# So how did you pick your user name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 26, 2003, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559 "2003-05-26T11:02:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Quantum\_Butterfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e79b87/32.png) [@Quantum\_Butterfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quantum_Butterfly)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/41 "2003-05-26T17:52:36Z")
I was on a Terry Pratchett kick at the time, and remembered reading about the quantum weather butterfly (it flaps its wings and causes a hurricane.) Pretty cool but sort of long, so I became **Quantum Butterfly**. ---
**Author:** ![TheInterruptingCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9c0ed/32.png) [@TheInterruptingCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheInterruptingCow)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/42 "2003-05-26T18:55:54Z")
One of my favorite jokes: “Knock, knock…” “Who’s there?” “The Interrupting Cow.” “The Interrupting…” “MOOOOOOOOOOO!” ---
**Author:** ![Govindha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5fc32e/32.png) [@Govindha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Govindha)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/43 "2003-05-26T19:02:05Z")
I chose this name because I used to go to New Goloka, a hare Krsna temple, chant and tried in vain to become a devottee of Krsna(Krishna). Govindha was the Lord of the Gopis and has many wonderful stories written about him. I had another name but had to change it over circumstances better left alone. ---
**Author:** ![rinni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@rinni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rinni)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/44 "2003-05-26T19:16:07Z")
My name has the most boring story ever. I typed Linny (which is my nickname, since my name is Lynn) into this fake Japanese translator at [http://www.stupid.com/japanese.htm](http://www.stupid.com/japanese.htm) and it came out “Rinni”. I just think it looked nicer uncapitalised. 🙂 I used it on IRC and liked it, and it kinda caught on. Some people call me rinni in real life. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Delly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Delly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delly)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/45 "2003-05-26T19:22:40Z")
A Savage Garden album called 'The Future of Earthly Delites, made me call myself Earthly Delites orginally in chat and wherever but everyone would abbreviate it to Delly or Del, so I cut to the chase in here and called myself Delly. ---
**Author:** ![Optihut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/edb3f5/32.png) [@Optihut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Optihut)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/46 "2003-05-26T19:26:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Some people call me rinni in real life. That reminds me of the usual phone talks I have with people from the net: Them: “Who is this?” Me: “It’s Kai.” Them: “Who?” Me: “Optimus.” Them: “Oh, Optimus! How are you, man?” ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/47 "2003-05-26T20:33:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by squeegee \* > \*\* I’m hoping **Qadgop the Mercotan** will drop by and explain his/hers. \*\* From the novel, Qadgop the Mercotan by Sybly Whyte. And I’m a male. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/48 "2003-05-26T20:51:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > From the novel, Qadgop the Mercotan by Sybly Whyte. Interesting; neither Amazon nor google knows about that book (I found a many hits on you, though 🙂 ). Must be way out of print or something. > [@](#): > > And I’m a male. Well, I didn’t want to assume. You know what happens when you assume. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/49 "2003-05-26T20:57:58Z")
I’ve been told _many_ times by many people that I act like a mean old lady. Guess they must be onto something. I find this wildly hilarious considering I’m 20 years old and I’ve been hearing this since I was 15. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/50 "2003-05-26T21:05:06Z")
It’s the name of a song from The Electric Light Orchestra’s _Out of the Blue_, my favorite album. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/51 "2003-05-26T21:09:49Z")
After having some discussion about cool band names, it occured to me that “Look! Ninjas!” would be a good name for something. I decided to use it for a name on these boards because I couldn’t think of anything else. But most places on the internet don’t let you use punctuation, spaces, and the like, so I threw the single exclamation point in as an experiment, completely expecting to have the name rejected. Wouldn’t you know… But I figure it almost makes more sense this way. You shout when you say “Look!” but once you’ve got someone’s attention, you can quiet down for the “Ninjas.” Or I’m just lazy. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/52 "2003-05-26T21:09:51Z")
It’s my given name. It’s an old Yaqui Indian word for, ‘GAH! There’s a burro in my garden!’ ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/53 "2003-05-26T21:14:08Z")
I took an astronomy course at a local community college one summer in high school. The instructor was one of those “crazy-brilliant” folks, and the class was really entertaining. One day he was describing the histroy of astronomical discoveries, and Tycho Brahe came up. This Brahe guy was one weird dude. He was such a pain in the ass that the king of Denmark give him his own island rather than deal with him. He kept a dwarf for amusement. He was incredibly rich, and made his star charts relying solely on his eyesight. And of course, he [lost his nose](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980717a.html) in a duel. Now, if I were to pick an eccentric character to pattern myself after, this one would fit the bill. So I took a name after what I felt was the oddest part about him. ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/54 "2003-05-26T21:14:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Portwest \* > \*\ ***Anahita wrote: My given name.** > > 🙂 What a **beautiful** name! \*\* Thanks! Vanity searches sometimes make my day! ---
**Author:** ![Doc\_Trauma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Doc\_Trauma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doc_Trauma)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/55 "2003-05-26T21:52:39Z")
Two Part story. I went to a school to study Aeronautics/Private Pilot and I was dormed off campus with the rest of the Aero majors at a Catholic Military Academy. Well Being prospective pilots we all had to have call signs (think Goose and Maverick). There was Snakeman (had a pet snake named after our dean Herb), Hawk (pretty trite and obvious), Babar (his real name, didn’t need anything more unique) Quicksilver (my roomate, no one called him that though, they called him Habib because he hated it.) Special Ed (funniest part was that he really didn’t get the joke), oh and then there was Old Steve, Young Steve and Steve from Maryland (old Steve was about 35, a freshman living in the dorms, Steve from Maryland had a southern accent, and Young Steve was the other one.) I was Doc’ due to my EMT certification. I worked on Campus as an EMT for work study. When I started DJing on College Radio there I Called myself Doc’ Medic. (which I stole from a Disc Jockey back home. I eventually left that school because A) I couldn’t afford it B) I didn’t think that I could handle the Calculus when I got up to it. So I went back to a college close to home and changed my Major to Media Communcations Technology. There, I started on the College Radio station too and because the DJ whose name I stole fair and square was broadcasting there I changed it to Doc’ Trauma…which I grew to like much more. Drtrauma has been my username for just about everything, but since the board allows spaces and punctuation I added them in and made it right. People still call me Doc’ (though not as much as I’d like). including some of my old college profs. dang, that was a long story. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/56 "2003-05-26T22:01:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by squeegee \* > \*\*Interesting; neither Amazon nor google knows about that book (I found a many hits on you, though 🙂 ). Must be way out of print or something. \*\* Sorry, **squeegee** but you must have googled rather superficially. There’s a wealth of data via google out there on me, Pilinixi the Dexitroboper, & Klazmon of Llurdiax! 😃 > [@](#): > > Qadgop the Mercotan slithered flatly around the after-bulge of the tranship. One claw dug into the meters-thick armor of pure neutronium, then another. Its terrible xmex-like snout locked on. Its zymolosely polydactyl tongue crunched out, crashed down, rasped across. Slurp! Slurp! At each abrasive stroke the groove in the tranship’s plating deepened and Qadgop leered more fiercely. Fools! Did they think that the airlessness of absolute space, the heatlessness of absolute zero, the yieldlessness of absolute neutronium could stop QADGOP THE MERCOTAN? And the stowaway, that human wench Cynthia, cowering in helpless terror just beyond this thin and fragile wall… ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/57 "2003-05-26T22:34:49Z")
My first choice is always Jabberwocky since it usually isn’t taken, is easy to for my friends to abbreviate (Jab) sonds sightly cool and bad-ass, and tends to attract individuals who read a lot. On those occasions where it is unavailable I go with Sock Munkey because a close friend of mine has a stuffed monkey made of socks and another friend showed me a story about a guy with 200 dead monkeys and spelled it “munkey”. ---
**Author:** ![CanadianVampyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@CanadianVampyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanadianVampyr)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/58 "2003-05-26T23:18:15Z")
I am a big Buffy fan (a little sad, I know) and in the opening sequence, there’s a big book with the word Vampyr on it. And, I’m Canadian (well, technically I’m also American). Hence, my name ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/59 "2003-05-27T00:50:08Z")
From a famous short story by Herman Mellville, “Bartleby the Scrivener” – which is about a legal clerk who decides to stop accepting tasks from his employer, and who willingly, willfully starves himself to death (in spite of the employer/narrator’s humanitarian efforts to help him). Oddly enough, the story is quite drolly humorous, in spite of its dire narrative arc. ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559/60 "2003-05-27T01:51:04Z")
My name is so boring and lame. I couldn’t think of anything witty or clever, so I took my school (WMU), the abbreviation for lacrosse (lax), which I play there, and my jersey number (93) and meshed them all together. I use it for AIM and various other stuff too, just because I’m lazy and not very creative with stuff like this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-did-you-pick-your-user-name/177559.md?page=4)