runningfool interview
From zefrank
An Interview With Luke Vaughn
Luke Vaughn, aka RunningFool, as he is known in the forums of The Show with Ze Frank, will be passed along as a human baton during his winter break from University of Oregon, where he's a junior studying math. What started out as a casual attempt to obtain transportation from Eugene, Oregon to southern California has grown into an operation involving almost 300 volunteers, who've offered transportation, food, lodging, and a number of other road trip services. He's created a working, surprisingly fluid schedule for the period of December 8, 2006 through January 8, 2007.
Luke was born on March 14, 1984, and he likes the color green.
Q: Why are you doing this?
RF: It will be a lot of fun, something that people tell me will be the highlight of my young life...I guess it could be the best thing that ever happened to me.
Q: You’ve gotten a lot of support for this. What does this tell us about the community in the forum?
RF: They’re very nice! Lots of people I know have concerns about people I don’t know taking me in. How can I be trusting of these people, et cetera? I think that the internet is a lot safer than people give it credit for. Yes, it’s a bit dangerous, but so is life, if you hang out in the wrong places of course it’s going to be dangerous, but if you’re at a site like ZeFrank when everyone’s there for that kind of purpose, to watch that kind of guy, and to talk about those kind of things, I don’t know how that could be more dangerous than just hitchhiking…
Q: Well yeah, probably not! Have you had any specific reactions from your family and friends? What does your mom think of this?
RF: She was actually...she was really excited for me, thought it would be great. I was a bit worried about telling her because she’s usually a bit protective of me. My older sister always tells me I need to meet more people; when I told her, she got excited, because I’m basically going to meet the entire country. In general the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, excited, and people are proud that I’m doing something like this.
Q: So up until now you’ve been more introverted?
RF: Yeah, I’ve always been a kind of shy guy. [I'm] trying to buck that trend, force myself to talk to people.
Q: That we’re sending you across the country, that you can do this, and that you’re not going to be axe murdered, and that you aren’t an axe murderer - Is this a "proof of concept"?
RF: I think so, yeah. I think the internet is a hugely positive thing, and that people don’t give it enough credit, and this is going to be something that maybe people will look at and say that’s really cool, and that the community isn’t just a bunch of people being fake. That there’s actual people behind the computer screens who are interacting, and who share important things with each other.
Q: So this is an illustration of that kind of community? Against recent doomsaying that says the internet is this distancing thing, that it keeps people apart?
RF: Yes, I think that the internet really isn’t understood yet, because it’s still pretty new. I think it’s about the biggest thing that’s ever happened to humans. There’s now a collective consciousness…a different kind of space where people can share things.
Q: So you see this [relay] as a showcase for that as well?
RF: Yes.
Q: So really, this is about something bigger than you?
RF: Yes, it’s so that people can see that this is one of the new things the internet can do.
Q: So the power of the internet right now is underutilized?
RF: Definitely.
Q: Have you ever traveled cross country before?
RF: Only a flyover to college – never explored the heartland.
Q: Have you been surprised by the amount of support you’ve gotten?
RF: Oh definitely, I thought maybe I could get a few people, maybe five or ten people who could get me to California, and now I’ve got approaching 300 volunteers, which is just an insane amount. Maybe I'll get laid.
Q: And these people are also entrusting you with contact information and so forth, which isn’t something that people usually post on the internet?
RF: Yeah, it’s true usually people don’t. I’ve always been a fan of posting everything about myself on the internet…
Q: Yes, very early on in your forum posting! Didn’t someone look you up and post your contact information in the public space?
RF: Well, someone there asked me about being personal on the internet, and I said, "Well, if you want all of my info you can have all of it," and I gave them my phone number, address, favorite movie...everything about myself that’s available on the internet, I gave it out right there.
Q: That’s cool, and it’s also pretty unusual – is this a kind of a philosophical stand?
RF: I hope that when people see things like this, like what I’m doing, that other people will want to be more open with themselves, and will want to contact each other more, give out their phone numbers or email addresses when they feel like they’ve got a connection with someone instead of being afraid.
Q: So are you nervous about any of the legs of your trip you’re doing?
RF: I’m nervous about the whole thing! There have been places in the schedule that people have backed out in the last few days. I still don’t have the whole thing completely figured out yet, so I’m doing part of the planning on the road. But I think it’ll all come together, and if it doesn’t I can always take an Amtrak from Georgia to Spokane or something.
Q: Hopefully not! So you do have backup plans?
RF: Yeah, I have a lot of backup, but there are places where I don’t have backup, just because there wasn’t really a concentration of people…
Q: You’re getting a sense of the demographics now?
RF: Yeah! On the east coast, and in Michigan, that area, Ohio, there have been a whole lot of people, and a lot on the west coast, California, but other than that, it’s pretty thin through the middle.
Q: Right…What do you think you’re going to learn from this?
RF: I have no idea. I guess I’ll be surprised!
Q: When you get to Virginia, it's rumored you're going to be served as dinner, is that true?
RF: I hope so. Ever since I watched POTC I have been interested in the concept of cannibilism. You sort of live forever is someone eats you.