Let's Talk About Our Names, Sigs, and Avatars
 

How do you define yourself on message boards? By the choosing of your user name, by the signature you leave at the bottom of your posts, by the avatar you choose to display? Does your avatar and/or user name and/or signature show others some of your personality and nature? Why did you select the name and avatar and sig that accompany your contributions to the forum? Are they movie quotes, personal quotes, what? I find Warrior's signature quote intriguing, hopefully he might explain it here. Ravyn's avatar is bright and cheery, and I wonder if it is a representation of how she sees herself. Conundrum's avatar reminds me of the time travel pod in Seven Days (is that what it is?). And Jewel's avatar is just beautiful. I love that type of space imagry. You all may have noticed that my avatars and sigs do not remain the same. I have accounts on 4 or 5 message boards, and different avatars, sigs, and user names on each of them, because I constantly get bored and prefer to change them. That is a result of my stifled creative nature which is desperate to escape its captivity.

Likewise, I filled out my profile fully, yet I notice many posters here have left their profiles vague or completely blank. Why is that? Why not tell a bit about yourself in your profile, so that people who read your posts can find out something about you? By all means, peruse my profile! :cool:

USER NAME: Well, "Tovor" is my name on GalacticSenate.com and the main name I use in several places, but when I signed up here I wanted something Battlestar-ish. I thought of the 12 tribes or colonies of man and the 13th, Earth, and figured that the 14th colony could be me and mine. So, 14th Colony I became.

AVATAR: My first avy here was a photo of me behind my Lego model of Coruscant, the galactic capital world of Star Wars. My next avy was a close up of a building of Coruscant seen in the movie, the dark spire of Darth Sidious. My next avatar (which may be changed by the time you read this.) is a cartoon face drawn by me many many many years ago when I used to doodle in my books at school. Usually on other boards my avatars, which change every time I get bored of them, are meant to show a side of myself, or something funny or surprising that people who know me wouldn't expect, or maybe just a scene from a movie that I dug.

SIGNATURE: As I write this, I don't even remember what my sig says, so I will have to post, check it out, and edit this afterward.


Now it's your turn. Please explain your user name, your avatar, your signature, and even your profile if you feel there is something noteworthy there. :thumbsup:

Hi 14th! I guess my name is pretty self-explanatory. After joining, the folks at CF were so kind and gave me the daggit avatar, which I love.

I wanted something about Battlestar Galactica that symbolized both the endearment we felt for the show and my own (often strong) feelings. I felt Muffit was like a spark in us that reminded us of the simpleness and joy of youth, while showing courage and devotion (Fire in Space and frequently biting Cylons) too. BSG was a true family show, touching people of all ages and genders, and I wanted to represent that.

My first sig is from my favorite book, The Little Prince by Antoine St. Exupery. I first had it read to me in English then later when I learned French (which I have now mostly forgotten) it became the huge inspiration it is for me now. As any of you know if you have learned more than one language, it is truly difficult to render an accurate translation and still capture the intricacies emoted by a foreign phrase, so reading it in French really opened my eyes. The book is almost totally about how we lose what is truly important, the essence of life, as we "grow up". Hence my sig, "The eyes are blind; one must look for BSG with the heart". Anyone who knows me, knows the day I grow up is the day I will truly die.

My new second sig is from a movie I just saw. That one line from the show summed up my own fear of loving people and animals, and why.

:muffit:

P.S. This is a cool idea 14th, I hope others will join in too! :)

hiya,

interesting topic, i am curious about the origins of some of the handles here.

to answer the handle question first there have been three handles i have gone by, the first one when i found message boards and chat rooms was "1insomniac". i had that name because when i first signed on to to net i stayed online for 20+ hours a day(no joke). people would leave the chat rooms and come back in the morning and i would still be there. so the name just fit.

the second name i used was shadow4321, i used this name when i started lurking more and posting less, again it just fit.

the name that has stuck has been nightscape2112, i have had this name for over 5 years and i am in no hurry to change it. the way i came up with nightscape (not related to farscape) was i was sitting at my p.c. one late night and sat thinking about a new name. i was looking outside and though night....night.... then the view i was looking at came scape. so nightscape was born, i added the 2112 for one of my favorite albums rush's 2112. and i have been nightscape2112 ever since. now i use nightscape or nightscape2112 at all of the bboards i goto.

i find it strange for people that have 20+ names and how they manage them. i dont know if you know much of the clone wars that were at sci-fi's bboards. but if i had to keep track of more than one name i would go nut's. i am not talking about the people that have different names for each board, i am talking about people that have many names for one bboard.

i did have a name i used at sci-fi's bboards when they started censoring me, that one was "heretic", i think the name is self explanatory. i never broke there rules and i am a very courtious poster. they only censored me because i was pro galactica and anti moore.

ok to the next question, my signature. i use poerty quotes, there are two reasons i use them. one they have a special memory for me, a moment frozen in time. the second reason is, i hope that by reading the passage i use it will encourage people to read the whole of the poem (although when i had a passage from dantes inferno, that one is a bit of a long read.) . i always give the authors name and and title of the piece.

o.k. the avatar, i am into fantasy and sci-fi. i found this avatar of the dragon and thought it looked cool, so i use that. i have used other avatars anything from ranma 1/2, buffy tvs, battlestar galactica to the death star in ep. 5.

about my profile i just never got around to it. i think i put something into mine. i really did not think many people read them, because i dont.

well, have a good one and i wil enjoy reading other replys to this topic.

nightscape

er uh...

(looks at carpet)

BAD DOG! BAD DOG!

:D LOL

ROTFLMAO

okay... I just spent too many stress filled hours lately. :)

Yes, this avatar and name is Seven days related. My previous name was thomas7g cause I am "Tom". And I tacked on the last part cause I didn't want to be Thomas23234. And Thomas7g is relatively untaken. :) Warrior got tired of receiving a ton of email from the site, so he made me take it. My regular email blocks any person I haven't put on my addressbook so I had to quickly come up with another name. :)

My sig I made up one day cause of the mini series rewrite which seems to have totally ignored what made BG a show that we all love.

Ravyn's is my buddy. I've known her for a long while. I helped her with a big problem and we've been good friends ever since. And the avatar reflects her happy bouncy side. I made her that one day. :)

No avatar..but..
 

I do not have an avatar because I have not found one that suited me. CaptainTux comes from my love of Opensource software, the free software foundation, and Linux. More importantly is what those things mean to me. It is free as in free speech, not free beer. It is also the sharing of information in a community to improve the community for all. In the GPL you have access to the source code of a program and if you make improvements you submit it back to the originator so the improvements can be sared by all. That is an oversimplification of it all, but here is the main attraction.

My father always told me that you are better than no one. Everyone knows something you do not. If you wish to improve yourself, you should find out what they know and incorporate it into your life. It is only fair to share something you know as well. I write my theologies of life in pencil just in case I learn new information.

If free speech I am hoping to exchange ideas and improve the community I live in with the sharing of knowlege and experiences. For me, CaptainTux represents my willingness to share what I know with others and glean from their knowlege. Should anyone have an idea for an avatar, I am all eyes!

My user name comes from my favorite comic book series as a child, X-Men. It's easier for me to stick to one name 'cause I've been known to be forgetful when it comes to names and passwords on BB's. My signature is a quote of Starbuck's of course. I don't have an avatar yet, although I do have several awaiting a final decision at the moment. :)

My name is fairly simple. I *love* Highlander - both the series and a couple of the movies. (And I'm in love with Methos, so there, lol).

I was looking for a name to use to buy my own website name and this one popped into my head and it wasn't taken so I took it.

Let's see... my signature, I think is 'Never Give Up, Never Surrender' which, of course, I got from Galaxy Quest but which I use as a sort of 'motto' when it comes to getting a Battlestar Continuation Going.

If you came to other boards I hang out at, though, you'd probably have a hard time figuring out which name is me - unless you know me well. I don't use the same nickname in different genres.

--Rhonda

Michael Garibaldi, played by Jerry Doyle, after my favourite character from my favourite science fiction program, Babylon 5.

Sheridan, "So in other words, you're perfect for the job, because you're paranoid and compulsive"
Franklin, "Or compulsively paranoid"
Garibaldi, "Who told you to say that?"

The digits at the end of my handle are from an old phone number of mine, that's sort of stuck with me.

On other boards, I go by -eric-, since that is my name, or tamu87 since I am a proud member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '87 (whoop!)

Here I wanted something reflective of BSG. I loved the first episode where Starbuck and Apollo fake out the Cylons by pretending to be various other squadrons (orange, purple, etc) I thought the name PlaidSquadron would be both a tribute to BSG and relatively humourous.

I haven't put in asignature or Avatar yet.

Warrior - obviously a tribute to the show
the Wolf - You are from Washington? You snarl and bite? :p

Thanks Muffit and everyone for responding. What I also wonder about are the icons under some people's avatars. Like Cononudrum and Warrior have the same icon, which I assume is the symbol used by all board admins. But there are other people who have had varying and curious icons. Self designed or no, I wonder. And how do I insert some nifty personalized icons of my own?
*14th's eyes gleam like an excitable little boy!*

Warrior,
The name Warrior, like PlaidSquadron said, is a tribute to the Colonial Warriors, IMO.
You admire the beauty, agility, fierceness, and pose of the great gray wolf, a warrior of the forest. "The Lone Wolf" ties in somewhat with your signature, which implies that you have a destiny and a mission that you must fulfill on your own with no risk to others. You are a chosen one, and you must walk your path alone but for the benefit of others.
It also reminds me of an Obi-Wan Kenobi quote:
"Your destiny lies along a different path than mine."

Actually those mean something. The ones me and Warrior have is the badge Adama wears. And it is used to symbolize webmasters and owners of big BG websites and forums. There is also a badge that is the Kobol medalion adama had on that pyramid planet. That is for honored people like Michael Faries and Ken Thompson. Though we may switch that to the gold warrior Pin. The gold pin will be people who worked on BG the trailer, and stuff like that or did something rather huge. or former mods. (soon to be installed) And silver for current mods cause that's what all the bridge crew had. :D (Also coming)

This is an interesting idea and topic.

Let's see --

Handle: If you've been over at Skiffy or Yahoo BG Revival forum, you may have seen the whole name but, if not, BST stands for "BattleStarTrekker". I chose that name because it symbolizes my appreciation for 2 distinct science fiction universes both of which, have had a profound effect on me. I try to keep the same name wherever I go, it's just a lot easier for a not-so-old but, yet cluttered mind such as mine.

Avatar: My current avatar was given to me as a gift by a certain, wonderful admin person (*whispers TOM) and for which I am very, very grateful. The other avatars that I have used are generally pictures which were either e-mailed to me or from newspapers, etc. On this subject, I will be changing my avatar next week, for one day, in remembrance of that terrible day 2 years ago.

EDIT: My present avatar is Shadowfax, Gandalf's horse.

Signature: * This was an attempt at "poke-in-the-eye" humor towards the lady that forgot where she parked her broomstick. It paraphrases what Adama said to Adar on the eve of the Cylon Attack on the Colonies.

EDIT: The Signature is from LOTR:TTT and is what Gandalf says to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli upon Shadowfax's arrival.

Profile: Upon joining this forum, I left the profile blank mainly because I didn't have such things as an ICQ#, AIM handle, etc. With regards to the "other stuff", I left it blank mainly to avoid any preconceptions about me before I had given folks a chance to develop an opinion of me, through my words.

BST :)

btw, nightscape...I thought that's what the '2112' was for but, never remembered to ask you about it -- (the mind is a terrible thing....) :)


Below is the avatar which I was using at the time when I originally posted this response.

(Thanks again, Tom.) :)

OK I’ll take a turn.

Handle: Unlike most things in my profile there is a bit of history behind it. None of which has any bearing on the internet. Many Moons back I joined a startup software company as head of development. We handed out sever Id’s based on our initials and the company name and group. So repcisg means rep(my initials) Cynosure (company name) Information Systems Group (my department). The products I developed worked great, were on time and under budget. But the CEO got bored and started to party on the company, he also thought he was the greatest salesman in the world. Well to make a long story short, we found out that most of the accounts that should have bought our products had a bad experience with the CEO at some point during negotiations (I’m being really polite here). So we fired him. I took over and fought for two years to save the company, but the damage was done and I finally closed the doors. After all that I kind of hung on to the handle out of sentiment.


Avatar: This was one of the early Avatars put out at 3Dgladiators for those of us artistically challenged. Again I kind of hate to change it for sentimental reasons. I’m kind of sentimental you see.


Signature: Well one day I was paying a visit to the Doctor, my blood pressure was way to high. This was shortly after I had closed the doors on five years of very intense effort. She was aware of the situation and was concerned that with this “new” problem I might do something drastic. Out of the blue I just laid it on her. Well she figured I must be OK if that is how I looked at things.

Thought it might fit with our current situation. I have another which speaks to my very, very large ego. I have learned over the years to keep it toned down a bit, at least in public.


Profile: Just to lazy to fill it all in.
:D

Okay. Moi. Well, I chose Senmut because he was an Ancient Egyptian that I have come to admire alot. It's a long story, but suffice it to say he rose from zilch, to become the most powerful man in the court of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut. (BTW, Hatshepsut was a woman. Egyptian has no word for Queen) There is something sweet about their story.
As to the avatar...I like Bogart, and his persona. He was All-American, and never took felcercarb off of anyone.

Handle: I had a friend who collected flamingos. I wasn't impressed with them myself, but was willing to look for them for her. After awhile, I started to see what she saw, and so when I found one for her, I'd get another one for me. Soon, she dropped the collection, and I took it up with gusto. I now love them, and have them all over my apartment. When I first started investigating the internet, I had no imagination for a cute nickname like everyone else had, but kept thinking about it. Then one day I had an aquaintence over, and when she walked into the apartment, she looked around and said "YOU are the flamingo GIRL!", and I liked it and took it. I now use it as often as I can, or some misspelling of it.

Avatar:Well, not to get all drooly or anything, I am something of a fan of Dirk (esspecially as Starbuck), and it is no secret on a genre devoted board I frequent. When they threw a party celebrating its first year of existance, one of my photoshop heros on the board created this picture as a party favor for me. This was the first time I had a real use for it.

Signature:Three quotes. The first is from an episode of BSG, Starbuck said it to Cassie. Can't remember off the top of my head what ep it's from or what it was in reference to, but it seemed to aply to my life, so...
The second is from the chat with Richard, when someone asked him what Dirk thought of his character being turned into a woman for the mini.
The third, well, as some here may remember, earlier this year, I cut the end of one of my fingers off, and this was a philosophy that sprang from that incedent.

And as for my profile, I've never been very good at that sort of thing, my life is a series of stories, and I just don't seem to be able to condense them into one short story.

OK, I'll jump in here, too.

My handle is the same as one I used a number of years ago (on a poetry board, no less :blink: ), and I happen to like it, so I used it when I first found CF. If I'd known I was going to become so involved in BSG, though, I'd have tried to come up with something a little more clever.

My signature originally came from a line in a favorite book of mine by a favorite author (if you've never read some of Janet Kagan's work, you're missing out - see if you can find "Hellspark", or the Star Trek book "Uhura's Song" - they're both excellent. So's "Mirabile"). Although I may just change it back to that line (it's amusing, but you have to read "Hellspark" to get it), my signature right now it expresses my feelings about BSG.

My avatar was also a gift from someone I hope counts as a friend (Hi, Tom), because I am totally hopeless as a graphic-artist-type. This shot represents, to me, a moment of hope in the midst of doubt. The parallels should be obvious.

My profile tells it pretty much as it is. I make my living in a small law office (I'm the office staff, not a lawyer), but I'm really science fiction's answer to the wild popularity of Steven King - I just have to be discovered yet. I live in the Pacific Northwest - always green (except for my lawn) and the best place on earth to live (if I can't live in Hawaii).

A bit not otherwise discussed - today (9/5) is my anniversary. I've been married to Mrs. Dawg for 13 years and a handful of hours. Some of the most challenging, and without a doubt the most wonderful, years of my life. I just wanted to say that out loud.

Good night.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

I'm a day late but no less sincere, Happy Anniversary Dawg! Congratulations on 13 years of a wonderful marriage!
I hope you and your honey had a great party to celebrate the day!
:music: :beer: :bounce: :woof: :alien:

That quote is from The Living Legend. Starbuck says it to Cassiopea in a conversation about her being torn between him and Cain.

The quote in my signature is from The Man With Nine Lives. Starbuck is introducing himself and Apollo to Chameleon. Chameleon has just saved Starbuck from losing a lot of money using his latest gambling system. :)

To Flamingo Girl, sincere empathy for your finger. To Dawg, many congrats on 13 years. To all, this is a cool thread and thanks so much for sharing. :)

:muffit:

Oh, the finger is doing a LOT better now, Muffit, the huge injury has shrunk to a tiny scar, and it no longer feels like I'm getting stuck by a pin every time I touch it to something, although it does feel "odd".

I really don't recomend anyone try slicing bits of their fingers off.

Oh, and thanks Logan.

Here it comes....

Handle : Well, I came up with my name when I first went online in 1999. I wanted a name that I could use everywhere, rather than have a name on each Bboard I was on. Given that my surname begins with the letter W, I decided to add something suitable to the end and shortened down the star 'Wolf 359' to 'W359' (after the battle with the Borg in Star Trek : TNG).

Avatar : I got this from the set that was available from BattlestarGalactica.com a few months ago, it's one of the IL series Cylons on Gamoray from 'The Living Legend'. I chose this as it seemed suitably unique, plus the IL series Cylons had that distinct English accent (what is it about the English accent & villany?)

Signature : Bit of a kooky one this, I got it from a song on the CD '20 Golden Showers' by Bubonique, a David Bowie spoof called 'Ang On Ronno', where this guy is attempting to sing something close to 'Life On Mars', and a sample in the background is saying "Destroy the Tin Machine!" (Bowie's former band, geddit?!)....... Kinda cool, but kinda ironic given that my avatar *is* a tin machine!

Ian_W359

My turn........
My handle, Amberstar is part of my name. (I bet some of you have already guessed that). Amber is my middle name, and star represents my fascination with outer space. Since I was a child I have always wanted to travel through the stars! I try to use this name whenever I join a group, if it is taken I add a few numbers that follow. It's easy to remember that way.

My avatar was also a gift from a wonderful person! Thank you again Tom. I tried and tried to come up with one of my own, but soon discovered I was horrible at it. I really liked Athena's roll in BSG. She had potential to develop into a strong leading lady for the show.
I also think we all have potential to do great things in our life if we only try.

Signature, that is one I haven't come up with yet. Still looking
around for one that I just have to have!:D

Congrats Dawg! Here is to a long, happy life together with the Mrs. ( Sorry, It's a belated wish. )

Amberstar

Here I go...

The Handle - This is something I came up with on the fly... I wanted something that would speak of BSG, but of one of my other SciFi interests as well. The "Gemini" part is my astrological sign and it is also the name of one of the 12 colonies in BSG. The "1999" is from another short-lived 70's Sci-Fi show, Space:1999.

My Avatar - This was an interesting journey as I was having a hard time finding one to use and couldn't. I found some Ralph McQuarrie pre-production drawings of BSG on the net and using Microsoft Photo Editor, sized it down to fit the parameters for CF. Somehow, I can't get it to work over at CA! I love the pre-production pic of the Galactica in front of that striking blue/white planet in the background - it was always one of my favorites!

The Signature - I wanted to use a quote from one of the original BSG episodes, but not one that was terribly familiar. I was watching "Saga of a Star World" and the scene where Tigh is collecting uniforms was where it came from. I loved the fact that all of the characters were given lines where some humor was brought into the storyline without making it look silly or stupid. That line always gets a laugh from me when I hear it.

Best Regards,
Bryan
________
LOVE HELP FORUM

Flamingo Girl, yeeeooouch! I hope it was just a section of skin that you sliced off and not inclduing any of the bone. I myself did the same thing last year, and boy did it hurt and bleed. I manage a one hour photo lab (in an Eckerd drug store) and one day last summer I was cutting negatives in the negative cutter/sleever. You push the neg in to the plastic sleeve and stop so that the space between the frames is over the metal edge, and with your right hand pull the handle down so the small blade cuts the negative. I was rushing to finish an order while the customer was standing at the counter waiting, and unwittingly pushed the neg in too far so that my finger tip was under the blade as I pulled the handle down. I let out a yelp, along with a colorful though unprofessional word, and grabbed my finger as it literally poured blood out. I had cut off, or cut out a section of skin about a centimeter wide and seemingly very deep, and it would not stop bleeding even as I ran it under the sink and surrounded it with paper towels. I am not hemopheliac, but I do have type 2 diabetes and I have heard that that is why I bled so much. The assistant store manager freaked out when she saw it and insisted that I close the lab and go to the ER to get stitches. Before I left, I gave the customer her negatives and photos and told her that if she found any of my finger in with her negs it was because I always put a part of me into my work. To make a long story short, I didn't need stitches but they put a butterfly on and I wore a thick bandage for a week. There is a scar there now, a small area with no fingerprints. If I was a cat burgular I would put that one finger to good use!

Oh, and I just changed my avatar again. That pic is of me when I was 13 years old, the day before my bar mitzvah, and the photographer who came to my house to shoot family pics before the event had me pretend to do something I enjoyed. So in that pic I have a small pen knife and pretend to be working on my Galactica model.

As for my signature, which I did not explain in my introductory post, it is my attempt to shamelessly promote myself. :D
The first link urges you to check out my sci-fi art thread on another message board, where I have on display many of my Lego city creations and Star Wars and other sci-fi drawings.
The second link is urging you to check out Star Wars message board where I am extrememly active as "Tovor".
The third link is just me being a practicioner of lame humor. Go ahead and press it, I dare ya!

Then there is a quote of the conversation between Adama and the President of the human colonies on the supposed eve of the truce with the Cylons. Obviously, I have embellished the quotes to a great length!

Then there is another shameless plug for my answer thread, where people can ask wise me about any of the strange quirks of life or the world that they must know.

I am Emerita everywhere on line. If you go to any messageboard and you see Emerita...it is me. It is Latin for "Woman who has achieved a place of honor"...so respect me...dammit! :p LOL..just kidding. I am the oldest poster out here...lol
My signature of Ciryatan is my maiden name in Elvish
The arrow one is from LOTR
P3C-117 is the homeworld of the Nox on Stargate SG1

Everyone's so far are way cool. :thumbsup:

Oh...My avatar is courtesy of my sweetpea, Warrior... Thanks Darrell......it even looks like me! My nose is straight and not button, but the eyes are dead on. Unbelieveably like mine..... I am flattered... and you can't tall, but my eyes are bright blue....

Guess I need to update my original post on the subject! My name, avatar, and signature now all match with my favorite BSG character. :)

My name and Avatar
 

I choose my name Shiningstar because I wanted something that
was unique like ME! ;)

I choose my avatar of Starbuck with Cassiopia because they were
two of my favorite characters ..........THey had flaws but they
rose above their flaws to serve a higher calling.

They were what I considered to be among the stronger characters in
the show.