One reason I leave my phone number on my blog is so people and friends can call and tell me why they think something is worth paying attention to.

Sam Gentile just called.

I listen when he calls. He's a talented and influential software developer.

What did he call about? Scott Bellware's essay on "Mort or Elvis: A Question for a Bygone Era."

Sam called this the best post of the year on his blog.

I think Sam expected me to defend our developer personas. I won't. Something bothers me about them too. Not the least of which is that I am not even skilled enough to be a Mort. A sub-Mort, if you will. The names sound too elitist. And they are.

It's time to get rid of them. Good call Sam and Scott.

That doesn't mean, by the way, that personas aren't a valuable way to force you to think about your customers and the roles that they play. But these just don't work anymore and the names are horrible.

Yet another example of how naming matters.