h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dear Magnolia,

Man, this was fun. Pretty groovy stuff here.
Each handle / psuedonym does have a story behind it, and why I chose them, but your analysis brought to light some hidden reasons why my psuedonyms resonate within me.

The Johnny Fusion handle is actually kind of funny. I was working on some Cyberpunk type fiction and needed a name for my main protagonist, so I was dozing off listening to my radio and they announce a concert by Jack Fusion. I thought it sounded good, Jack being a nickname for John, and Gibson had a story "Johnny Mnemonic" so I though Johnny was more cyberpunk sounding, and hence Johnny Fusion was born. I figured out later that there is no such person as Jack Fusion, I had misheard the plug for a concert featuring the jazz fusion style of music! The 11811 comes from the film Metropolis.


Most of the reading was a "hit" but I think there were two misses.

Hiding behind sheilds is something I do not do anymore. I think my Usernames are true reflections of aspects of my character, and not some way to confuse the issue, but to bring a specific aspect into focus. Though I must admit, it is an older behavior that WAS present when some of the psuedonyms were assumed. So its a half-hit/half-miss.

The sharpness and angles may be a miss. My wife thinks I have a very round energy to me, though now I think about it, the current emphasis in my Aikido training is more linear. So actually maybe that was a hit as well.

Simply amazing! Wonderful insight, Magnolia!

Hey, thanks! I must add that this is turning into a very pleasurable thing to do -- I can't believe it's just me, I think whenever a person tunes his/her energy towards another person, I think channels do open up, perceptions do increase. Try it yourself -- you'll see what I mean.

Aside from my H2G2 moniker, I also prowl IRC under the name "imdumru," I play Jeopardy Online as "BluminIdyut," and I have an email address for a "ColonelSellers." I'm interested to see if you can uncover the reference for that last one...

Hi... ~grin~... how about analyzing me... me is Greebo T. Cat... and me already knows that me a wonderful person... but what do you think... ~bigger grin~

I agree Greebo! What do you make of androyd?

Indeed! It something I practice almost daily at the Aikido dojo. Also, this is a very fun version of divination. I don't think there needs to be any mystical element in divination, but any tool that allows one to bing the hidden forward. Looks like you found yours! Me, I'll stick to Ogham and the I-Ching (There's the Celt and Zen again!)

Okay! Analysing for GargleBlaster, Imdumru, BluminIdyut and ColonelSellers!

Right off ... this is a cyber-warrior here, right? Like HAS to be! The choice of names, plus the way the capital letters play, the h2g2 reference, the pair of names "I'm dumb, Are You?" and "Blooming Idiot" -- and of course the NUMBER of names. It seems that some of us use many different sign-ons and others of us use the one name in variations ... I think it suggests flexibility and mental agility to have many names and to alter spelling to create similar but recognizable sounds. Also, of course, a fondness for travelling in different personae. A playful character and ... need I say this? ... hugely humble -- or wanting to seem that way!

Very likely far from dumb or an idiot! Most persons of reduced intelligence are unwilling to share this kind of information with others (assuming that they are conscious of it at all), particularly when, as in this medium of communication, they are not obliged to reveal anything about themselves.

A user who likes word games and possibly has a good memory and quick reflexes -- I can bet the passwords are pretty interesting too! -- the quick reflexes comes from being willing to type in capital letters in the middles of words, keeping track of which names do and don't have capitals -- since there is a range of approaches on offer amongst these names, one entirely lower-case, one conventional and two unconventional capitalizations.

ColonelSellers brings two association to mind -- Colonel Blimp and Peter Sellers. However I can't believe that someone who uses GargleBlaster as a nick would want a Colonel Blimp association so ... hmmm. Maybe the military gentleman from the Starship Titanic -- the LiftBot? I forget if he was a colonel or not. I can't help thinking of a Raj-style colonel, however -- and I know that's because I can't see the pair of names -- ColonelSellers -- together without thinking of Sellers as the Indian gent (whose improbable name I can never seem to forget: Hrundi Bakshi) in The Party, and so, by association, a British Colonel in the Indian Army -- I can just see him, sort of flailing around, trying desperately to maintain control ... over rambunctious throngs of rioting native troops ...

Definitely a user with a sense of humour. Likes a bit of spirited gargling and, of course, having a blast.

Congratulations on the ColonelSellers bit... I am impressed! Although you didn't know who is specifically being referred to, you got to the right sort of person. He's a character from Mark Twain's "The Guilded Age," and he is no colonel. The title is an affectation of self-importance, and that's not his only delusion. Throughout the novel, Colonel Sellers embarks on one disastrous get-rich-quuick scheme after another, but, with optimism undimmed, he continues on his struggles with the belief that he is not nearly so poor as he truly is, and that untold fortunes are simply awaiting his next critical move.

As for the rest of it, it's nice to hear nice things, regardless of how much truth they carry. Although it probably carries more truth than I'm willing to admit.

Greebo T Cat! Was hoping you'd ask -- since you were the ACE on hand to greet me here! But I can't read a name unasked, (surely uncouth?) so I have waited patiently ...

Interesting name, a curious mix of personality on view -- on the one hand, it looks just like a formal name from real life -- first name, middle-initial and surname -- and all neatly capitalized. But on the other hand -- ! They aren't names very much like the kind we see in daily life, are they now? So I take this user to be someone who knows the rules and likes to break them, wilfully.

I must assume that someone who takes on "cat" as a surname, likes them -- and why not? After all, they are surely the most perfect creatures on display in this planet's showcase ... well, so long as one isn't a prey species ... which leads me to feel that this User has a hunter's aura cloaked around his/her persona ... an interest in the chase, the pleasure of conquest. Not cruel, never cruel, but ... a fondness for pursuit. Maybe the pursuit of interesting pastimes or ... greeting newcomers to the void.

"Greebo" therefore, I think, stands for "Greet(ing)Bot" -- that's what "Greebo T" looks like, just lacking the "ting" of "greet". And maybe "Cat" is for Catherine? Dunno! I try not to think of real names. I don't really want to know them, it alters the perfect anonymity of the UserName. But if Greeting Bot is it, then here is a user who is warm and friendly, belying that cat at the end of the name, but who doesn't like to be too obvious about it. Likes to maintain a bit of a distance, so as not to overwhelm an incoming newbie. Likes to be a bit discrete ... but at the same time, there's the evidence in the name, if anyone wants to find it!

Of course a person with "bot" worked into the name is keen on all things belonging to the world of h2g2 -- especially in context of the Starship ... but that's kinda obvious, huh? I feel the "Cat" also brings in a strong association of Cats, Cheshire, if you see what I mean ... something to do with the "Gree-" part of the name, which makes one think of "grinning" and ... I can't cancel out what I already know! ... it turns out that Greebo DOES like to grin a lot.

So I would guess this user has a nice smile -- and uses it a lot -- not just beaming at the computer's monitor, but in reality too -- and hey, this IS reality, after all.

Hmmmm. So finally an all-lowercase name. A web-adept, of course, but one who is willing to continue to appear that way -- I take it that users who come to h2g2, by the time they're here, are not new to this world. So the choice of names is one made after some skill in choosing names has built up, in which case, to continue to employ the lower-case approach, suggests a person who is confident and secure about appearing to be a web-crawler (an aside: I can't seem to make myself believe that anyone would be what they say they are ... I would expect, for instance, a real android to use, as a name, the word "humyn" or some such thing).

Well, there's clearly a fondness for science-fiction but because of the "y" in android I would say this user, even in cyberspace doesn't want to be mistaken for a common or garden variety of 'droid, but one who, even in the effort of erasing persona behind the smooth, metallic faceless of that word, puts in just that little touch ...

I also wonder whether the name is a meld of "Andrew" and "Lloyd" -- so, right, of course this is the well-known composer of rock operas, who is (naturally!) a "WEBber" (oops, sorry, very silly pun)(sometimes I can't help myself).

No, of course I don't REALLY think so, but -- well, I had to throw it in for fun!

I feel that anyone who goes by just the one name and a reasonably short one at that, is neat and practical -- an idea that is reinforced by the word itself -- somehow it IS rather difficult to think of an android being actually untidy, don't you suppose? Or maybe that's what the cutting edge of androids might be like -- desperately untidy in order to seem more human!! Nevertheless, I do think, for the time being, the state of the art being what it is, this user is probably more inclined to neatness and practicality than not. Perhaps believes that she/he is a little TOO neat and practical, so perhaps the name is a bit ironical, a small personal joke.

I am about to introduce a digression now: I wonder if anyone's noticed that I don't bother identifying usergenders? There's a reason for that: I believe cyber-space is rather better off for the neutrality it offers -- a user is only as feminine or masculine as she/he wishes to be, regardless of the circumstances of birth. So when a user makes a specific gender reference well ... it may mean nothing at all -- because the user perhaps hasn't even noticed it -- or it may mean that the alternative doesn't exist or is too weird. I mean, take "androyd" -- it clearly suggest masculinity, but then again -- we don't HAVE any gynoids, do we? And if we did ... I dunno. I'm not sure even a gynoid would want to be CALLED a "gynoid"!

Patchy I would say - it is a name amalgam but not the one you suggest, of my first and middle name. It was first coined in 1983 when I was working for a computer games company called Red Shift which made stuff for the ZX SPectrum ( ancient history) and it has always been my cyber-name. The personality follows from the name. As for the neat and tidy bit - no!!!!!!! Completely wrong. However I loved the confident and secure bit . I'll give you 6/10 but what a great idea

WOW... not bad me thinks... ~grin~... not bad at all... thankyou very much... not completely spot on... but very close... my name is not Catherine... but the grin is all mine... in real life as well... though it has been said that me has a cheesy grin.... especially on photo's... ~cheesy photo type grin~

Magnolia... thanks a lot. Yes, I smiled quite satisfied while reading it. Allthough I'm not quite sure whether it is really me, or just who I like to be. Maybe a bit of both. Close any way. Funny you should mention the capital W though, because I don't know where that came from. I usually don't capitalize any letters in my nicknames.
The subconscious at work, probably.
But what I really wanted to say is that the name is taken partly from the name of some native american god, I just liked the sound and feeling of it. As far as I recall, it was called Wakantanka or something.
Keep up the good work

Hey hey

Care to take a look at my name? (the captain bit is from another thread - it's related to a fiction thing we're writing at the moment)

I've got lots of names I go by...
an email adress: Vsapphire1
my first nickname: MissV
second nick: Freya
yet another alias: Eeyore19
and of course, my Aitchtu Jeetu nick: QotPW

I'm eager for an analysis!

Forgot one...

Forgot one...
I've also gone by Carmenis Avis
which is Latin for Song Bird

Wow, Magnolia, you've got your work cut out for you...

If you ever have a chance...could you please tell me what you make of mine...?

... more names! How nice. I shall attend to all, but the results won't appear here till tomorrow morning. Thanks very much for offering your handles and ... watch this space!(I may start a new thread in this forum, so please look out for a new thread in this forum if you don't see a reply posted specifically to this thread)

I was wondering if you would be so kind as to tell me what you make of my on-line moniker: Clive the flying ostrich.

Clive