Hi, I’m Herb, a web developer concentrating on WordPress, plugins and themes. I’m the creator of oik-plugins and WP-a2z, a dynamic API reference for WordPress. I develop child themes using the Genesis Theme Framework.
How I got here
Originally named Robert Peter Gordon Miller, I was known at school as Mick until I decided to change my name. I was about 13 or 14 at the time, a trumpet player and quite liked the music of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass… so Herb was the obvious choice. I didn’t know about Glenn Miller’s brother then.
When I started work at IBM, at the tender age of 16 years and 11 months, I said that I would prefer to be known as Herb. So the name has well and truly stuck.
Fan of progressive rock band – Caravan
In my first year at university I became a fan of a progressive rock band from Canterbury called Caravan. The first album that my room mate (John Skinner) and I borrowed from the Uni library was the 1973 recording entitled “For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night”. It didn’t take many listenings for me to become hooked, so I bought the album from Our Price in Kensington High St. for £3.66. Then soon after I purchased “Canterbury Tales” and “Cunning Stunts”. A while later I snapped up “Blind Dog at St. Dunstans” from Orpheus records in Marmion Road, Southsea for £2.69 (30p off!). Next came “Better by Far”.
Alternatives to Bobbing Wide
When it came to choosing a name for the company I formed when I retired from IBM, rather than choose something obvious like “Rowlands Castle Web Design”, I decided it would have to be something that I felt totally comfortable with. So I scanned the titles of Caravan’s tracks and came up with a short list of four.
- Nightmare
- Better by Far
- C’thlu Thlu
- Bobbing Wide
Nightmare
Even though it’s probably my favourite track of all time I didn’t think this was suitable for a company name. I thought it might give the wrong impression.
Better by Far
Imagine how good I’d have to be if I’d chosen this for a name. Anyway, the domain was already registered.
C’thlu Thlu
I couldn’t pronounce this, and until 4th March 2012 had no idea where the title came from. Now I know that it’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu. Thanks Pye.
Bobbing Wide
Easy to say, unless you’re Rowan Atkinson. A beautiful instrumental (featuring flute, a tinkly keyboard and a long ‘aah’) between “A Very Smelly Grubbing Little Oik” and “Come on Back” and domain names available to buy.
I didn’t know at the time that I could hack the name about to make [bob], [bing] and [wide], and their arch rivals [fob], [bong] and [hide]. bbboing wasn’t even on the horizon.