Today I got a letter from the Mathematical Association of America inviting me to join. Only it was addressed to “Professor Alastair Houghton”!

Well my professorship is news to me :-)

It does make you wonder though, quite how the MAA got my details. I'm betting that they were given them by the ACM, who have also (I think) given my name and address to the IEEE. I don't mind, because these are all the kinds of organisations I might actually want to join, rather than the more mundane junk mail asking would I like a credit card, or a loan, or perhaps a nice new Audi…

I'd love to know why they thought I was a professor though. Still, it gave me a laugh when I saw it, and I'm sure my family probably already refer to me as a “mad professor” type behind my back, so it'll come as no surprise to them.