XPost: mn.humor, alt.fan.starwars, alt.humor.puns   
   XPost: demon.local   
   From: anybody@anywhere-anytime.com   
      
   In article , Hn   
    wrote:   
      
   > >>>>>   
   > >>>> Patna, Basmati or whole grain?   
   > >>> Condolezza.   
   > >> A robot based on her made of light-weight metal: Condominium.   
   > >   
   > > That joke alomst works, except that it's America and they would mis-name   
   > > the metal "Condominum" with the last "i" missing just like they do with   
   > > "aluminum" instead of it's real name "aluminium".   
   >   
   > Both names are acceptable, and it's original name *was* 'aluminum'.   
      
   Damn! I didn't notice that was cross-posted.  :-(   
      
   The original name may have been "aluminum", but only because Americans   
   insist on trying to change things to their own way (no wonder   
   Microsloth has been so succesful).   
      
   There are ALMOST no other elements in the periodic table that end with   
   just "um" (no "i"), all of the "um" ones have an "i" first: helium,   
   lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc. ... there's around 65 of   
   them in the first 103 elements ... so why "aluminum"?!? It make no   
   sense at all.   
      
   There are only three others that break the "rule" and don't have an   
   "i": Lanthanum, Platinum and Tantalum. I can't be bothered looking up   
   the history of those, but it wouldn't surprise me to find an American   
   involved somewhere in naming those.  :-(   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)