After seeing yet another google search on my name (this is about the tenth one), I have come to realize one of two things. Either "scutum" is a very popular search term, or people are looking for the meaning behind my name. I think it is safe to assume that the latter is the case. For those who wonder, here is the skinny on my name.
When I first ventured onto the internet, my roommate had a cable modem (what can I say—I started late). In order to use the one modem, all of the computers in the house (we had four) had their own names, and they were all astronomical names. Each time one of the computers was replaced, it got a new name. By common agreement, they all began with a sibilant (s or soft c). We went through Sirius, Cygnus, Centaurus, Sagittarius, Sagitta (the arrow fired by Sagittarius), and a few others. When I got this computer, even though the roommates were gone, I kept the tradition alive. Scutum (The Shield) was one of the few constellations we had not used. In addition, I liked the symbolism behind the name—it has a militaristic aspect, and it serves as a "shield" to hide my identity.
There are differing opinions about the proper name of the constellation, although "Scutum" is the official IAC name. I have seen "Scutum Sobieski", "Scutum Sobieskii", and "Scutum Sobiescianum" given. I went with Sobieski because it is the first form I ran across.
UPDATE 16 JUN 2002 Obviously, with the new name, this is a moot point. However, I have left this post, because there will still be curiousity seekers.
posted on June 02, 2002 07:37 PM
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