As a disturbingly intense and pretentious preteen during the absolute thick of the Wombat Years, I took my online usernames very seriously. My Neopets username had to communicate how mature and serious I was to everyone who clapped eyes on it. All who enjoyed Flash games and feeding virtual pets would know of my deep, poetic soul! But it communicated only my failed Goth status. (So close and yet so far, young Clare, so close and yet…)
It’s hard to come up with a good username, especially if it’s going to be your online handle across multiple platforms. I spent a lot of time in my first year biology class brainstorming the Literary Omnivore. There are username generators out there, but I think the best names come out of yourself. Examining your own interests, for example, or even just pulling things that are personal but assigned, like your astrological symbol or your birthstone. Or your own name!
One trick that I’ve been recommending to people is to make anagrams of their names to give them a pool of interesting words to get the juices flowing. For instance, “Cram Credible” sounds like a good name for a food blog spin-off… if I hadn’t already picked out The Omnivorous Literate. (In my head, obviously, since I am, once again, kitchenless.) My favorite anagram generator comes from Wordsmith.org, but there are plenty others. Sticking favorite book titles in the anagram generator is also an idea—”Ed Noels Forthright” sounds like a charming BBC interview program. (Nils points for what the original was.)
I graduated from the University of Denver Publishing Institute on Friday. It’s been an exhausting, intense, and wonderful month, compounded by the fact that I am staying in Denver for work. I’m going to be shady about that until the job actually starts, because the older I get, the more superstitious I get, but I’m happy. I’m really happy. I’ll be happier when I have a place to live, though…
This week’s links:
- Given DC’s attempts to set up a Justice League movie, I think we should all look back at Bruce Wayne, the young Batman show that never was. In an alternate universe, season four of Bruce Wayne saw Bruce earn his degree in MY PARENTS ARE DEAD! and graduate to being Batman, resulting in a Batman movie and then a Justice League movie. You have to seed these things, DC.
- The director of The Lord of the Rings‘ fanfilm prequel Born of Hope has started a Kickstarter to fund her next project, a fantasy webseries featuring a female lead. This combines two things that I love: fantasy and ladies.
- Gavia Baker-Whitelaw said it when she said that Peter Capaldi is the “least worst option” for the new Doctor—i.e., if the role must be given to a straight white man, this is pretty good.
- Renay alerted me to the fact that Lucille Ball is the reason Star Trek exists. That’s so cool!
- The music video for Mumford and Sons’ “Hopeless Wanderer” features Jason Bateman, Ed Helms, Jason Sudeikis, and my beloved Will Forte making good-natured fun of the band’s aesthetic, banjos, and intensity. (There is drinking of tears.)
- I really like this zenhabits post about having a flexible mind, because it reminds me that I cannot control the actions and reactions of others. I am the only variable I can completely control. I find this very comforting.
- I completely missed #twittersilence, due to my program sucking up my time. I understand the intention and respect it, but I think loud voices are better used to speak out against such things. Also, Caitlin Moran spearheaded it, and I don’t care for her.
- A Skype chat with my awesome friend Natalya reminded me that this amazing bit from Drew Carey’s Improv-a-Ganza exists. It breaks every improv rule, according to her, but Jeff Davis and Chip Esten have such a good relationship that it works. It’s magnificent.
- tumblr user bloggish reminds us that pink is how our brains see infrared and ultraviolet. This is probably why I’m so entranced by my neon pink nail polish, because I can barely conceive of it.
- Nouvelle Vague is a French band that covers eighties new wave and punk rock songs in a very beachy sixties lounge style. You may think this sounds like that time Glee covered “Dancing With Myself,” and that’s because Glee steals things. Here’s them covering “Ever Fallen in Love,” my favorite of their songs.
- Boycotting the Russian Olympics because Russia just declared war on homosexuals is a great idea! Christopher Bird outlines some much more specific practices in order to hit the sponsors where it hurts to get the point across.
- The Bodleian Library at Oxford is running an exhibit called “Magical Books: From the Middle ages to Middle-earth.” For all of us who can’t go see it, John Garth at Oxford Today has an article about it.
- Alexis Coe at the Awl interviews Deborah Yaffe about Austen fandom and her new book, Among the Janeites.
- LEGO builder -infomaniac- built a stupidly gorgeous LEGO model of Edoras. This is the closest I’ll get to my Éowyn versus the Witch-king set for a good long while. (Although I would have recommended this hair piece in blonde.)
This week’s acquisitions:
Purchased: None
Added: Among the Janeites by Deborah Yaffe (via the Awl)
How did you come up with your online handle or your blog title? Alternatively, what’s the best anagram for your name?
For a spate of time I posted as “Taran” mostly everywhere (after the main character in the Prydain books). Before that my forum handle was plain old “Mike”, which stood out on the Tolkien Forums in its unimaginative simplicity. And now, seeing how internet anonymity is really just inspires a false sense of comfort, I just post under my own name.
I like having a handle, but I do go by my real name online as well. Keeps you honest, I think, although there’s always good reasons to have a pseud or two handy.
I am so upset that your Neopets account is no longer in use!! I thought I’d finally found a kindred spirit…
Thanks for this post. I’ve been trying to think of a new name for my blog, but haven’t had a eureka moment yet. Might try out that anagram solver 🙂
(Congrats on graduating, by the way.)
Oh, that Neopets account is no longer in use. I’m aflorentineadventure over there these days. 😀 I’m not on a lot, but say hey!
Let me know what name you pick and link back to your blog!
Huh. There were many anagrams on that site. I scarcely know what to make of all those anagrams. Suffice it to say that if I ever decide to become an evil genius, I will not come out with nearly as cool a name as Lord Voldemort.
I fear that Steven Moffat and I are done. At this point he just irritates me too much. I think he can be a good writer, but he needs somebody to rein him in, and he appears to be unwilling to LET anybody rein him in, and you just end up with a mess. That’s not exactly relevant to what you’ve said above, but I think this sort of attitude about “I’ll do what I want, never mind what anybody else says” attitude he has also relates to who he gives the role to.
Ever feel like Tom fudged on the middle name to have a cool pseud?
I think you’re dead right. When Moffat is reined in, his work can be quite lovely, but once given power, it gets to his head and shorts his collaborative circuits. …is Moffat George Lucas? He’s George Lucas, isn’t he.
I tried to make an anagram of my name but it’s too long. Sob.
Yay, it worked now! (Of course.) The only really good one is Satanic Aha Fins, though. Oh well!
Congrats on graduating, btw! And wow! Yay on moving to a new place! Now I know two bloggers who live in Colorado (the other is heidenkind lives in Colorado). 😀
Have you heard Satanic Aha Fins, my death metal Beach Boys cover band?
Thanks so much! It happened really fast, but I am all settled. Plus, there’s a tiny library right outside my place. The Powers that Be have smiled on me. And I didn’t know that! I might get in touch with her…
My blog handle was actually my second choice – my first idea, The Ranting Reader, was already taken. I was trying to think of a different name for my blog and that line from Breakfast at Tiffany’s popped into my head: Holly Golightly asks Paul Varjak if he ever stole from a five-and-dime store when he was a kid, and he responds, “Certainly not. I was the sensitive, bookish type.” I decided that although I was a bookish type as well, “sensitive” wasn’t really the mood I was going for, so I substituted “loud.”
I would have never caught that! It’s a wonderful handle for you.