[Capstan]

Another week has flown, and it's time for a new Celebrity, pandiculationco! Pandi is a relatively new member, having joined the boards just two-weeks ago, but has already made a big impression, by way of his communication and observational skills. In his short tenure, he has become one of out top posters! A warm welcome please for our new Celebrity Star!

For those who are new to the interviews, here's how it works:

-Please ask only a few questions at a time, so everyone has a chance to participate. (You can come back often to ask more questions!) Each interview runs for a week, typically from Monday to Monday.

-Anyone (and everyone) can be a VB Star. If you would like to be a VB Star, just send me or any of the moderators a PM, and we'll arrange to get you into the hot-seat! In the event no one comes forward, it will be up to our current Star to choose next week's victim, er, interviewee. If you're asked to be a Celebrity, but don't want to be one, you may take a pass; likewise, the current Star is free to pass on any questions they are not comfortable with answering.

-Please keep our posting rules in mind, and let's keep this PG-13 or better. And remember, if our current famous person expresses an opinion with which you disagree, please do not give an argument in return. This is an interview, not a debate!

NOTE- If you'd like to read about our previous Stars (they go back several years,) all of the interviews are archived in the Meet Outstanding Users forum, for your reading pleasure!

Pandiculationco has responded to a few questions, to get us started:

Quote:

-Real first name?

Yes, I do.

-Age?

It's a number.

-Sex/Gender Identity?

I'm "the man"

Straight, white, cisgender male.

LGBT issues are at the top of my social justice interests, though.

-Relationship status?

None. I'm broken inside. ^_^

-Location (as specific as you are comfortable being)?

I travel a lot. I don't have a constant location.

-Religious beliefs (or lack thereof)?

I believe in good, and I believe in reason (which is the only reliable way to arrive at truth, which is necessary for good)

I don't know what "god" means. Everybody seems to disagree on this point. Once somebody defines it, I'll tell you if I believe in it or not

-Political leanings?

I try to stay out of politics. I'm interested in progressive social justice issues though.

-Are you a vegetarian, vegan or raw foodist (or something else)?

Vegan, among many other things. I'm not too keen on labeling myself.

-What is the meaning behind your username?

I used a random username generator on the internet.

-Have you ever met anyone famous?

Not particularly.

-Do you live with any companion animals?

Not usually, no- it depends on my roommates.

-Do you live with any companion humans?

I usually like to have roommates, but I move around a lot.

I prefer vegan roommates.

Anybody need a vegan roommate? I'm in the mood for San Francisco this spring.

-Where is your favorite place that you have visited?

I couldn't say, everywhere is different.

-What do you enjoy most about being veg*n?

That's a hard question to answer... I don't think it's so much that I enjoy anything, as I would feel wrong acting against my ethics.

-With whom would you most love to have dinner?

I can't think of anybody in particular. I'll have dinner with anybody who wants to have dinner, I guess- provided it's vegan.

-Do you have any secret talents?

Those are secret.

-What dish/recipe can you make that knocks people's socks off?

I don't think I can make any that knock people's socks off.

Most of the stuff I cook is too healthy for regular folk

Although, I can make almost anything and have it be good.

-What's your favorite restaurant?

As far as ones other people might know? There used to be an all you can eat vegan Thai place in Seattle (I don't know if it still exists). That was pretty rad.

-What do you do to cheer yourself up when you're feeling blue?

I don't. I just keep busy and don't think about it.

-What's your biggest cooking/baking disaster?

I once shook a can of soup up before opening it, having forgotten that I already opened it.

-What's the one food/product, that you'd love to "veg*nize"?

Meringue. I've heard it's nearly impossible; I haven't tried it yet.

Let the interview start!

 

[River]

Dearest Pandi, do you have any tattoos?
What is your dream job?
Do you like coffee?
Have you checked out Seattle yet?

 

[pandiculationco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by River

Dearest Pandi, do you have any tattoos?
What is your dream job?
Do you like coffee?
Have you checked out Seattle yet?

I like Seattle, not crazy about the weather though.

I'm coffee agnostic.

God of the universe.

Umm...

I'll plead the fifth on that one.

 

[River]

what kind of god of the universe would you be?

 

[pandiculationco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by River

what kind of god of the universe would you be?

A visible one. I'd tell people to stop being such meanies to animals.

 

[leedsveg]

Hi P.

Do you think that planet Earth has been visited by aliens?

What is your earliest memory?

If I gave you $10m, how would you spend it?

Lv

 

[pandiculationco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leedsveg

Hi P.

Do you think that planet Earth has been visited by aliens?

What is your earliest memory?

If I gave you $10m, how would you spend it?

I find it unlikely.

I think it's probably playing with the family dog. It's tough to say, because I don't have much concept of time from that young; it all kind of blurs together.

I would buy an island, and invite all of the vegans to come and make our own country. (OK, not really; I'd probably invest in real estate though).

 

[Aristede]

What do you consider to be eternal verities?

Aristede

 

[pandiculationco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aristede

What do you consider to be eternal verities?

Aristede

I consider good to be its own thing; a conceptual truth that's transcendent and timeless- like pi or prime numbers- but that applies to intelligent systems instead of strictly to mathematics.

Not created or destroyed, but of timeless indelible truth.

Not invented or contrived, but discovered, named, and described.

Not acting, but enacted by agents who connect with it to find meaning within temporal existence.

I'm not sure if that answers your question at all, though

 

[Capstan]

Have you ever saved anyone's life?

Ever crossed an international border?

Do you have a favorite game?

Favorite sport?

 

[pandiculationco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capstan

Have you ever saved anyone's life?

Ever crossed an international border?

Do you have a favorite game?

Favorite sport?

I don't know; like, in terms of suicidal friends? It's hard to know how things would have turned out otherwise. I would say probably not.

I've saved non-human animals' lives.

I'm not sure what you mean. Like, walked all the way, on foot?

Nope. I like all sorts of games. My favorite game is usually the newest one, because I enjoy new things.

There are some games I like because I'm really good at them, but nobody will play them with me...

Free climbing.

 

[Capstan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pandiculationco

I'm not sure what you mean. Like, walked all the way, on foot?

I mean, have you ever traveled from one country into another. What countries have you visited?

As you travel around, what is your means of locomotion? Do you own a vehicle? Do you walk? Bicycle? Hitchhike? Hop freight-trains? (I've done that.)

 

[pandiculationco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capstan

I mean, have you ever traveled from one country into another. What countries have you visited?

As you travel around, what is your means of locomotion? Do you own a vehicle? Do you walk? Bicycle? Hitchhike? Hop freight-trains? (I've done that.)

Oh, yes. Many a time. Usually I travel by plane or long-distance bus cross border (technically, by bus you usually have to get out, go through customs, and walk a couple dozen meters across, and get back on). Trains don't usually connect across international borders, but I've taken trains or transit part of the way, then walked between (short distances, like with a bus).

I've never biked or walked long distance or cross border without other forms of transit.

I don't usually keep a vehicle. I want a folding electric bike with a good range... I'm waiting on that, I think.

 

[Capstan]

What's your educational background? College? Any degrees? High-school dropout? How do you earn your living?

 

[beanspud]

Do you have a favorite quotation?

 

[yingchen]

What's your impression of VB so far?

What kind of woman would interest a straight, white cisgender male like you?

One of my gay acquaintances has called the LGBT movement a failure, because it has tried too hard to 'normalise' homosexuality by assimilating it into a heterosexual form and structure (basically arguing that gay people are expected to act like straight people in every way except for who they love, including how they express their love). He believes that, as a result, much of gay culture has been lost and it is a kind of repression in its own way. Any thoughts or comments on this?

 

[60225]

Have you ever tried parkour?

Do you enjoy pandiculation?

 

[starman10]

Hello Pandiculationco,

When you close your eyes, were does the World go !

Do you have a receipe for tofu [not scrambled]

 

[pandiculationco]

College and Uni

I've tried to have a favorite quotation, but alas I do not.

Doesn't seem as active as some other forums, definitely less debate/argument.

The vegan kind. Morality is tops. Smart is important too.

I think that's a bit silly. It isn't 'gay culture'- it's a particular subculture which developed in a particular environment of oppression (and a lot of gays would find the suggestion they're supposed to be part of that particular interpretation of gay culture offensive).

Culture changes with environment, that's inevitable, and subcultures come and go- the fact that the environment is less oppressive, allowing gays to be open within any subculture they feel part of (well, not any yet- but hopefully soon), is a good thing-- they're no longer forced into one single subcultural niche as the only place they'll be accepted.

If somebody wants to keep traditional 'gay culture' alive, that's totally cool (diversity of subculture is a kind of artistic expression, in a way), but I suspect the apparent dissolution of traditional 'gay culture' is more to do with acceptance and choice to be gay within other subcultures- the ability to be open about your attractions and not be shoehorned into something other people created for you, because not everybody considers their sexuality to be the primary definition of who they are (for many people, it's more of a footnote)- it's a competitive market place of ideas, and that older more narrow view of what it is to be gay no longer has such a strong competitive edge.

I'd look forward to the day that 'vegan culture' is no longer a thing because nobody is abusing and killing animals anymore. Or that 'skeptic culture' is no longer a thing because everybody respects science and reason, and religious freedom is no longer a daily court battle which ostracizes the most hated minority.

Anyway...

I'd like parkour if it wasn't so painful. I'm disinclined to fall on my face on pavement. I'm more of the 'slow and steady' type.

Why yes, I do.

It doesn't 'go' anywhere- you just partially disconnect your sensory feed from it. The model of the visual 'world' you form in your mind, however, will quickly blur though, and may seem to vanish.

I like it baked crispy and golden on the outside. Or pureed and used as a dip or spread with spices on chips/bread/crackers.

 

[yingchen]

Ooh, what are these 'other' forums you speak of?