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Dang is going to have 65,535 karma points soon

(news.ycombinator.com)
600 points codetrotter | 14 comments | 05 Apr 23 21:38 UTC | HN request time: 1.099s | source | bottom
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eddyg ◴[06 Apr 23 00:40 UTC] No.35462564[source]▶
Reminder: Dang stands for “Dan G.” (seems like a lot of people don’t realize that!)
replies(3): >>35462586 #>>35462850 #>>35463013 #
1. tastysandwich ◴[06 Apr 23 00:43 UTC] No.35462586[source]▶
I must admit, for a very long time I thought he was Vietnamese, as Dang is a Vietnamese name.

Interestingly, I'm finding it hard to shake that initial visual image, even though I know it's wrong. Brains are weird.

replies(6): >>35462641 #>>35462847 #>>35463012 #>>35463468 #>>35463771 #>>35463864 #
2. xen2xen1 ◴[06 Apr 23 00:50 UTC] No.35462641[source]▶
Yes, same for many years.
replies(1): >>35462683 #
3. dsunds ◴[06 Apr 23 00:57 UTC] No.35462683[source]▶
Same. An unconscious bias buster.

And truly, thank you. Rock solid. Steady hand.

4. do_anh_tu ◴[06 Apr 23 01:19 UTC] No.35462847[source]▶
Specially if you are a Vietnamese like me. Still see him as Đăng
5. dang ◴[06 Apr 23 01:40 UTC] No.35463012[source]▶
It would be my honor. But the origins of the name are (1) it's my first name plus initial; (2) it was my email address at my first job; and (3) it's what you say when you make a mistake, which I knew there would be a lot of.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7494093

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7494440

bonus credit to DonHopkins https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18513120

replies(3): >>35463165 #>>35464285 #>>35465202 #
6. berkeleyjunk ◴[06 Apr 23 01:58 UTC] No.35463165[source]▶
I always thought it was 3)
7. ◴[06 Apr 23 02:44 UTC] No.35463468[source]▶
8. code_devil ◴[06 Apr 23 03:25 UTC] No.35463771[source]▶
I had no idea either and had a similar visual image of @dang. I just had to google and find his full name and a picture to put a face to the name :)
replies(1): >>35465266 #
9. tomcam ◴[06 Apr 23 03:41 UTC] No.35463864[source]▶
Precisely the same for me after, what, a decade? Plus my spouse is Asian and I always subvocalize his name to a pitched language, so I’m just screwed. “Dan Gackle” sounds too… alien
10. ChrisArchitect ◴[06 Apr 23 04:55 UTC] No.35464285[source]▶
Dang, because of the lowercase g I've always read it as Dang and said it with a twang in my head.
11. mdp2021 ◴[06 Apr 23 07:10 UTC] No.35465202[source]▶
> ['dang': ] (3) it's what you say when you make a mistake

For the philologist, from around 1780, The chapter of accidents: a comedy by Sophia Lee.

> Jacob: Dang it, doan't I zeay, I'll tell thee present...

> dang it, I thought at first I ha' zwounded...

https://archive.org/details/chapteraccident00leegoog/page/n4...

...But I also immediately think of Gary Larson.

replies(1): >>35465657 #
12. mdp2021 ◴[06 Apr 23 07:15 UTC] No.35465266[source]▶
> and a picture

I thought it was the only picture not published on YC and kept private.

13. dang ◴[06 Apr 23 08:11 UTC] No.35465657{3}[source]▶
Wow. 18th century philology FTW!

How on earth did you find that?

replies(1): >>35465709 #
14. mdp2021 ◴[06 Apr 23 08:19 UTC] No.35465709{4}[source]▶
> How on earth

My friend, have you noticed in these few years that I believe in particular attention to words? :)

It was pretty easy: Etymonline, which is part of my few core references as "dictionary of meaning" (as opposed to "dictionary of use"), gives the first clues at https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=dang . Then I looked for the original text and checked the details.