nanites: The People Behind Nano — Andy Johnson
This week Andy Johnson insisted we interview him next in our nanites series. So here we are! In all seriousness, it was a pleasure talking to Andy and finding out a little bit more about the man who helps guide the Nano Foundation’s social media and community aspects.
Tell me a little bit about yourself? Where’d you grow up? Where are you living now?
I am Andy Johnson and I grew up here in the UK — Hartlepool to be precise. It is an old dock/mining town, so it is very working class. The people are awesome and are affectionately known as ‘Monkey Hangers’. This is due to a perfectly bizarre faux pas in which the local community hung a monkey because they suspected it of being a French spy during the Napoleonic Wars. I have since relocated to South-West Wales and live close to the smallest city in the UK, St. Davids(pop. 2000).
What led you into the space that you find yourself in today?
It’s been a pretty crazy ride over the previous 12 months, and I can’t really put it down to anything but serendipity. For a long time, I worked as a professional caregiver for adults with learning disabilities, children with autism, and also privately for individuals with extremely complex needs so I was happily chugging along doing that. Then my situation changed late 2017 when my mother became ill and I had to start taking time off work to care for her and her foster daughter. The increase in free time allowed me to begin my cryptocurrency adventure and luckily, I found Raiblocks within a week. So I made my small ‘investment’ (funds previously earmarked for GPU) and experienced the thrills of the bull run, which lasted all but 2 weeks.
Sadly, my mom passed away at the beginning of 2018 and my wife and I decided to adopt her foster daughter shortly after. To properly meet her particular needs, I gave up my job and was able to dedicate myself to my family and indulge in my cryptocurrency hobby. Since then I have found myself in a perpetual state of learning, researching, and building out little parts of the Nano community. I made some good friends who were really smart and knowledgeable about the space. Eventually, they helped guide my development and assisted me in creating various projects such as NanoThings and The Nano Center.
Star Trek or Star Wars?
Never watched Star Wars and used to have to sit through Star Trek Next Generation waiting for The Simpsons to come on. So Star Trek I guess, does that count?
What’s the best live concert you ever attended?
I have been on a few interesting trips with my dad to various gigs, his taste in music is pretty good and still quite hip for a 73-year-old dude. The best gig may have been the most recent when we went to see Passenger, an English folk singer/songwriter. The atmosphere was incredible, with 2000 people crammed into an acoustically designed theatre all singing their hearts out.
Where would we find you on a Tuesday night at 9 pm when you aren’t working on Nano?
Watching the same old stuff on Netflix with the wife laughing our heads off like a couple of 13-year-olds. Or trying to settle one of the kids, it is almost always one of those and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Is Colin as dreamy in person as he is on screen?
I haven’t met him in person yet, but I think that the beard pic I assume you are referencing, was likely photoshopped and is just another example of media outlets pushing unrealistic aesthetic standards on the heaping mass of average looking people such as yourself.
At the Nano Foundation we concentrate on the fundamentals of the protocol development, we pride ourselves on being a responsible and accountable organization.
— Andy Johnson
What excites you the most about working on Nano’s future?
It is hard to visualize the future in such a fast-moving industry. At the Nano Foundation we concentrate on the fundamentals of the protocol development, we pride ourselves on being a responsible and accountable organization. So despite seeming a touch morbid, I am quite excited to see regulation and accountability enter the space, the sooner the non-genuine and poorly run projects are left behind, the quicker the genuinely disruptive projects like ours can shine.
Last year you started working for the Nano Foundation on a full-time basis. How are you taking to it?
I feel very lucky to be able to work from home on something that I essentially consider a full-time hobby. I have routinely pinched myself at the fact that I no loner have to spend 40% of my week away from my family to provide a modest living and now have the utter luxury of being able to be dad every single day.
You have an abnormally strong work ethic. While I agree it can be tedious for us who deal with you daily — where do you derive your constant push from?
Oh, I’m not too sure about that. I see myself as being more selfishly engrossed in my hobby rather than possessing a strong work ethic. I suppose it helps to be a do-er, if I see that something needs tweaking or improving I just get on with it and do it. If you get into the mind frame you can burn through 12 hours in no time — that happens to me quite often.
Give me the winner of this wrestling match: Russel vs Austin.
That’s your Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior contest right there. These two titans have spent years honing their skills and conditioning their bodies for combat. I think if Russel managed to keep his focus and ignore Austins notoriously pervasive trash talking, his superior technique would secure him the victory. But as with any wrestling match amongst the core team, there’s always a 50/50 chance that Mica comes running down the aisle with a steel chair in his hands, and at that point, only entropy can decide the winner.
Outside of the obvious choice of myself, who is your favorite community member?
Evil question, well played. There’s too many kind, enthusiastic and dedicated people to start singling people out. Nice try though Brian.
Last year you went to Lisbon with the family. How was that? Any plans to take the family on another big excursion?
In the interests of escaping the blustery cold autumnal weather here in Wales, we booked a week in Lisbon to give the kids their first experience of flying and nice warm weather. It was a standard Johnson family tip, arriving just in time for the first severe hurricane in 50 years to hit Lisbon directly. This carnage was followed by an unexpected cold snap that lasted for the remainder of our stay. Anyway, thanks for asking, no plans for further trips at the moment.
Thanks again to Andy Johnson for taking the time out of his day to answer our burning questions. Until next week!
Jan. 9th, 2019: NanoCharts.info Community Spotlight
Jan. 13th, 2019: The Nano Center: Looking Forward
Jan. 16th, 2019: NanoQuake Community Spotlight
Jan. 23rd, 2019: nanites: The People Behind — Mica Busch
