Ferdi's Musings

Following is an e-mail I wrote many years ago because people continued to misspell my name. 

The universe has a bag for each letter of the alphabet.  There is a finite number of letters in each bag.  Each time we use (write, say, think of, …) a letter, that letter disappears from the corresponding bag. One day when all the letters in a particular bag have been used, we will no longer be able to use that letter.  (Hence the scarcity of words with a Z in them, because once we’ve used up all Z’s we won’t be able to take naps anymore :-))

If we finally use up one or more letters, it will have serious implications for the way we communicate! Imagine no longer having the letter E. Some of us will have to change our names: Rnir, Pit, Hlna, Nlson, Lyntt, Knndy, Vanssa, Michl, Pitr, Ik, Yvs, Hlmut, Pirr, Jol, Btsi, Stv, Magrit, and Frdi. Imagin furthr Hamlt’s famous soliloquy, as writtn by William Shakspar: “To b, or not to b. That is th qustion!”  Or th nam of our businss, th Satllit Applications Cntr!  Wors yt, say w us up all vowls: Thr wll b cmplt nd ttl chs!

My contribution to postponing this dire situation is to spell my name FERDI and not FERDIE (with the unnecessary E at the end). Please let us all use those E’s sparingly… 🙂

Ferdi

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