[Ensign Steve]

I have used either my real name or Ensign Steve since I adopted that handle circa 2002. I don't compartmentalize shit, so there is a lot of overlap (for example I use my real name on facebook but the url is facebook.com/ensignsteve) which you would think would confuse the hell out of people but in reality most people don't notice or care. I get a hell of a lot more "were you in the navy?" than I get "who is steve?" which I think is pretty funny.

I sort of regret and sort of don't regret having a male handle as opposed to a gender-neutral one. When I'm posting on topics where my gender is relevant (feminism, athletics, health) I need to either use my real name or end every relevant post with "I am female, btw". Lame, but I can't really blame anyone for assuming I'm male by default. I tried using the stupid, cutesy handle "Perl Girl" for a little while, but it didn't take, plus I hardly code in Perl anymore.