Hi there! Let me take a minute to introduce myself. I’m Uncle Bob, a Mod here at PC Perspective. We will be running a series of articles within the forum that will be called Mod Interviews. I ask revealing, embarrassing, stupid, probing questions of Mods and hopefully you get to laugh with us at ourselves and in the process get to know some of us better. Beware, not all the Mods are as forthcoming as you may like, I do my best to uncover the truth, but haven’t always hit the mark!

Now, without further delay, here is my first interview with Electric Bill.

1. I realize many of the mods here are in a witness protection program of some sort, but can you give us your real name?
I can but I won’t.

2. Why did you join PCPer/AMDMB?
Got tired of trying to learn everything I needed to know about computers on my own.

3. Which forums do you mod?
DFI

4. Why do you keep coming back?
Why does technology keep advancing?

5. What was your first experience with a computer?
Probably 1968. I worked for Homelite in the chain saw R & D facility in Port Chester, NY. We used a Wang network in the lab.
I took 3 courses in Basic programming in 1980. I was teaching motorcycle mechanics in a high school in Florida and Radio Shack offered the courses at their computer centers in Orlando. If you passed the first one you got to move on. I did all 3 and they offered me a job as an instructor. The hours sucked so I passed on it. After all I already had a job.

6. Do you prefer to be called a “geek” or a “nerd”?
Geek. It’s less physically demeaning.
My background is in motorcycle racing and blue water sailing. Hard to imagine a sports nerd.

7. What exactly do you do here at PC Perspective?
Not sure but what I try to do is help people.

8. What do you like most about your “job”? I realize it’s actually a rudimentary form of slavery or servitude, but you are still here…can you explain this to our readers?
Learning new stuff.

9. OK, we all know this is coming…What do you like least about your job?
Enforcing rules.

10. How long have you been active in PC Perspective?
Almost 4 years.

11. Where are most active here? What is it you suppose that draws you to that particular area?
Tech Talk. Its currently the most interesting part of the forums imho.

12. What interests do you have outside of PC Perspective. Don’t be shy, if you don’t have a life outside of here, many readers would like to know!
The yachting community in and around Newport.

13. OK, it’s hardware time! Let’s start with your most, or current favorite piece of hardware. Tell us about it.
ASRock 939 in my sig. This includes all the components in the system. HDTV and HD monitoring is awesome. The computer is rock stable at 2.84GHz and the wireless networking is getting an excellent signal through 3 walls and a staircase since I installed a high gain antenna.

14. Software? Hey, if you are a closet Linux user, now’s the time to come out. (If you are a closet Microsoft user, don’t be afraid, we can keep a secret!)
I just started playing around with Linspire Linux on my old Abit AN7 rig. It has a gig of OCZ platinum a 2600-M CPU and runs at 2.5GHz.
My favorite photo editing software is Ulead PhotoImpact and my favorite HTML editor is MS Front Page 2002.

15. OK, let’s get real personal. Witness Protection Program be damned…Can you tell us something about yourself you’d like us to know?
I think I alread did.
OK, Nam vet 1966-67. I was an Electrician’s Mate in the US Navy aboard a tender (repair Ship). We were stationed in Vung Tau and were one of only a handful of Navy ships stationed in-country.
Raced motorcycles from the mid ’60s until I went sailing in ’82.
Most memorable events were the US Motocross Invitationals at Pepperell, MA in ’68 and ’69 and road racing at Daytona and Road Atlanta in the late ’70s & early ’80s.
Dropped out of teaching in ’82 and went sailing – Bahamas, Caribbean, Venezuela, Bermuda, Azores, England, Germany.
Actually sailed on a 31 footer from Ponce Inlet (Daytona, FL) to Wyk auf Föhr in the North Frisian Islands of Germany.

16. What can you tell us about your job? Hey, if you do something illegal, now’s a good enough time as any to make a clean start!
I fix boats – electrically that is – some things never change. Mostly expensive yachts but also smaller privately owned boats and occasionally commercial vessels like fishing boats and ferries.

17. Where do you live? (Be fearless, your secret is safe with us..)
Near Newport, RI USA where the America’s cup used to live.

18. What can you tell us about your family??
Single these days – my ex wife and ex girlfriends all live in Florida. My sister also lives in Florida.

19. Here’s a delicate one…How old are you and where did you grow up?
59 – rode hard and put up wet.
Grew up in The Bronx and later Yonkers, NY. Lived in Florida for 23 years between sailing advertures. Watched Apollo 17 lift off from Kennedy Space Center on the evening of Dec 7, 1972.

20. Well, we are getting to the end of it, it’ll all be over soon, I promise. What would like to say to our forum members, go ahead anything. Get it off your chest. We have all day here….
Nice bunch of people and I’m glad to be associated with them.

Click here to go to the discussion thread in our Forums