Interview by: Jamin "
Skorpion" Colley
Spotlighted site: PlanetPlastica.comA note from Skorpion: Forsaking the typical professionalism of past interviews, this month I've elected to do something different. Because PlanetPlastica was (and still is, of course) run by several parties, I did a multi-person interview with both Psychopathic and Rodney. And the chat session was simply too much fun to constrain in the style we've done our interviews before. As such, what you are about to read is an almost verbatim transcript of the chat - I did have to edit a few parts for various reasons, but I made a point in attempting to keep the original feeling of the chat present. I hope you don't mind too awful much, reader; it really was just too much fun to not do it this way. So now, without further adieu, have fun reading our friendly little fireside chat... :-D
UBBDev: What is your background with computers, and how did you make your start on the Web?
P2 - Rodster: I invented the internet
P2 - Rodster: no kiding
P2 - Rodster: hehe
UBBDev: LOL!
P2 - Psychopathic: i started out with my blazing 75 mhz gateway 2000!!, it's sitting approximately 5 feet away from me as i type this. it makes a GREAT paperweight
UBBDev: Nice. What speed! I'm sure our viewers will be drooling when they read this. :-)
P2 - Rodster: I work as a web producer fulltime for the last 2 years and went to Artschool for computer arts
P2 - Rodster: Been on the computer since Pong
P2 - Psychopathic: rodney is action man.
P2 - Psychopathic: on many levels
UBBDev: You better believe it! So, how did you guys brainstorm the idea behind PlanetPlastica?
P2 - Rodster: been at several startups in the bay area
P2 - Psychopathic: that would be rodster and drewdevo's working
P2 - Rodster: the intial one was to restore the lost community of ActionAce.com.
P2 - Rodster: Also just to build a kickass site that we could work full time for hopefully in the near future it may
UBBDev: What made you buy a UBB for P2?
P2 - Rodster: but it was basically a fun site where people of like intrest in anime and videogames could collaborat
P2 - Psychopathic: ActionAce of course!
P2 - Rodster: Its the industry standard practiaclly
P2 - Psychopathic: ActionAce was run on good ol' UBB 5
P2 - Rodster: lots of site use it
P2 - Rodster: and the fact that its very hackable
P2 - Psychopathic: very hackable, as planetplastica so elegantly displays :-)
UBBDev: Yes, hackable is good. :-)
UBBDev: What do you like and dislike most about UBB?
P2 - Psychopathic: it's easy to modify, and very sleek and user friendly
P2 - Rodster: Likes: customization, organization, support, user firendly
P2 - Psychopathic: personally, i dislike the fact that it's not backended by mySQL...
P2 - Psychopathic: it would use less resources that way
P2 - Psychopathic: but oh well
P2 - Rodster: Dislikes; Upgrades every dman month, No database support
UBBDev: Though of course there are people who would argue differently. To each his own...
P2 - Psychopathic: stop copying off me rodney! :-P
P2 - Psychopathic: j/k
P2 - Rodster: great minds think alike
UBBDev: Boys, boys! No need to fight. ;-)
P2 - Psychopathic: (this will certainly be one of the more interesting interviews...)
P2 - Rodster: I wish UBB was cheaper too
P2 - Psychopathic: hey, they gotta pay the developers don't they
UBBDev: I think a lot of people wish that. But I guess there's not much that can be done about it.
P2 - Rodster: they need to extend their B2B section
UBBDev: What do you do to keep P2 fresh, and keep your users coming back? (Besides the UBB...)
P2 - Rodster: thats where the money is for them
P2 - Rodster: New member drama everyday
P2 - Psychopathic: what keeps the users, is the community feel that is unique to P2.
P2 - Psychopathic: We're like one big family
UBBDev: Do you hug each other every once in awhile?
P2 - Rodster: yeah, big online group hugs
UBBDev: Those are fun.
P2 - Psychopathic: preferably in private forums...
UBBDev: Are the regular members not good enough for group hugs?
P2 - Rodster: I think just all the communication you can get a p2 brings people back
P2 - Psychopathic: not all of them...
P2 - Psychopathic: :-X
P2 - Rodster: I hug everyone
P2 - Psychopathic: i hug a select few
P2 - Rodster: even the guests
P2 - Psychopathic: rodney is a hug whore
UBBDev: If there were a "Hug This Person Button" mod for UBB, would you use it?
P2 - Rodster: HAHA
P2 - Psychopathic: maybe... but there should also be a "decline" button to go along with it
P2 - Rodster: hell yeah
P2 - Rodster: a "Sexual Harrasment Button" should go along with that
UBBDev: LOL!
P2 - Psychopathic: i'll write the "decline" button myself!
UBBDev: Ok, so besides the Hug mod, what is yours, and your users, favorite UBB mod?
P2 - Rodster: Proboblly UBB stats and whos online
P2 - Rodster: and the calendar is pretty cool too
P2 - Psychopathic: my personal favorite is mod/admin html, how many times has that come in handy?
P2 - Rodster: I was thinking what would be a great hack to the calander would be...
P2 - Psychopathic: what's that?
P2 - Rodster: it would mail the user on their birthday with a customize bday card from the site
P2 - Psychopathic: hmm... yes!
UBBDev: That would definitely be cool!
P2 - Psychopathic: i could whip up some b-day cards :-D
P2 - Rodster: or users could have the option to also email members with a card ontheir bday
P2 - Rodster: like shcedule the cards
P2 - Psychopathic: *ahem*
P2 - Rodster: just incase your out of town on their bday
UBBDev: What mod do you think is an absolute necessity on yours or any other UBB?
P2 - Rodster: I would say slash ubb
P2 - Psychopathic: on ours, i think it's our custom News hack, it gives news a cool look to it
P2 - Psychopathic: yeah, slash bb
UBBDev: Once again, great minds think alike.
P2 - Psychopathic: i copied off him that time
UBBDev: Quake or Unreal?
P2 - Rodster: QUAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P2 - Psychopathic: Quake baby!
P2 - Rodster: u?
UBBDev: UT for me!
P2 - Rodster: bah
P2 - Rodster: whats your fav hack on the boards?
P2 - Psychopathic: didn't you just ask this?
P2 - Rodster: im asking jamin
P2 - Rodster: just curious
P2 - Psychopathic: hmm
P2 - Psychopathic: i confused you with jamin
UBBDev: Heh, um, no one's ever asked me a question back before....
Um, I'd have to say...
P2 - Psychopathic: your custom template mods!!
UBBDev: Compact Headers 2.0... (gee, that was a shameless self promotion if I ever saw one!)
P2 - Rodster: LOL
UBBDev: No, really though, I'd probably say Who's Online or UBBNews
P2 - Rodster: cool deal
P2 - Psychopathic: Who's online is rather nifty, cause when i'm in invisible mode, i can spy on everyone
P2 - Psychopathic: and they don't know i'm there
P2 - Psychopathic: i'm a who's online peeping tom.
P2 - Rodster: yeah, stealth is pretty cool
P2 - Psychopathic: except without the perverted side of it
UBBDev: OK, so back to the original topic now...
P2 - Psychopathic: righto
P2 - Psychopathic: (you're gonna have fun editing this)
UBBDev: Do you have any Tips of the proverbial Trade that you'd like to share with UBBDev viewers?
P2 - Psychopathic: color matching in not only your UBB, but your graphics is essential!! i see so many UBBs with horrible
P2 - Psychopathic: colors, it's really sad...
UBBDev: Amen to that!
P2 - Rodster: make sure your site has a clear purpose .
P2 - Rodster: and think it through, dont just thow up pages and think your site will be done
UBBDev: Another Amen from the peanut gallery!
P2 - Rodster: peanut gallery?
P2 - Psychopathic: i like peanuts.
P2 - Rodster: I like snoopy and woodstock
P2 - Rodster: they are peanuts aint they?
P2 - Psychopathic: woodstock is cool.
P2 - Psychopathic: yeah they are
UBBDev: Woodstock was cool, except for $8/bottle for water!
UBBDev: No wonder people burned stuff!
P2 - Rodster: they had water at woodstock???!!!
P2 - Rodster: wtf??
P2 - Rodster: from the looks of it they ran out
P2 - Psychopathic: did they ever.. loot and pillage!
UBBDev: Ok, so here's an old question with a new spin on it: How much of the stuff you said you were planning
UBBDev: in the first interview, has come to pass so far?
P2 - Psychopathic: i wasn't in the first interview...
P2 - Psychopathic: nor do i remember it
P2 - Psychopathic: so this is a "rodney" question
P2 - Rodster: let me see
UBBDev: Yeah, mostly
P2 - Rodster: one sec
UBBDev: You will be able to snag the next one tho, Psycho
P2 - Psychopathic: that's what you want me to think...
P2 - Rodster: Well, I would say half of them have ben completed. We got our webmail working and tons of value added
P2 - Rodster: features in place. We have gotten our shop ideas and strategy working and have began work on our shop
P2 - Rodster: we have tons of affiliates as well that have joined our top sites program
P2 - Rodster: Its those dman upgrades that slow everything down
P2 - Psychopathic: and we're (slowly) developing the homepages
UBBDev: Sounds like you've been busy little bees lately. :-)
P2 - Rodster: too busy
P2 - Rodster: thank goodness for cybernetic implants
P2 - Psychopathic: right on!
P2 - Rodster: and coffee
P2 - Rodster: and Crystal Method Music
P2 - Psychopathic: crystal method is one of my many sources of inspiration!
P2 - Rodster: I saw them when they played in a bar in LA
P2 - Rodster: when they werer itty bitty
UBBDev: So, what do you have in store for PP now?
P2 - Psychopathic: i would say finish up the homepages, get the shop up, and keep kickin ass (can i say that?)
P2 - Rodster: it aint open yet, but we have shirts ,mugs, mousepads and sweaters
UBBDev: I dunno... you *can*, but I dunno if it will be bleeped or not.
P2 - Psychopathic: UBBDev: How much are mousepads?
P2 - Rodster: I think they are 11.99
P2 - Psychopathic: (good lord!!)
P2 - Psychopathic: :-X
P2 - Rodster: dont kill me yet
P2 - Rodster: its what our fullfillment provider charges
P2 - Rodster: we make a whole dollar off that
UBBDev: suuuure it is...
P2 - Psychopathic: i'll just make my own... with this here nifty sharpie
P2 - Rodster: but the design and qulaity is kick ass
P2 - Psychopathic: wait a sec...
UBBDev: 1....
UBBDev: 2....
P2 - Psychopathic: since YOU'RE interviewing us..
P2 - Psychopathic: does this mean we won 1st!?
UBBDev: ok, that was two seconds
P2 - Psychopathic: shaddup...
P2 - Rodster: it does
UBBDev: Yeah, didn't I already tell you that?
P2 - Psychopathic: no..
UBBDev: Oh, well, um... YOU GUYS WON FIRST!!
P2 - Psychopathic: WOOHOO!!
UBBDev: :-D
P2 - Rodster: WOOO HOO
P2 - Rodster: who won second?
P2 - Rodster: hiphophangout?
P2 - Psychopathic: they were nice..
UBBDev: Um... I honestly don't remember.
P2 - Psychopathic: i bet you they did
P2 - Psychopathic: since allen personally pointed them out
UBBDev: HHH changed to vB, so even if they had, they would have been disqualified
P2 - Rodster: yeah, but they changed their forum design like 2 days ago
P2 - Psychopathic: ah ok
P2 - Rodster: bah
P2 - Psychopathic: vB sucks
P2 - Psychopathic: i hate them with a passiokn
P2 - Psychopathic: passion*
UBBDev: Pity, them changing to vB... Some people will never learn...
P2 - Rodster: "L" acrross their forehead
UBBDev: Or maybe they'll figure it out in a month and come crying back to our beloved UBB
P2 - Psychopathic: their UBB was probably pirated
P2 - Psychopathic: i doubt they would invest that much money in a license, then ditch it
UBBDev: Now now... We've already pointed fingers, no need to point big sharp sticks too...
P2 - Rodster: who nknows, Ive seen sites do dumber things
P2 - Psychopathic: *puts his sharp stick away*
UBBDev: Is that a big sharp stick in your pocket? Or are you just happy to win first place?
P2 - Psychopathic: a little from column A... a little from column B...
UBBDev: OK, last question: Who was the best Bond?
P2 - Psychopathic: (haha! you gotta print that!)
P2 - Rodster: Dalton
P2 - Rodster: kidding
P2 - Psychopathic: i say pierce brosnan (sp?)
P2 - Rodster: Connery
P2 - Psychopathic: he best resembles what i think bond would look like
UBBDev: Connery all the way! ("You'll rue the day you crossed me, Trebek!")
P2 - Psychopathic: .....you GOTTA throw that in
P2 - Psychopathic: if not at least in tiny letters
P2 - Psychopathic: at the bottom of the page
P2 - Psychopathic: in the same BG color as the page itself
UBBDev: Alright, guys, I've run out of questions and Frappucino, so we'll have to close this one out.
UBBDev: Thanks to both of you for your time. And congrats again on winning.
P2 - Psychopathic: you had frappucino and you didn't share!?
P2 - Rodster: ok, sounds good
UBBDev: You didn't ask...
P2 - Psychopathic: darn...
P2 - Rodster: thanks for the interview
P2 - Psychopathic: maybe next time
UBBDev: No problem. Good luck in the future with P2!
P2 - Psychopathic: thanks
P2 - Rodster: tanks, it looks bwight
P2 - Psychopathic: alright elmer fudd
P2 - Rodster: :-D
UBBDev: hasta la vista, guys. :-)
