Official GTPlanet Member of the Fortnight [Member of the Week]

[Terronium-12]

The recognition of new faces will continue, but this month we're going to put a little spin on the whole concept, but alas all good things come to an end and this is the final week of the Staff Edition August special for this month, which means for this final final week instead of 2 or 3 interviews a week, you'll be getting 7 - that's right an interview for each day of the week!

There are only a select number of individuals capable of upholding this new concept; those that don't cower in the face of fame, those that don't regress when presented with the opportunity to shout from a rooftop "I'm better than you... on the internet!".

Those who live, breathe, and exhale the very essence of what makes GTPlanet the place that it has become and will continue to be - these are the approved traits of the archetype known only as The GTPlanet Illuminati, er, I mean the GTPlanet Moderation Staff and incidentally, the GTPlanet Member of the Week.

Two birds with one stone? Say it isn't so!

No matter where we go, people will either ignore or want to confront us, which is where our personal bodyguards come in. No matter what we say, everyone will interrupt and/or attempt to correct us. No matter what we're wearing, it will be made fun of for the next 10 years. So let us welcome the newest member to the League of Extraordinary GTPeople, and the eleventh in the long line of staff interviews, Scaff!

1. First and foremost, this is a most special month for all of us involved in the workings of GTPlanet and I thought it was time for us to bare it all, allowing the community at large an opportunity to see us for who we all really are

- which of course means you're officially GTPlanet's Member of the Week! Are you excited? Explosions!

Slightly worried, despite what may be thought I've never been one for the limelight, to quote the Fun Lovin' Criminals "I'd rather have money than fame"

2. What brought you to GTPlanet and was there ever a time before you took on the badge where you thought to yourself "I'd like to do that" only to then immediately regret said thought ever coming to mind?

Unsurprisingly GT brought me here, I had been posting at another general games site about GT, but the discussions were both limited and poorly considered. Google brought me to GTP and the quality of the site is why I am still here over a

decade later.

3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?

The opinions and current events sub-forum is probably the place I am most active as a contributor, but the moderation role takes me to a lot of different places including the Drag and Drift sub-forums, both of which can be 'entertaining'. With

those around the staff will always have a job.

4. What was it that sparked your interest in Gran Turismo?

A love of cars and motorsport, its as simple as that. My earliest memories are of going to watch rally events and drag racing with my dad and both cars and motorsport have been a permenent feature in my life ever since, I also grew up during

the birth of computer and console gaming, so driving based games were a natural fit, as I had a Playstation GT was a day one purchase for me.

5. How did you come up with the name "Scaff"?

It came from working for my dad while at college, he runs a scaffolding firm, and a scaffolder is a 'Scaff'. Oddly is not something I've actualy done now for over twenty years.

6. There's no controversy here so what's your flavor: Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, neither, both, or something else altogether?

To be honest right now its neither. I loved GT from the orginal right up to 4, with the series getting better and better each time. GT5 however was a disapointment for me and moved my focus to Forza (4 - the ones prior I didn't rate that highly).

MS dropped the ball with the Xbone however and as a result I've not got FM5 as a result.

7. What was your initial reaction when the badge was presented to you?

That was an interesting one, I got a mail from the boss asking if I would be interested a few months prior to taking up the badge and it had kind of slipped my mind. I'd been on holiday and got back home, unpacked and had a few (lot) drinks

and logged into GTP, only to find all these new sub-forums; it actually took a few minutes to realise what had happened. Needless to say I was totally made up and have done all I can to live up to the badge since.

8. GTP 12 is up and about, what are your thoughts?

I love it, not only does it make finding your way around a lot easier, but it also makes the job a lot more straightforward.One of the best things about the site is that it is always looking for ways to improve and keep moving in the right direction.

9. Gran Turismo 6 is finally here, what are you thoughts so far?

To be totally and utterly honest the single word to sum it up for me would be dissapointed. While GT6 does move things on from GT5 and addresses a lot of the issues I had with GT5 it still feels to me like its a half step rather than a full step

forward, its kind of put me in a limbo like position as GT was always a day one purchase for me in the past and that didn't happen with GT6. I'm hopeful that GT7 will turn things around, but will certainly be quite wary.

10. Talk a little about what you think you bring to GTPlanet and how you think you can continue to improve.

What do I bring to GTP? Well long posts and a lot of links (I quite like my sources), as far as improvement goes, for me that's just a natural result of participating here, its quite amazing what you can learn about the universe we live in from a

site about Gran Turismo, but that might be as a result of the Opinion and Current Events sub-forum.

11. A lot of fantastic-looking games are due out soon, what are you most looking forward to when it's all said and done at 11:59 on December 31st?

For me the main one I'm looking forward to is P-Cars, I'm hoping that its going to fill the void that GT and Forza have left me with.

12. What do you most like to do when it's time to just sit back and relax?

I don't. Much to the annoyance of my family I don't really stop, I sleep around 5 hours a night and the rest of the time I'm active. So aside from work and posting here I also play guitar, cook all the families meals from scratch, bake all our

bread, run (needed to stop me getting fat from all the food and drink), and so on. I do sit down to listen to music, watch films (hi-fi and home cinema also feature highly for me as well), play on my PS4 (the latest Tomb Raider has me right now

- its actually much better than I had expected) and watch the ludicrous amount of motorsport that gets Tivo'd.

13. Tell us something interesting about your hometown.

Its name derives from 'Pigs on the Hill'in Anglo-Saxon and would be nothing with the railway history of Britain, its also the place every Mini body-panel is made.

14. If given the opportunity, if even for a moment, what would you do with GTPlanet?

Nothing. I wouldn't dare.

15. Do you have a question for me?

Do you have a spare million or so I could borrow? Pay you back, honest!

16. You are producing a 12-episode drama series for the BBC. The show can be anything you want and you can cast any living actors you want. What would it be and who would you cast?

A dramatisation of the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel), in my opinion one of the greatest engineers ever and the reason my home town is not still a pig farming village. No real idea who I

would get to play him however.

17. During your time on the staff have you ever wished you would have handled something differently, and, assuming you went through this phase, how long was the grace period from you questioning your initial actions whether

they be issued warnings, points, or bans from being too harsh to second nature when the need arises?

None specifically that spring to mind, I've always tried to be fair and evenhanded, however those on the receiving end of moderation don't always see it that way.

18. Some would say our position is a lucrative one, others would say it's an excuse for us to be internet "tough guys" - what would your response be to both of these assumptions?

I've never felt the position to be lucrative so I don't eally think I can adress that one. However the 'tough guy' one is one I am familiar with, normally followed by an incident of Godwins law. In every case I have come across to date its always

been a case that the person in question attempting to defend another member who has a massive track record of AUP violations and they are defending the undefensiable. It's the natural byproduct of the need for private moderation.

19. In a world where our jobs here come with badges that are mailed to your place of residence, how do you treat said badge?

With a quick polish and a nice leather wallet.

20. With all the bickering about Forza vs Gran Turismo, how about we get to the real question; which is better, F-Zero or WipEout?

WipEout all the way, I never got on with the track layouts on F-Zero. The PS3 WipEout re-boot was one of the easily missed gems of the console, a great game that more than captured the original and bettered it, I felt it never got the

appreciation it deserved.

21. Have you ever been stalked or threatened with legal action because you're a moderator here?

I've lost count of the number of times I've been threatened with legal action, unsurprisingly its never been followed through. Stalked however was one of the only disturbing times I have had here at GTP, a (now very ex) member got hold of some

of my personal and family information and made it public, I have to confess that someone would go to those lengths to try and prove a point deeply disturbed me and its the only time I have considered handing it all in. The rest of the staff were

however incrediably supportive and while it wasn't easy I'm certainly glad I stayed.

22. How envious are you to have never owned the 2.2L Camry knowing it can defeat all, perhaps even end the worldwide sum of debt, world hunger, purge Chernobyl, and a lot more?

Words can describe how unforfiled I feel.Oh no wait, I drove one in the Middle East years ago and what I should have said it that words can't describe how unforfilling that was.

23. If site moderation was a paid job, would any of you give up your current positions/ occupations to do it full time providing the pay was acceptable?

Oh yes.

24. On average, when generally browsing the forum and its many threads, how often do you come across a post or an entire thread that makes you scratch your head because you're just utterly puzzled?

Surprisingly infrequently considering its the internet! Honestly on the whole GTP is a bastion of sanity when you view it in the context of the rest of the web. That does however mean that the truly bizarre does then really stand out.

25. You have an Alfa. How did you come around to wanting one, and how much of a task is its maintenace?

The real question would be why did I do it twice! I used to own a 33 Cloverleaf and it was a great car to drive filled with a host of electrical gremlins and rust. Now I run (it is a company car this time) a Giulietta which is a great car to drive filled

with a host of electrical gremlins (it changed the date to 2097 on Monday - no idea why it just did) and bits that fall off. Alfa's are great cars to run when someone else pasy the bills, but the next company car (which has been ordered) is an

Audi A3 Saloon, which I know is going to be screwed together a lot better.

26. Where and when was your very first post here and how does it differ from your posting style used today?

A long time ago and from what I can remember it's little different from my style now, which is rather boring.

27. Off the top of your head, what is one of the most genuinely head-scratching conversations you've experienced while here?

Oh that's easy.

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...rd-letter-to-evo-magazine.91424/#post-2565777

Its a thread I actually started back in 2007, its about a letter sent into Evo magazine from what can only be described as a truly deranged individual.What no-one expected was that individual would then join GTP and get even more insane, you

should give it a read I promise it will be head-scrathing (and more).

28. In case you haven't heard, YouTube channel /Drive recently adopted a PPV model with /Drive+ - $3.99 per month for episodes ranging from 10-15 minutes in length, whereas the older channel where this same content was

originally hosted has been shortened to 3-4 minutes in total. Do you think this was a wise decision on their behalf or does it just alienate and/or segregate viewers?

I've not come across it myself, but its a move that I would imagine is not wthout significant risk. Very few followers of any feed like it when what was free becomes chargable.

29. What's the longest you've gone without logging onto GTPlanet since joining: years, months, weeks, days, hours?

In the past it would have been a week or two at most, mainly when away with work or on holiday. With the advent of smartphones its now pretty much on every day.

30. Are you illegal in any number of states or entire countries?

I can't stand for office legally in a handful of states and am illegal (under pain of death) in a number of countries.

31. What's one significant change you'd like to see made to racing games in the next five years or so?

A combination of well judged physics model with a wide range of motorsport disciplines and all the track rules in place. Its pretty much what I've always looked for in racing games and it's unliklely to change.

32. Now it's time for the "Moderator Special": the entire staff has been away on leave for several weeks on business and you're the only active staffer left standing, what do you do?

Eat all the doughnuts (and then blame Famine)

33. What was your favorite game show growing up?

Countdown. A firm student favorite here in the UK

34. How many electronic devices do you own, and is there anything out there that you've been eyeing for some time now but just havent' pulled the trigger on yet?

A quick list would be, PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, HTC One M8 (the latest), Samsung S4 Mini (work phone), a no brand android tablet that cost me £50 (a bet with a friend - could you live with a tablet that cheap for a year - the answer is yes

but only if you are very patient), a big old stack of HI-Fi seperates, my home cinema set-up (these can be seen in threads right here at GTP), five electric guitars, two amps, Nikon DSLR and a load of other stuff I'm forgetting. As far as whats

next electronic wise, well I do need a Telecaster (or two).

35. If the 90's were good to you for any reason, reminisce a little - what's your favorite memory?

The 90's were great for me. Stopped smoking most of Amsterdam, got married, had kids, started working in the Motor Industry, got paid to mess around in cars (unfortunatly not enough), drove my first race car, drove a lot of cars, found Gran

Turismo, drove even more cars, saw a lot of bands, went to Glastonbury a lot, drove some more cars. Repeat. I liked the '90s a lot (can we have them back please).

36. If you were to indulge in the art of boutique car manufacturing what would your mission statement be?

I'm afriad I would have to steal Mr Chapman's "add lightness".

37. What would you look for in bringing a new face into our elusive fold of moderator insanery?

A thick skin, a sense of humour and doughnuts.

38. Do you have any hobbies we should be made aware of?

I can actually cook very, very well. After a love of Motorsport and Cars the thing that brings my family together most is food and drink.

39. Anything else you'd like to say?

Nope I'm good.

 

[axletramp]

The 90s back? Oh, yes please! Let's buy a DeLorean with a CD player and stock up on Brit pop for the ride!

Nicely done, Scaff. 👍

 

[TB]

The 90s back? Oh, yes please!

Thirded. 👍

Enjoyable read, @Scaff !

Feel free to blame me for the donuts, too. No one would doubt it.

 

[Turtle]

Wow, if anyone gets around to making a "Best Of" collection of GTP threads, the one you linked should definitely go in it.

Great read, but unfortunately I suspect that everything I read from now on will be inferior in comparison to what Vision Solar had to say.

 

[Scaff]

Wow, if anyone gets around to making a "Best Of" collection of GTP threads, the one you linked should definitely go in it.

Great read, but unfortunately I suspect that everything I read from now on will be inferior in comparison to what Vision Solar had to say.

He was certainly rather unique, if I recall @Famine found some of his current blog nonsense recently.

 

[axletramp]

We need Mr. Carlos Kavros back.

 

[Turtle]

He was certainly rather unique, if I recall @Famine found some of his current blog nonsense recently.

I tried to go to his blog but the old links didn't work and I'm not quite sure that I want to read anymore of it.

 

[Monatsende]

Scaff, the mod I idolise the most. He`s the best. (Oh, I will say that after each and every staff interview. Except the "Scaff" part...)

A British cook? Oh, Lord, help.

 

[Terronium-12]

The recognition of new faces will continue, but this month we're going to put a little spin on the whole concept, but alas all good things come to an end and this is the final week of the Staff Edition August special for this month, which means for this final final week instead of 2 or 3 interviews a week, you'll be getting 7; that's right an interview for each day of the week!

There are only a select number of individuals capable of upholding this new concept; those that don't cower in the face of fame, those that don't regress when presented with the opportunity to shout from a rooftop "I'm better than you... on the internet!".

Those who live, breathe, and exhale the very essence of what makes GTPlanet the place that it has become and will continue to be - these are the approved traits of the archetype known only as The GTPlanet Illuminati, er, I mean the GTPlanet Moderation Staff and incidentally, the GTPlanet Member of the Week.

Two birds with one stone? Say it isn't so!

No matter where we go, people will either ignore or want to confront us, which is where our personal bodyguards come in. No matter what we say, everyone will interrupt and/or attempt to correct us. No matter what we're wearing, it will be made fun of for the next 10 years. So let us welcome the newest member to the League of Extraordinary GTPeople, and the twelfth in the long line of staff interviews, Omnis!

1. First and foremost, this is a most special month for all of us involved in the workings of GTPlanet and I thought it was time for us to bare it all, allowing the community at large an opportunity to see us for who we all really are - which of course means you're officially GTPlanet's Member of the Week! Are you excited? Explosions!

This would have been better as a true interview format, but, yes, I'm happy to take part. When you started doing these Member of the Week things, I will admit I was a bit starry-eyed at the prospect of participating. Now that it's here as a pre-submitted Q&A, it feels more like a book report. I like spontaneity in communication. On the other hand, this is probably what it feels like to go on or set up for a blind date. And you don’t have to dress up for a blind date, so it should be easy for me to bare it all. I'll do my best, but you’re paying the bill.

2. What brought you to GTPlanet and was there ever a time before you took on the badge where you thought to yourself "I'd like to do that" only to then immediately regret said thought ever coming to mind?

If memory serves me right...

I’m pretty sure it was the drifting scene during GT3 that got me into GTP. I got the GT3 PS2 bundle and was looking for info, of course, like everyone usually does. Not cheats, but what cars were better, what to buy, what prizes you get, etc. Then I came across the video below and was absolutely stunned.


(p.s., that Bryan Heitkotter guy did pretty well for himself. )

In fact, I think I found it on some other video aggregator site (this was pre-youtube, pre-video-streaming, dial-up days) and while searching for the music (Powerman5000) and the source, I found the drifting board on the same forum. So I then signed up to GTPlanet immediately, and here I am today.

For the second part of this question: Yes, out of frustration, but I left the boards for about a year instead and came back with a cooler head.

3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?

Today, I'm the troll that hangs out under the bridge to the infield. That puts me around the rumble strip almost exclusively. Actually, I'm everywhere on the boards except for the Gran Turismo sections. Always watching, never working.

4. What was it that sparked your interest in Gran Turismo?

My dad gave me his playstation and a copy of the original Gran Turismo. My parents have always been divorced, and when I was 8 or 9 he brought me some stuff before he moved to another state to pursue business opportunities. I didn’t see him again until I was 15. I used to play it just because it was something he gave me. I couldn’t play anything else on the playstation because I’d get nauseous, or because the games just sucked (until MGS came out). None of my friends liked GT, so it was just sort of “my thing”. That was sort of a bad period in my life, and honestly I only picked it up when I didn’t really have anything else to do or when I felt lonely. It’s amazing that I still have Arcade Mode --> High Speed Ring --> C2 Corvette and those big, pixelly banked turns burned into my mind.

5. How did you come up with the name "Omnis"?

Final Fantasy X just came out. My friend had the strategy guide, and we’d spend all day looking through it in middle school instead of doing any work. One day we had to write some kind of group-written short story or scene as a project. We picked names for our characters. I don’t remember what we decided his was, but he suggest mine to be “Omnis”. I was like, “OK, that sounds cool.” I had FFX but I never beat it. Certainly never got up to the point where you battle Seymour Omnis. Not sure I would’ve stuck with the name had I realized what a giant douche that thing was.

Anyway, I ran with it and rationalized it as some kind of latin form of “all”. So, “The All” is what it means to me. I’ve also backronymed it as Online as My Nerdy Internet Self. No, it was never meant to be anything like the word ominous and I never had that in my mind when identifying the name. But if that’s what it also projects, then so be it. Just don’t mispronounce it as such.

6. There's no controversy here so what's your flavor: Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, neither, both, or something else altogether?

Gran Turismo. Never had any xbox products. GT vs. Forza is like Coke vs. Pepsi to me. Both are fine, but Virgil’s soda is so much better. But who’s heard of Virgil’s, and who among them drinks it every day? That’s why ultra-sim racers are stupid. GT is the classic, and I really love what they’ve done with the driver program so I’ll continue to support Polyphony Digital.

7. What was your initial reaction when the badge was presented to you?

Not the first time I’ve been asked this question: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/questions-about-mods.89741/page-47#post-8753312

Duke sent me a PM, and I was like “whaaa?” Hilariously, I think the rest of the forum regulars were even more shocked than I was. And it wasn’t a good “omg congratulations” shock. It was a straight-up “wtf”. Haters.

8. GTP 12 is up and about, what are your thoughts?

I love it. When I fire up the moderation queue, the Airwolf theme comes on.

9. Gran Turismo 6 is finally here, what are you thoughts so far?

I was really excited about the Delta Wing cars. Then I got them and they sucked. The best part of the game was the Daihatsu Mira (I always start with a Mira-- have since GT3) that went like 200mph with the turbo kit. Then they patched it and I slowly stopped playing. You know, I was also finishing my bachelor’s degree, so once my charming Daihatsu was ruined there wasn’t enough left to hold my attention.

10. Talk a little about what you think you bring to GTPlanet and how you think you can continue to improve.

Oh, I can tell this was copy-pasted. You’re a funny guy.

Seriously, though, I’ve always tried to bring levity to the boards. Admittedly, it’s been a little ridiculous and juvenile at times. It’s definitely been dialed back as the internet has become more personal, but this place has always been sort of an outlet for me. I like that people appreciate what this outlet lets me be.

11. A lot of fantastic-looking games are due out soon, what are you most looking forward to when it's all said and done at 11:59 on December 31st?

I’m probably going to get NBA2K15 since a quick game of hoops is about all I’ll have time for. Growing up sucks.

12. What do you most like to do when it's time to just sit back and relax?

My zen time is drinking beer at Laser Wolf. Otherwise, I’m always doing something, even when I’m relaxing.

13. Tell us something interesting about your hometown.

The school in There’s Something About Mary is our City Hall. They camped all the trailers just down the street from my house. Mary’s childhood home also belonged to one of my mom’s childhood friends. They would play Tennis there. Chris Evert may or may not have also hung out there too. Can’t remember what the story was. Also, Caddyshack was filmed here.

14. If given the opportunity, if even for a moment, what would you do with GTPlanet?

Make Jordan walk me through all the code and show me how everything works. Computer science always fascinated me but I never had any resources to learn it. I wish they had something like that for me in middle and high school. I would have had something to apply my genius to instead of making up poop jokes.

15. Do you have a question for me?

As someone who’s invested a lot of time in this website and has had this community be a part of your life, what would you with that in the future? Is there any yet-to-be-realized utility in having GTP be a part of us? What would that be? I know you’ve already done things (Jalopnik Film Festival comes to mind), but what else or what for someone else who hasn’t?

16. You are producing a 12-episode drama series for the BBC. The show can be anything you want and you can cast any living actors you want. What would it be and who would you cast?

It would be a dramatized version of Famine’s escape from a dystopian UK to America. And then he, portrayed by Ray Park, has to team up with an underground collective of people to stop the same terrible fate from happening to America. We’re doing 12 seasons, not 12 episodes.

17. During your time on the staff have you ever wished you would have handled something differently, and, assuming you went through this phase, how long was the grace period from you questioning your initial actions whether they be issued warnings, points, or bans from being too harsh to second nature when the need arises?

I think I once wrote a note to the staff that this one guy with whom we were dealing was being a sensitive sally and that his butthurt was off the charts. Actually, the note went to the guy instead of the staff. D’oh! Now I just don’t do anything, so technically I still am in the grace period after this grievous mistake.

18. Some would say our position is a lucrative one, others would say it's an excuse for us to be internet "tough guys" - what would your response be to both of these assumptions?

That some doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Not getting paid, not getting laid.

19. In a world where our jobs here come with badges that are mailed to your place of residence, how do you treat said badge?

The super mod badge was like an EBT card for hot trollops. Since we moved to XenForo, these regular ol’ moderator badges just aren’t cutting it.

20. With all the bickering about Forza vs Gran Turismo, how about we get to the real question; which is better, F-Zero or WipEout?

Extreme-G all day.

21. Have you ever been stalked or threatened with legal action because you're a moderator here?

No. I only ban foreigners and Canadians. This way, I have diplomatic immunity. And Canadians are always sorry.

22. How envious are you to have never owned the 2.2L Camry knowing it can defeat all, perhaps even end the worldwide sum of debt, world hunger, purge Chernobyl, and a lot more?

So envious I went and got a 3.3L Camry. And I put Chinese tires on my Lexus so I wouldn’t overtorque the rotation of the earth. It even has air conditioning for your ass. SOLD!

23. If site moderation was a paid job, would any of you give up your current positions/ occupations to do it full time providing the pay was acceptable?

This IS my full time job. If anyone is hiring for real, let me know. I need to work until July. You see how well this place runs, right? All me, baby.

24. On average, when generally browsing the forum and its many threads, how often do you come across a post or an entire thread that makes you scratch your head because you're just utterly puzzled?

Not very much to be honest. That says something about the quality of our forum. On the odd chance I see something, I can just nip it in the bud with these jedi mind tricks. I don’t dare venture into the Gran Turismo section, though. That’s the tall grass. Every time click on the GT6 board, Professor Oak comes to get me.

25. You hang around The Daily Babe thread a lot, and there's a recurring joke among us that you like your women a certain way - alas this isn't about that, when you think "hot woman" who springs to mind and why?

Let’s get something straight: I don’t “hang around” that thread. I check in on it when someone posts something to make sure it conforms to the rules. I’m the guardian of the daily babe thread-- you can call me the Hymen Heimdall.

Back in the day, I would post girls to foil those that filled the thread with nothing but lanky, skinny things. I don’t like waifey wifeys. No flaquitas. Hot woman has to have some kind of muscletone to impart a shape to her figure. The rest is all in the skin and the face. T&A is like extra credit.

26. Where and when was your very first post here and how does it differ from your posting style used today?

I don’t think I can go back that far in the GTPlanet archives. I’ll tell you this much, style-wise... I never used to capitalize anything. GTP social pressure really helped me decide to not neglect the small things (or the big things, in this case) and to elevate my command and mastery of the written English language. I even became an award-winning writer in high school. (Yes, for real.)

27. Off the top of your head, what is one of the most genuinely head-scratching conversations you've experienced while here?

Honestly, I don’t remember those. But there are some amazing things I’ve learned and probably will never forget from the great conversations had here.

28. In case you haven't heard, YouTube channel /Drive recently adopted a PPV model with /Drive+ - $3.99 per month for episodes ranging from 10-15 minutes in length, whereas the older channel where this same content was originally hosted has been shortened to 3-4 minutes in total. Do you think this was a wise decision on their behalf or does it just alienate and/or segregate viewers?

Honestly, I never knew what the deal with /Drive was. I mean, why can’t we do that? There’s nothing special about those guys.

29. What's the longest you've gone without logging onto GTPlanet since joining: years, months, weeks, days, hours?

I took a year off a long time ago after some frustrations fomented into something that could have seen me banned. Then what would I have done? I came back clearer, better, and able to engage in transformative conversations and exchanges that I wouldn’t otherwise have had.

30. Are you illegal in any number of states or entire countries?

I’m pretty sure I’m wanted for disturbing the peace in Belgium. We were chillin’ in the park when I decided to go to the top of the Arcade du Cinquantenaire. I wanted fam to get a pic of me from those benches where they were sitting, but I couldn’t get their attention. So I started shouting at them. Finally, I took a huge breath, then jumped into the railing and gave a shout so loud that everyone in the park stopped what they were doing and looked up at me. I sank to the floor in panic. Photo op ruined.

31. What's one significant change you'd like to see made to racing games in the next five years or so?

I would really love to see them get rid of car models and instead go to parts models. Make the car a collection of parts that are all fastened together, and change tuning options based on applied parts. We don’t have to get down to every last poppet valve, but at least give us a real degree of modularity.

32. Now it's time for the "Moderator Special": the entire staff has been away on leave for several weeks on business and you're the only active staffer left standing, what do you do?

Open nginx:

server = www.gtplanet.net {
allow 127.0.0.1;
deny all;
}

Till everyone gets back.

33. What was your favorite game show growing up?

Double Dare or Nickelodeon Guts. I would have KILLED SOMEONE to do the Aggro Crag.

34. How many electronic devices do you own, and is there anything out there that you've been eyeing for some time now but just havent' pulled the trigger on yet?

A lot. But I save up to get the good stuff. I’m the kind that will hold on to something forever. So I don’t get cheap throwaway stuff. Go big or go home, right? That said, I’m holding off on next-gen consoles for as long as possible. I don’t really see a need to get one. #PCMasterRace.

35. If the 90's were good to you for any reason, reminisce a little - what's your favorite memory?

I miss really good arcades. Grand Prix Race-O-Rama RIP. Blockbuster Golf & Games RIP. The former had two amazing go-kart tracks. One was a high-speed oval and the other a huuuuge, tight and twisting circuit. Blockbuster had bumper boats and minigolf, batting cages, and a driving range. I spent a lot of time with my dad at both places when he’d take me out for a weekend as a child. Today, kids just sit and play stupid ipad and DS games. Gameboy back then was for playing with your friends on the bus during field trips, or to pass the time during road trips. It wasn’t the activity. And now the arcade games suck. If there are even any arcades still in business, that is.

36. If you were to indulge in the art of boutique car manufacturing what would your mission statement be?

Open-source modular coachbuilder. Supply the best chassis possible, support compatibility with popular powertrains. One build package for each of three areas: cheap, luxe, or utility.

37. What would you look for in bringing a new face into our elusive fold of moderator insanery?

Kindness, wisdom, discretion. Also, do all the work for us.

38. Do you have any hobbies we should be made aware of?

Sure. Let’s see: I’m an amateur chef; kendo player on hiatus; sumo ‘rasslin fan; standardized patient; not a biologist, but I got the gist; I tutor by request; and, god willing, I’ll be an M1 before too long.

39. Anything else you'd like to say?

Since I’ve been on GTP for ten years and there are lots of users now that are at most 12 years younger than I am, and are in important parts of their lives: Don’t screw it up. What makes GTP great? Culture. Culture is the key to life. Otherwise, it’s just a rabble. Do be afraid to do cool things like Jordan did when he made GTP. Don’t be afraid to rebel or do the contrarian thing from time to time in your personal lives, but make sure your alternative action is fruitful and better than you would have otherwise done! This is how interesting people come about in the world-- self-made. Make sure you elevate yourself for your own sake. It’s always a pleasure to read the people I’ve met on this forum. Be one of those people; contribute to our culture and continue our celebrated community.


GTP FAMMM

 

[Scaff]

Scaff, the mod I idolise the most. He`s the best. (Oh, I will say that after each and every staff interview. Except the "Scaff" part...)

A British cook? Oh, Lord, help.

We have quite a few, some even have those Michelin thingies

 

[Danny]

Great read, @Scaff 👍

 

[Monatsende]

Omnis, the mod I idolise the most. He`s the best. (Oh, I will say that after each and every staff interview. Except the "Omnis" part...)

Another great read here. More and more our beloved staff becomes human.
But really? No love for Canadians?

---------

@Terronium-12
That`s quite a pace you`re delivering. 👍

 

[Dean]

Congratulations @Scaff and @Omnis.

 

[axletramp]

3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?

"Honestly, mainly the Babes thread..."

Good interview, Omnis. 👍

 

[Terronium-12]

The recognition of new faces will continue, but this month we're going to put a little spin on the whole concept, but alas all good things come to an end and this is the final week of the Staff Edition August special for this month, which means for this final final week instead of 2 or 3 interviews a week, you'll be getting 7; that's right an interview for each day of the week!

There are only a select number of individuals capable of upholding this new concept; those that don't cower in the face of fame, those that don't regress when presented with the opportunity to shout from a rooftop "I'm better than you... on the internet!".

Those who live, breathe, and exhale the very essence of what makes GTPlanet the place that it has become and will continue to be - these are the approved traits of the archetype known only as The GTPlanet Illuminati, er, I mean the GTPlanet Moderation Staff and incidentally, the GTPlanet Member of the Week.

Two birds with one stone? Say it isn't so!

No matter where we go, people will either ignore or want to confront us, which is where our personal bodyguards come in. No matter what we say, everyone will interrupt and/or attempt to correct us. No matter what we're wearing, it will be made fun of for the next 10 years. So let us welcome the newest member to the League of Extraordinary GTPeople, and the thirteenth in the long line of staff interviews, Pupik!

1. First and foremost, this is a most special month for all of us involved in the workings of GTPlanet and I thought it was time for us to bare it all, allowing the community at large an opportunity to see us for who we all really are - which of course means you're officially GTPlanet's Member of the Week! Are you excited? Explosions!

Yes...since I'm used to asking the questions, and then doddering off and vaguely ignoring the answers.

2. What brought you to GTPlanet and was there ever a time before you took on the badge where you thought to yourself "I'd like to do that" only to then immediately regret said thought ever coming to mind?

Thanks to a typo of “granturismo.com”, I figured the site was down…so I found GTPlanet.net from a quick Google search. After the Impending GTF Site Crash of January 2002, many of us headed over to GTPlanet, some of us for good. There was still a lot of fresh discussion of GT2, so I stuck around here.
No regrets about moderator decisions; I’d merged together some of my old threads with similar information, to test it out that feature, but that was about it, since I breaking it back up over separate threads again is too tedious and messy...although it’s easier with practice if the threads aren’t too long.

3. There's a lot to do around the forums so I have to ask: what sub-forums/threads do you frequent most often and why?

The Infield, The Rumble Strip, Opinions and Current Events, and Motorsports. There’s still others I’ll check out every so often like the Music sub-forum. I’ll still pop into the GT2 or GT3 forum and see what’s going on…someone will still find something interesting or hidden after all these years.

4. What was it that sparked your interest in Gran Turismo?

I’d been a gearhead or car-dork since 1985, but less of a gamer by that time. I played the original GT at a buddy’s house back in 1998, but mostly we just played 2-player Arcade Mode, taking turns drinking and partying, since many of us either lived there, crashed there, or escaped from reality there. Gave the license tests a shot one weekend, didn’t really progress very far, and returned it the following Monday. Two years later, he buys me GT2 as a gift, and that was it…I played that for about three years straight, only taking to break to re-discover GT. There’s always going to be a special place in my heart for the Fiat 500.

5. How did you come up with the name "Pupik"?

Back at the old Granturismo.com forums, I wanted to use something else, but for whatever reason, it said the name was taken, so I went with a name like Pupik Motorsports, because I figured there ought to be at least one Yiddish racing team name out there. Nobody called me by the full name, so I eventually dropped the “Motorsports” part when I arrived at GTPlanet; I had no real racing experience anyhow. The name change was probably a good thing, because it’s really easy to derive “PMS” from Pupik Motorsports. As a footnote, I missed my original name on GTF by probably hitting the back button on my browser by accident, or some such error.

6. There's no controversy here so what's your flavor: Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, neither, both, or something else altogether?

Bump ‘n’ Jump…you can choose to be evil and ram everyone off the road, or get a huge point payout by driving clean. I couldn’t answer a Forza question if you tried, but I could lap Grindelwald in a Unisia Jecs Skyline in my sleep, if need be. Gran Turismo, for emotional reasons, but none of them for logical reasons…which kind of explains why I’m still here.

7. What was your initial reaction when the badge was presented to you?

Thank you, Jordan!
About two days later, I jump into the moderation queue, and there’s six or seven threads awaiting approval which were straight-up pornography sites, with photos, in a multitude of languages and links…at that point, I wondered innocently “is this what goes on behind the scenes GTPlanet every day? How dare those weasels ruin my site with this spam and garbage?”
So there was much more pleasure in keeping out and preventing crap like that instead of banning members.

8. GTP 12 is up and about, what are your thoughts?

I’m still figuring things out, to be honest. As Moderator Emeritus status, some tools and buttons don’t work, while others do. So there’s no reference guide; it’s more like…Arcade Mod?

9. Gran Turismo 6 is finally here, what are your thoughts so far?

I haven’t played it…never owned a PS3. Thus, the same goes for GT5.

10. Talk a little about what you think you bring to GTPlanet and how you think you can continue to improve.

I think I bring much more domestic frequent flyer advice than the average member. To be honest, I really like the Emeritus status; I feel I can be slightly less professional but still knowledgeable enough to have been there and done that over the past twelve and-a-half years. Wow: an eighth of a century.

11. A lot of fantastic-looking games are due out soon, what are you most looking forward to when it's all said and done at 11:59 on December 31st?

I have played Forza 4 on a simulator-type wheel device (sorry, didn’t take note of what type) for about an hour, and it did get my juices going to try this gaming thing again. But with a wife and two kids, and life on the road five days a week, I really have no time for gaming anymore. I last played though GT4 for more than an hour back in 2006…my daughter wasn’t born yet!
My kids to play games for a little while on the weekends, and they like to play Wii Sports Resort; I’d rather they were moving around...they have fun, and that’s what’s important to me. The daughter plays Minecraft on her XBOX 360 during rainy days, but I can never get into that, too dull. My son’s just three, so he’s not playing games yet…we’re busy playing with Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, talking about aircraft, and watching race clips on YouTube. In a few years, I’ll make the excuse for whatever installment of GT_ and PS_ is out there.

12. What do you most like to do when it's time to just sit back and relax?

If I’m alone: listen to music, or call friends and family, take photos, read a book, hop in my car and drive somewhere. If none of those are available…Nap! I’m forty with all the stresses of weekly travel, deadlines, and kids.

13. Tell us something interesting about your hometown.

We built the Saturn V rocket in Huntsville. It helped an eagle land on some distant, dusty, round rock. Later, we left some electric cars on that big stone.

14. If given the opportunity, if even for a moment, what would you do with GTPlanet?

Permit huge images in the signatures, allow blinking text, more use of marquee tags, and make the site black with white and neon green hyperlinks.

15. Do you have a question for me?

How do you live in such an anti-car environment such as New York City? You’re a stronger man than I am for that.

16. You are producing a 12-episode drama series for the BBC. The show can be anything you want and you can cast any living actors you want. What would it be and who would you cast?

I’m terrible with actor and actor names, but I always thought a show that showed what a busy service department with luxury cars was really like would be interesting: the personalities of your stressful workplace and the endless amount of cameos would prevent it from becoming stale (customers usually only visit the dealer 2-4 times a year, unless they’re nutcases or do a lot of driving). Make sure they’re luxury car customers, which have an array of personalities just because they’re human beings. The larger the dealership, the more folks you need to man it, and speaking from experience…the more chaos occurs! If it was live action, no manufacturer would agree to it, for fear of exposing the emperor’s lack of clothing, so it would have to be animated with some made-up brand. On the plus side, you can get some great voice-actors. But then, I think it would might lose a bit of its gravitas at that point…it’s no longer 1990, for better or for worse; the impact of animation still works wonders, but the intensity is stemmed by that.

17. During your time on the staff have you ever wished you would have handled something differently, and, assuming you went through this phase, how long was the grace period from you questioning your initial actions whether they be issued warnings, points, or bans from being too harsh to second nature when the need arises?

There’s probably a couple of fellows who could use 5-10 points removed after 5 years of good behavior, and for sticking around this far.

18. Some would say our position is a lucrative one, others would say it's an excuse for us to be internet "tough guys" - what would your response be to both of these assumptions?

Isn’t that a Catch-22? You follow the rules to the point where they no longer feel like Rules any longer, get the admiration of your peers and fellow members, given accolades by the owner and staff, and then someone thinks you’re just some loser in your parents’ basement because you won’t tolerate being called a Nazi. You kindly point out the guidelines and suggest a more harmonious path for that member. Instead, they turn it around that you’re either some sort of gilded blue-eyed Yes Man who has been fortunate all his life, or they assert their arrogance by how awesome they are by challenging you to a fight.
You warn them once more, but somehow you go off the deep end with a rant, as if Amnesty International needs to be contacted because it’s their right call anyone and everyone names. So other members can enjoy the site, we take action. You block their account from posting more garbage, and move on with life. And usually they move on, grow up, and go browse another one of four billion websites out there on the web. They grow up and usually do something more productive and truly happy with their life. Sometimes, that’s a lot more fulfilling than calling them a bloated sack of vaginal discharge who was conceived at a gas station restroom.

19. In a world where our jobs here come with badges that are mailed to your place of residence, how do you treat said badge?

I returned it.

20. With all the bickering about Forza vs Gran Turismo, how about we get to the real question; which is better, F-Zero or WipEout?

Wipeout (see question 4)… half my music collection was already in 2097! Many two-player battles with that cord, as well (ugh…lag).
I wished I’d heard of F-Zero, because my alter-alter-ego is Formulanone (the username I wanted in the first place). To be honest, I’d never heard of the game until a few years ago.

21. Have you ever been stalked or threatened with legal action because you're a moderator here?

No…but, I think a handful of people have schmoozed me a bit more to make sure I didn’t see how naughty they were to other members.

22. How envious are you to have never owned the 2.2L Camry knowing it can defeat all, perhaps even end the worldwide sum of debt, world hunger, purge Chernobyl, and a lot more?

Since I’ve owned a vehicle with 3.0L Toyota-built motor, and another vehicle with a 1.8L Toyota four-banger; there’s either a huge void in my life or I was sent to bring the ‘Planet gifts of the true internal combustion goddesses, so others may answer the call to adventure.

23. If site moderation was a paid job, would any of you give up your current positions/ occupations to do it full time providing the pay was acceptable?

I’m guessing that we’d need ten times more paying members and even more visitors to make this a paid job worth one’s primary income. At that point, it would be less fun, because it wouldn’t be a as personal, and I’d probably not want to moderate it in the first place. It would be like moderating Wikipedia or YouTube: a thankless task to clean up the ever-multiplying amount of imbecilic statements, combined with endless bureaucracy. Nope…I’m here for the fun of it. When it’s not fun, I don’t participate.

24. On average, when generally browsing the forum and its many threads, how often do you come across a post or an entire thread that makes you scratch your head because you're just utterly puzzled?

More and more, although I don’t have to care about it, which means that I gravitate towards the fora I mentioned above; I turned in my moderator badge because I wasn’t hip towards the details of the true core of our forum, namely GT5 and GT6. I felt it was time for newer blood and someone with more of a vested interest in the game to help others.

25. I can't help but notice your avatar because which looks like Grand Prix (do correct me if I'm wrong) and I'm wondering if you've seen Rush, and if you have what did you think of it?

It’s from Grand Prix alright; to commemorate James Garner’s gifts to the silver screen and note his passing. I saw the movie one night with my father in late 1987, after I’d discovered GP racing for myself. While the dialogue is a little on the soft side, the in-car action and view of the past is unparalleled.
Rush was great; I’m a historical F1 nerd and I’m not a fan of most movies made in the past decade or so. Even though there were a few liberties, it was even better than I expected. Seriously, I see only two movies in the theater per year.

26. Where and when was your very first post here and how does it differ from your posting style used today?

Dec 4, 2001: “GT300 Championship” in the GT2 Forum
“RE Amemiya Matsumoto Kiyoshi RX-7. (Absolutely the longest name for a car in GT2) You could win races in the GT500 class with it, if you're good. I used the [R] Stratos in the series...a close one!”
Probably haven’t changed that much, since Fatmouse is unmoved.

27. Off the top of your head, what is one of the most genuinely head-scratching conversations you've experienced while here?

I don’t know if the Dreaming in 4D counts, because only one member believed it (the thread stater, naturally), and he never replied…what a strange thread; he’d believed that somehow everyone in Hollywood was going to make a movie about this ability which seemed like something out of a mistranslated cartoon. There’s also a post for a new thread that made no sense; not because it was spam, but because it dealt with a religious experience during the playing GT5 Prologue, and that everyone else should just quit the game now in case of rapture. I put in the deep recesses of The Infield for the lols.

28. In case you haven't heard, YouTube channel /Drive recently adopted a PPV model with /Drive+ - $3.99 per month for episodes ranging from 10-15 minutes in length, whereas the older channel where this same content was originally hosted has been shortened to 3-4 minutes in total. Do you think this was a wise decision on their behalf or does it just alienate and/or segregate viewers?

Slash Drive Plus Minus $3.99…this sounds like some sort of programming language. Insert disk then press enter?
I guess sometimes the business model is to give away your product, and if they’re fascinated enough of the product, then they’ll buy it. If people want more, than I see no problem with that idea; something has to cover the overhead and operating costs. (I’ve never seen it, so I really have no opinion.) Folks who don’t see the value in it will just move on to something else. Some folks will probably whine as if /Drive owes the viewer something in return for giving them free content for nothing; it’s not usury.
I’m not much of a subscription model fan, to be honest. Everyone and everything is trying to sell you convenience at a price, to the point where technology is losing its efficiency advantages by making you forget about total cost of ownership.

29. What's the longest you've gone without logging onto GTPlanet since joining: years, months, weeks, days, hours?

A month or two…I’ll take a week off here and there, or some weeks I’ll post just once or twice if nothing grabs my interest, and other days might have 20 posts.
Yes, I’ve browsed GTP at 35,000 feet before, and in 34 different states; in a car, train, boat, and by bus. By favorite was a troublesome retuning member who appeared as I was boarding a plane, and insouciantly banning him as I walked down the jetbridge.

30. Are you illegal in any number of states or entire countries?

You know, I never seriously thought about this until now…Sadly, there’s probably some nation where a Yiddish username might actually anger people regardless of what I have to say, and thus my words might have to be censored. I hope they are at least offered the opportunity to decide for themselves as individuals if they’re entertained, frustrated, offended, pleased, or indifferent based on its content, rather than have some government or overload censor things outright.

31. What's one significant change you'd like to see made to racing games in the next five years or so?

More game, less work. I think simplicity and fun rules, because most people play games for pleasure, as an escape. The amount of non-gaming stuff (Photo Mode, B-spec, cut sequences, for examples) that seems to creep into games just seems like pointless window dressing…but if the fans really like it, then I guess they are getting their money’s worth. I know these complaints sound a decade old, but that’s my view. I opened a box with an Atari 2600 VCS in it back in 1979, so make what you will of that.

32. Now it's time for the "Moderator Special": the entire staff has been away on leave for several weeks on business and you're the only active staffer left standing, what do you do?

A caterpillar. Oh, we get our own question…create a command that prevents some users from using their keyboards. Unfortunately, I think CTTY NUL won’t work over the interwebs anymore, and voice recognition probate forks quiet wall dishes rusty, don’t you think?

33. What was your favorite game show growing up?

The Price is Right…I’d still like to spin that big Wheel. That show was like a big carnival. And Bob Barker only got cooler and more interesting as he got older! Match Game would be a close second…I didn’t get all of Charles Nelson Riley’s jokes the first time around, but looking back it’s almost as if the entire show was made for him.

34. How many electronic devices do you own, and is there anything out there that you've been eyeing for some time now but just haven’t pulled the trigger on yet?

More than I can keep up with, although plenty of old stuff, too. An Atari 2600, a still-functioning PSX, a slim PS2, a Wii, an XBOX 360, two laptops, a PC for the kids, a netbook, an HTC Evo, an iPhone 4S, a Surface, an original iPad, a mini Lenovo tablet. And, a Canon EOS T3 to record my travels; I know it’s nothing professional, but I’m not that good, and my stuff gets beat up at home and on the road. A flight attendant wanted me to store it, but I claimed it was a medical device…I can’t live without it!
I need a new battery for my netbook…sure, it’s a bit of an aged product, but I like typing on a real keyboard and you can’t precisely edit a photo on a tablet yet. Travel tip: unless you’re in first class all the time, a netbook is the only thing that fits in a coach airplane seat that’s reclined into your lap. Until they offer serious amounts of storage for a sane price, I’m not drinking the tablet Kool-Aid. Cloud storage is great for travel – except when you’re actually travelling – because then you need to pay for that internet connection to access your files, and that’s if it exists! Frankly, I’m mad as hell about the nickel and dime-ing of services and I’m not going to take it anymore…well, until I need new devices.

35. If the 90's were good to you for any reason, reminisce a little - what's your favorite memory?

Just one…that’s tough. I met my future wife, which let’s face it, shapes the rest of your days and nights when you meet the love of your life. She’s put up with me all these years, and I love her to death for it all.
I got my driver’s license, went to college, had a blast every moment I could, explored the universe in my mind, travelled near and far, discovered and experienced a lot of new things and that didn’t include cell phones nor internet. You could be spontaneous and just how up to things on a whim. We were finding what was new, or next, and discovering things on our own instead of waiting around to find out what was next or what could be discovered or sponsored by some entity, and endlessly discussing things to the point where they start to lose their inherit “specialness”. I’m not saying these things are bad, but while it’s hard to imagine a life without them now, you definitely look back fondly and realize they weren’t a strict part of your world after all, they were kind of like tools. (Alright, the PSX had some fun games…I’ll take Mika Salo’s Tyrrell in the original Formula One game at any track!)
What a wonderful time to have so few responsibilities, to be honest. It seemed like most of the places and people I’d known had dissolved the stodgy and rigid 1980s mentality and weren’t afraid to express themselves a lot more honestly and this seemed to be expressed in music and the arts, in thoughts and deed, and in a rather organic way, yet without being so wildly idealistic and polarizing. I’d like to believe the like The World Changed on 9/11, and for many people it sure as hell did, but my perception changed, too. We re-solidified, became a little less fun, more anal retentive, fear-mongered by ghosts and zombies, and became a lot more clinical. In a way, we went back fifteen years while making these technological leaps forward that have made us constantly a bit more impatient.
Sorry, I think I reminisced with the rose-tinted glasses on.

36. If you were to indulge in the art of boutique car manufacturing what would your mission statement be?

You can’t catch sleepers if you’re napping.
Work the ever-loving nonsense out of a normally average car sounds like fun, from suspension to engine, don’t make them too noisy, but make sure everything makes just the right sounds and the tactile feel that your presence is what makes it an automobile. Paint them in the most camouflaged colors as possible with the terrain. Something that draws so little attention to itself but moves crisply and fluidly, acts like it’s painted to the road.
I still look into a refrigerator and get confused why I opened it, or miss my exit in a reverie of some cartoon I saw thirty years ago. You probably don’t want me thinking up some dynamic collection of nuts, bolts, rubber, glass, cloth, metal, fuel, air, and tiny explosions, because I’d forget to include things like starter motors, sun visors, shift knobs, and headrests.

37. What would you look for in bringing a new face into our elusive fold of moderator insanery?

…someone who cares as much about GT as they do about their fellow members and the well-being of GTPlanet. The ability to easily ignore what they don’t like, if only because they don’t care about the subject. It’s easy to fall one way or the other as our forum increases and expands in size. I don’t mean this as a knock on our current staff, and it sounds at odds with my age and temperament, but youth couldn’t really hurt. A lot of our once youthful staff has grown up a bit. Someone 18-24 is probably a good place to start, although with more age usually comes temperance as well. You don’t need to post more, one needs to post thoughtfully. Spend thirty minutes on a good post, if you need to…don’t spend thirty minutes replying and parroting. As LoudMusic once said: “Think before you post.”

38. Do you have any hobbies we should be made aware of?

I’m a roadgeek: I like to drive, see the sights, travel for the sake of travel, enjoying the infrastructure, signage, and the where and why along the way. Unfortunately, it’s an expensive hobby for a younger generation to enjoy with gasoline’s price being so much higher than say, 15-25 years ago. On the other hand, you don’t have to pay for film processing costs, unless that’s your preference. I keep detailed records of my travels, too. So yes, I whip out a highlighter and mark up where I’ve driven, marking little side notes along the way.
I used to have more time for drawing and doodling, but I confess that my creative juices seem to be more encumbered by the realities of life…I’ll think of something, but a lot of it goes away and it’s much more concrete, now. I think sometimes I judge myself before I get a chance to express myself, which is terrible for creativity, although it’s probably my inner demons telling me to stop procrastinating.
Have I mentioned F1 racing before? Just seven times? Make it eight…
I enjoyed gardening for a while on weekends, but since moving, I haven’t really tried.
Other than that, I spend time with my kids and enjoy what they do; hopefully I inspire them. Seeing them smile destroys the mundane aspects of life and brightens most everything. You regret nothing at that point, wish everything for them.

39. Anything else you'd like to say?

Everybody crazy shake!

 

[TB]

Rather inciteful read there, @Pupik. 👍

As LoudMusic once said: “Think before you post.”

And as @Duke once said "If you don't have the answer, don't give the answer."

At least I think it was Duke.

Edit: THIS JUST IN! My memory is finally gone. It was actually @Der Alta. Linky.

 

[axletramp]

That was a great read, @Pupik . Yay, Go Team GTF!!!

Half your music collection was in WipEout 2097, eh? Fact of the Day: Mrs AT worked for Psygnosis back in the 90s and her role was to source and license the music for their games (working with the artists and labels). She still has all the music for that particular game (plus others) on white label CDs direct from the artists and the Moby tracks are on white label vinyl which were never commercially released.

 

[niky]

Wow... that's a lot of members in one week!

I have a question for @Scaff , though... which gauge is the best?

I'm imagining a scene a la American Beauty where Brunel dreams of a naked (insert lovely British lassie here) lying over an intersection of train tracks in several gauges.

 

[Scaff]

Wow... that's a lot of members in one week!

I have a question for @Scaff , though... which gauge is the best?

I'm imagining a scene a la American Beauty where Brunel dreams of a naked (insert lovely British lassie here) lying over an intersection of train tracks in several gauges.

Broad gauge of course, more stable and allowed more room internally in the carriage.

 

[niky]

Broad gauge of course, more stable and allowed more room internally in the carriage.

Spoken like a true engineer!

 

[Scaff]

Spoken like a true engineer!

You would love this place...

http://www.steam-museum.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

...my hometowns 'love letter' to the GWR.

 

[Monatsende]

EDIT: Pupik, the mod I idolise the most. He`s the best. (Oh, I will say that after each and every staff interview. Except the "Pupik" part...)

So many solid statements. Such a grounded person. The MOTW - staff edition is awesome.
Great read!

 

[TB]

Except the "Pubik" part...

Pubik? PUBIK?!?

 

[W3H5]

I'm really enjoying these staff interviews. Makes or great lunch break reading, especially the parts where usernames are explained.

Great job everyone.

Now get back to work, slackers! That includes you, TB, the site ain't gonna police itself!

 

[TB]

That includes you, TB, the site ain't gonna police itself!

Do I HAVE to?

 

[Monatsende]

Pubik? PUBIK?!?

Ähm... NO!

It`s how I read it.

 

[Dean]

Congratulations @Pupik.

 

[Terronium-12]

While there's most certainly an interview lined up for later this evening, I was thinking what should be done for those that wanted to see me in the hot seat and I've had this planned since the beginning, instead of doing the usual interview here and since I'm usually available, I can do a live interview in the form of a Twitch stream session.

What would this entail you ask? You stop by and ask as many questions as you want and I'll answer them (within reason of course!) and you'll also have the freedom of watching (and criticizing) my driving skillz while playing some Project Cars and, time permitting, Assetto Corsa. That's a pretty good arrangement I'd imagine.

It's set to take place at around 9PM EST at the absolute latest so if you're available do stop on by! I'll have the link to my Twitch page when I'm about to go live.

 

[Roger the Horse]

Twitch doesn't work on my computer (for some reason), will it later be uploaded to YouTube or something?

 

[Terronium-12]

The show is about to start! http://www.twitch.tv/terronium_12

Twitch doesn't work on my computer (for some reason), will it later be uploaded to YouTube or something?

I'll upload it to YouTube, yes.