Ongoing Process

I’ve been online since that meant dialing in at 2400 baud to the local BBS. Over the years, I’ve gone by a number of handles. Here’s a chronological tour of who I’ve been online.

Lord Hackendar - Circa 1990 CE
Ah, the narcissism only a teenager can generate. This was my title on all the BBSs, pre-Internet. Anybody else remember WWIV?

Atheist - Circa 1994 CE
Short and to the point. My first serious interactions on the ‘Net were on Undernet IRC. I hung out in #christian and very politely tomented them. I may have been the only (then) atheist ever offered ops on that channel.

Heresiarc - Circa 1997 CE
Giving up on the fundies and moving on to #atheism, I decided a more individualized name was in order. Obviously, more unique did not equate to substantially more mature. (I had to drop the final “h” because IRC nicknames could only be nine characters long).

Nihil & OldManNihil - Circa 1999 CE
Moving towards postmodern oblivion, I adapted my nick to suit. IMing was getting started and I also got my first domain, so I used the longer version where the name pickings were slimmer.

Liminal - Circa 2002 CE
Finding a new way of living, I launched a new name to suit. I left chatting behind and focused on developing philosophies for my new domain, vitalumen.net.

SpiritGeek - Present
Self-explanatory if you know me.  Also probably if you don’t.

Well, there you have it. I admit I largely wrote this page on the off chance that someone from my distant past might Google for an old nick and find me. What can I say? I’m a nostalgic sap.