no stupid answers

Meet Snakester1962! A contributor who has been breeding reptiles for 25 years! His collection includes boa constrictors, royal pythons and over twenty species of tarantulas. It is no surprise that he is most active in the reptile category. With over 38,000 contributions, he has earned both the Category Supervisor and Gold Contributor badges.

First Name:  David

Occupation: Reptile Breeder

What is your Answers.com username and how did it come about?

My Answers.com username is Snakester1962. The name is a combination of my hobby and my year of birth.

Where in the world do you hail from and what makes this place special?

I’m from Middlesbrough, in the Teesside area of North East England.

How did you discover Answers.com?

To be honest, I forgot how! It’s such a long time since I found this site, I can’t remember how I got here (someone please tell me where the exit is please!)

If you were inviting someone to join Answers.com, what reason(s) would you give them to become a part of our community?

Answers.com is a brilliant place. Most of the natives are quite friendly and there is a wealth of information (both useful and useless) to be discovered.

What accomplishments on Answers.com are you proud of?

I’m proud of being asked to be a supervisor. I didn’t realize at the time that people actually took notice of the answers I was posting. It’s nice to be recognized.

What life accomplishments are you proud of?

I’m proud of running my own business. I’ve been involved with reptiles since 1985 – almost 30 years. Over this time I’ve successfully bred most of the species I keep.

What is the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

I abseiled* down the side of a quarry during my college days. Although I’m not afraid of heights, they do scare me a little.  Stepping backwards into ‘thin air’ is not normal for us humans. (*For those of us who have never heard of the word abseil, it is a method of descent in which a mountain climber slides down a rope looped over or fastened to an overhead projection!)

What is your favorite type of music?  Favorite band or artist?

I like all sorts of music from classical to heavy rock. My favorite band is Queen (R.I.P. Freddie) and my favorite artist is MeatLoaf.

What makes you unique?

I accept everyone as they are. I don’t care what color their skin is, what religion they are, whether they’re gay or straight. Everyone has a right to be who they are without fear of prejudice.

Do you see the glass as half full or half empty?  Why?

I see it as half full. I’ve not done everything I want to do with my life yet. I still have a long list of ‘things to do.’

Growing up, what was your favorite cartoon character and why?

Pepe le Pew! That poor skunk should have learned the difference between a cat and a lady skunk by now!

What are your special interests, hobbies, or collections?

Apart from my reptiles, I’m a bit of a computer nut. I’ve been using computers since 1981.  I also really enjoy long, leisurely walks, especially at the coast.

What is your favorite quote and why?

EASY… “You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t.” – Bart Simpson. Sometimes I feel as if it doesn’t make any difference whether I do something or not. Either way I’m going to get blamed!

Any final words about the site? Your role? The community?

Answers.com is amazing for the amount of information on almost any subject! I’m happy to be a ‘small cog in a big machine’. It’s like being part of one huge on-line family.

Answers.com will host the 2012 Leap to Win AnswerThon for two days: February 25th through Feb 26th. The contest will begin at 12:00 am ET on the 25^th and end at 11:59 pm ET on the 26th!

Don’t miss this leap into the new year event! Win up to $1800 in prizes! There is plenty of opportunity to win in either the 1st, 2^nd or 3^rd place or as a runner up.

The goal is to answer as many questions as possible in three sentences or more. Participants with the best answers, both accurate and grammatically correct, will be eligible. In order for your answers to be counted and to be eligible for prizes, you must read the rules and sign up to participate at Leap to Win on the Answers.com website.

This week our featured contributor is AwakeTonight. Her curiosity for the world is boundless and her humanity is profound. This teen Supervisor from Indiana dreams of visiting Israel and Scandinavia. She also wants to become an anesthesiologist. She is very active on our site with badges for her missions as a Special Project Assistant and as a  Wiki Influential Teen. She is a Category Supervisor and has over 200,000 contributions! Learn more about Anna in this interview and find out how she came up with her unique username.

First Name: My first name is Anna.

Occupation: I’m still in my mid-teens. However, I do tutor and babysit. In the future, I would like to be an anesthesiologist.

What is your Answers.com username and how did it come about?

My Answers.com username is AwakeTonight. My two favorite bands are Skillet and TobyMac. Skillet released an album called “Awake” and TobyMac released an album called “Tonight.” The two went on tour together, and the tour was called “AwakeTonight.” The concert was amazing!

Where in the world do you hail from and what makes this place special?

I live on planet Earth, USA, Indiana. As Dorothy says, “There’s no place like home!”

What is your favorite activity on the site? Least favorite?

My favorite activity is working on my Special Project Assistant missions and working in the categories I supervise. I enjoy Answers.com because I love to learn and I love to help others who want to learn. I love the whole purpose of Answers.com: knowledge! I hate seeing vandalism, racist and bigoted answers on the site! Other than that, what’s not to love?

What do you find most challenging as an Answers.com Supervisor?

I think the challenge is to keep up with everything. Answers.com is always growing and  has an endless stream of questions. Many of the questions are already answered and just need to be merged.

If you were inviting someone to join Answers.com, what reason(s) would you give them to convince them they would love being a part of our community?

I’d recommend Answers.com to anyone who loves to learn, who loves to give knowledge or advice, or who loves a random fact. It is also a place where you can meet amazing Supervisors and Contributors who go above-and-beyond to make the site an easy place to get information.

What life accomplishments are you proud of?

I am proud of all that I know and am, and of being an honor roll student. I’m proud of always sticking up for my beliefs and for others.  As my Dad says, “I have a best friend. It’s me!”

Who is your favorite poet?  Favorite poem and why?

I don’t exactly have a favorite poet. My favorite poem, if this would count (it is kind of a quote-in-poem format), would probably be “First They Came” by Martin Niemöller. I’m not really into poetry.

What makes you unique?

One interesting thing about me is that I enjoy every genre of music from rap to classic to rock to contemporary to worship. However, all of the music has to be clean. I prefer survival stories over romantic-comedies.  I can’t stand anything romance-y…with exceptions! I also like history class because you can learn from others and not make similar mistakes.

How do you most enjoy using your creativity and why?

I think I show my creativity best when you sit me in front of a computer. I can make colorful sheets, cards, and other things. I can also take any game (no matter how boring), twist the rules, and make it one of the ‘funnest’ games!

What are your special interests, hobbies, or collections?

I’m interested in the Holocaust. Seeing human beings at their best and worst is amazing to me. I am also interested in the human body. I think it is amazing how your body works. Hobbies include my iTouch, movies, TV, listening to music, reading my Bible, badminton, researching, playing games with my family: Scattergories, Apples to Apples and chess are my favorites! And, of course, Answers.com! I also like watching survival stories with my sisters and then having those “who-could-last-longer-in-the-middle-of-nowhere” debates with them.

What are you most passionate about in your life?

My family and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What is your favorite quote and why?

I like any quotes by Corrie ten Boom. She’s an amazing woman. I love Yehuda Bauer’s quote “Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.” In my opinion, bystanders are about as bad as perpetrators. I also love (it is set as the desktop to my laptop) Irena Sendler’s quote, “I was brought up to believe a person must be rescued when drowning, regardless of religion and nationality.”

Where is one place in the world you would love to visit and why?

Israel! I would love to visit Israel! As a Christian, I think it would be amazing to visit all the places that Jesus walked. I also would like to visit (in Israel) Yad Vashem and a Kosher McDonald’s. Denmark and Sweden would also be on my list.

Any final words about the site? Your role? The community?

Thanks to everyone who helps make Answers.com the best site in the world!

This week meet Winslot! A featured contributor that has a passion for reading. It only makes sense that his favorite category on Answers.com is Books and Literature. This Silver Contributor has answered over 1,000 questions! He loves Halloween because of the candy, and loves his home state, Michigan, because it has no extreme weather. Read on to learn more about Winslot.

First Name: My first name is Winslot

Occupation: I am a student.

What is your Answers.com username and how did it come about?

My username is Winslot. I came up with that name in 5th grade. I had won some contest that day and I have been using it ever since!

Where in the world do you hail from and what makes this place special?

I am from Michigan. Michigan is great because there are so many types of weather but no natural disasters: no floods, no tornadoes, no extreme weather. And, the sports teams are getting better.

What enticed you to join our community?

I joined Answers.com because I saw so many questions without answers. I knew the answers and wanted to help.

If you were inviting someone to join Answers.com, what reason(s) would you give them to convince them they would love being a part of our community?

I would tell them that they would be helping the community.

What accomplishments on Answers.com are you proud of?

I am happy being the 16th all-time asker of questions and I am proud that I have answered over a thousand questions on the website.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?

I would wish for world peace, 100 billion dollars, and to be the mayor of a small city.

What is your favorite holiday and why?

My favorite holiday is Halloween. I like Halloween because even though I may not go trick or treating, I  can still buy candy that I get to eat.

How do you most enjoy using your creativity and why?

I like to read because I like to imagine the things that the author is writing about.

What are you most passionate about in your life?

I am passionate about maintaining good grades in school.

What did you enjoy doing as a child that you still love to do?

I still like to read. I’ve been reading books voluntarily since second grade.

What is one quirky or interesting random fact about you that most people may not know?

My computer’s hard drive has broken 5 times!

Coinlvr11 (aka Jake) is a very active member on Answers.com. In less than a year, Jake has already made 10,000 contributions, completed 20 missions as a Special Project Assistant, and has earned a variety of badges that he proudly displays on his bio page.  His favorite categories include Coins and Paper Money and the Amish! Read his interview to learn more about him.

First Name:

My first name is Jacob but people just call me Jake.

Occupation:

I don’t have a job, but I guess my occupation would be a student.

What is your Answers.com username and how did it come about?

My username is Coinlvr11.  I thought of it because I like coins and the 11 makes it unique. It’s also easy and quick to type.

Where in the world do you hail from and what makes this place special?

I hail from Wayne County in Ohio. This place is special to me because I have a lot of good memories from when I was younger.

What accomplishments on Answers.com are you proud of?

I’m proud of my 10,000 contributions badge.

Do you see the glass half full or half empty?  Why?

I would say I see the glass as half full because that is what comes naturally to me. Half empty sounds unappreciative.

You are going to open a restaurant or specialty food shop.  What kind and why?

I would open an ice cream shop. Ice cream is so refreshing on hot summer days and it is a very good and quick snack.

Growing up, what was your favorite cartoon character and why?

I didn’t really have one but I liked anything that was funny.

What are your special interests, hobbies, or collections?

I like dogs. We have a hyper Miniature Schnauzer at home. I also like to play sports and go swimming.

Where is one place in the world you would love to visit and why?

I would love to go someplace in the western part of the United States. I always wanted to see the west and all the scenery it has to offer.

Do you have any final words about the site? Your role? The community?

I really enjoy the site and the Community Forum on the site. The users and Supervisors are very kind.

With a name like Pokesardinemaniac, it is clear that this Answers.com contributor likes Pokemon and sardines. But Jessica is an expert on more than Pokemon.  On Answers.com she is a Bronze Contributor and a Windclan Wikiwarrior.  Check out her contributions in the Greek and Roman Mythologies category.  This creative contributor loves to learn about the world around her and to write her own stories.  She is full of energy and dreams and we hope they all come true.

First Name:  My name is Jessica.

Occupation:  I am a middle school student.

What is your Answers.com username and how did it come about?

My username is Pokesardinemaniac.  When I first made my e-mail, I wanted it to represent my life in a nutshell.  I loved Pokemon and sardines (in olive oil), so I came up with Pokesardinemaniac.  Now every other account I have is either Pokesardinemaniac or Sardinemaniac.

Where in the world do you hail from and what makes this place special?

I live in the southeastern part of the United States and it’s awesome!  There are many landmarks and historical sites here.  There are also great people and friends!  Just don’t call us rednecks!

How did you discover Answers.com?

I found it a few years ago when I needed an answer to a homework question.  A few years later, I wanted to help contribute to Answers.com because it helped me so many times!

Do you have a favorite category? Least favorite?

I love to answer questions about Pokemon, Greek and Roman mythologies, and so much more.  I don’t have a least favorite though.  I try to answer every question I know the answer to.  I also like to edit them.

If you were inviting someone to join Answers.com, what reason(s) would you give them to convince them they would love being a part of our community?

I would tell them it’s really fun and awesome! It’s a place where you can find new knowledge, talk, and speak your opinions!

What accomplishments on Answers.com are you proud of?

I’m proud that I try to give good answers to questions and I became a WindClan WikiWarrior.

What was the last song you listened to?

It was probably a really stupid song or a Christmas song.

What makes you unique?

I love to write stories for my secret e-mail club and I think I’m really creative! I like to try new things and learn about different cultures. I’ll try ANY food, as long as it won’t kill me. I’m one of the few girls that plays Pokemon. I also love to read.

What are your special interests, hobbies, or collections?

I love Pokemon, food, reading, writing, and being myself! I love animals a lot. I like to collect old coins and money from other countries.

Who or what is your inspiration in life?

There are many people that inspire me!  Some of them are famous and some of them not so much.  Some inspiration comes from written things, like quotes or books.

Where is one place in the world you would love to visit and why?

I would love to visit Alaska! I love the cold, nature, and wide open spaces! I’m so tired of living in the city and hope that one day I will be able to see the true wilderness.

What is one quirky or interesting random fact about you that most people may not know?

Most people don’t know that I have a secret e-mail club.