Jose.Sandoval == JoseSandoval
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Gmail has this nifty feature where different names point to the same inbox. For example,
jose.sandoval@gmail.com, which is my gmail address, is also equivalent to
josesandoval@gmail.com (note the "." omission).
I don't think it matters where you live in the world, chances are you've noticed that
Jose is a very common name. In fact, I'm sure Jose is the default name for boys in many Spanish speaking countries. I don't consider it a lack of imagination, but more of a trait on consistency. Hence, I'm never surprised to find other Joses around.
The Sandoval last name is not as common as my first name; however, there are a few other Jose Sandovals around. In this case, the gmail "feature" is relevant because someone in Spain gives his email address as
josesandoval@gmail.com (no "."). Needless to say that I get a lot of his email, e.g., birthday party invitations, pictures of kids, conference invitations, etc. He even registered for google's AdSense service and, of course, I received his verification email. I verified it, though I'm not sure if the other Jose is getting any money.
From time to time I reply with a polite message stating that I'm not the Jose Sandoval they are looking for. No one has replied yet, but I hope they tell this Jose to stop giving my email address as his. And if you are reading this (the other Jose Sandoval), let's settle this like rational Jose Sandovals: I'll sell you the address...
Coincidently, my son is not named Jose. I tried, but I had to settle for my father's name, Salvador. Too many Joses, the argument went. Right...As if you could have too many Joses. And so, Gabriel Salvador Sandoval it is for the little dude.
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