A tale of superstition and tech support

SzczerbiakManiac · 12-22-2005, 12:26 PM

A tale of superstition and tech support

Okay, short backstory needed. Usernames at my place of employment are generated and not user choose-able. They consist of your first initial and the first 7 characters of your last name. E.g., I would be smaniac. If you're initial/name combo has already been used, a number will be substituted for the last character(s). So if you were the 6th S. Maniac hired, you'd be smaniac5.

I just got off the phone with someone who was recently hired and whom has a relatively common last name. He was very concerned that his username ended in the number 13 and even admitted (albeit, embarrassedly so) that he was superstitious. Now after I informed him it was not changeable, I expected him to say something like, "Oh, I can't change it huh? Oh well, thanks anyway." But that's not what he did. Instead, he started asking things like, "Well can I get a new username next semester?" (no), "Can I choose the number"? (no, they're generated), and several other paranoid attempts to avoid the number 13.

The whole time, all I could think was, "Jeebus dude, get a grip on reality and GET OVER YOURSELF!"

In an attempt to ease the tension, I jokingly suggested he invest in some rabbit's feet to counteract the 13 effect. He was not amused.

12-22-2005, 12:26 PM	#1
SzczerbiakManiac "ZER-bee-ak" Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,409	A tale of superstition and tech support A tale of superstition and tech support Okay, short backstory needed. Usernames at my place of employment are generated and not user choose-able. They consist of your first initial and the first 7 characters of your last name. E.g., I would be smaniac. If you're initial/name combo has already been used, a number will be substituted for the last character(s). So if you were the 6th S. Maniac hired, you'd be smaniac5. I just got off the phone with someone who was recently hired and whom has a relatively common last name. He was very concerned that his username ended in the number 13 and even admitted (albeit, embarrassedly so) that he was superstitious. Now after I informed him it was not changeable, I expected him to say something like, "Oh, I can't change it huh? Oh well, thanks anyway." But that's not what he did. Instead, he started asking things like, "Well can I get a new username next semester?" (no), "Can I choose the number"? (no, they're generated), and several other paranoid attempts to avoid the number 13. The whole time, all I could think was, "Jeebus dude, get a grip on reality and GET OVER YOURSELF!" In an attempt to ease the tension, I jokingly suggested he invest in some rabbit's feet to counteract the 13 effect. He was not amused.
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