Woman Whose Last Name Is "Null" Keeps Running Into Trouble With Computer Systems

Ever felt like you're just not meant for this modern age? Try having the last name "Null." Err, sorry. Please try again. Null is the term used in computer systems the world over to indicate "no value." That's not the same as the number zero, mind you. It's more like telling the computer there's "nothing to see here." So in a field for someone's phone number, for example, a "null" there would mean that no number has been entered. For those of a certain surname, this creates quite the headache. Just ask one Nontra Null, who took the name after marrying. Nontra recalls how she repeatedly applied for a visa at the Indian consulate to attend a friend's wedding in the country. And each time they got back, authorities said their flummoxed computer system couldn't process her application. "I had to mentally come to terms with not being able to go," Nontra, a 41-year-old clothing designer in Burbank, California, told The Wall Street Journal. (Luckily, the visa came through the day before he ... Read full article.