arbitrary constant

Ben Supper had an uneventful childhood in Reading before moving to Guildford and studying there for seven years. He has occupied much of the twenty-first century trying his hand at academia, journalism, broadcast engineering, computer programming, web design, and playing the piano. Freshly qualified as a world authority on a very specialised area of acoustics, Ben develops audio equipment for a living.

After moving to Pinner in London last November with his wife Michelle, Ben restarted supperware.net, a blog which he is hoping will force him to get out more.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? • If I wanted to win, I'd choose something very dull because my specialisms are in acoustics, electronics, and computing. Instead I'd choose 'French Classical music in the early Twentieth century', just so I'd be compelled to learn more about one of my favourite musical periods.

Europe or America? • America provides the better environment for converting intelligence into money. For every other reason, Europe.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • Margrave of the Marshes by John Peel. He writes excellently and it's a great shame his time ran out before he finished it. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. I missed it when I was the right age for it, so it's been on my bookcase for a quarter of a century. I've also been dipping in and out of Magnus Mills's 'The Scheme for Full Employment', but after a hundred pages it hasn't got very far.

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • Outside my work remit, BBC News, Wikipedia, normblog, minor9th, arbitraryconstant. I'm sorry my answer couldn't be more eclectic and less sycophantic.

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? • The number itself is a rather mediocre 23.2 which doesn't interest me at all, although its seasonal periodicity might be interesting.

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • I enjoyed University Challenge when it was on. The subjects and questions aren't so trivial as they are in other quizzes. I haven't seen a quiz show for two years since we got rid of our television, and very recently I only narrowly avoided appearing in one.

What is your favourite building? • My favourite building is The Science Museum in London. I'd happily be locked in it for a week. If [design] were my main criterion, I'd choose the Seagram Building in New York, although I've only experienced it through photographs and commentary.

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • I admire many artists, but Vincent Van Gogh is the only one whose work has rendered me speechless. Leonardo da Vinci comes a close second (even Dan Brown couldn't ruin him).

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • Private Eye, and I've got one (although I don't agree with much of what they write). New Scientist would be my next choice. I like The Economist too, but can rarely afford it.

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? • Legislation, policing, taxation and spending are the products of the political system, and their mechanics are fairly well understood by the people who control them. Aside from participating in elections, my role in politics so far has been passive.

What is your favourite font? • Palatino nova (serif); Ocean Sans (sans serif). I wouldn't use them together.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do you do to pass the time? • Spend some quality time with my wife. If that doesn't work, thrash a piano for a couple of hours and then open a book.

OK Computer or The Bends? • OK Computer. I prefer it, but I wouldn't try to argue that it's the better album.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here. If you think you might like to answer these questions, let's make friends.)

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