Skepticism

OMG, COTW!

For those of you who aren’t fruitlessly standing in line for an iPhone that will never be activated, it’s time for the Comment o’ the Week! It was another tough decision this week, mostly because I got nominated. I’ll admit that I was having a particularly clever day — I had spent most of the day hopping over to Pharyngula to post ridiculous comments that might rival the ridiculocity of the Great Catholic Cracker Kerfuffle of ’08, so I was primed and ready to mock Teek’s incredible rainbow snakeskin boots. My comment was:

RebeccaNo Gravatar // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:55 pm

Fourteen gay rattlesnakes gave their lives for those boots.

Now, as funny as I found myself, I just can’t give myself a prize. That seems unfair and I think I could get sued for that. So, I will instead give the prize to Rystefn for his just-as-funny follow-up:

RystefnNo Gravatar // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:55 pm

Their last words were “it was worth it!”

And will you just look at the time stamps on those? I do like a quick wit.

Rystefn, for your efforts you win the COTW and get the following prize, possibly the best I’ve ever given out for COTW: on Saturday, July 26, the Skepchicks will gather in New York City and down a shot in your memory (please note that some shots will be full of juice, but the thought will still be there). However, in order to receive your prize you will have to tell us how the hell to pronounce your name. Right now I’m going with “RICE-tuh-fin,” which sounds like a clever name for a sushi joint.

Congrats, Rystefn!

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

Related Articles

41 Comments

  1. Wow… I don’t know what to say… That’s the coolest prize ever… and then I go trying to ruin it by considering actually showing up. Sometimes I hates me.

  2. Congrats, RIC-tuh-fin, on your honor AND affordable chain of sushi restaurants.

    In unrelated news, I just noticed the blogroll link for ASIOS, which features the parenthetical name “Skeptics in Japan!” Does anyone else think that sounds like the translated name of a 1950s sci-fi film…the likes of which might have been featured on Mystery Science Theatre 3000? Think Prince of Space, only with SKEPTICISM!

  3. Rystefn, I can’t speak for everyone, but I suspect if you showed up, we’d all still drink a shot for you, and perhaps with you.

  4. Yay! My boots inspired a winning comment :D

    Yeah, I want to know how to pronounce ‘Rystefn’ too. You really need to make it to NY and tell us all in person! I’m going with “Rye Stefan” at the moment.

  5. Rystefn, I can’t speak for everyone, but I suspect if you showed up, we’d all still drink a shot for you, and perhaps with you.

    If you really want him to come, I’d suggest changing those prepositions to “off of.” It’d work for me.

  6. You know, you people are putting a lot of pressure on me about this. Between all this and JanieBelle threatening to send Kate after me to find out, I’m starting to wish I had a normal name, like Bob or something…

    OK, that’s a lie. I’m an attention whore, and I know it.

  7. You’re not the only one, Rystefn. My name’s Jared, but it’s pronounced “Throat Warbler Mangrove.”

    And if someone gets THAT reference without Googling… I’ll be chuffed. (Sorry, I have no prizes to offer. Maybe I’ll finish eating my apple in your honor?)

  8. I’ll probably stay awake many knights going NEEP NEEP until I figure it out.. And now for something completely different…
    (Sing to the tune Feliz Navidad while smoking ganga):
    Elyse no do dat
    Elyse no do dat
    Elyse no do dat
    Da monkey she no high hat.

  9. I thought it was just “Ni”, not “NEEP.” I’m so confused. And I’ve had a different pronunciation for “Rystefn” in my head this whole time from any of the ones posted here.

    Hmmm. New York is VERY far away from Oregon. But would we really get to drink shots off of Rystefn? Hmmmm. :D

  10. But would we really get to drink shots off of Rystefn?

    Who am I to deny my fans? (translation: it would be a dream come true if a bunch of sexy smart chicks even thought about something like that)

    Also, unless I’m misreading you guys, no one has it right yet. :P

  11. If Rystefn shows up and any of you skepchicks are wearing short skirts be careful if he asks you to sightsee at some church and then drops something. Dont bend over the pew ! If you do he may earn another prize. He’s well known for this. Improbable Bee he would probably bumptism the confusion right out of you (or you wouldnt give a damn afterwards).

  12. OK, my guess is RISS-te-fin, with the “te” being more of that upside-down e thingummy which I don’t have the time or inclination to go find the code for. Barely there, just a passing syllable.

    JOHNEA13, I’m sorry, was that meant to *discourage* me from wearing a short skirt?

  13. I think it’s “wrist effin”… mostly because it’s just not a Friday on Skepchick without auto-eroticism.

    I say we do shots off of WristEffen in Skepchickal pairs.

    And Johnea13, I’m just going to pretend you did not just sing a version of Elyse Navidad.

  14. Wow… it is Friday. How did we get this far into the day beofre someone made a masturbation joke?

    I don’t know how to feel about it being centered around my name. Should I be honored or offended?

  15. Congrats, Rystefn! Are you going to leave us all hanging? I guess you could flip the script and make your own contest…I always saw it as “Riss-tef’n”, but maybe the “y” is pronounced kinda like an umlauted German “u” a la the Danish word (for cozy) “hygge”? Oh, and “wrist-effin'”? Almost did a spittake, Elyse.

  16. It’s pronounced Rystefn. R-Y-S-T-E-F-N.

    Seriously, though. If I can’t make it, I’ll let someone know beforehand. If I can, I’ll let them know when I get there.

    Feel free to keep talking about it, though, the discussion has been quite entertaining so far, and may well keep at it in the future.

  17. Rystefn
    I don’t want to speak for other people but it wouldn’t surprise if some of the attendees would be willing to contribute to the cause if you could promise a little sinister bithday suit pointing.

    Alas, like yourself, I am stuck here in Texas for the foreseeable future and can neither attend nor contribute.

    And I’ll take a wild stab in the dark and guess that it’s pronounced “ARCH-i-bald”

  18. it wouldn’t surprise if some of the attendees would be willing to contribute to the cause if you could promise a little sinister birthday suit pointing.

    I’m not entirely certain that’s going to go over better in NY than in Texas, but I’m game if you people are.

  19. You’re not the only one, Rystefn. My name’s Jared, but it’s pronounced “Throat Warbler Mangrove.”

    And if someone gets THAT reference without Googling… I’ll be chuffed. (Sorry, I have no prizes to offer. Maybe I’ll finish eating my apple in your honor?)

    Aye, but it’s spelt “Raymond Luxury-Yacht!” –And I didn’t have to google it. Nyahh!

    (Can I get a rousing chorus of Souza’s “Liberty Bell March…?)

  20. I have always assumed that Rystefn was a form of the name Stefn (like Stefan or Steve). If so, the pronunciation of the “stefn” part of Rystefn would vary greatly by culture.

    German: SHTE-fahn
    Dutch: STAY-fahn
    Polish: STE-fahn
    Romanian: SHTE-fhan

    My bet, based on Rystefn’s own pronunciation guide, is that Rystefn pronounces his name similar to how the Polish would:

    rye-STE-fahn

  21. My own pronunciation guide? Spelling my name is all caps with hyphens between really influenced your thought process? That’s awesome.

  22. My guess is each letter stand for something and there is no way to pronounce it.

    Although I’m as jealous as hell about the smart women and body shot deal.

  23. I think he gave us a clue in comment #10 — it’s spelled Rystefn, but it’s pronounced “Bob.”

    Cabernet, you just never ASKED. Bring a shot glass and see what happens! ;)

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button