Me, myself and I
A tiny FAQ
Q: Why don't you use your own name?
A: Because...
- I don't particularly like it.
- A given name really says very little about a person. It might
hint about ethnicity, age and sex, but this isn't the important
information, and leads to wrong impressions that might even get in
the way of the truth. First impressions are not to be
trusted. Of course, it might say a lot about the name
giver but how relevant is that?
- Turns out my preferred pseudonym is in fact unique. That's a next to
impossible to get with a so-and-so frequent first name + so-and-so
frequent family name(s) and perhaps an intial or seventeen. I'm still
not sure whether it's a good thing though, no anonymous mass to hide in.
But then again, for anonymity J. Smith is probably the nick to use.
Q: So which one is it? taliesin or kaleissin?
A: the latter, actually.
Q: Why "taliesin"/"kaleissin"?
A: Long story involving my faulty memory and what used to be the maximum length of usernames on some systems.
Q: What do I win if I figure out your real name?
A: Nada. Zilch, zip, nothing.
Q: How old are you?
A: Thirty-something. Now, being 29, that was tough :) Sometimes I
feel like two hundred, other times like I was born yesterday... quite
normal I guess.
Q: Are you single?
A: No.
Q: Why are there no/so few photos of you online?
A: Simply because I've never liked to have my picture taken,
something I'll probably regret if I survive long enough to grow old
and gray.
Q: What do you like to spend time on?
A: Art, computing, languages, science, politics, religion... the
usual stuff.
Q: Are you (a) <insert religion here>
A: Nope.
Q: So what do you believe in?
A: Umm... Occam's razor?
Q: What would you be willing to die for?
A: That presupposes that I'm willing to die for anything, dontcha
know. I think when push comes to show, the majority of people would
rather slink away.
Freedom of speech is a likely candidate, Voltaire was right about
that one.