AirLockAlpha.com

When I created "Syfy" more than a decade ago, I thought it would sound great on a site, but never imagined it could be the name of a new network.

I don't own any rights to the name at all now, and have no connection to it. But at the same time, I have been making it clear that there's no way the "Syfy" name was developed independently by NBC Universal -- especially as they have worked directly with us for years, and there's nothing wrong with at least giving creation credit where creation credit is due.

In any event, there are now hundreds of stories announcing the new name for the SciFi Channel already posted on the Web, and a bunch have even gone to recognize the source of the name.

Here are some of our favorites.

"For years, NBC executives had longed to trademark the channel's own name, but legal kept telling them you can't trademark a genre of entertainment for lonely obsessives," said John Cook of Gawker.com. "So they spent years, and paid a branding company gobs of money, to come up with 'Syfy.'

"The fact that a Floridian named Michael Hinman discovered that you can creatively misspell Sci Fi more than 10 years ago when he founded a Web site that eventually became the SyFy portal, which covered many of the SciFi Channel's shows, seems not to have bothered NBC Universal. A couple months ago, SyFy Portl abruptly changed its name to Airlock Alpha, which the site's founder says was done 'indirectly because of' the SciFi Channel's decision to steal and/or buy the name." ["SyFy is the new SciFi", Gawker]

Popular science-fiction blog io9 liked the idea of misspelling the name, and used in its own coverage Monday with the headline "SciFi Channel changes its name to a typo."

"Maybe I fear change too much, but will this tweak really expand the possibilities of a channel that already runs a schedule full of whatever they loosely call science-fiction?" asked io9's Meredith Woerner. "I never felt that the channel was ever truly limited by a need to broadcast actual [sci-fi], so I'm not really sure what'll change with the title." ["SciFi Channel changes its name to a typo", io9]

NBCU might be passing off the similarities between the name of its new channel and our old side as a coincidence, but TV Guide doesn't seem to be buying it.

"SciFi Channel president Dave Howe points out that the current name is ... limiting," said TV Guide Online's Matt Mitovich. "Helping pave the way for the name change was a secretive deal between NBCU and Michael Hinman, the creator of SyFyPortal.com (which last month mysteriously redubbed itself AirlockAlpha.com)." [SciFi Channel to launch new name: Syfy", TV Guide]

Mitovich quoted from an interview I did with Portfolio on how the deal came about and how much was paid.

"All I can tell you is that the amount was far more substantial than anyone who was simply looking to get into the science-fiction news business would pay, even me," I said. "So we knew it was someone extremely well capitalized."

Of course, they added a little bit about us wondering who on earth would've wanted to buy our name ... that is until the news broke Sunday night. ["How NBCU kept SciFi rebranding under wraps", Portfolio]

We've also received some coverage from good friends of ours, like Keith McDuffee over at CliqueClack.

"What some of you may not know is that Airlock Alpha used to be called SyFy Portal, and looked quite different than it does today," McDuffee said. "Mike hinted at Airlock Alpha to me a while back, though I never asked why the name was changing. Now that the site's up, I know the real deal: SciFi, the channel, bought the rights to the name "Syfy" from Mike. And you know what? Good for him! It couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy. And I like the name Airlock Alpha better anyway." ["Syence fyction because geeks are inhuman", CliqueClack]

Finally, Bruce Simmons from Screen Rant had something to say about the change.

"As I pondered this new name change, I was wondering about a Web site that has had the name for a very long time, SyFy Portal," Simmons said. "Hmmm, I went over there and it's no longer called that, but instead, it's called Airlock Alpha. WTH? Did someone just make a ton of money because they had a moniker that NBC wanted? That would be cool.

"As it turns out, as Airlock Alpha says, NBCU had an internal marketing team develop the name (or cruise the Web and say, 'Hey!') and then Quantum Global Media Inc. rebranded SyFy Portal to Airlock Alpha and the 'Syfy' brand was sold to an undisclosed entity." ["The SciFi Channel changes its identity", Screen Rant]

We couldn't fit all of them on here, as there are many, many more. But do a Google News search, and you'll be sure to find even more.

Thanks to everyone who made sure they dug past the surface to get all the details!