organizers who are shipfaced. |
Martin Rapier | 23 Mar 2016 8:44 a.m. PST |
"Andoreth's suggestion runs the risk of the 'b's being slightly misheard as 't's – with very unfortunate consequences!" I suspect that might have been deliberate. Newsthump had a story which made me laugh out loud about a public vote on a new name for our beloved Chancellor. Along the lines of Boaty McBoatface, but a little ruder. |
20thmaine | 23 Mar 2016 9:27 a.m. PST |
It is worth noting they had the sense to say that they were asking for suggestions – it's not a binding vote.
They learn a lesson from Blue Peter ! |
Khusrau | 24 Mar 2016 3:03 a.m. PST |
I voted for Boaty McBoatface.. just imagine the cartoons, the merchandising, and making science cool for kids again.. Twitter feeds, Instagram pics, etc.. and if you see the CGI images, it does look a lot like a 'Thomas the Tank Engine' style model. I understand some stuffed shirt has said publicly that the vote isn't binding; but to everyone else in the world.. they can call it the RSS David Attenborough, or RSS Windsor Baldy, it will always be Boaty McBoatface. |
Coelacanth | 25 Mar 2016 6:51 a.m. PST |
Whatever her name, may she proudly fly the ensign. Ron |
Bashytubits | 25 Mar 2016 12:29 p.m. PST |
I see a childrens special coming. Boaty Mcboatface, adventures in Antarctica. |
Supercilius Maximus | 26 Mar 2016 4:21 a.m. PST |
Sarah Ferguson is typing as we speak…… |