The annual baby name report from the Social Security Administration has been released and the popularity of the name Mark continues it’s plummet from the lofty heights of popularity it enjoyed in the 1950’s and 1960’s (when it finished in the top ten for 15 straight years.)

According to the SSA statistics, my name finished in 129th position last year and has now dropped to 138th. I fear that Mark might be heading for the same hapless fate as that of Mildred, a name which despite being the bee’s knees and finishing in the top ten for the first three decades of the 20th century, hasn’t even been in the top 1000 since 1984!!

In other news, did you see that a robot conducted the Detroit Symphony last night? Nice publicity stunt, but a little frightening. I wonder if its audio receptors are protected under EU law from prolonged noise exposure?