The many faces of Sholto Douglas

[William Douglas]

Wondering why so many visits to the site were being sent from a particular blog, I found this:

I’ve enjoyed following content by Anthropic AI researcher Sholto Douglas, but kept noticing his name in unusual places. Upon further investigation, it looks like in 767 AD, a particularly skilled Scottish warrior got the nickname “Sholto Douglas”, and for the next 1300 years his clan continued to give that name to their children. Aside from the AI researcher, they include WWII air force commander Sholto Douglas, artist Sholto Douglas, and Svalbard mining baron Sholto Douglas. There is also some sort of Californian Gold Rush country local folk hero Sholto Douglas; attempts to determine his exact identity have been confounded by the local tradition of making up facts about him, but he may be the same person as Lord Sholto George Douglas, third son of the Marquis of Queensberry. Even I have trouble believing that the gene for being a particularly skilled warrior can last 1300 years, but for what it’s worth, the AI researcher Sholto Douglas was once ranked the 43rd best fencer in the world.

William