Questions of the Week

1. If you and a member of the opposite sex were the last two people on earth would you try to procreate or let the human race die out?
Added by: jupiterchild

2. Do you think the process of peer review is a benefit or a hindrance to scientific progress?
Added by: Floor Demon

3. If put in the right environment, do you think you would be capable of torture?
Added by: nkvd

4. Has this site gone way down in quality?
Added by: warpdrv10

5. Is being overweight a personal failing?
Added by: IamNo-Face

1. What Lord of the Rings race are you?
Added by: Willjohn55

2. What kind of goddess are you?
Added by: meanie41her

3. What kind of musical instrument are you?
Added by: rw95

4. Could you commit the perfect crime?
Added by: RanChan

5. What print is your personality?
Added by: katangelluv

Funniest Comments of the Week

Random Thread:
delmar3432: I guess you could counter that argument by saying that there are factors that led to historical circumstances.... but then you would have to concede that christianity was a factor... sorry kepi, you're argument is flawed...
Courtbebe: Hey Shatner, want to tone it down a bit with the ellipses?

In a thread about turning off lights for one hour around the world:
McGoodness: I'll turn off all my lights for one hour...while putting the blender on full speed, using the washer and dryer at the same time, watch a new epsiode of The Hills while blasting Paul McCartney's Ram!
avant-garde: I know some people dont like Heather Mills but shooting at her and calling her a male sheep is a bit extreme.

In a thread by DoYouWash:
thh: Judge not, that ye be not judged...oh, wait. This is YT. Judge away, bitches.

In the thread by a newbie in journals about her boyfriend being in jail and not writing back to her:
ellablue: Wow, hes in jail?.....for what?
lvhearts: sagitariouse rape
danielee: Priceless. Poor Sagittariuses. I'm thankful I'm an Aries.

From a "Guess the movie" thread in Old Skool:
EhFahQ: beetlejuice
bashful99: Beetlejuice.
jdappleton: Beetlejuice! Uh-oh, now I've done it..

Joke of the Week

Stayin' Alive

A cowboy told his grandson the secret to a long life. He said, "You gotta sprinkle a little gunpowder on your oatmeal, see. If you do, you'll live to a nice ripe old age."

So the cowboy did this religiously every day, and sure enough, lived to the nice ripe old age of 96.

When he died he left behind 4 children, 8 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren

...and a 16 foot hole in the wall of the crematorium.

Member of the Week

The members of the week are Tulip, Tezmata, and Balloon07. Members since December 2004, January 2004, and March 2007 respectively, These three recently had a YT get-together in the Dallas-Ft Worth area. Click on the pic above for more details of their fun time. All three are great to have around the site, and it's great to hear that they organized a successful meet-up. Congrats!

JoeInterview's Member Feature

This week's interview features Surrysounds. This interview was conducted by chips2001, Amyla516, and travbowman.

JoeInterview: How did you find YT?

Surrysounds: Well I would Love to say I stumbled across the site in a unique manner, but in all honesty, like everyone else I was looking for some kill time. I Am Bored was the gateway to YT for me. I thank my ex-girlfriend for being so 'boring'.

JI: And what keeps you returning?

SS: I guess in all honesty the few close knit people who I really enjoy talking with. Initially I was a questions forum man, and it was that forum that kept bringing me back, but as time has gone on, I'd say its the people within the site that keep bringing me round these days..

JI: What does the name 'surrysounds' mean?

SS: Well, it doesn't really mean anything.. But the story behind the name comes from when I first moved to Surry Hills in Sydney many years back and was an audio assistant at a local studio. I always liked the word Surry, and the 'sounds' part, well it just flowed nicely. Soon as I moved from Surry Hills the business name became redundant, but the net name lives on!

JI: What does an audio assistant do?

SS: Back in the days when I worked as an assistant audio engineer my job would basically consist of miking up instruments, making sure the recording equipment is working and ready, (getting the engineer lunch), sound tests etc.. Basically everything the engineer couldn't be bothered doing. It was a decent job as far as jobs go, met many fine musicians that way, but it wasn't really what I wanted to be doing forever..

And nowadays I no longer work in a studio, I free lance original compositions from the comfort of home for an agency in Melbourne, which is more my ideal setting.

JI: Did you get to meet any semi-famous musicians?

SS: Semi famous musicians, well I've met quite a few... Whilst working at 301 I've met locally known Australian bands and musos like Grinspoon, Dave Faulkner, Spiderbait, James Morrison ('the trumpet player' from Australia, not the incredibly laborious Brit singer who goes by the same name), as well as plenty of 'up and comers' into the business. But was fortunate enough to actually work with a well known, respected session musician who is the current guitarist of the new 'Australian Idol' series. He was originally a teacher of mine at the AIM (Australian Institute of Music) in Sydney, but I landed a position as his underdog and worked with him for a few months for a short production years later. (It never actually aired for some reason). He's now a ref. on my resume and a worthy contact in the business.

After all, everyone knows the world of music is unfortunately more about who you know than who you are....

JI: What's the best thing about being an Aussie?

SS: Best thing about being an Aussie is the pleasure of living in the best country this globe has to offer. I've travelled the world, but nothing compares to the land of OZ. The care-free lifestyle we enjoy, the cities, the country, the people, the price of living, the vastness and emptiness of a country that allows you to drive for 100's of kilometres and not see a single soul or vehicle. The fact that everything is at your fingertips from the beaches to the snow fields. I really could go on and on and on about the land of OZ and why everyone should at least visit once..

JI: Ah, the old Aussie wonderlust. Every Australian gets bitten by the travel bug, I think. Tell me about the best and worst places you have visited on your travels.

SS: Very true. I think it has something to do with being stuck in the bottom corner of the globe. We love the view from our picket fence, but we all want to know what's around the corner!

I would have to say the 2 most impressive cities I've visited would without a doubt be Rome and New York. New York I visited in September of '02 in a week long whirlwind visit me and my ex did across the US that encompassed the east and west coast.. (We went to California and New York)! LA was not my cup of tea, but New York... Wow. Centre of the modern day world. The grandiose 'world within a world' it is and the buzz the city gives out... One of these days I might be lucky and rich enough to call it home.

And Rome. Rome for the history, beauty and women. Had the fortune to spend about a week in Rome, the only part of Italy I've visited, and was left in awe. I'd love to see the north of the country.

The prize for the worst vacation I've been on would have to go to Austria. I wasn't impressed with Vienna. I was young, around 12 or so, had a suitcase full of toys, clothes and souvenirs my folks had bought me on our vacation. We caught a cab (suitcases and all in the boot) to the hotel, and as soon as we got out of the cab, the driver took off with all our gear. We were also informed by the same taxi driver that our family name sounds too 'Jewish' and should be careful... We're not even Jewish!

JI: So what was the teen-age Surry like?

SS: Teen surry was much more care free than I am now. My worries were far and few between, there was no such thing as a mortgage, credit cards or debt to worry about, the family were all together and the days seemed to last a hell of a lot longer than they do now. I wouldn't go as far as to say I was your average happy teen, but life was definitely good for me back then.

JI: So what worries you so much now?

SS: I've recently moved from Sydney to Melbourne, and am honestly still not sure if I made the right decision. Melbourne is a nice city, but it doesn't have the buzz that Sydney offers. Plus, getting a house like the one I have in Sydney would be out of the question. Prices of rent and housing are ridiculous. But I've basically had to start off from the beginning all over again in terms of contacts, friends etc. Moving from state to state can be difficult at the best of times, specially when you are doing it solo.

My dad is a worry. His health is not what it used to be. He's an old man, in his 80's and has been in and out of hospital all through last year with back pains, pace maker troubles, and now a tumour in his kidney. Sometimes it's hard not to feel useless when I'm so far away. And then of course I share the same problem so many have with juggling finances towards bills, the mortgage, rego, insurance etc. Just the 'typical' worries of life I guess!

JI: Why the move to Melbourne?

SS: A few reasons were at play, but 2007 was a crazy year for me. One of the worst of my life without a doubt, and the best remedy for something like that is a drastic change. I seriously considered Brisbane, but the humid tropical weather just isn't my thing. I love the big cities, the bigger the better in my view. And next to Sydney, Melbourne is really all we have down here. The music/arts scene is much more alive and visible in Melbourne than in Sydney, and of course the price of living is much more affordable here.

Plus, with my family in Adelaide, I'm much more closer to them than than when I was in New South Wales. It's not a bad city at all, It's just the adjustment of living in an epic city like Sydney one week, and then moving to smaller, colder, less intriguing city the next. (Melbournians are going to hate me for that!)

JI: What's the best part about being a mod on YT?

SS: I'm not really sure to be honest. I don't want to say something corny and cliché like 'I'm giving back what I put in!' But us Mods are all just regular Joes who enjoy the site as much as everyone else does, but invest a little more personal time in the site 'maintenance'.

YT flows smoothly and is looked after well, and I do think some of the Mods cop a bit of unnecessary flak from some members who think Mods have an inflated ego or 'small cop syndrome', when in honesty, they're just doing what they're here to do. I have found since becoming a mod I no longer get as many strange random PM's anymore.. Maybe that's the best thing about my golden badge!

JI: What's the most frustrating part?

SS: Sometimes it can be overwhelming. In the 'small hours' of the site (Aussie primetime) is when I get most of my moding duties done, be it going through questions, quizzes jokes etc. And it's when you spend a good hour or two editing and erasing quizzes, that you realise you've left all your PM's unattended, you don't get the opportunity to post as much nor to come up with as many of my own quizzes and questions.

I try to designate time. I'll say I'll spend half an hour here, half an hour there, and when the time runs out ~ that's it. But it never happens that way. Once you start, it's hard to stop! Every once in a while I log on to the site under an alias account. I do that because sometimes I enjoy being on YT as a recluse and without the modly hassles. But we've got a great crew working hard, and with the new recruits who have just come in, a big weight has been lifted for all.

JI: In some ways, do you wish you were on more during the US primetime, when the site is hopping?

SS: Oh for sure. YT is at its peak around 1-3am our time, and if you've gota be up bright and early the next morning that's no good. But to be fair, because most of my work is done from the comfort of home, I really have no specific working hours as much as I just get given deadlines to when tracks are due in. So naturally this means my sleeping pattern is all out of whack, and being awake at 3am is not unusual at all for me...

JI: If you had no job/money worries, what kind of schedule would you keep?

SS: I'd be a vagabond. I'd be a person who never calls one city home, but travels the world indefinitely lapping up the 5 star lifestyle, the scenery and the atmosphere before jumping on a jet and doing it all over again somewhere else.

My biggest qualm in life is being stuck down or tied to something. I love the independence I have, but I would love to have more money to be even more independent.. Hence why we all work. At some stage I will relocate out of OZ. I've had a good 26 years in this country. It's done me well, but it really is coming time for a change. Right now I'm torn between Europe (UK) and the US.

JI: Do you think this would ever make it hard for you to get married?

b>SS: I can't really picture myself getting married.. Or having kids. It's just not a desire of mine at all. I can see myself settling down in my later years with someone who shares the same views and lifestyle as me, but to me, kids are not something I have ever wanted or been slightly interested in.

And marriage, marriage to me seems like nothing more than an expensive piece of paper that really isn't needed to show your love for someone. Once you put that ball and chain on, it's hard to get off. Maybe it's selfish, maybe it's a smart choice, time will tell I guess.. I'm still relatively young afterall!

JI: Hypothetical scenario then: Let's say you meet a gal who has a lot of those same views, you both find each other attractive, and you date casually for a few years. If she says "Propose or lose me" do you immediately move on?

SS: Tough call. But I doubt I would end up with someone that threw ultimatums like that at me. I've been there before, and was sure as sure could be that my (ex) partner was for life. But people change. People grow, people drift.. I'm not the same person I was 5 years ago and can guarantee you I will be a completely different person in 5 years time. At this point in time in my life ~ my mind is set on business and making money, not love and family.

JI: You're quite the question poser. Where/how do you think of them, and how do you remember them until you're in front of a computer?

SS: Ha, I guess I am! Thinking up questions kinda comes with ease, as long as you don't actually try to think of questions. That's when you draw a blank. There was once a bit of a challenge when it came to submitting questions on YT, but that game unfortunately came to an end with the new layout. As for remembering them, well I really only remember a certain few. I'm sure if I wrote them down as they came into my head, I'd have added many more.

JI: Which of your parents do you take after more?

SS: I'd love to say I inherited my dads organisation skills, coolness under pressure and the general 'relaxed' vibe he gives off, but I think I'm more a spitting image of my mum. In looks and personality. I think the only major thing my dad and I have in common is our love for music.

JI: Tell me about someone who has inspired you.

SS: I get inspired by everything and everyone. No matter who they are and where they're from. I know rich folk who have climbed the ladder and achieved their own personal dreams. I know homeless individuals who have lost it all and are hanging on to nothing but a dream. I'm inspired by all of them. Inspiration is an urge, a desire. A desire to be better than the rest. That can come from anywhere.

JI: Do you believe in any aspect of the supernatural?

SS: Haha, nope. Not at all. I guess part of me would like to think that there is more than meets the eye out there regarding the supernatural, but I'm way more of a 'what you see is what you get' kind of guy. UFO's, ghosts, santa, aliens etc makes for good movies, but thats about it.

JI: Tell us something about you that would surprise or shock your fellow YTers.

SS: After two days of thinkin about this question... I got nothing. At least nothing that I want to share! But, I will tell you some simple facts about surrysounds instead.

* I'm the only member of my family born in Australia. (Mum was born in the UK, dad in Cuba and my sister in New Zealand)
* I am the only member of my immediate family not in the medical profession.

* I have a double-jointed finger on my right hand.

* I'm left handed, but can do some things with the right.

* I've set foot on every continent bar two. (Sth America and Antarctica)

* I no longer have any pets cause I have bad luck with them.

* I moved out of home when I was 16.

* I used to be very good at cricket and football (AFL) before music slowly consumed all my time.

* I drink way too much.

* I have 5 channels on my television. 5.

* I want to open my own bar/club.

* I am an extremely shy person more often than not.

JI: Any final words of wisdom to share with your fellow YTers?

SS: Live life. It goes mighty fast.

This week's article is titled 'Bear faces court over honey theft', and the thread was posted by Sammy.

This week's link is titled 'The world's most sophisticated churches', and the link was posted by sayid.

Best Avatar of the Week	Best Profile Design of the Week
Pepperdrinks	"Rolling stone" by Hardrocks

Article of the Week

Where are You Going God?
Excerpt: Mankind is progressing, and it seems like we are leaving God, one of our oldest friends, behind. Where did he come from, how has he changed and where is he going?

Written by griffin_wf

Check it all out at YouThink.com!