Contact Lists

[Мастер]

So, a while back (a year? a couple of years? not sure), I got all my contacts into Google, and have them shared among all the computers I use, and my phone as well. I did the same thing for calendars and to-do lists, but used something other than Google for that.

Things tend to get rather gunked up - email address included with no names attached, multiple instances of the same person (e.g., Chinese names in both last-first and first-last format), various spelling differences (women's pre- and post-married names), etc. So I spend some time going through the list and cleaning it up, consolidating, etc.

I am not sure whether I should be surprised by the large number of people listed whom I do not recognise. They're there, I must have had some communication with them at some point, and yet I have no idea who they are. If they have a corporate email address, that might help me recognise them, but if they have yahoo or gmail, it's pretty much hopeless.

I think I'll just let them go, rather than sending them all emails saying, "Please remind me who you are."

[Enzo]

Ah, like a social gathering.

"Hello Mr. Smith."

"Hello, Mr. Jones."

"Hello...there."

[tubeswell]

... I am not sure whether I should be surprised by the large number of people listed whom I do not recognise. They're there, I must have had some communication with them at some point, and yet I have no idea who they are. If they have a corporate email address, that might help me recognise them, but if they have yahoo or gmail, it's pretty much hopeless.

I think I'll just let them go, rather than sending them all emails saying, "Please remind me who you are."

On the other hand, the good people at NSA PRISM probably have a software algorithm that sorts it all out with a minimum of fuss.

[Мастер]

Oh, they'll like mine. Lots of Chinese names, and a bunch of eastern European names spelled with Cyrillic characters . . .

[Arneb]

Did any o f them write "Death to America" in an eMail? That should ensure that the NSA can give you extended biographies of all your contacts in no time.

[Мастер]

Did any o f them write "Death to America" in an eMail? That should ensure that the NSA can give you extended biographies of all your contacts in no time.

Oh, I write stuff like that all the time.

[Arneb]

You'll be fine. Just email them about the contacts then.

[Heid the Ba]

At some point I inherited the Memsahib's phone, complete with contact list. There are dozens of people on it and I have no idea who many of them are. There are a couple of Germans, I assume from the Mem's days working for a bank in Europe but apart from them, nothing. I don't add contacts, the few people I phone I just type the number in.

[Мастер]

I don't add contacts, the few people I phone I just type the number in.

I don't think I know anyone's number anymore :)

I do know the number to book taxis.