The scourge of ‘Alphabetism’ (new paper from professor Zax)

Professor Zax, who is (amongst other things) an anthroponomastician at the Department of Economics, University of Colorado at Boulder, US, presents (along with co-author Alexander Cauley) a new 48 page working paper which suggests that (males) who have a surname initial which occurs towards the end of the alphabet are more likely to end up […]

Two John Perrys, different initials

One letter, especially if it’s a middle initial of a person’s name, can make a difference. Consider the case of two John Perrys. John R. Perry is a professor of philosophy, who among many other things devised the Theory of Structured Procrastination, for which he was awarded the 2011 Ig Nobel Prize in literature. John […]