@pyro2927
My given name is Joe, though on the internet, almost everyone goes by another name. Call it what you will, screen name, username, nickname, alias, handle, but they're out there. For several years now I've been pyro2927, and that has stuck primarily due to the fact I've secured it on a good number of current websites, though I don't see it changing anytime soon. Many people don't realize, however, the story behind it.
Back to the Beginning
The very first screen name I ever made for myself was v4joe. I don't remember what exactly it was meant to be, but there was a videogame commercial I saw where one of the characters had a car engine implanted in his back, making him go fast. It was a V4 engine, tack on my name, and we've got ourselves a screen name! It didn't last long, but you never forget your first.
After that came the realm of Halo profile names, and where the influence of another comes in. I played Halo with a core group of guys, most notably Tyler, Adam, and Matt. I wasn't great at coming up with profile names, but Tyler was Maverick, Adam was Iceman, and I was told to play Renegade. So I did. When Xbox Live finally came into existence, Renegade was already taken, so I needed something new. I went for Radioactive, but that was taken as well, and figured I could just stick something to the end. Due to my recent enjoyment of Homestar Runner, I settled on 20X6, and Radioactive20X6 was born.
The Later Years
Later in life my parents got internet from SBC Global, and each member of the household got to set up their very own email account! What a time to be alive. I liked my most recent moniker, but Renegade sounded too harsh for electronic mail and communication. I opted to switch it out with Coconuts after recently watching The Holy Grail. Coconuts20X6 still remains active in a few long-forgotten places of the internet, though far less than it used it.
After having access to the internet for a while I started playing RuneScape. I spent (too many) hours on that game, but at the beginning I was yet again faced with the challenge of coming up with another username. Since Tyler was so helpful in my search for names in the past, I called on him again to help me come up with something. We cycled through words like 'thermal', 'fire', 'radiation', and stumbled upon 'pyro'. But this was no ordinary pyro, he burned so hot and bright that everything around him would melt..... down. You know, because of gravity. pyromeltdown. Ah! But the numbers! We needed numbers, because all the cool kids had numbers at the end of their handles. 20X6 didn't seem to fit quite right, so I tacked on 2927, as it was the last four digits of the cell phone I had just received (which was a Motorola i1000 for this interested).
Now
I stopped playing RunScape, but the nickname stuck, for the most part. My first Steam account was named pyromeltdown2927, though as social networks and online services started popping up for all sorts of things, I shortened in down to just pyro2927. Now it's what I use on Twitter, GitHub, League of Legends, and all sorts of other places. People have asked me why I haven't changed it to something more simple, like jpintozzi, and the answer is simple. Tyler passed away in 2007. While he gave me many things over the years, including smiles and laughter, I will never forget the afternoon we spent huddled around my very first family computer brainstorming online names for me to use. It may not be professional, and it may seem to have no bearing on who I am today, but I will wear it with pride and honor in remembrance of one of the most amazing people I had the opportunity to know on this planet.