What would you like me to call you in this interview? Would you prefer to stay anonymous or use a nickname? 

You can use my Adult Match Maker handle. Spunky Monkey.

Adult Match Maker?

It was 2001. I was a pioneer. I also used RSVP, but that was boring.

“

[Online dating] was a bit taboo back then, people didn’t like people knowing they were online dating. I went out with one chick and she wanted to make up a back story about how we met.

So what were Adult Match Maker and RSVP like back in 2001?

It was OK… but not for me.

Did you put up recognizable information about yourself on your profiles?

Nah. Well, other than a picture – with sunglasses on. I didn’t put my workplace or home address.

People that knew me would have recognized me, but I was open about it. So I didn’t care.

It was a bit taboo back then, people didn’t like people knowing they were online dating. I went out with one chick (who met some of my friends) and she wanted to make up a back story about how we met.

(It was too late.)

Do you recall how you presented your profile? Were you pretty honest about yourself?

Yeah, I was honest. Might have turned a few people off.

Did you ever talk about political beliefs or religion, drug use or anything polarizing like that?

Well, everyone hated John Howard (back then). Some people were weird about drug use, ie. ended the convo. AMM people were not (openly) religious… RSVP people were. They were the only options – along with ICQ chat. But no one sent me hate mail or messages.

What sort of online communities are you in these days?

Facebook, a couple of tech discussion groups (using Google groups), Google+ (lol). I’m an observer more than a participator in almost all cases. Stack Overflow, ProductReview…

Are you in some of these forums for “professional” reasons?

Yeah.

Is there a difference between the professional you and the…let’s say Facebook-you?

Yeah, I suppose. Facebook makes you use the same profile and I haven’t bothered setting up a fake one. But most other social media I use for professional reasons. Though I did post a link about magic mushrooms on LinkedIn. It was about micro-doses of magic mushrooms in the workplace to boost creativity. So … I figured LinkedIn was an appropriate place for that, since it was work related.

“

If someone posts something too stupid on Facebook I block them rather than respond. And if they share something offensive I block the source. I live in a nice bubble.

Do you find you act/interact differently or the same online?

I guess I’m slightly more cautious online since it’s recorded forever. I only publish a small % of my opinions online. Like my 9/11 and moon landing conspiracy theories… I don’t tell people how much I love Donald Trump – seem to be a lot of haters out there… Hahaha (kidding)

If someone posts something too stupid on Facebook I block them rather than respond. And if they share something offensive I block the source. I live in a nice bubble.

I have plenty of dumb-arse, racist friends on Facebook. “Friends”… people I went to school with.

It’s important to you to be able to express opinions, but you’d prefer not to get into an online argument with someone over them?

It depends what it is, if I’m getting into an argument about something interesting I don’t mind, but if it because the other person/group is obviously an idiot, I don’t bother. Who has time for that shit.

You mentioned earlier that you’re perhaps more cautious about what you say online – others seem feel more free to say things online that they can’t offline.

Nah, online it’s in writing and it’s recorded forever (probably). I guess people forget that there’s a person at the other end.

“

I have become less open online over time. Thanks, Snowden.

It’s interesting to me that you are at once quite a public persona; your real name is everywhere, lots of photos that are recognizably you, your employment etc; and yet you are cautious about what goes online.

Not really concerned about work stuff going online. It’s work. I reckon most stuff you’d find about me is work related. Am I contradicting myself? I have become less open online over time. Thanks, Snowden.

When and how did you first develop an interest in technology?

Since before I can remember. I had a Commodore VIC-20. It had a tape drive, before floppy disks.

What became of it?

Dunno. My next computer was a Commodore 128. It had 128k of ram. Then I got an Amiga 500. Commodore went bankrupt. After that I had a IBM 386, then a 486, then a 586 aka Pentium 1. I’m all about the Pentiums.

So I guess you were programming quite early. You’d have been using Basic on the Commodore.

Yes. On the VIC-20. I wrote my own Dungeons and Dragons style game. Was shit because I knew where everything was.

“

I always liked computers and the internet. I remember wanting a modem in primary school. After I explained what a modem was, my parents were like, why would you want to connect to another computer?

Were your parents quite into computers too?

No. They did not like me playing with their 5000k+ work equipment.

I always liked computers and the internet. I remember wanting a modem in primary school. After I explained what a modem was, my parents were like, why would you want to connect to another computer? I didn’t get internet until I moved out of home. Motherfuckers really stifled my growth. My son will be building robots at age 5.

-9+698+\7

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ty3+pe3

+6

That’s him typing.

Ha!

+6+++++++++

++9

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61\8+5

This is a great interview.

He likes the numeric keypad. + is the biggest button.

So, technology and being online has been a pretty major part of your life. Where do you think we’re heading in terms of digital technology etc?

The Internet of Things (IOT). Everything that can be connected eventually will.

What sort of IOT applications?

Anything. Home automation for starters. Health. Work. Did you see the article about Google tracking?

How do you feel about personal data collection?

It can be useful. Mine or other people’s?

It’s a trade off between convenience and privacy (and ignorance). I feel like I should start lying online. Have a fake Google account. I’ll just make all my data so dirty it’s useless.

How would you fake an account?

Well, I’d start with a fake email created through Tor. Probably use a virtual machine with a spoofed mac address. Using Tor in a MacDonald’s WiFi in the car park. Then use it to create a Gmail (cos it helps you sign into other shit) and then randomly answer any questions other services ask about me, being sure to only use it on a throwaway computer or VM (virtual machine). Not that I’d do anything bad, but I’d want to ensure my anonymity. I probably would never use it.

In hindsight I should have started my fake life when I was 15.