Why "Möe"?

For those of you that do know me, you're all probably wondering why I chose the online name of "Moe". It's a long story... but just to make it short and boring, it all comes from my passion for art — 3D computer generated art and science fiction to be specific.

In the early 90's I started out with two partners hoping to get into the CGI business. We purchased an Amiga, got ourselves a Video Toaster and a licensed copy of LightWave 3D. It didn't work out at all, and I had to go back to try and get real life on track again. Nearly ten years later, after having moved to Thailand, I was able to save enough money to purchase my own license for LightWave and start indulging once again in one of my great passions.

I suppose the reason that I went and got serious about 3D computer generated art was that I didn't have enough money to afford scale models. My friends in high school were consummate modelers and artists, each of them had their own special genre in the hobbyist scale model craft. 3D applications allowed me to catch up somehow. Even if it was a couple of decades too late.

Getting back to the story... one of the major creative influences for me was French illustrator Jean Giraud, also known as Moebius. Along with visual futurist, Syd Mead and the heavy influence of George Lucas's Star Wars, I was all wired to start up my hobby in earnest.

When I signed up to join an online community of graphic artists, called Renderosity, and they asked for a username I decided that "Moebius" wasn't a bad choice. I added in my batch year from my fraternity, the Upsilon Sigma Phi, and I became Moebius87. From there, it simply became "Möe", with the umlaut thrown in for good measure making it obscure and nearly impossible to pronounce.

And that's all there is to it.