I've used tinythinker as my internet handle for a loooong time. Not all accounts using tinythinker are me anymore, but that's not a problem as you can kind of sort the ones that fit with academic themes, societal issues, sci-fi fantasy, and video games from the rest.
Originally I used a handle from a chatroom called Moe's Tavern that was taken from a book, and sometimes a character I made on a social MMO, but when I ventured into message boards I wanted something else.
The first message board I decided to try was (and still is as of this writing) called CARM. Someone there had gone with the name "Pinky" and used an image of a cartoon character of the same name for the account. I thought about using "The Brain", but I knew I might not always control my image/avatar so people might get the wrong idea. After considering it and pondering some other diminutive genius characters, I just went with tinythinker.
I knew some people would use it to mock me by interpreting it as suggesting I am stupid, but I figured, let them. Being underestimated on message boards, chats, etc. where people debate and discuss sensitive topics can be an advantage, and helping rude people self-identify is a bonus.
I was a regular at CARM from 1998 to roughly 2003 or 2004, but I branched out into other message boards and even made one of my own at a now defunct service called EZ Board (which later became Yuku then something else). Here is what CARM looked like in 2000...
While CARM could be contentious in the early days people still made friends and friendly acquaintances, even with those with opposing views. That would decline in the latter part of my time there, but it was fun to interact with so many people with differing perspectives.
When those who didn't hold to more fundamentalist views of Christianity (especially non-Christians) felt singled out for actions by moderators, an alternative set of forums, AARM, arose for a while. People came and went from both places, but a surprising number were constant at CARM for almost a decade, maybe more.
At one point, things were so heated that I felt like I was fighting one way or another, and even when in defense it got frustrating. The discussions and debates felt like an endless conflict, and I started feeling meaner and less tolerant when I logged on at those forums. Eventually I just reallocated my time to other message boards I was already on and also started a blog that was about exploring some of the same or similar concepts from another perspective, without all of the arguing.
My time on the other forums petered out between 2010 and 2012, but the blog was still fairly active for a couple of years after that. That blog still exists but gets little use. My own forums, which started in 2000 on EZ Board which then became Yuku after an acquisition, were then bought by Tapatalk in 2016. In 2017 my forums were deleted without warning after I hadn't been on a for while, so all of the great discussions going back to the turn of the century were wiped out, including those of a deceased friend.
Meanwhile, CARM has had several upgrades that also can wipe out posts. I checked yesterday after not being around for so long and not only did I not recognize a single username (not a surprise), there was no hint I or others I had known were ever there (also, not a surprise). At least from what I could see without re-registering. It's not a tragedy per se, but it is strange to see over a decade of communications just wiped out. Whoever still says that nothing is ever truly gone from the internet needs a reality check.
But that's it. That's how I got this name, which I use for things I consider fun or engaging. It isn't a particularly entertaining or engaging backstory, but this handle I have been together for a quarter of a century. If you've ever met me online, feel free to reply in the comments and say hello.
Have a great day!
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