John R. Porter
j.r.porter at strath.ac.uk
Mon May 17 10:03:55 CDT 2004
How can you complain about political comments when you include the following in all your postings: "The world's becoming a museum of socialist failures." John Dos Passos ? Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me. John R. Porter I.T. Services University of Strathclyde Faculty of Education 76 Southbrae Drive Glasgow G13 1PP e-mail: j.r.porter at strath.ac.uk Tel. 0141 950 3289 -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of William Hindman Sent: 17 May 2004 15:22 To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: Re: [AccessD] A Rose by any other name is still a rose;was (normalization question) ...take it to OT Lambert ...this is not a political discussion list. William Hindman "The world's becoming a museum of socialist failures." John Dos Passos ----- Original Message ----- From: "Heenan, Lambert" <Lambert.Heenan at AIG.com> To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'" <accessd at databaseadvisors.com> Sent: Monday, May 17, 2004 10:09 AM Subject: RE: [AccessD] A Rose by any other name is still a rose;was (normalization question) > I'm sure this story will bring great cheer to the NRA and everyone else who > believes that your just not a whole person unless you are packing heat - > preferably fully automatic and large caliber. > > "Sad" is best spin I can put on it. > > Lambert > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: John Clark [SMTP:John.Clark at niagaracounty.com] > > Sent: Monday, May 17, 2004 9:55 AM > > To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com > > Subject: Re: [AccessD] A Rose by any other name is still a rose;was > > (normalization question) > > > > My first major Access program that I wrote was for our county's pistol > > permit department, to track pistol permits. I was shocked to discover > > that they tracked these things by name only. I thought I found a major > > problem, when they gave me their original tables and I discovered > > hundreds of missing SSNs. They told me that SSN was not required data. > > > > I told them that I had a problem with this, as a programmer and as a > > private citizen. I told them about a personal situation of mine > > involving confusion with names. My name is John W Clark. The name itself > > sounds fake, with all three components being very common. My friends > > used to say that it was a fake name. I first heard of another local guy > > with the same name, including initial, about 14 years ago. I was in a > > bar with a bunch of coworkers, and I was introduced to a guy who was a > > friend of a friend. I don't drink much these days, but thank god that > > when I did, I was a friendly drunk, because after speaking to my new > > friend, I discovered that he thought I was someone else--someone who > > used to beat him up quite a bit in high school, shared the same name as > > me, and apparently also shares some of my physical characteristics. This > > new friend had gone into the service upon graduation and got, according > > to him, quite a bit larger than school days, and he was looking at a > > little payback. He told me, that he thought I was someone else, and that > > he and his brother-in-law, who looked like he had been recently paroled > > from a penitentiary, were going to kick the hell out of me, when I left > > the bar. Luckily though, he did speak to me, and discovered that I was > > not his prey, and all ended well. > > > > But, a few years later, something potentially much more worse happened. > > I was still living at home with my folks--mostly just sleeping > > there--but I was about 20 miles away at work, when some visitors arrived > > at their house. Two detectives from the sheriffs department, showed up > > at the house with a warrant for my arrest. Actually, they did want John > > W Clark, but they were coming to get the wrong one. Again, this turned > > out OK, but it was taken care of, while I was at work--had I been there, > > they would have sorted it out, at the county jail--probably after > > processing! > > > > After coming to work for the county, I discovered that I would be doing > > quite a bit of work for the District Attorney's office. I told them all > > my stories so that they wouldn't think it was me, if the name came > > across their desks. As it turns out, they are pretty familiar with this > > guy, and they raz me about it quite often. > > > > The pistol permit office send a "Mental Hygiene" check to Albany, and > > it is simply a form letter with a name on it. How the hell do they know > > exactly which John W Clark they are sending info on? If there are two in > > this county, how many are in the state? There are several more people > > with the name John Clark in my area without the initial. > > > > I was also surprised to find out that each county does its own thing. I > > believe there are 62 counties in NY, and they can all have their own > > numbering, methods, etc.. All this organization must be why were paying > > such high taxes here! > > > > >>> artful at rogers.com 5/17/2004 1:17:26 AM >>> > > As I pointed out in a previous msg on this thread, I know 5 John > > Reids, > > and all of them are in the software biz. Go figure. Them Irish, they > > do > > like to propagate! Check Chicago for example :) (Does anyone else LOVE > > Miller's Crossing? My fave movie of all time.) > > > > I googled my own name and then ran 411.com (a phone number database) > > and > > found a painter of the same name died early in the last century and no > > less than 20 identical names in Canada alone. > > > > In short, names alone don't cut it. Add something unique and you have > > a > > chance. Phone numbers are candidates, but it could happen that 2 > > Arthur > > Fullers reside at the same address (unlikely I admit, but possible). > > Even SSNs have been demonstrated to be non-unique (counterfeit IDs, > > bad > > coding, identity theft, etc.). > > > > > > -- > > _______________________________________________ > > AccessD mailing list > > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > -- > _______________________________________________ > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > -- _______________________________________________ AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com