There have been rapports (no exact source) that monkeys on separate but nearby islands suddenly perform the same completely new behavior, for instance using branches to get leaves out of the water of a lake to the shore. I'd have to add that monkeys don't like water ofcourse.
Similar things have been noticed in research, many times researchers are studying the same thing without knowing it of each other and have a revolutionary breakthrough at almost the same time. The only thing that matters in research though is who publicates first.
I think these things are called energetic fields and that certain thoughts can be transmitted through air or something. So maybe you really did invent "np" and at the same time somebody else invented it...
I also suspect that somebody else just used it but it never caught on and in Tynan's case it did because he was so consistent in using it..
Anywayz... I love creative language use!
N