Join or Die? And other stories about Avatars and Nicknames...

[Simoni]

I just saw a post by our very own Groovistk and noticed his avatar, which appears to be a snake with the words "Join or Die" written across the avatar.  (see below)  Join what or die?

Then I wondered what Groovistk means.  A bat?  That is a bat is a stick and it has a sweet spot.  Or maybe Groov means groovy, man?

A few minutes ago I replied to someone called X663. What kind of name is that, and why did he pick it? And why no avatar?

In a variaton of the Intro thread, I'm adding this, and asking newbies, and old-timers, to share about their user name and avatar.

Should make an interesting read, on a slow sports day...

[SANDRO43]

I'm going to disappoint you , mine are very simple.

SANDRO43 is just my name and year of birth (last century ) - a legacy of joining many dating sites where SANDRO alone was no longer available - and the avatar is a photo taken with a cell phone by a friend, prior to starting a concert with my choir 3 years ago, IIRC.

I don't believe in fancy identities , but that's just my personal preference .

[Simoni]

Well now, we should kick that other Sandro out and give you your simple first name!

And maybe we can work on an action figure Avatar :-)))
We'll get you into this century, Sandro43.   At least by 2043 

[Daveman]

Join or Die is a reference from the times just prior to the revolution, but have no idea what was running through Groov's mind at that time.

Daveman was a nickname I picked up in grammar school because I was always the class clown (I know that's quite the shocking revelation) and it rhymes with caveman which was a goofy clown act I did back then.. one day I stood, beating my chest and acting(?) the fool and proclaimed  "I not a caveman, I'm the Daveman!"  and it pretty much stuck to this day...  actually it was better since out of every hundred students there were at least 6,543 David's on average.

The avatar is just me playing classical guitar, and I thought that specific photoshop trick looked pretty cool.

So not so interesting, but at least on topic for a change! heh

Edit: maybe the effect can be see more clearly in the larger version

[SANDRO43]

Well now, we should kick that other Sandro out and give you your simple first name!

Actually, my first name is not that simple: Franco Mario Alessandro .

When I was born (last century ), a law was in effect here prohibiting children being given a parent's name as first name. My father's name being Alessandro, they had to stick the other two before it. I have a triple identity .   

[SANDRO43]

The avatar is just me playing classical guitar, and I thought that specific photoshop trick looked pretty cool.

I don't know if others have the same result, but your avatar is VERY dark on my screen, I can barely make out the guitar and its frets, you're totally invisible to me.

[Faux Pas]

I just saw a post by our very own Groovistk and noticed his avatar, which appears to be a snake with the words "Join or Die" written across the avatar.  (see below)  Join what or die?

Then I wondered what Groovistk means.  A bat?  That is a bat is a stick and it has a sweet spot.  Or maybe Groov means groovy, man?

A few minutes ago I replied to someone called X663. What kind of name is that, and why did he pick it? And why no avatar?

In a variaton of the Intro thread, I'm adding this, and asking newbies, and old-timers, to share about their user name and avatar.

Should make an interesting read, on a slow sports day...

Great thread idea.

Maybe it has another meaning to groov but it is an editorial cartoon by Ben Franklin as a uniter of the colonies.

As for mine, I have some very dear friends in Louisiana bayou country that I visit often as possible. The father of one of my best friends there is as pure cajun as there is. He speaks no english and he calls me Faux Pas. They say it is meant affectionately but nobody but the old man really knows 

The avatar as many know is Mr. Mackey from South Park. I crack up laughing every time I see him in it...mmmmmkay?

[Simoni]

I don't know if others have the same result, but your avatar is VERY dark on my screen, I can barely make out the guitar and its frets, you're totally invisible to me.

That was the artistic look he was striving for, Sandro :-)))

[SANDRO43]

That was the artistic look he was striving for, Sandro :-)))

InvisibleMan ?

[Daveman]

InvisibleMan ?

heh.. admittedly the cloak of invisibility spell does have the additional benefit of increased comeliness!  Don't wanna scare these RW's away from the board immediately..

[groovlstk]

Maybe it has another meaning to groov but it is an editorial cartoon by Ben Franklin as a uniter of the colonies.

Yup, and HBO used it as the centerpiece of their promotion of their John Adams miniseries. I read David McCullough's bio on which the miniseries was based, it was awesome. It also has some relevance for guys here - John Adams was separated from his wife for long periods of time during the Revolution and they wrote thousands of love letters to each other.

A few years ago I had this loony new age guru as my avatar, just for the fun of it:

[x633]

simoni,
How dare you call me X663 when my name is actually X633
I joined this board over two years ago at the same time I joined Elena's Models and never thought I would make a post.  The user ID means nothing.  I lurked more for entertainment than information.  I first posted when I had actual questions about the adjustment of status process.  No Avatar?  Too lazy!

mark

[Simoni]

Yup, and HBO used it as the centerpiece of their promotion of their John Adams miniseries. I read David McCullough's bio on which the miniseries was based, it was awesome. It also has some relevance for guys here - John Adams was separated from his wife for long periods of time during the Revolution and they wrote thousands of love letters to each other.

So now we know about the avatar :-)  But what about Groovistk?

[Simoni]

 

simoni,
How dare you call me X663 when my name is actually X633
I joined this board over two years ago at the same time I joined Elena's Models and never thought I would make a post.  The user ID means nothing.  I lurked more for entertainment than information.  I first posted when I had actual questions about the adjustment of status process.  No Avatar?  Too lazy!

mark

LOL, Mark :-)  Just seeing if you were paying attention :-)

And now....some possible avatars for busy Mark!

[x633]

Busy?
I'm reading a forum in the middle of the afternoon.  Lazy was correct.

 

[Simoni]

Busy?
I'm reading a forum in the middle of the afternoon.  Lazy was correct.

 

I started to write lazy but we are striving for a kinder, more friendly board here :-)

[Simoni]

As for mine, I have some very dear friends in Louisiana bayou country that I visit often as possible. The father of one of my best friends there is as pure cajun as there is. He speaks no english and he calls me Faux Pas. They say it is meant affectionately but nobody but the old man really knows  

Whew!  Glad you corrected that!  I thought it meant you were lacking in social graces or that you were a screw up!

I assumed you were poking fun at yourself :-)

[Faux Pas]

Whew!  Glad you corrected that!  I thought it meant you were lacking in social graces or that you were a screw up!

I assumed you were poking fun at yourself :-)

Many probably believe that to be true.  (and it may be) When I first posted here JB ripped me pretty hard over it. I.E. a French moniker of an American man seeking an FSU lady. It doesn't make any sense I suppose unless you know the story behind it. I never did tell JB

[SANDRO43]

And now....some possible avatars for busy Mark!

Or this one, if 50679 is his family name (http://www.pierresilber.com/afrowigs.html) .

[SANDRO43]

When I first posted here JB ripped me pretty hard over it. I.E. a French moniker

And our Ozzies didn't ?

[acrzybear]

I have always liked/associated myself with bears and since bears are also another name for police, that is my fascination with bears.  Now the crazy part has to do with a few things I did when I was younger that were just outside the norm of law enforcement thinking, so I combined the two and viola!

[Taz]

Mine was pretty obviously inspired by the cartoon character and by the frenetic pace with which I live life. I'd rather "wear out" than "rust out" so to speak. Downside is I tend to leave a path of destruction due to my whirling vortex of doom that seems to follow me. I haven't quite yet determined how to tone that down though.

I figure the day I finally slow down is when I'm actually so old it won't really matter. My mom is up there in age and she hasn't really slowed down much either. I guess I can curse/thank her for her side of the gene pool.

[I/O]

When I first posted here JB ripped me pretty hard over it.

And our Ozzies didn't ?

I recall that exchange. jb always hammered newbies about spelling. With his experience in Russia / crossing over between languages, I understand why. jb's exceptional kindness was too often misunderstood. At the time I, as an Aussie ("SP" Sandro), remained true to my nick name which was bestowed upon me from another forum about 5 or 6 years ago. The forum was part of an intro site which had various levels of membership available, one of which was "observer" status. I concluded "interested" observer suited my situation better and adopted that. Others shortened it to I/O.

As for the avatar, it kind of reminded me of the many not so successful but somewhat imaginative characters I've seen wandering around Russia over the years. The keyboard freaks who do eventually get over there, couldn't get laid in a brothel, head for the nearest internet cafe and spend their time telling everyone on line what a great trip they are having.

I/O

[Sculpto]

cool thread. 

my nick came from back in the aol days.. I wanted my first online nickname to be Sculptor.. but someone beat me to it.  AOL gave me sculpto with a number.  Later, when I started going to Burning Man the Sculpto moniker stuck and i have never been able to get rid of it.  Many many people int he SFBA know me as Sculpto but do not know my real name.  Dorks.. lol

The avitar is an emblem that won a contest to design a new logo for the space program. 

[Show Time]

The avatar is simply a cropped photo of me with some friends at the Endymion Ball in February '09.

The name is a nick name that I was "assigned" by my friends when we go out.  The guy that is almost animated when he tells stories and can keep a captive audience.

Yeah, I know. Kinda a lame explanation for a guy called "Show Time".