My.Opera Spotlights

Profile:
Name: Charles McCathieNevile
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Location: All over the place. I travel most of the time, but I am resident in Oslo
Occupation: Standards, specifications, accessibility expert
Member since: I started working at Opera
Web site: http://my.opera.com/chaals
Complete profile: err, "g chaals"

Opera stuff:
1. When did you start using Opera?
I first used it in 1996, as an on-and-off user. I have been using it as my primary browser since some time in 2003
2. When did you start working for Opera?
May 2005
3. What do you like about it?
About Opera? It does the things I want quickly and efficiently, and it works across lots of platforms. I like the community around it - even though I only use a handful of extensions from the default I like the fact that there are so many for different people and needs. I also like the fact that it has mail and IRC integrated - these are two important tools to me, and are the thing that keeps me using Opera - it was M2's filtering that hooked me - I only use it a bit, but for what I need it to do it is fantastic.
4. What is your Job Title and in which Department do you work?
Chief Standards Officer
5. Who do you work with?
Directly with Anne van Kesteren, Jonny Axelsson, Gorm Eriksen, but with a lot of people. I spend a lot of my time working with W3C, where I worked before Opera.
6. What is your favorite part of the community?
The people in it
7. Do you use Opera on other platforms too?
Yes - it's on all my computers and phones. I don't have a PDA or TV.
8. What is your favorite skin for Opera?
I use the default skin
9. Name a few blogs you read often on Opera Community?
I'm not a very consistent blog reader. I generally read the blogs of mediumgeek, cheshrkat, and ChiaraInThePond, and often flip through other blogs.
10. Which five members would you like to spotlight this time?
Hmmm. I'm not sure who I would spotlight - I have been busy travelling and haven't been reading a lot recently.
11. What hardware do you have there?
A big mac laptop that I have had for about 3 years, and an old monitor that I use when I am at my desk to watch IRC channels.
12. Why should someone try Opera?
Because it's good. Or if they want a sensible mail, chat, news and web tool. Or if they like to play around with serious web development. Or if they want to make me happy
13. What do you drink on "Friday Night at the Opera"?
A glass of red wine, because it is so expensive in Oslo, and having lived in France and Australia I miss being able to have a glass whenever I feel like it.

Personal stuff:
1. Where are you from?
Australia - Melbourne
2. Who do you live with?
Joen and TommyO (well, sometimes it feels like I just leave my stuff there, and live with an ever-changing series of airline steward(esse)s, bus drivers, people at meetings, and strangers.
3. How many languages do you speak?
Well: English, French, Spanish
Nearly well enough: Italian, Norwegian
A little bit: Swedish, Danish, German, Japanese
And enough of a whole lot of others for a party trick, but not to have any useful conversation.
4. Do you smoke or drink?
Yes.
5. Do you like sports? If so which ones?
Cricket, sword fighting (it's not really a sport since I don't mean modern fencing but medieval style, but it is exercise), rugby, swimming, australian football, field hockey, table tennis. I find I can watch almost any sport, even if I think it is pointless.
6. What do you normally wear?
A hat, a shirt, shorts and sandals if it is warm, or jeans, australian short riding boots and a jacket if it is cold.
7. What is the color of your eyes and hair?
Blue-grey eyes, blond hair, red beard (and a few flecks of grey. But don't tell anyone )
8. Have you ever broken a bone?
My right big toe. I tried to jump over the dog at about 7am after being up all night.
9. How many keys are on your key ring?
I have a keyring for Norway with about 6 keys, one for Australia with about 12 or 15, and one for the rest of the world that currently only has a few keys on it.
10. What time do you go to bed? What time do you wake up?
Normally one of late, later, or when my body decides...
11. What is the craziest thing you've done?
Probably not to be repeated.
12. What is your favorite food? Drink?
Sashimi is my comfort food when I am feeling sick, but I tend not to have favourites.
13. What is your favorite cartoon character?
Obelix (see, there are exceptions)
14. Favorite movie / actor / actress ?
Hmmm. Princess Bride, Harold and Maude, Blade Runner, Bliss, Apocalypse Now are all films I can see more or less endlessly.
15. Favorite book / writer ?
Oooh, that's hard. I tend to read things in groups. I've been big on Amin Maalouf, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Umberto Eco, David Malouf, Peter Carey, probably dozens of others.
16. Favorite song / group / singer ?
Hard to say. Wendy Rule, Billy Bragg, Leanard Cohen, Weddings Parties Anything / Mick Thomas, Paul Kelly, AC/DC, Midnight Oil, the Triffids, and a bunch of others are all in the mix.
17. Who do you admire? Why?
Lots of people who go about their lives trying to make something of them. My friend John, who went on leave to visit a friend in Pakistan and wound up working in Refugee relief for the Norwegian government is one person I admire. Because he is sincere, thoughtful, honest, cares about his ex-girlfriends, falls in love and understands that it might all end in tears (again), is a good cook, and a good bloke to have a beer with.
18. What is your favorite quote?
"two beers please". Or maybe "an aphorism for every occasion". I don't think I have one, really.

Geek stuff:
1. How many hours a day do you spend on the computer?
12-18 normally
2. Which operating system do you use at home?
Mac OS
3. What hardware do you use at home?
My laptop. (I have an HP windows laptop that I use sometimes, too, for testing stuff).
4. When did you start using computers and which was your first PC?
About 1980. The first PC I used was an early TRS-80, the first one that was mine was a BBC micro.
5. Do you use instant messengers and if yes, which?
IRC. Sometimes Skype.
6. What computers skills do you have?
The crucial ones are thinking and learning (including learning from other people). I can also type, I know web languages like HTML, SVG, CSS, XML, RDF, and I used to be able to program. (I gave it up because I don't do enough of it to be familiar with a programming language, so I don't do it very efficiently - I keep having to look up stuff real programmers have built into muscle memory).
7. What would you like to learn / improve in future?
I'd like to improve my programming again, and learn more languages. (Actual natural languages that people use, because talking to people, reading what they have to say and writing for them is an important part of what I do).
8. What is your favorite computer game?
I don't really play games much. I used to enjoy akalabeth, L, Podd (it was an educational toy for kids, but could be fun), space invaders/galaxian/etc and elite. All of them are at least 20 years old...
9. What is your home page?
My blog. I keep meaning to make a proper one, but it turns out that people can find out a lot just by looking me up.