My original username here at Caltech was "markwis", on the VAX machines (the "Shakespeare cluster" -- juliet was my favorite machine). When that cluster showed signs of ending, I decided I needed to get a new account. I had chosen markwis for the fact that usernames were supposed to relate to your real name in some fashion, and "markwis" reads correctly, pronunciation wise (it's also the way my mother first saw my father's last name written out, when first they were introduced (blind date)). Still, I wanted variety, so I went and did something weird... I chose "warrior" as my username for my ugcs account.

The reasons for this are, surprisingly, many in number. I don't tend to get hung up on something unless it reappears time and again in my life. Some of the reasons require explanations that are either longer or more personal than I want to get into here. Others are just sort of random (pun intended, even if you didn't get it), or fed upon each other to gain prominence. Anyway, to cut to the point, here's a list, in no particular order (again), of some of the factors behind my choice of "warrior":

• It is suggested that usernames on ugcs reflect the real-life name of the user, though many do not at all. I split the difference: my middle name is Edward.
  
• At some point, I began using "WAR" as my "initials" on old-style video games high score lists.
  
• I have an affinity for swords and often tend to assess things in a martial way.
  
• I found myself drawn to the idea of a "warrior" as someone searching and fighting for wisdom and the "right" cause. True warriors, as "Mr. Worf" might say, do not always fight their way out of a situation, and when they do, it is not always with tangible weapons.
  
• Similar to the previous explanation, in a sense, I associate pretty strongly with the song, "Tom Sawyer" by Rush. For instance:
  

  No, his mind is not for rent
  To any god or government,
  Always hopeful yet discontent,
  He knows changes aren't permanent... but change is!
  

  If you haven't a clue what this has to do with "warrior", then you haven't heard the song, which describes "today's Tom Sawyer" as "a modern-day warrior" (it's a fun rhyme).
  
• It is, as suggested two points above, a partial nod to Michael Dorn's Klingon character, Worf, on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Worf is fond of starting sentences with, "A warrior...," and indeed, I used to collect "Worfisms" for fun. My favorite is: "Questions are the beginning of wisdom -- the mark of a true warrior." I've got it on a mug.
  
• My friend Plin Shiley is often known as Chaos. His (and my) friend Rich (aka 'Shard) is sort of "Order". Then I became "Random" for various reasons. At some point, this became "the Warrior Random". This is amusing, because at roughly the same point in my life, I began to characterize my "impulses" and character as a balance between two semi-personas: a bard, generally known as "Random" for his roughly "chaotic-good" nature, and a warrior, sort of a "lawful-neutral" character (in some ways, a pragmatic "paladin" for wisdom). "The Warrior Random" thus embodies both of these, oddly enough.
  
• A year before I got my username, I moved into a new room at Caltech (in Dabney House). Looking for stuff to fill my whiteboard, I began to draw various characters. One was a warrior. He became my whiteboard's mascot, in a way -- the Warrior of Room 49.
  
• The Bad Pun Explanation: I tend to over-analyze, or so most people agree. (Personally, I doubt you _can_ over-analyze, so long as you maintain originality -- i.e. you avoid redundant analysis.) I also play out scenarios -- "what if"s -- in my head, and generally ponder what the _worst_ (within the limits of reality) case scenario might be for some impending social drama. In other words, I come across as something of a "worrier". (Despite the pun, this is, in fact, true.)
  

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