The Pakistani Spectator

Xenophilia is an interest in foreign things, ideas or people. It is the opposite of XenoPHOBIA, which is a fear of foreigners. Blogger “Xeno”  from Sacramento, California, USA has collected and puzzled over odd ideas on line since the birth of the Internet. Some suspect that Xeno’s web site Xenophilia.com inspired the character Xenophilius Lovegood in the final “Harry Potter” novel by billionaire Joanne Rowling.

According to web site ratings at dmoz.org, xenophilia.com “offers a collection of visual humor, odd sightings, music, hoaxes, and strange ideas. It reaches approximately 15,156 U.S. monthly unique visitors. The site attracts a more educated, very slightly male biased audience. The typical visitor reads space.com and attends MIT.”

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?

We are, each of us, unknowingly mistaken about many things. I find that by researching ideas, trusting my skeptical inner voice as I blog, and by being open to feedback from around the world, I can adjust my views to better fit the facts.

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

There have been many amazing moments for me over the years, some great fun adventures. I was surprised and thrilled the first time my site surpassed 2 million visits in one day. This happened when one of my humorous articles was linked by some much bigger blogs. Other highlights:

* Figuring out I could heal cavities in my teeth with the right diet
* Interviewing someone who was 3 blocks from the Twin Towers on 9/11
* Playing music with musicians who later became famous in the US, such as Jason Mraz.
* Corresponding with one the world’s top Roswell UFO crash experts
* Discovering a character named Xenophilius “Xeno” Lovegood in the last “Harry Potter” book.
* Most recently interviewing a professor who is translating 20 Osama Bin Laden audio tapes into English.

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

I’ve set up my Wordpress blog to show all new comments near the top of the page and I interact with other bloggers via comments on the blog. I also get copies in my email of every comment and I sometimes reply personally instead of publicly. As bloggers our writings are automatically cataloged by Google. If I am interested in a topic, I do a Google search and often find myself reading another blogger.

 What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?

1) Researching the issues. We have more access to a variety of views and news when forming our opinions.

2) Figuring out who we should vote for. I found a web site that listed statements made by candidates, but they do not tell you who said what. You rate each statement on its own merits as to how strongly you agree. When you are done with this survey, you find out which politician you most agree with and, thus, who you should vote for. Everyone should do this in every country. I was surprised to learn that on the issues, I most agree with Hillary Clinton’s statements.

3) Watching the elections process: I read about problems with electronic voting machines, learned details about how the vote is counted by watching a YouTube video, and I was excited to be able to watch election results come in on Google’s election maps.

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?

I think so because our voter turnout was very good. President-elect Obama’s campaign used technology well. For example, I visited a web site where I calculated my expected tax savings under Obama’s plan. That was convincing. Also, Obama improved upon strategies Howard Dean used to build networks and collect donations.

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?

I’ve found no other blogger commenting daily on the planet’s strangest news and political events with the same mix of humor, cynicism, and science.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?

Set long term goals and work toward them constantly.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

Happiest: A kiss in a submarine on the bottom of the ocean in Hawaii with the girl I’d planned to marry.
Gloomiest: 9/11/2001.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?

I find the people I spend time with matter more than the location. I’d enjoy anywhere with natural beauty, healthy food and water, interesting music, a nice view and perhaps some kind of UFO or archeological mystery. I’ve been lucky to be able to afford to travel to the UK, France, Canada, Mexico and to several US states including Hawaii. If I had to pick three I’d say, Venice Italy, The Great Pyramids, Egypt, and Washington D.C. for Obama’s inauguration.

What is your favorite book and why?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy because it reminds me that every day in our lives is an adventure.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?

Gender.

Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?

No. I did well in English classes because I had great teachers.

How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?

Primarily via advertisements, but I purposefully avoid this. My blog accepts no advertising and makes no money. I write simply for the love of the freedom of expression.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

Yes. I have no wife and kids. If I did, I suspect I would blog less.

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?

Debate the facts, don’t attack people personally, even when attacked yourself.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers?

I don’t read other bloggers as much as news sources. My primary news site is Google News which aggregates many different sources and I use the StumbleUpon plug-in for Firefox to find interesting web sites.

Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?

I believe currently that my post on the conjoined Hensel Twins has generated the most comments.

What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

I had a female friend from Pakistan. I believe she was the daughter of royalty. She was very well educated, healthy, articulate, nice, fun, attractive and interesting. This is my only experience with someone from Pakistan, and so my personal view of Pakistani people is a positive one.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

Not stunned, no. But I have been interested enough to return to some sites regularly.

What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?

I have not spent time in a developing country. I suspect that there are many wonderful things I take for granted about my own country such as the quality and variety of the food and water, safety, confidence in my local fire and police departments, transportation infrastructure, medical care, job and educational opportunities and the reliability of gas and electricity in my home.

What is the future of blogging?

Direct brain connections to the Grid.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?

I rarely discuss my blog with anyone in my personal or professional life. This is because I realize that some of my views and some of the topics I cover would be unpopular with my own friends, family and/or co-workers due to their religious beliefs or their comfort level with creative thinking.

What are your future plans?

I am interested in Aubrey De Grey’s work and I would like to contribute to his research efforts to extend human life.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
Start from where you are, do the best you can with what you have. Enjoy the gift of each day.

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