response 50 of 61:

Jun 10 00:30 UTC 2002

Jan = a common name in most of northern Europe.  My mom happened to be 
reading a Danish book with a character by that name and liked it.

Dithmar = Refers to "Dithmarschen".  Back when Germany was divided into 
several hundred little independent countries, one of them was called 
Dithmarschen.  To find it on a modern map, look for the Danish 
penisula.  The southern section of that penisula is actually part of 
Germany, not Denmark.  The Western half of that small German segment of 
the Danish penisula is "Dithmarschen".  The reputation of people from 
Dithmarshen in Germany is vaguely similar to that of people from Maine 
in America.  Taciturn, ornery, seceptical, independent.  It was one of 
the earlier democracies in Europe.  My grandfather got pissed off with 
German nationalism before World War II, and decided to be a patriotic 
Dithmarscher instead.  Although he wasn't one.  His wife's family was 
from there, not his.  But he lived pretty close and collected various 
memoriabilia.  I inherited a reproduction of the supposed "battle 
banner" of Dithmarschen.

Wolter = an anagram of "trowel" passed on by the masonic branch of the 
family.  OK, I made that up.

response 52 of 61:

Jun 10 14:03 UTC 2002

When I've heard others speak of him, they have pronounced it as "Yan". If
memory serves, I didn't know janc was a man, until I heard scg mention him
by name.

response 54 of 61:

Jun 10 14:49 UTC 2002

i thought jan was a chick too for quite a while until people referred to him
as "he".

response 56 of 61:

Jun 10 15:39 UTC 2002

I don't know, but I bet it's more legitimate than your "II", Junior.

response 58 of 61:

Jun 10 18:01 UTC 2002

I don't think I renounced my gayness. 
Why? You hitting on me again?

response 60 of 61:

Jun 10 21:30 UTC 2002

If you're speaking German, you already know how to pronounce my name ("Yun
Voilta").  If you're speaking English, the usual pronounciation is "Yon
Walter").  I answer to all variations though.  "Jan" is a contraction of
"Johann" and is thus close related to "John" and "Han" but not "Jon" or
"Jan" from "Janet".

"janc" was because the first Unix system I worked on belonged to the Center
for Robotics and Integrated Manufacturing or "CRIM" which for weird
accounting reasons put a "c" on the end of everyone's login ID.  I got used
to it.