Want to know what the legendary metal band Metallica has to do with small business accounting software? Or how about what ribeye steak has to do with the App Store’s most downloaded iPad accounting app? Then get to know our very own Senior Software Engineer, Geoff Spears, in this month’s 20 Questions… Full name? Geoffrey Baird Spears Nickname? G-Money. I had this nickname back in high school but it seems to have made a resurgence of late thanks to our graphic designer’s enthusiasm behind giving everyone in the office a nickname. Craziest thing you’ve ever done? I don’t know if this was necessarily crazy but I had a five day trip to Las Vegas planned last June for a music festival. Subsequently, I found out that I had to head straight from there to a conference in San Francisco. I ended up leaving the music festival at 3:00 a.m., bussed to the hotel to get my bags, took a taxi straight to the airport and flew directly to San Francisco just in time for the 10:00 a.m. keynote presentation. Ouch… Number and type of Apple devices currently in your apartment? Let’s see… iMac, MacBook Pro, iPad2, iPhone4, 1st Gen iPod Touch, 6th Gen iPod Nano (with watch case!). That makes six. And I’m still scanning eBay for the perfect 1st Gen iPod to round out the set. Before Kashoo, you were working on…? I was working for Latitude Geographics in Victoria developing web based GIS software. Cake or pie? Pie. Strawberry Rhubarb. Favorite part about accounting? Profits. Least favorite part about accounting? Taxes. That can’t come as much of a shocker. Who really likes taxes? Coldest temperature you’ve ever experienced? -30. Though I can’t remember if that was Fahrenheit or Celsius. Expense paid vacation. Where are you going? Costa Rica. I have been wanting to go there for a few years now. From everything I’ve heard and read it has a great culture, amazing beaches and tropical rainforests. Oh, and surfing. Definitely want to go surfing in a warm ocean while I’m there! Favorite thing to cook? I will never turn down a ribeye steak with grilled asparagus, zucchini and red peppers. Never. You get to see the only reunion show of any band/artist that is currently disbanded. Who is it? I’m going to pretend that this question was, “If you could travel back in time to see any band perform in their prime, who would it be?” With that, I would travel back in time to see Metallica during the Cliff Burton era. When I was taking multivariable calculus in school, I had Master of Puppets on repeat the entire semester while studying. You know, because Metallica is great studying music. Where were you in 1995? High school. Next question. Historical Hero? Nikola Tesla. Here’s a guy who is an inventor’s inventor! He invented so many awesome things that were so far ahead of his time. Many of the things that I really love wouldn’t have been possible without the genius of Tesla. All time favorite movie? I’m a bit of a sucker for a good zombie movie. My favorite of all time being Braindead (Dead Alive) directed by Peter Jackson. A mild mannered son tries to keep his zombified mom and an ever increasing collection of zombies hidden out of sight, until his uncle throws a party in their house and hilarious carnage ensues! People at Kashoo turn to Geoff when…? They want someone to have a beer with after work. Furthest you’ve ever been from home? Havana, Cuba. I traveled down to Cuba for a week and stayed in Old Havana in a “casa,” which is where you essentially rent a room in a Cuban home. It was a cool experience to be outside the comfort of a resort. Definitely a much more genuine cultural experience. You spontaneously get the day off work. What are you doing for the day? Easy. In the summer, I’m heading to the beach. Winter, up to the north shore mountains for some snowboarding. What you love most about small business owners? I love that for many small entrepreneurs, success is driven by their individual excellence or the excellence of a small team. I have always been someone who likes actually making or building things. When you’re not jamming on Kashoo, you’re…? Messing around with digital music production or making my monthly DJ mixes. Truthfully, I am a bit of a nerd so you can probably also find me working on some other little software ideas that I have, I always seem to have a few on the go at any given time. Favorite sports team? Vancouver Canucks. Growing up on the west coast, that’s a bit of a cliche but who cares. Gotta love the hometown team! That is, if they were actually playing… And that, Kashooers, is Geoff Spears.
