The Origin of Robotface Shumway

I have a confession to make. "Robotface Shumway" is not my real name. My real name is "Catshoes McCheese."

But seriously, folks. If you really wanted to figure out my name, I'm sure you could. I just decided to not make it all that easy. If you already know me, then you already know my real name. And my real name is "Candypants Butterbean II."

Actually, there's a semi-amusing story behind the "Robotface Shumway" name. Four or five years ago I wanted to participate in an NCAA basketball tournament contests where you pick who wins the games against your friends and against the nation. The winner of the whole contest was to get some ridiculous grand prize--like a lifetime supply of melba toast (or maybe it was a big wad of cash). But to enter the contest you had to register with your e-mail address, name, address, social security number, blood type, urine sample, etc. (ok, I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the idea).

I have a throwaway e-mail address for stuff like this, so that wasn't a big deal. If you don't have a throwaway e-mail address, I highly advise that you get one. Go to somewhere like g-mail or hotmail and get an account that you only use when you have to enter your email address for something that you don't care too much about. This will save you from getting hammered with spam via the e-mail account that you really care about. But I digress...

This time I also needed to give them my name and an address. I really wanted to participate in the contest (I love melba toast--and cash), so I threw away my natural instincts and entered. That's where "Robotface Shumway" came from. I figured that with such a ridiculous name, the person in charge of sending junk mail to people (and you know who you are) would see that name and say, "that's not a real person," and take me (i.e Robotface Shumway) off the list. Or, at least you'd think they could train a computer to do this--nope.

It was only a few months later when mail started showing up at my house offering Robotface Shumway a "once-in-a-lifetime" credit card or indicating that "Robotface Shumay" may have already won ten million dollars. Imagine the melba toast that I...I mean Robotface could buy with ten million dollars. I'm still holding out that I'll eventually win that NCAA contest.