Handles

There are some nicknames we use for Monkey, Buster, and Yessa.

These are the names that Ginnie and I settled around their shoulders like warm cloaks while they were too young to weigh in on them. These are not the names they use to refer to themselves online. Most internet platforms let you choose an handle that strikes your whimsey. That handle doesn’t reveal your age, your gender, your race, religion or region.

A word about doxing. Doxing is connecting an internet identity to a real person. In internet culture, this is considered not cool and potentially dangerous. Doxing leads to real threats, see gamergate or swatting.

So, our youths are leery of connecting their current internet identities to this blog, which while it uses nicknames is still more than enough to connect an identity to a person, a picture, a place. It certainly proves that they’re not a dog.

I have permission to share some of their handles for posterity and the current ones will get modified enough to not match a google search. Here are some:

• bumbram
• bramdon (a more mature, bumless adaption of bumbram)
• windeehouser (this is a general purpose identity used by several gems)
• eightoranges
• palpaladin
• pollyeu
• Lilmoonpig
• griffnsafe

Identity evolves but I’ve always been impressed by our gang’s effortless creativity and surely the handles can be picked apart by a therapist someday to review hidden personality secrets.