[R] How about a mascot for R?

[Gabor Grothendieck]

Given the likely reception that newbies get on r-help, those two 
classifications, i.e. a reptile which is cold-blooeded animal or 
an insect which is an annoying pest, are not altogether off the mark but
to really capture the experience, Don Rickles should be the mascot.

Spencer Graves <spencer.graves <at> pdf.com> writes:

: 
: I prefer not to consider the implications of associating ourselves 
: with something extinct.  Beyond that, I'm more into reptiles that 
: insects.   On the other hand, I don't care much.  I'm happy with the 
: status quo and would be happy with whatever others decide. 
: 
:       Best Wishes,
:       spencer graves
: 
: Robert Gentleman wrote:
: 
: >
: > On Dec 6, 2004, at 3:15 PM, Richard A. O'Keefe wrote:
: >
: >> Thomas Yee <t.yee <at> auckland.ac.nz> wrote:
: >>     ps. Ross has Maori origins, so a native NZ animal is a better idea
: >>     than usual.
: >>
: >> The native animals of New Zealand include no mammals except for
: >> - marine mammals in the coastal waters, such as the Hector's dolphin
: >> - a few species of bat which got blown over from Australia.
: >> Otherwise, there are birds, reptiles, insects, and a few oddballs.
: >> The most notable oddballs would be Tuataras, famous for their third  
: >> eye.
: >> We have some onychophorans, of which it has been said that
: >> "Contemporary Onychophorans are able to predate organisms several times
: >> larger than themselves" (take _that_, SAS!)....
: >> Wetas are quite interesting; they are basically grasshoppers some of  
: >> which
: >> played the ecological role of (and are about the same size as) mice.
: >>
: >
: > Hi,
: >   We had a brief discussion and narrowed it to two, coincidentally  
: > among those named by Richard. The tuatara (there is some charm in  
: > associating a software product with what is essentially a slow moving  
: > dinosaur) and the weta (for those unaware, one might also describe it  
: > as a grasshopper designed by the Pentagon - these have some serious  
: > armor plating and a ferocious grip). Of course this is one of many  
: > views, kiwis, kokakos etc have lots of charm as well - and I think 
: > New  Zealand might lay some claim to the giant squid. No need to stick 
: > with  non-extinct things either - I suspect the dodo is up for grabs. 
: > And on  the NZ front the Moa or the Haast eagle.
: >
: > Ross and Robert
: >
: >> I suspect that only birds have the "cuddly" appeal required of a  
: >> mascot.
: >> Perhaps it's worth pointing out that Kiwis are a kind of Ratite.
: >>
: >> ______________________________________________
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: >> PLEASE do read the posting guide!  
: >> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
: >>
: >>
: > +----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
: > ----+
: > | Robert Gentleman              phone: (206) 667-7700            |
: > | Head, Program in Computational Biology   
: > fax:                              |
: > | Division of Public Health Sciences       office: 
: > M2-B865                   |
: > | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center   email: 
: > rgentlem <at> fhcrc.org         |
: > +----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
: > ----+
: >
: > ______________________________________________
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: > PLEASE do read the posting guide! 
: > http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
: