Hey all.

I’ve been considering changing my username around the web. I created the name aearnus a few years ago from the entropy of the universe, and I liked the way it sounded. But now I’m applying for jobs, and I’m looking recruiters straight in the eye and handing them a paper which identifies me as “anus”“aearnus”. Tough luck!

Changing your entire online persona is hard, though. Some accounts that I have are still on the username that I chose when I was 9 and signing up for Nick.com (looking at you, Spotify). Strange how that follows you forever. And I’m not sure if whatever new name I choose will stand up to my scrutiny a few years down the line.

Right now I’m considering two names: DataKinds or tslimkemann. I like the former because I like Haskell, it looks good, and I enjoy the implication of “kind” data in the emotional sense. I like the latter because, well, it’s my name. But irrevocably linking my real identity to my online persona is still iffy to me, even if I am a white male and probably have nothing to fear.

Either way, it’s something I’m still considering. If you have any tips, I’d desperately like to hear them – message me using one of the methods down below or in the Discord server in the header.