Spell-check run amok changes names in yearbook

[snopes]

A computer spell-checker run amok christened several Pennsylvania high school students with new - and in some cases unflattering - last names.

Middletown Area High School's yearbook listed Max Zupanovic as "Max Supernova," Kathy Carbaugh as "Kathy Airbag" and Alessandra Ippolito as "Alexandria Impolite," just to name a few.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080602/D91222DO1.html

[Mr. Furious]

If a printing error changed my name in the yearbook to "Max Supernova" there's no way in hell I'd let them change it.

[mags]

Ed Patrick of Taylor Publishing, which printed the book, said his company is responsible for the errors and will provide free stickers printed with the correct names.

"It happens all the time, every year," Patrick said. "Look at any yearbook in the country."

Way to make schools really trust using you as a publisher, there. I would think if it happens all the time, every year, you might want to have your editors, I don't know, be a little more careful with spellcheck?

[E. Q. Taft]

And who the hell uses spellcheck on a list of people's names?

Though sometimes it can be fun to see what substitutes the spellcheckers come up with....

[jimmy101_again]

Originally Posted by E. Q. Taft

And who the hell uses spellcheck on a list of people's names?

And why in the world would you let the spell checker run unsupervised?

Edit: apparantly, i donn't use a spel chekr at all.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by E. Q. Taft

Though sometimes it can be fun to see what substitutes the spellcheckers come up with....

I have done this numerous times...

[kanazawa]

Originally Posted by Tarquin Farquart

I have done this numerous times...

I think it was the old Corel Ventura where you could let the thesaurus run wild. It was hilarious...technically the meaning of the sentences were the same, but...yeah.

[Canuckistan]

Originally Posted by E. Q. Taft

Though sometimes it can be fun to see what substitutes the spellcheckers come up with....

Yao Ming becomes Yahoo Mink. Or Yazoo Mink.

[RivkahChaya]

I am now writing a novel in which the main characters are named Max Supernova, and Ingod Wetrust.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by E. Q. Taft

And who the hell uses spellcheck on a list of people's names?

It comes across in documents that I I type up that involve people's names (ms word documents and emails and such). Spell check gets them wrong all the time. Of course I expect them to question them since they are literal dictionary matches, but I rather wish that programs would include a listing of common names in their dictionaries (or agree on a common source that everyone would use that would be complete).

[Amigone201]

Originally Posted by RivkahChaya

I am now writing a novel in which the main
characters are named Max Supernova, and Ingod Wetrust.

Don't forget Pro Life. Maybe he can be Ingot Wetrust's brother.

Originally Posted by diddy

I rather wish that programs would include a listing of common names in their dictionaries (or agree on a common source that everyone would use that would be complete).

WordPerfect does. Rather ironically, my Firefox spellchecker doesn't recognize "WordPerfect" or "spellchecker."

[violetbon]

Having worked on many school yearbooks, I can tell you that every one I have ever done requires someone from the school to proof a copy and sign that it's correct before printing. I don't know if that's true for all companies, or just the ones I have worked with. And ditto for wondering what kind of an idiot would use a spell check for names.

[Four Kitties]

Happy memory -- back in the early 90s I was using a very early generation of MSWord, and it kept trying to change my boss' name. Unfortunately, Mr. Mertz kept ending up as Mr. Nerd.

It was so appropriate, though....

Four Kitties

[E. Q. Taft]

Originally Posted by RivkahChaya

I am now writing a novel in which the main characters are named Max Supernova, and Ingod Wetrust.

There was a "This I Believe" feature on NPR's All Things Considered today reported by -- I swear to God -- Brighton Earley..

As for including common names, many of them do, but of course then you wind up "correcting" non-standard spellings...

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by RivkahChaya

I am now writing a novel in which the main characters are named Max Supernova, and Ingod Wetrust.

I think the name Max Supernova is a good name.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by Tarquin Farquart

I think the name Max Supernova is a good name.

... for a next generation superhero

[damian]

MS spellchecker is carp.

[Troberg]

If a printing error changed my name in the yearbook to "Max Supernova" there's no way in hell I'd let them change it.

Heck, I'm even considering changing my name to Max Supernova!

[Troodon]

In a lab I was in there was a guy whose last name was, when typed in Word, changed to "Midget" automatically and silently.

[Mosherette]

An old lecturer of mine could always tell when spellcheckers had been used on essays rather carelessly as they changed her from Ann Morrison to Ann Moron. Whoops.