OK, by now you know the drill: 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!
Here we have a fellow West Coaster, I give you BlackDragon24!

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?

My real name is James, but those who know me well still call me Jimmy

2. Why did you join PCPer/AMDMB?

I was searching for some help on OCing my Abit AN7 motherboard, which was supposed to be the second coming of the famed NF7-S….damn thing never did get above 210 fsb

3. Which forums do you mod?

The Lightning Round.

4. Why do you keep coming back?

Its a well established community with folks who seem genuinely interested in helping other people. I have had all kinds of questions answered here, from computer problems to car problems and more. And TLR, while it might be daunting to many, is actually a very cool group of people who can get together and discuss issues of the day….regardless of political leanings. We may bust on each other some times but there is a genuine respect we all share for one another that you don’t see in most other forums.

5. What was your first experience with a computer?

Using wordperfect on an old IBM 286 machine that ran DOS…..when we finally upgraded to out pentium 166mhz processor with 32MB of ram and a 2GB hard drive it was like X-mas

6. Do you prefer to be called a “geek” or a “nerd”?

Both….I’m a computer geek and a science nerd…..the group I hang out with affectionately calls itself the nerd herd.

7. What exactly do you do here at PC Perspective?


Moderate the TLR forum, and otherwise terrorize people Interview with Moderator BlackDragon24! - Editorial 3

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?

Well the best thing about being TLR mod is actually having some control over what people can and cannot post. One of the most frustrating things before being a mod was seeing something so atrocious and wondering why nobody was doing something about it. Now I have the ability to clean it up and keep it respectable. It’s good to be a dictator Interview with Moderator BlackDragon24! - Editorial 4

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

Well, I guess see above answer. I hate having to delete someone’s post or edit out the content that is violating the rules. I am all for free speech and I never like to censor anyone if I don’t have to. But it comes with the territory. And in TLR we probably have one of the highest incidences of infractions because it can be pretty heated in there, so issuing infractions and doing all the paperwork that encompasses is quite tedious.

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

Almost 4 years now…..jeez where does the time go.

11. Where are most active here? What is it you suppose that draws you to that particular area?

Again, TLR…..I’m just finishing up grad school now so I actually sold off all of my high end computer equipment last year and am just working with a breadbox PC right now to keep me focused. Gaming and school don’t really go hand in hand….too much of a distraction. So I don’t post too much in the other forums right now.

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!

My wife and I are bigtime movie buffs….we have the 7 disc subscription to netflix if that gives you any idea. I’m a huge sports fan, and I also enjoy playing poker tournaments. Outside of that, graduate school living is pretty frugal and I don’t have the funds for things I really enjoy, such as skiing and golfing.

13. OK, it’s hardware time! Let’s start with your most, or current favorite piece of hardware. Tell us about it.


My monitor…..Its a beast of a CRT at 22″ and weighs about 65 pounds but I still can’t bring myself to replace it with an LCD screen. The picture quality on it is just stunning.

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 run Mocrosoft Office and Linux Red Hat. I do X-ray crystallography and all of the software is linux, so I have an intermediate understanding of that OS.

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 am a recovering marijuana addict…..6 months clean this week. I used to think I had it under control until one day came that I really couldn’t decide if I wanted to pay my rent or get another ounce. So that was it. Haven’t touched the stuff since and never went thru any type of program. It has convinced me that the power of the mind can overcome the weaknesses of the body

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!

Full time student, though I just was offered a post-doctoral position at genentech down in San Fancisco….really looking forward to it becasue they get voted as one of the top companies in the US to work for every year. Specifically, I try to decipher the structure of protein-protein interactions that may be useful as potential drug targets for cancer therapy.

17. Where do you live? (Be fearless, your secret is safe with us..)

Seattle, WA, right on Lake Washington up by the old Sand Point Naval base

18. What can you tell us about your family??

Mom lives in Eugene, OR, Dad lives in Los Angeles. Sister is following in her brother’s footsteps at the U of O studying biochemistry.

19. Here’s a delicate one…How old are you and where did you grow up?

I’m 28 years old….From ages 1-8 I lived in Los Angeles, from 9-17 I lived in East San Francisco Bay Area where I went to high school. From 17-22 I lived in Eugene, OR where I did my undergraduate work. And for the last 6 years I have been in Seattle at UW doing my Ph.D. work

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…..

Treat everyone you meet with respect until they have given you a reason not to respect them, regardless if you meet them online or in person.