Explain your UC User Name and Avatar

[MagikFingerz]

You guys think you have it bad with a tiny extra e after Burk or a measly extra d in Lancaster?

I frequently get people misspelling my username with c's and s'es, it's horrible

[montecarlojoe]

My username is pretty simple really - My other collection is of chips used in the casinos of Monte Carlo, Monaco. My name is Joe (or Joseph if you're my mum and I'm in trouble). Simples.

My avatar - I don't know really. I used to use the Tick (see my sig quote), but this spoke to me. I guess, like Oscar, I have a grumpy demeanour, but a big heart when you dig a bit. And who doesn't look good in aviators?

[RSLancastr]

You guys think you have it bad with a tiny extra e after Burk or a measly extra d in Lancaster?

I frequently get people misspelling my username with c's and s'es, it's horrible

I once bemoaned the "Landcaster" thing to a friend, and she told me that I had no idea.

Her last name: Jadwiszczok (It's Polish, pronounced "YAD-wish-chock".

Suddenly, "Landcaster" didn't seem so bad after all...

[Sher]

I had a high school English teacher whose last name is Blaszczak, pronounced Blay-zack. We had no problem pronouncing it... Only spelling it

As for my username... It's just short for Shermaine. I'm not called Sher very often in real life, because people come up with all sorts of things to call me: Gucci (after the rapper, Gucci-mane), Charlemagne (after the ruler), Sherbert (after the dessert), Sherminator (inspired by the Terminator), etc. I'm not very picky about what people call me, really.

Avatar: Lotrek provided me with this avatar when I became part of the UC Crew on Kickstarter and decided to use it on UC as well as KS.

[Mike Ratledge]

Heheheh. Good job, folks! I guess maybe I should explain why I use Mike Ratman on Facebook, maybe? I have been called "Ratman" since my high school days and a lot of people still do, especially old friends. Just a play on Ratledge. I'll go back and torment the heck out of people over there about Heretic and my secret project with Lotrek that I already teased here (Something Wicked This Way Comes)...

[RSLancastr]

I had a high school English teacher whose last name is Blaszczak, pronounced Blay-zack. We had no problem pronouncing it... Only spelling it

I don't think that pronunciation is correct (or perhaps his or her family "Westernized" it upon coming to America.

If it is Polish (and I think it is), it would properly be pronounced BLASH-chack (In Polish, "sz" is pronounced like "sh" is in English, and "cz" like "ch" is in English)

As for my username... It's just short for Shermaine. I'm not called Sher very often in real life, because people come up with all sorts of things to call me: Gucci (after the rapper, Gucci-mane), Charlemagne (after the ruler), Sherbert (after the dessert), Sherminator (inspired by the Terminator), etc. I'm not very picky about what people call me, really.

Avatar: Lotrek provided me with this avatar when I became part of the UC Crew on Kickstarter and decided to use it on UC as well as KS.

Thanks for the explanations!

[Mike Ratledge]

I had a high school English teacher whose last name is Blaszczak, pronounced Blay-zack. We had no problem pronouncing it... Only spelling it

I don't think that pronunciation is correct (or perhaps his or her family "Westernized" it upon coming to America.

If it is Polish (and I think it is), it would properly be pronounced BLASH-chack (In Polish, "sz" is pronounced like "sh" is in English, and "cz" like "ch" is in English)!

Maybe so, but there are "Blay-zack"s around here as well, and that's how they pronounce it here in the states, anyway.

It's one of those "huh?" names, like "Worchesterchire", which certainly doesn't look like "wu-ster-shire" to me, nor does Leicester look like "Lester" - but that's the way they are pronounced even in the Queen's English.

[RSLancastr]

It's one of those "huh?" names, like "Worchesterchire", which certainly doesn't look like "wu-ster-shire" to me, nor does Leicester look like "Lester" - but that's the way they are pronounced even in the Queen's English.

Yup. And they sometimes pronounce Lancaster LANG-kis-ter (as do many on the US East Coast, I've been told).

My family has always pronounced it LAN-cas-ter (rhymes with "fan master").

[Maddest Hammer]

It's one of those "huh?" names, like "Worchesterchire", which certainly doesn't look like "wu-ster-shire" to me, nor does Leicester look like "Lester" - but that's the way they are pronounced even in the Queen's English.

Yup. And they sometimes pronounce Lancaster LANG-kis-ter (as do many on the US East Coast, I've been told).

My family has always pronounced it LAN-cas-ter (rhymes with "fan master").

Or, if you live in Massachusetts it becomes "Wooster". And honestly, I wish I had a nickel for everyone who mis-pronounced Brohammer. I realize, growing up with it, it seems pretty simple, but come on...bro hammer. Simple, right? Nope. Somehow, the o becomes a u, or an i, and the a becomes ei, it has always baffled me how it gets screwed up. And then I came to Germany, the only place I've ever been that I don't have to correct anyone

[nECr0MaNCeD]

It's one of those "huh?" names, like "Worchesterchire", which certainly doesn't look like "wu-ster-shire" to me, nor does Leicester look like "Lester" - but that's the way they are pronounced even in the Queen's English.

Yup. And they sometimes pronounce Lancaster LANG-kis-ter (as do many on the US East Coast, I've been told).

My family has always pronounced it LAN-cas-ter (rhymes with "fan master").

Or, if you live in Massachusetts it becomes "Wooster". And honestly, I wish I had a nickel for everyone who mis-pronounced Brohammer. I realize, growing up with it, it seems pretty simple, but come on...bro hammer. Simple, right? Nope. Somehow, the o becomes a u, or an i, and the a becomes ei, it has always baffled me how it gets screwed up. And then I came to Germany, the only place I've ever been that I don't have to correct anyone

I feel your pain in this. Try having Helfer for a last name. If I had a dollar for everyone who pronounced it Heffer or Hefner I could retire. You'd think it was easy. 6 letters, 4 consonants broken with 2 vowels. Easy right? Not to mention the occasional Helper, which by the way is what it means in German. Bah! I give up.

[RSLancastr]

...and how tough is it to say "Lancaster"? just pronounce it the way it is spelled, how tough is that?

But noooo, I hear:

• Landcaster
• Langkister
• Lanchester
• Lankashear (???)

...and a few other permutations as well.

ETA:

A couple of years ago, my wife and I lived in the Lancaster Commons Apartments, in the North Lancaster neighborhood of Salem, just off of Lancaster Street, a few blocks north of the Lancaster Mall.

One day, we visited an eyeglasses vendor IN the Lancaster Mall, ON Lancaster Street.

When it came time to place the order, I had a conversation with the sales clerk which began like this:

Clerk (filling out order form): Your name please?
Me: Robert Lancaster
Clerk: So that's spelled L-A-N-D...
Me: NO!! Like the name of the Mall you work in! Like the name of the street you work on!! L-A-N-C-A-S-T-E-R!!!

Good grief!

[lolo]

Surprise ! Lolo is my nickname...

My avatar is "superdupont" a french cartoon character. It's a super hero parody with all the faults and clichés about french people...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdupont

Americans have superman, we have superdupont !

superdupont-250x362.jpg (24.37 KiB) Viewed 2120 times

[Mike Ratledge]

Robert, if you heard "Lan-kister" I'm betting it was someone that was or speaks Dutch or German. That's how the "Pennsylvania Dutch" say it. (they aren't Dutch, they are of German descent, like my mother's family surname is High or Hye in old English and Hoch in Tyskland / Germany.)

[RSLancastr]

Surprise ! Lolo is my nickname...

My avatar is "superdupont" a french cartoon character. It's a super hero parody with all the faults and clichés about french people...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdupont

Americans have superman, we have superdupont !

The attachment superdupont-250x362.jpg is no longer available

Thanks for the explanations, Lolo!

"Dupont" is best known to me, and probably to most Americans, as the name of a huge chemical company.

But it had never occurred to me, until I read your post about your avatar, that the word "Dupont" is, in fact, TWO words: "Du pont". I even know that "pont" is French for "bridge" (the structure, not, at least I don't think, the card game). I only know this from Pont neuf, etcetera, in Paris. So "Du pont" means "The bridge", something which simply never even occurred to me!

And now, armed with that information, I finally see that the word "DUPONT" within the famous "Dupont" logo ("DUPONT" inside an oval) is actually "DU PONT", but the space between the two words is narrow enough As to go unnoticed by those who, like me, were/are blissfully ignorant of it being two words. (see attachment below).

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuPont:

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization[citation needed] and ninth based on revenue in 2012.[4] Its stock price is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

So thanks again Lolo, for the tidbit by which my poor brain made the connection.

SuperDupont would be proud (of you, not me)!

ETA: Another connection I had not made until now: The French word "Pont" (Bridge) and the Spanish word "Puente" (Bridge) almost certainly have a common ancestor!

What an educational thread/topic!!

[lolo]

"Dupont" is best known to me, and probably to most Americans, as the name of a huge chemical company.

But it had never occurred to me, until I read your post about your avatar, that the word "Dupont" is, in fact, TWO words: "Du pont". I even know that "pont" is French for "bridge" (the structure, not, at least I don't think, the card game). I only know this from Pont neuf, etcetera, in Paris. So "Du pont" means "The bridge", something which simply never even occurred to me!

Here are two other celebrity in Eurore : detectives Dupont and Dupond (Thomson and Thompson in english) !

Belgique_Dupont_et_Dupond_Thomson_and_Thompson___e64cd1cb2e6c41559c696376b4097f16.jpg (32.21 KiB) Viewed 2095 times

How to recognize them ? Dupond with a "D" have a mustache like a "D" (right) and Dupont with a "T" have a mustache like a "T" (left).

They were drawn by Hergé in "The Adventures of Tintin" :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ETA: Another connection I had not made until now: The French word "Pont" (Bridge) and the Spanish word "Puente" (Bridge) almost certainly have a common ancestor!

What an educational thread/topic!!

This is normal : french, italian, spannish and portuguese language are all derived from Latin language.

[RSLancastr]

How to recognize them ? Dupond with a "D" have a mustache like a "D" (right) and Dupont with a "T" have a mustache like a "T" (left).

I remember them well, from watching TinTin on television as a child! Does "Pond" mean anything in French?

This is normal : french, italian, spannish and portuguese language are all derived from Latin language.

How...Romantic!

[lolo]

I remember them well, from watching TinTin on television as a child! Does "Pond" mean anything in French?

"Dupont", "Dupond" and "DuPont" with a space or not are evolution of the names during ages. For example, during 19th century, my ancestors have get one additionnal L to their name : "galard" to "gallard".

[RSLancastr]

I remember them well, from watching TinTin on television as a child! Does "Pond" mean anything in French?

"Dupont", "Dupond" and "DuPont" with a space or not are evolution of the names during ages. For example, during 19th century, my ancestors have get one additionnal L to their name : "galard" to "gallard".

Yes, many - perhaps most surnames have morphed over the ages.

My wife is a hobbyist genealogist and researched my family line, as a wedding present for my oldest sister. One interesting thing she discovered was that one of my earliest ancestors in America was a Robert Lanquashear when he first immigrated from England, but changed his last name to Lancaster, for unknown reasons.

My wife's mother's maiden name was Bumcrot, a Dutch name which, a few generations earlier, had been Bumcrotz (IIRC)

[Norbie]

Norbie = Norbert

A nick name I got from my friends.

Avatar = Jack Kerouack

My favourite author. I also look a "little" bit like him. Well.... I think so anyway.

Simple.

[montecarlojoe]

[quote="RSLancastr"]...and how tough is it to say "Lancaster"? just pronounce it the way it is spelled, how tough is that?

[*]Lankashear (???)[/list]
[quote]

I kind of expected that one, as Lancaster is a town in Lancashire (county) in the UK.

Pronunciation here would vary between the north and south:

Lan-CASS-ter in the north, and Lan-CAAS-ter in the south.

[Diamond Back]

My username has two meanings.
It's a homage to my favorite deck of cards, the Bee Diamond Back
and it's also a reference to a gun in the game Team Fortress 2.

My avatar is a spy which is the class that uses the diamond back.
The Joker hat was a happy coincidence I came across.

[RSLancastr]

My username has two meanings.
It's a homage to my favorite deck of cards, the Bee Diamond Back
and it's also a reference to a gun in the game Team Fortress 2.

My avatar is a spy which is the class that uses the diamond back.
The Joker hat was a happy coincidence I came across.

Thanks for the explanations!

[Godzillian]

Avatar: Godzilla from Son of Godzilla
Reason: It is the worst Godzilla suit in all of the franchise. In fact, it's just the worst/campiest looking Godzilla period. Seriously, look up Son of Godzilla in Google Images. Minilla, the actual son of Godzilla, looks worse!

I just wanted to present the derpiest Godzilla around. It's difficult for me to take my own posts seriously now...

[RSLancastr]

Avatar: Godzilla from Son of Godzilla
Reason: It is the worst Godzilla suit in all of the franchise. In fact, it's just the worst/campiest looking Godzilla period. Seriously, look up Son of Godzilla in Google Images. Minilla, the actual son of Godzilla, looks worse!

Yes. IIRC, Minilla looked a bit like a purple frog on its hindquarters.

I just wanted to present the derpiest Godzilla around.

I believe that you have succeeded, sir.

Oh, and thanks for the explanations!

[Gruul]

I play a card game called Magic: The Gathering. In the game there are several different ways to play and colors that are associated with them. In this game, I normally play in Green and Red. This combo is often called Gruul due to a tribe of savages associated with these colors. The Avatar pic is the Gruul Signet. A kind of Burning Tree to represent green and red.

[RSLancastr]

I play a card game called Magic: The Gathering. In the game there are several different ways to play and colors that are associated with them. In this game, I normally play in Green and Red. This combo is often called Gruul due to a tribe of savages associated with these colors. The Avatar pic is the Gruul Signet. A kind of Burning Tree to represent green and red.

People still play MTG? My kids were into it big-time, back in the late 90s. They're now 28, 30 and 31 years old. I doubt that any of them still play it.

Oh, and thanks for the explanation!

[Gruul]

Yup, it is still going. There is a pretty big following both competitive and casually. If they still have any of their stuff laying around, let me know. I still play at 28, although not nearly as much as I used to.

[UtterFool]

All right, here you go "BOB"

My user name is a simple explanation of my existence.
It is the name I use on just about every sight I go... I have just about forgotten my real name by now.

I have often had people say to me " you are a really intelligent person. Why do you consider yourself a fool."
There was a time even on these forums I tried to make intelligent conversation and had some say it to me then.
But foolishness isn't about knowledge . It is about common sense it is about making good choices, of which I have none and can not do.
Such as my example above at one time trying to make intelligent, rational, logical, arguments on the internees.

You see there was a time in my dark and angsty teen years I went by Fenris "because I saw myself as the wolf was, punished for the potential that he had, not for the actions he committed." (As I sad dark and angsty)
I thought at that time it would be best to at least be punished for the things I did.

And so there I was one evening sitting in a jail sell... A holding sell really, I wasn't sent to a jail, that I realized what a fool I really was.
I realized that at every stage of my life I was making the dumbest possible choice, I was buying into every hair brained plan that was laid before me (I mean I own a time share for Christ sake)
I realized that the only way to over come this destructive foolishness was to embrace it.
On that day I became an Utterfool.
I have since embraced an new role model. That of Don Quixote. Now It all has become an adventure one that I know will end horribly but one I will enjoy along the way.
I just got back to the US 4 years ago settled in, got a decent job, started collecting cards (spending multiple thousands in just a matter of 3 years), bought a house... And now I will be picking up and moving to Singapore by the end of the year.
Why, because "The wide wings of fortune" I follow them wither wherever they blow.

So there you have it Robert , "Utterfool" because I am a complete and Utter fool. The biggest I have met




Oh yeah

And my avatar is a duck
It is a picture I took of a neon dry cleaning sign at the Boneyard in Las Vegas.





A thoroughly uninteresting explanation.

By the way... He never said "they were giants" he said "They might be giants"

[volantangel]

I just got back to the US 4 years ago settled in, got a decent job, started collecting cards (spending multiple thousands in just a matter of 3 years), bought a house... And now I will be picking up and moving to Singapore by the end of the year.

Well it seems like i might have one more person to talk about cards over lunch soon. No seriously hit me up if you need a quick guide to the country after you land =)

[RSLancastr]

Yup, it is still going. There is a pretty big following both competitive and casually. If they still have any of their stuff laying around, let me know. I still play at 28, although not nearly as much as I used to.

A few days after you posted this, I had a visit from my son (29 years old) and my eldest daughter (32 years old).

I asked if rather of them still played MTG. My daughter sad that she did not. My son said that he only played online, and that, only occasionally. He also said that he had sold off his collection of MTG cards a few years ago in order to make ends meet, and now owns only one card - one with sentimental value to him, evidently.