He draws laughs when he tells of how people dismiss him as a flake, as Governor Moonbeam.

But now, Mr. Brown is trying to become something that no one who remembers the freewheeling days of "Governor Moonbeam" could possibly expect: a lawman.

The man once known as Governor Moonbeam turned into Mr. Meanbeam.

Skeptics doubt whether a would-be philosopher king once known as "Governor Moonbeam," with all his New Age-ish language, could also be a pragmatic nuts-and-bolts administrator.

But others called him Governor Moonbeam.

Mayor Brown, once known as Governor Moonbeam, sounds downright conservative these days, what with his talking tough on crime and promoting a public military academy for young people.

In case Ms. Harlan doesn't know, he was nicknamed Governor Moonbeam because he predicted the advent of the Internet 25 years ago.

Mike Royko, the syndicated columnist from Chicago, tagged him "Governor Moonbeam."

Still, Governor Moonbeam, who turned 54 last week, shines on.

He was succeeded as governor of California by Jerry Brown, known to many as "Governor Moonbeam."