If I can I name machines. Partly because you get the option when setting up a network and partly because working out what the problem is can be easier when referring to a name. Has been for me anyway. You know if you are using Jabber and you get the user info? Check the Resource tab – you can usually find the name of someone’s machine (at least I can with our work jabbers). It’s boring to see some sort or serial or “mark’s laptop” so I thought I’d name all mine. And to give me as wide a range as possible I decided on names of ladies I like. ‘Like’ is also spelled ‘Lust after’ (except for 1) :). So here they are:

Mini1 – Claire (character in Hollyoaks)
Mini2 – Natalie (Portman)
HD1 – Rachel (Weisz)
HD2 – Carrie (Gracie – BBC News Presenter)
iPod Touch – Uma (Thurman)
PSP1 – Reiko (Nagase – Ridge Racer)
PSP2 – Angelina (Jolie)
Router – Amanda (Redman + a girl I used to work with)
PC – Sigourney (Weaver)
Mac Laptop – TP-T (Tara Palmer-Tomkinson)
PC Laptop – Helen (Mirren)

Next names in the queue: Emily (Maitlis – BBC News Presenter), Samantha. I’ve forgotten which one right now. And no, they were not named so that when they crashed I could say something like “Claire has gone down on me”. Such teenage humour..