I use this pseudonym most everywhere I go online. I got into the habit at a relatively young age, when "Don't give out personal information on the Internet" was drilled into everyone's head. I've kept the name into adulthood for a couple reasons. First, it's already established, so there's no point in changing it. Second, it helps me keep my "fun" online life separate from my professional identity. I want to show that I can behave like a grown-up when the time comes, and that's the face I want attached to my real name.
The name itself actually comes from this site (or its HTML tutorials predecessor). Years ago I got in the habit of using "linebyline" as my login, and it stuck.
My real name is C.J. (I figure since that's the name I use when I answer the phone at work, I'm not cheating by using my initials.)
I don't like posting personal information online. (So I'm not going to give you my full name, home address, and social security number.) I also don't like the idea of maintaining a secret identity, though; it makes me feel false, like I'm hiding behind a mask rather than just choosing which parts of myself to share with the world.
I'm still working on figuring out where, exactly, I should draw that line. I'll keep you posted.
By the way, I used to have a résumé here. I had it partly because I wanted to present some evidence that I'm a real person, but mostly because this site was relaunched as a class project, and a résumé was one of the requirements. I took it down because it's kinda irrelevant; if I need to post a résumé online, I'll do it under my real name.
You can drop me a line via E-Mail at thereallinebyline@thereallinebyline.com or linbylin@linbylin.com.
You can find me on Mastodon at @linebyline@bytetower.social. I'm still on DeviantArt as thereallinebyline. I don't use many forums these days but I'm a semi-regular at the Stand Still, Stay Silent fan forum and I pop in occasionally at TIGForums.
My religion is very important to me, and I used to consider discussion of religious topics, along with moral, political, and social issues, one of my main interests. I don't do as much of that these days. Between the political climate and the increasing inability of people (often including me!) to keep their cool when discussing these issues or to listen and understand other viewpoints, I find it exhausting. I do still get into it occasionally, though.
I read a lot of Webcomics. There are a lot of incredibly talented people out there with stories to tell, and their comics end up satisfying a lot more of what I'm looking for in a good story than what I'm finding in TV and movies.
I enjoy art, both looking at it and reading about it. I'm a big fan of illustration, especially in sci-fi and fantasy. Call me unsophisticated, but I'll take comic-style art or a Magic the Gathering card over the desparate attempts at boundary-pushing you see from "real" artists, any day of the week (which isn't to disparage the fine arts; most artists aren't like that). I also do some drawing myself, though it's nothing impressive.
Video games are something of a passion of mine. I enjoy playing games (though I'm pretty bad at them) as well as learning about game design. I've even dipped my toe into game development; time will tell if anything ever comes of that.
Elsehwere on the tech front, I'm interested in programming generally and Web-based programming (and, again, game programming) in particular. I'm working on brushing up on principles and patterns I didn't learn in school. Web design and usability are also favorite subjects. I'm no gadget guy, though: Having the latest/best hardware doesn't appeal to me, and the "Internet of Things" creeps me out.
This is a personal Web site. It's about me, basically. It serves as a soapbox to let me voice whatever opinions I may feel like sharing and a sandbox to let me play with Web design and development.
However, I'm not a huge fan of the me-me-me culture that's obsessed with being seen and letting the world know what they're up to. I want people to focus on what I'm saying, rather than on me. One more reason for the pseudonym.
I used to run a (very, very bad) HTML tutorials site under the name "Line by Line," and I consider this site to be a sort of pheonix-like rebirth of that old site. If pheonixes were covered in blue and yellow lines. I created that site (and every other failed Web site I've worked on) to share my knowledge and passions with other people, and now I'm doing the same thing with this site. But with less failure. I hope.
Okay, the site had to be called "Line by Line"—that was a given. That was the name of my old (very bad) HTML tutorials site. Besides, it's a site about me, and Linebyline has been my online name for some time.
So the obvious choice of domain name was linebyline.com, right? Sadly, that was taken by en evil devious domain parking service of broken dreams. (What!? No, I'm not going to give you a link! They get money for page views!) Thus I was caught between my two backup choices, so I went with both.
The genesis of linbylin.com comes once again from my old HTML site. When I first started, the homepage was linbylin.html rather than index.html. I have a thing for shortening, I guess, so no e's. The other name, thereallinebyline.com comes from my irritation at not only my domain name but also the "linebyline" deviantArt account (and lbl, too!) being taken by people who weren't really using them. You can tell I'm the "real" one because my site actually has something on it. Besides, it worked for John C. Dvorak.