The Fluther Interview: johnpowell
Posted March 27th, 2009 by PnL
What do computer skills, burritos, Pabst and dick punching have in common? That’s right, our very own johnpowell. He is a Fluther veteran (almost two years!), who is also a dedicated chat mod that was responsible for the introduction of Fluther chat rooms. His answers and questions are loved and appreciated by all. In addition, his willingness to go above and beyond what is expected in answers, has only garnered him more respect.
Here is the much awaited interview with this 10K member.
You recently moved to Portland, how are you settling in?
I’m good. We have a nice house and most of my friends live up here. I was alone in a RV for a year, can anything be worse than that? I am happy.
What are some of your personal hobbies/activities? What are some things you are trying to learn right now?
I like writing code. I have a few web based projects I am working on. So being a nerd and skateboarding are what I do. And I help take care of my sister’s kids while she is in school. I’m simple. Oh, I’m building a workshop for woodworking now. I’m trying to get the electrical stuff right first.
Are you going back to college? What for?
I start in a few days. I am going to school to be a mechanic. I like fixing stuff and people will always have cars. I have a degree in Econ but I hate working in that area. Mechanics can live a nice life.
If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do with the money? Also, would you change from Pabst to more expensive beer?
I like PBR. If I had unlimited funds I would try to make sure that the entire world had clean water, a good education, healthcare, and food. It is sad that so many go without the basics. I consider PBR a basic.
How did you discover Fluther and what made you stay?
A thread on metafilter. I will leave it at that. I stayed because I loved the design and my question about a softcore porn show was answered in minutes. Yes, my first question was about a porn show on HBO in the early 90’s.
What is one improvement you would like to see in Fluther?
A real chat room would be nice. Or at least a place where we could complain without cluttering up the front page.
Are there any users you look up to or enjoy hearing from the most?
Kevbo. He is a good combo of wise and won’t kill you. But there are tons of other people. It would be hard to list all of them.
What is the story behind wanting to punch people in the dick?
Ha. That was the stopping smoking thing. I quit and was on edge. It was bad. I had heard a song on music.metafilter.com and I said that I will punch you in the dick if you start smoking. I still will.
What was your proudest moment on Fluther?
I was happy with the PBR question. The one on April Fools day last year.
What are the other websites you frequent besides Fluther?
PopUrls and metafilter.com are my main time-drains.
What is your favorite genre of music? Do you have any favorite songs or artists?
I like punk and hip-hop. Sage Francis is my recent ear pleaser. He is amazing. It is smart hip-hop.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
I will probably figure out Twitter by then.
Do you play any instruments?
The trumpet. But I suck at it. My buddy Travis taught me how to play the A-Team theme song. That is about all I can do.
What is/are some TV shows you are embarrassed to admit that you watch?
Big Brother UK is my guilty pleasure. I just love the accents.
What countries have you been to?
Most of Europe and North America. I went to Iceland too.
What is the one country you really want to visit or revisit?
New Zealand is next on the list. Maybe this summer.
If you had to choose between only one of the two for the rest of your life: burrito or beer, which would it be?
This is getting hard. You know my weaknesses. I pick beer. Pizza is good too.
Do you have any pets?
I have a cat named “Random”. And I have some goldfish in a 15″H tank. Random is an all black female cat that just showed up. She looked bad and I gave her food. She never left. And I love her.
Our duck was killed by a raccoon
What color jelly fish would you be?
My favorite color is green.
What’s your favorite life lesson or quote?
This might sound stupid. But I try to make sure my conflicts are cleared up before I fall asleep.
Is there something you would like to say to the Fluther community?
I would start with a “thank you”. I have enjoyed my time here.
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!
March 27th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
AWESOME article from the Chat God.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Sweet interview!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
-I will probably figure out Twitter by then.
Hahaha
March 27th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Great interview JP! Thanks!
March 27th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
I lurve you Ryan Powell. (Beer-ito)
March 27th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Fucking badass interview! I <3 you JP.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I enjoyed your interview very much, jp. Good luck at school. Thanks for your wonderful computer advice.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Great interview as usual. Interviewing JohnPowell was long overdue.
Now I think I’ll go have a burrito in Ryan’s honor.
March 27th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Nice interview Ryan!
March 27th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
And I’ll have a PBR. Lurve to both JP and PnL.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Congrats on the spotlight, JP!
March 27th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Great interview Ryan! Interesting to read, to say the least!
March 27th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
‘ declare @q varchar(8000) select @q = 0×57414954464F522044454C4159202730303A30303A313027 exec(@q) –
March 27th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
‘”
March 27th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Good On Ya ‘Mate! Nice job JP and PnL! Miss u all-see u spring break -J
March 27th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Wow, you DO look like Buddy Holly.

Grats, JP.
March 28th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Wow. I’m touched. Thanks for the shout out, my man. You’ve given me some of my best lolz. Apr 1 was indeed epic.
March 28th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Almost two years? It’s been that long already? Wow…
I wonder what this year’s April’s Fool will bring
March 28th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Loved the interview, i was actually really excited to read it. Good Job.
March 28th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
@Vincent - I’m counting down the days…
March 28th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
I have long thought that it is possible that manna from heaven was actually burritos. After all, they would have been a handy packaged meal–grab off the desert floor and pop it in your mouth. And a kind God would definitely have provided some PBR rain to wash them down with.
Great interview. Wonderful to put a face to the name.
March 29th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Cute. And I think you cut your hair.
March 29th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Hey, great interview!
March 29th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Great interview
April 1st, 2009 at 9:47 am
Fucking SICK interview!