It’s the start of another month, and here on SitePoint that means it’s time to introduce our new Member of the Month. This time, the award goes to vectorialpx, who has been very active, contributing mainly to the PHP and Photography forums. I was a little anxious about conducting this interview; after all, I’ve seen him advise a member to “start shooting all your friends”. If that’s how he feels about friends, how will he respond to a strange bear, I wondered. But I needn’t have worried. He’s really not violent at all, as I discovered…
1. What first brought you to the forums and why did you stay?
I think my first forum post was on “website review” and I needed someone to look over one of my projects text, to review the language and expressions (English is not my native language). After that, I saw it’s a nice and warm forum and I decided to stay
2. You have an interesting username. What’s the story behind it?
There are two types of graphics, one with pixels and one with vectors so, I wanted a nickname like “TheBlackWhite” but this was to common so, this is the result of my 17 years old brain: vectorialPIXEL (if I’d pick it again, maybe I’d pick something about programming, not about graphics but, even so, I like it and I’m proud of my 17 years old brain, because it sounds nice) - however vectorialPIXEL.com and .net where taken so I picked vectorialpx.net and .com (even better, because it’s shorter - after two years I gave up the .com domain because it was an useless $10 every year and .net was interesting). So I mark my presence with vectorialpx almost everywhere. I only had one issues, on a forum because some dude considered me a lady, miss victoria
3. What’s your day job? Is it web related?
I am a PHP programmer (or, even better, Senior Software Engineer
at Avangate - nice collages, lunch, good salary - a nice job)
4. Do you enjoy music while you work, and if so, what?
I mostly listen Hip-hop and few Rock songs (no Hard rock) but I also like few radio songs that sound well (those with logic, I hate those with two verses and a big refrain).
5. Your website says you like shooting stuff. Does that include bears? (I hope not.) Can you explain this apparent violent streak, and how you’ve avoided arrest thus far?
I live in Romania, no one will arrest you unless you do shoot someone (or you do some other stupid thing). This is not only because my country has bad politics and corruption (it does) but mostly because here you are not allowed to carry guns so, this is just a simple wordplay. You are safe on the streets unless you get into some bad neighborhoods, we do not worry about guns at all. I like that camera can “shoot”, as guns, because I like this “joke” a lot (that’s why I use it a lot).
6. What made you fall in love with photography?
I like that you can shoot one thing two times and get different results. I like to compose stuff, to build the image.
7. What are your hobbies?
In this order: (1)Programming (2)Photography (3)Travel and visit different places (4)Swimming (5)Ski (6)Snooker and billiard and others
8. You have some beautiful photographs of Bucharest in your portfolio. Have you always lived there?
I live there now. I got out one night with the intention of making lots of pictures of the entire “city in the night” but after I did those that you could see, it started to rain. Game over, I went home.
9. If somebody offered you an all-expenses-paid trip to a destination of your choice, where would you go, and why?
[INDENT]I prefer non-dangerous places. I’d like to go to Australia but I have arachnophobia and, Australia would be the stupidest choice.
So, the next one is New York.[/INDENT]
10. Now that this award and interview have made you famous, Hollywood may take an interest in you. Which actor would you choose to play you in a bio-pic?
Even if it’s old and a bit cranky (that’s what press says), I’d pick Bruce Willis.
11. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
[INDENT]In this life, there are no friends, only partners (my mom, I was 6 and was disappointed by some “friends”)
And the conclusion was simple: trust nobody :)[/INDENT]
12. Do you have any plans or hopes for the future?
I do have a project in development (I will not give details) and I hope it will get big.
13. As you know, self-promotion isn’t allowed on the forums, but we make an exception for the Member of the Month. So seize the opportunity and show off anything you’d like to share.
Well, all I want to promote is on vectorialpx.net
14. And finally, what have I not asked that you wish I had asked, and what’s the answer?
I think I got famous enough
Thank you for taking the time to share a bit about yourself, and congratulations on being chosen as Member of the Month for February 2014.