After discovering the internet I decided that I would not ever deliberately write anything I would be ashamed of having my grandchildren finding, so I gave up pseudonyms and just use my own name. Rand McNatt. Sometimes just Rand. So when someone googles my name they will find my positive contributions to society, I hope.

"Hey, you guys want to play ball"?"
"Nah."
"Swimming?"
"Naw.", "No way, Dude!"
"Go find some more nude pictures of my Grandma on the internet?"

Real anonymity on the 'net is pretty much illusory, anyway. On another board I used to frequent (UFO's - I don't believe, but I have a complicated theory about CIA conspiracies) some joker tried to pass off a faked flying saucer video. Within 20 minutes the board members had determined that his father helped him with the conspiracy, that he was peeping the neighbors, that he thought he was a musician but wrote really bad hip-hop, that he still lived with his parents, and located his (parents') address and phone number and an aerial photo of the house.

"Rand" came from "Randal", but when your name is "Randal" most people call you "Randy", which I never really liked except that it has a different connotation in England.

And I do realize that "Randal" can be hard to understand and pronounce for some people. I used to get calls for "Wendel Macinaugh" all the time.

When my daughter was born, she became "Randi" and things got somewhat confusing around our house. My best friend used to call me "Rand" (and, oddly enough, I called him "Rand", too, because his name is "Randall", but he ended up with my wife - similar taste in women, no doubt - so he's not my best friend anymore, but anyway,) and so did my parents, so I changed my name to "Rand" except on government paperwork. And just to keep things confused, I call my daughter "Rand". She calls me "OhWhatever".

And you thought it had to do with money ;)

(Unfortunately, I'm only worth about $0.13 USD today. Yes, I have it bookmarked.)