This in from Wired--apparently, anti-virus researchers are running out of good names for the viruses they discover. These researchers have traditionally had the honor of naming the viruses they find, but they seem to be better at finding them than they are at naming them! I had no idea until reading this article that there was such a fun story (of lunches and politics) behind how computer viruses get their names.

"Sometimes it's obvious what to call a new virus because it's similar to a previous virus, or contains a message inside its code," said Chris Belthoff, senior security analyst at antivirus firm Sophos. "Other times analysts have to seek inspiration -- I remember there was one which was named after the meal a virus analyst had just had."

This article delves into the logics behind certain names, such as Nimda and Goner. Considering how much coverage new viruses are getting these days, I'm sure the researchers are feeling increased pressure to invent catchy names that, hopefully, reflect the code or some feature of the virus in question.

This all comes after reading Plato's Cratylus; probably the weirdest discussion of naming I've ever read.