Artdodge: the Artful Dodger

So, what's the deal with "artdodge"?

As alluded to many times elsewhere, "artdodge" is an 8-letter shorthand version of "Artful Dodger".

Why 8 letters? The answer lies deep in the bowels of operating systems antiquity; let's just say that there have existed and still exist a number of computers out there that don't like users to have names more than 8 characters long. (This isn't too big a deal in my book. However, systems that won't let you have passwords more than 6 characters long scare me sometimes - I prefer systems where my password can be a sentance of l33t-spe4k Klingon.)

Why "Artful Dodger"? Ah, an excellent question. Perhaps the fact that it's taken this long for me to even hint at addressing it should give you a clue.

While I (frankly) detest the writings of Charles Dickens, I must admit a certain affinity for the "Artful Dodger" (alternately "The Dodger") in Oliver Twist. Why, exactly? I don't exactly know. But when it came time to choose a new on-line identity at BU, and my given name and preferred handle (bradley) was already taken, as well as my old-sk00l handles (paladin and sorceror, under which names I produced a not-insignificant body of BBS ANSI art in the late 80s), this new and surprisingly distinctive handle was born.