When I was at Aph around 1978, we all trooped off to some electronics convention. Since my job there was assembling prototype boards, when I was getting the badge at the ticket booth, and I was asked my job title, I said "Gnome".
The guy creating the badge was horrified. He asked me several times if I really wanted this, and I confirmed. The Aph people behind me then gave their job titles as "Wizard", "Nerd", and some other fantasy terms.
Attendees would read our badges and exclaim they should have done the same thing.
Thereafter, this became commonplace.
I don't know if I started this trend, but it seems like I was the first. I wish I'd kept the badge, but who knew?
The guy creating the badge was horrified. He asked me several times if I really wanted this, and I confirmed. The Aph people behind me then gave their job titles as "Wizard", "Nerd", and some other fantasy terms.
Attendees would read our badges and exclaim they should have done the same thing.
Thereafter, this became commonplace.
I don't know if I started this trend, but it seems like I was the first. I wish I'd kept the badge, but who knew?