Last chance to make a grab for Answers.com at SXSW… Shaya’s even got it all set up so nice… Tweet @ pickleshy and get your share of…
Putty pyramid…
“I’ve Got All The Answers” t-shirts…
Or, um… what?!
That’s right. Answers.com not only prevents forest fires (or something) but we saved blogger/writer/idea machine Scott Stead’s life with our information on breathing fire and building flamethrowers (that’s right). Scott was going to attempt the feats and decided his ’sticky bits’ weren’t worth torching after reading up on the art on Answers.com.
Here he tells his not-so-fiery tale to Shaya at SXSW:
Throughout history there have been many noble, quirky and otherwise downright awesome Thomases. For example, take Thomas Jefferson. The third President of the United States, Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and served during the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was also a horticulturist, archaeologist and inventor. Other remarkable Thomases include Thomas Edison (The Wizard of Menlo Park), Thomas Hobbes (English philosopher), Thomas Paine (a Founding Father) and even Thomas the Tank Engine (fictional anthropomorphic team locomotive). But which capital T-H-O-M-A-S is our favorite? It’s Thomas from Answers.com, of course.
Get to know him!
How did you originally hear about Answers.com?
I was doing my math homework one day when I forgot how many cups are in a gallon. I googled the question, and the first thing that came up was WikiAnswers. I quickly became involved with the community.
Explain your user name.
My user name is my first name: Thomas. It doesn’t get simpler than that!
What motivates you to volunteer your time to the Answers.com community?
My motivation is the community aspect of Answers.com and how anytime you have a question someone is there to answer it. I wanted to add to that community aspect, to help by spreading my knowledge and make the site a better place.
What are your areas of expertise?
Anything that needs batteries or electricity to work! More specifically…computers, cell phones and PS3s.
What is your favorite Answers.com feature?
The block feature is my favorite feature. Anytime a problematic user is out of line (after multiple warnings) I will sometimes block them. They will no longer be able to do damage or cause disruptions on the site, which helps to make it a better place.
What has been the funniest question you’ve seen or your funniest experience on Answers.com?
What gets drunk the most Coke or Pepsi? This question may not have been funny when it was asked, but our Supervisors did a great job of turning it humorous!
Share a random fact (or two) about yourself.
I enjoy confusing people by pondering things such as my personal holiday: National Skip-A-Day day. For those who want to be confused continue reading and for those who do not, I recommend stopping. If you skip National Skip-A-Day day like the day states you are skipping the holiday of National Skip-A-Day day, so therefore does the holiday exist at all? However with that being stated if the holiday does not exist then you do not have to skip a day.
Can I get a “Helloooo Austin, Texas!”
Our very own Shaya (@pickleshy) is running around SXSW Interactive with tons of Answers.com gear to giveaway. If you’ve been answering @Answersdotcom’s tweets and getting prizes for it, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t been - well, only 2.5 days left!
Shaya reported a bit on what she’s seeing and hearing at SXSW and here are a few snapshots to piece together… Oh, and the following statement that Shaya will have to explain at some point:
“Crowdsurfing sheep, flame-throwing buses, robots that play music, random random random (and ppl who call it stochasticity). Nearly saw a terrible rehashing of the super bowl Janet Jackson event during a slightly slutty soul sistas karaoke performance.”
Bag o’ giveaways in transit to Austin, Texas.
Getting the interactive on.
Lego A-burst!
Moose dude.
Answers.com sticker pole dance.
Sticker makes its mark.
The one and only Shaya!
Stay tuned for more tales from Texas later this week…
He exists in the depths of Answers.com. Like a riddle waiting to be solved; a closed book, a complex story of implausible profundity. No ill-formed question too cacographic; no query too impervious. The perfect illusion; a silent reality at its finest.
Introducing Mrmr1993:
What is your Answers.com user name and the history behind it?
Mrmr1993; my standard user name used to be mr_1993, using my initials and year of birth. After some Web sites wouldn’t accept underscores in user names, I devised mrmr1993 as an alternative, and it remained from there on. No interesting story here, I’m afraid.
Are you a Floating or Category Supervisor?
I’m a Floating Supervisor; after my non-super experience, I realised that there were ample questions which my limited knowledge can answer with considerable ease, and there are plenty of horrendous mistakes in the questions themselves that I could happily resolve. Additionally, I couldn’t decide on which topic I would supervise, because so many provide substantial interest to me.
What other badges do you have on Answers.com?
Having just checked, I am proud to report the new addition of the “Bronze Contributor” badge, having feared before this moment that I had none.
Would you care to tell us about your family?
I am 1 of 4 children, and am both the eldest and the only boy.
Do you have any pets?
Yes - one dog.
Where do you live, how long have you lived there and why do you like the area?
I live in Finchley, London, and have occupied the London area for the entirety of my life. The area is convenient for school, but there’s little else of significance to know about it.
What educational information would you like to share?
I currently attend 6th form at Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet. No notable qualifications to date (excluding GCSEs).
What are some of your past and/or present occupations?
Student. Assistant florist/ handyman/ driver/ delivery boy.
What are your key area(s) of knowledge, interests or expertise?
I’ve always been interested in math, and have, through my extensive exposure to it, become similarly engrossed in the pursuit of physics. I am often disappointed by how much of potential physics is re-distributed and engulfed by its bastardized offspring (chemistry, biology, etc.). This has also mutated into a vast interest in the field of computing, which, after meandering through artificial intelligence, has also had implications for my interest in the nature of existence, humanity, intelligence and evolution, all of which I find myself spectacularly pessimistic about. Additionally, I have a considerable love of written word, slightly, but not totally, diminished by the study of English at school and the amazing capacity for over-analysis in which it indulges. Finally, I have considerable ability in the field of music, being able to play or denote music after a single hearing, sight-reading music, etc. I do not particularly enjoy this pursuit, especially in its more academic forms, but indulge it nonetheless.
[Please excuse my essay of a response]
Do you have any collections or hobbies?
I have dated Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! card collections, but little else of any interest. I am a keen computer programmer, presently using the Web format as my primary medium, and the Windows operating system as a secondary, between which I have developed a huge quantity of useless code snippets.
What do you like to do for recreation?
All the boring things - TV, browsing the Internet, Answers.com (when I can), programming, playing on game consoles and doing excessive amounts of schoolwork.
What are a few random facts about yourself?
I am a music technology student, I have never revised in my entire life, and I am a frequent smoker.
What are your special goals or dreams?
At present I tend to do all I can to get by, and as little in excess of that as is possible. As such, I have no specific dreams or goals.
How would you describe yourself or personality?
Intellectual, immature and spectacularly lazy.
What brought you to Answers.com?
After googling [now an official verb, I hasten to point out] a number of things and seeing WikiAnswers pages among the results, I found myself discovering easily answered questions, and, owing to my desire to ‘perform’ (to use the term loosely), I felt under my own obligation to answer these questions, and to bombard the stupidity of the masses with the joys of (my sadly limited) knowledge.
What is your favorite Answers.com activity
I enjoy answering deep philosophical questions with logical and comprehensible responses, usually resulting from evolutionary theories and based upon experience from the interaction of artificially intelligent applications.
On Answers.com, you’ll find doctors, dentists, arborists, lawyers, cosmetologists and even the occasional burgomaster or tidewaiter (go ahead, look em’ up!). This week, however, we are presenting ye’ with a recipe for greatness – Petera88 - one of our resident Chef superstars!
Bon appétit!
What is your Answers.com user name and the history behind it?
My user name is Petera88 and, quite simply, it is made up of my name (Peter Alton) and my favourite number (8).
Are you a Floating or Category Supervisor (which categories)?
I am a Category Supervisor supervising Individual Ingredients, Spices and Herbs, Ingredient Substitutions and China and Chinese Territories.
What other badges do you hold on Answers.com?
I am a Bronze Contributor.
Would you care to tell us about your family?
I am married to Eden, and we have a young son Christian who is 2-years-old.
Where do you live, how long have you lived there and why do you like the area?
We live in Portsmouth on the South Coast of the United Kingdom. We have lived here for the last 2 years and love the peace and quiet and friendly neighbourhood.
Where did you grow up and do you have any special memories of your childhood?
I grew up in Waterlooville and have great memories of home cooked dinners with my Mum.
What educational information would you like to share?
I studied Professional Cookery at Highbury College when I left school gaining a Distinction in my final year. I also passed a BA Degree in English Literature in 2007 after 6 years part-time study with the Open University.
What are some of your past and/or present occupations?
I am a qualified Chef and have worked in the industry for 25 years - working in the UK and away at sea in the Merchant Navy for P&O. I am currently a Fresh Food Buyer supplying Fresh Produce to several of the major supermarkets in the UK.
What are your key areas of knowledge, interest or expertise?
Having trained as a Chef, I have a love of food. I enjoy cooking and read anything food related. I like Asian food and, in particular, the food of Hong Kong, which is amongst the best in the world. I love Hong Kong having been there many times and also having met and married my wife there. I am also currently writing a book about the food and culture of Hong Kong, which I hope to complete later this year.
Do you have any collections or hobbies?
I enjoy cooking and reading anything to do with Asia or Hong Kong.
What do you like to do for recreation?
I enjoy playing with my son and watching sports as I am getting too old to play anymore!
What are a few random facts about yourself?
I had a trial for England Schoolboys and played rugby for Hampshire as a boy. I am a big fan of Alice Cooper. I can speak a little Cantonese.
What accomplishments are you proud of?
Qualifying as a Chef in 1984 and passing my degree 23 years later.
What are your special goals or dreams?
To make my Mum and Dad proud and to be happy and healthy and to have a good life with my wife and son.
How would you describe yourself or personality?
I am easygoing and warmhearted.
What brought you to Answers.com?
The desire to share knowledge and help others.
What keeps you coming back to Answers.com?
The fun of meeting and helping new friends from all over the world.
What is your favorite Answers.com activity?
I enjoy answering questions and discovering new things.
Answers.com is proud to participate at MediaPost’s OMMA event today in New York City. Bruce Smith, Chief Strategic Officer, will be sitting on a panel about content at 4:30pm. If you are there, feel free to leave your thoughts on the panel in the comments below.
Here is some more information about the session:
Grilling the Content Farmers: When Data Drives Publishing
A new breed of publishing emerged this past year that reverses the polarity of traditional behavioral targeting. Instead of using content to identify user interests and target ads, they use search and other online behaviors to direct which content to create and push in real time into the information economy. Traditional publishers recoil at the prospect of automated editorial decisions, but do these brash new players have something to teach old media? Advertisers wonder what value to place on these audiences and their declared interests. We bring together new and old publishers and their ad clients to explore the implications of a demand-side content economy.
Moderator: Terence Kawaja, Managing Director, GCA Savvian Advisors
Panelists:
Saul Hansell, Programming Director, seed.com, AOL Inc.
Patrick Keane, CEO, Associated Content, Inc.
Steven Kydd, EVP of Content, DemandMedia
Bruce Smith, Chief Strategic Officer, Answers.com
Josh Stinchcomb, Publisher, Conde Nast Digital
