Comment by nine_k

1 day ago

I would say that it comes from the military, where projects are given codenames that try hard to be opaque random monikers, and spill no beans about the nature of the project. The Manhattan Project predates mass TV, and most of it did not happen on Manhattan.

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nine_k

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astrange  21 hours ago

I don't mean codenames. I mean literally saying the word "project". It's like meeting a friend and saying "hello my friend I've known for the last 20 years".

  • nine_k  21 hours ago

    Compare: "We are working on Project Paperclip" and "We are working on a paperclip". I suppose the former implies that what you're working on is not a literal paperclip (but a secret operation to snatch scientists).

    So "Project Gemini" is not about, say, he constellation.

    • floren  20 hours ago

      With modern two-random-word codenames we tended to just say things like "I'm working on Crystal Banana all next week"

      (Crystal Banana was a local joke codename where I worked)