I work for a company where it's the rule that nothing will have less than one name. Nothing. There's the launch name, the project name, then the name plucked up and thrown our way by the marketeers. None of these names ever disappear. Never sloughed off like snake skins, there's nothing like passing the relay baton, where one name eases gracefully but quickly into another. Nope, these all continue to live side by side in some nomenclature half life, outside time and beyond common sense.

Last week, I earnestly told someone that the reason I was n't able to do something, (and it was n't a half-baked excuse either, I was n't staring at the floor shuffling uneasily from foot to foot, I really could n't do it) was because:

"I don't have access to system Y, only to system X and no way will that do it, need to order system Y, in fact, I better find out what it exactly does, don't want it torpedoing my work laptop, so it'll take me weeks 'fore I can even start. "

Them: "....but don't you know that system x is the same as system y, surely you know that ! Everyone does"

Me: "They do? I don't ..."

Them - deep breath, the one that's kept for chastising children: " System X was the project name, system Y is the operational name..."

Me: "When did this happen?"

This goes on all the time.

Don't dispute that things have to stay confidential, especially so in the world where I earn my corn, things change fast; every day, there's the hot breath of of one or more competitor tickling the back of your neck, or you're getting lungfuls as they hotfoot it past you. But when the wrappers comes off, and whatever the shiny new thing it is that's gleaming like a new bride has been presented to the world, let's do it the honour of sticking to one name. Otherwise, this way madness lies...or I'll capitulate and join in the multiple name game.