User:Nike

My nickname has been Nike since 1980, when someone called me "Nike" because he did not know my name and I was wearing a Nike T-shirt. I used this handle online for many years afterwards; for instance, I was NIKE on the old GE BBS (GEnie) but had to take Nike2 on AOL.

Nike is the Greek word for victory, and the name of the Greek goddess of victory, who was sometimes depicted with wings, and called Victoria by the Romans. It is sometimes used as a girl's name, although I'm not a girl. The cities of Nice and Nicaea were named for Nike, and I think that the word was used in the Christian gospel. It is, of course, the name of a sports shoe and apparel company, and also of a class of surface-to-air missiles built by the U.S. during the Cold War.

Even though being the winged deity of victory sounds cool, I associate my name with the missile, since it seems more masculine than a goddess. Also, I don't wish to be accused of endorsing a shoe company or misusing their trademark.

Current date and decimal time is: 2024 April 29.011 UT