I have used the “Black Viper” name as an “alias” for many years.
It came about when I was a preteen just starting to get into the computer scene, even though I was (and still could be) an Atari 2600 gamer. At the time, “everyone” (which was a very small circle of shunned geek’s, because computers were not cool at the time) had a name by which they used for gaming and “cracking.”
I wanted to come up with something that was, essentially, the exact opposite of who I really was:
- Very pale, mainly because I did not leave the shelter of my parents house much.
- Quiet, shy and rather short and skinny for my age (later on, I was voted “Most Bashful” in my Senior year of high school).
I needed a name that sounded “dark, semi-comical and with punch.” Black is as dark and absent of light as one can get, so that was the obvious choice.
Some people ask if it had anything to do with the Dodge Viper, if I owned a “Black Dodge Viper” or even wanted to get one.
That answer would be no. I like Corvette’s. Even though the Dodge Viper is quite a nice car, now I would consider it “not appropriate” even if I had $70,000 to $80,000 laying around to buy one.
In reality, the Dodge Viper was a prototype in 1989 and was available sometime in 1992. However, I “created” the “Black Viper” name for myself in 1983. I crafted the name based upon the “snake,” not the car, while thumbing through my parents National Geographic collection.
My initial name I picked for myself was “The Red Knight.” Even though “Tee-Are-Kay” just sounded cool as a preteen (and, I still think it does), “The Red Knight” just did not have the ring to it that I was looking for. Dropping “The” and going with just “Red Knight” seemed like it was missing something.
Even after many, many years, I still feel “Black Viper” has a “cool” sound to it and still stick with it.