2 minutes and 40 seconds with Andrew Cooper

English resident, web developer and entrepreneur Andrew Cooper is the founder of Huffier, an e-book subscription service that will give you unlimited access to an extensive and on-demand digital library for a monthly fee. Having just turned 23 this week (happy birthday, Andy!), I decided to ask him a handful of questions, 2 minutes and 40 seconds style, to see what else he’s into besides books and technology.

What is your least favourite movie and why?

That’s almost like asking what my favourite film is and why. I don’t really keep a track of the ones I don’t enjoy – I forget about them and don’t let them take up space in my memories!

What was the last thing you ate?

A bag of tangy cheese Doritos. My favourite crisp flavour and my favourite snack. But if you meant meal, then that would be roast chicken thighs, also my favourite food to eat.

What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?

I thought I was home alone one time, and for a while, I was home alone. I was listening to Swan Lake on my iPod and for some reason I felt compelled to dance around like a ballet dancer, Billy Elliot style. I did the jump from the final scene of the film into the kitchen. Low and behold, my dad was standing there drinking a cup of coffee. I froze still and asked him how long he had been home, he said he just got in. I said OK and walked back upstairs, completely embarrassed worrying that he might have thought I was gay.

What colour should the ocean be if orange cows lived in it?

Purple.

Where do you wish you lived, instead of where you live now?

Besides the awful weather, I actually quite like living in Manchester in the United Kingdom. But, if I wished to live anywhere else, it would be New Zealand, for the beautiful landscape. It was also where they filmed the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films.

You must choose one to sleep in: a ball pit, a pit full of corn chips, a pit full of potatoes. Which one and why?

A ball pit, because I’m quite sure that it would be much more comfortable than trying to sleep in a pit of corn chips which would just be cracking / breaking every damn second. A pit full of potatoes would feel more knobbly and pokey than a pit of plastic balls. Plus, a ball pit is much more fun!

Your mission is to uncover a case of beer in one of two fridges. One of them is covered in sticky toffee, and another is buried in snow. Which do you choose?

A case of beer buried in snow. It may take me a while to reach it, but the beer will be freezing cold, just how I like it. A case of beer covered in sticky toffee would be damn frustrating and it wouldn’t be chilled!

Who let the dogs out?

Woof, woof, woof, woof!

Someone gives you a purple box for your birthday. What’s in it?

A bottle of chilled Coca-Cola.

Pick a number and multiply it by the square root of your age. Add how many times you have gone to the toilet in the past seventy-two hours. The result is how many cakes you would need to throw at a zombie to kill it (if you happened to be running from one). How many is that?

37!

What is your favourite type of cake?

Sponge and cream. The really moist kind. I love cake, but if it’s dry, like most chocolate cakes are, then it feels like more of a chore to eat. It can’t have fruit or raisins in though. Just sponge with plenty of cream.

What is your favourite kind of nut?

Roasted peanuts.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

People who spit in public.

Movies or television shows?

Television shows. They last longer, go deeper and allow you to develop a strong emotional feeling towards the characters and story.

Swimming at the pool, or swimming at the beach?

At the pool where it’s (mostly) cleaner and I can see what’s in the pool (which is usually nothing, besides other people). I was swimming at the beach once and an eel touched my leg. I crapped myself (well, not literally thankfully), ran to shore and have never been in the sea since.

Gold or silver?

Tough one. I’d like both really, but I’ll go for gold.

Fruits or vegetables?

Fruits. I can’t stand most vegetables. I eat two bananas a day though!

Bunk beds? Yes/no?

Yes. I had a bunk bed with my older brother for around 12 years or so.

Do you wear a watch?

Nope. I used to wear watches. I only ever used to take my watch off in the bath, but with a phone in my pocket or in front of me everywhere I go, why bother with a wrist watch? I don’t see the point. It feels more like jewelry now, which I don’t like or wear.

And last but not least, which famous person would you love to meet, living or dead?

Dale Carnegie.

You can catch Andrew at:

Comments on this post

LOL. I love this 2 minutes and 40 seconds thing. How on earth did you keep track of everything that he said (wait, don’t tell me. it was a recorder wasn’t it?) lol at the random orange cow and ocean question. I’m convinced there’s no rational answer to that.

Thanks for this!

Hi Penda, thank you for your comment! “2 minutes and 40 seconds” isn’t meant to be taken quite so literally – if you visit the information page you’ll find that it’s just a silly name for an interview segment with some silly questions! :)

I have taken to doing most of my interviews by email. It is hard to work around timezones and everyone is busy!