This is either a great joke a very strange coincidence.
As many soccer fans and TV news viewers know, there's an "oracle octopus" named Paul in Germany who has been winning acclaim for his ability to predict World Cup games. Well, it turns out that his full name is Paul Allen. That, of course, is also the name of Microsoft's co-founder -- who happens to own a yacht named "Octopus."
"We all got a good laugh out of it," said David Postman, a spokesman for Allen's Vulcan Inc., when we called to find out if they knew how the octopus got its name. "We’ve got no idea who named him."
If it is a joke, one reason it would be funny, or at least ironic, is that Paul Allen the Microsoft co-founder hasn't always experienced the greatest luck in the sports world, as the owner of the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers, occasional playoff appearances notwithstanding. Nor has he been the greatest at picking investments since leaving Microsoft.
Trying to get to the bottom of this, we've sent a message to the company that operates the Sea Life aquarium that Paul Allen the octopus calls home, but given the crush of interest in the ocean creature, we're not optimistic. Hopefully a reporter or someone else in Germany will get to the bottom of this and ask Paul Allen's handlers how he got his name -- if for nothing more than to satisfy our curiosity here in the other Paul Allen's hometown.
For the record, Paul Allen the octopus has picked Spain to triumph over the Netherlands in Sunday's World Cup final.
