Join the new world

Hello eAustralia,

I feel like I am on a roll, so be prepared for the next episode of the Interview Series, I have managed to snag an interview with Ilene Dover.

So be prepared eAustralia....



Welcome eAustralia to the the second of my hopefully a few times a week interview paper. Tonight's interview is with the sex bomb, the most gorgeous girl in eRep (Lany is married to Henry and well Brigidd is no longer with us). So let us welcome Ilene Dover



Q1: First of all, congrats on being voted Miss eRepublik for August. How do you feel beating the strong contingent of female and transsexual (yes Guag I am looking at you) to claim this prize?


Thanks Rusty. I'm absolutely ecstatic! I'd like to take this moment to wish for world peace...

Guagature put on a good show, (s)he should feel proud of the effort. I'm sure I only won because I'm 6 inches taller.


Q2: Did you ever feel threaten by Brigidd/Ronell/all her other multis?


Err, no? It's only a game... I wouldn't take any threats seriously. To be honest, I got on reasonably well with whoever played the Brigidd account. I have no idea how many others there are that I think are independent people.



Q3: You have been working with many different governments during your time here in eAustralia, both in a democratic government and also in the form of dictatorship. Which dic did you enjoy working with the most? which Dic gave you the most pleasure? and which one did you like being under?


Are you trying to smear my reputation as some sort of "will work with any dic for favours" person? 😕

Of the three dics I've played with so far, they've all had their ups and downs. It's hard to choose a favourite. Helping get Henry over the line probably gave me the greatest pleasure, but I was far more intimately involved then than in subsequent efforts.

Similarly, I can't choose a favourite to be under. Swings and roundabouts really - I think I'd rather be on top.


Q4: Enough of the sexual references, early in the year their was reports you might run for the top job. So when do you think you will go for the big Dic?


Do you mean "there were reports"? 🙂

All that rumour and in-your-endo was started by you, I seem to recall...

When approaching a big dic position it's important to take your time. Rush things, and people can get hurt. The answer then, is when I'm good and ready! It's going to take a fair amount more warming up before that point though...



Q5: During King Henry's first term, you were seen as a major player for his Dic, this caused some public debate about you stealing the King from his Queen LanyisLost. So please do tell our readers (so they have some gossip materiel for their next hairdresser appointment), did you do the dirty on Lany? did you and the King become 'close'?


Well, Henry and I had no prior relationship. It is impossible to not grow closer from that position. Henry and I had some conversations early on about boundaries, probably around when the dicktaker subject came up.


I can talk to Lany with a clear conscience. 🙂



Q6: In one of the congress threads, you were accused of being a 'soccer mum', please tell our audience about the car you drive in real life and a little bit about your real life endeavors?


Yeah, this is totes my car! OMGZ! [img]http://tinypic.com/r/a884w/8[/img]
*serious hat on* My family has two cars. A Ford Falcon station wagon. Because there are two kids and a big dog to move around. And an old clunky Laser from the early 90s. (I think it even has a carburettor instead of EFI...)

My real life endeavours... I work full time as an engineer (geotechnical specialist). If you're all that interested, it involves making holes in the ground to measure ground properties, then engineering structures around it. Things like high rise foundations, retaining walls, dams, roads and railways are all things I've actually done. Officially my contract is Mon-Fri 9-5, but it never works that way. When I'm in the office for the day, I normally ride my bike (the pedal variety) to the closest station and catch a train in. And no, I don't wear Lycra.

I have to travel frequently for work. In WA, that means flying to semi-remote areas. For a set of wheels, I end up with whatever corporate travel decides. It used to be a Toyota Hilux D4-D dual cab type vehicle, when I actually did real work. These days it tends to be a Landcruiser (I avoid Prados like the plague), because I spend more of my fieldwork time travelling and problem solving than parked up or carrying tools/samples.



Q7: Working in the drilling game, yes I do apologise I dont want to keep with sexually linked questions, but for some reason everything about you leads this way.... how do you find doing FIFO and working in what has normally been a male dominate environment?


What do you mean normally? It is a male dominated environment... For the uninitiated, FIFO is fly-in, fly-out. A peculiarly West Australian way of commuting to remote job sites. You work a roster (say 2 weeks on, 1 week off). I've never been a true FIFO worker, and have always had a traditional 9-5 contract.

I travel for project based work, which rarely exceeds 2 weeks in duration. The guys I work with or alongside are normally fine after a day or so. Dirty jokes get responded with dirty jokes. Anyone that has been in a PM with me knows I can turn the air blue with profanities. Some vulgarities bug me a little (all related to sexual violence), but having 2 little brothers and a lot of tradies in the family mean it's mostly like water off a duck's back.

I wish I could say it was easy going to a new site to meet new contractors. Sadly I find myself on the first day picking the oldest hi-viz, the colour of lemon sorbet, tinted "dusky pink / Pilbara rose" from getting covered in mud and dust, with rod grease stains all over the sleeves. That normally serves to convince people I'm not a greenhand or desk jockey. 😕

Q8: Please tell our audience, about your in-game roles, including government, MU and in general?

Ugh, where to start...

The KnightHawks is easy. I hit the targets Henry points me too. I'm supposed to do some sort of supply role in his commune, but have been way too busy / lazy to do anything. Sorry Henry!

Our political party (KHMC)is also fairly easy. I keep running for senate (congress, officially) and yelling at people. Inside the party I do stuff all. I was party president for a few months but gave that up. To do it properly is an intense amount of work. Though, getting your CP candidate over the line is almost euphoric. 🙂

Government is a little trickier to explain. Officially I'm a deputy MoFA. Though we don't have a MoFA anymore, so everything is a little confused. What does a dMoFA do? Send greeting messages, read the news and highlight weird shit to cabinet, read other countries FA articles, contact other countries about MPP renewals... It's pretty repetitive stuff actually, with a lot of downside risk if you stuff up.

I also write the battle orders for the MoD. That's the article telling everyone where to hit. It's also pretty repetitive, but there's some interest in deciding which battles to put up. There is method to the madness, but I'm blabbering already.

Q9: Any particular advice you could give our readers? be it a newbie like JackTrout or an old experienced hand like King Henry?


If you're new, speak up. People notice when you ask questions, even if you think they're stupid.

If you're an old bastard, be visible.

Q10: How do you see the relationship between Black Spectra rnd Australia as a whole? I know from the start you have wanted a smooth integration and have tried to be diplomatic in having this to happen?

Ouch. Where did the fun questions go? 😕

A few weeks ago, just after the CP elections, things were awesome. We had the first properly mixed cabinet, lots of articles in the news and things were going great.

Then weirdness happens. It is starting to look like JT has been stitched up. ketoner has resigned over something that feels pretty minor, and has aired the dirty laundry in public. Mac Vasco is incommunicado, just like the two guys in the DoE. What gives? I dunno...but I am getting tired of the games.

The really frustrating part is that everyone I speak to from Black Spectra is cool. XenthuS was... difficult... at times. The other guys, all awesome on their own! 🙂



Q11: You and others have been vocal about the inactivity inside congress by elected officials. What do you propose could be done to get these players active again? to be vocal and to support their voters?

Is it just me, or are you slapping me with more questions than anyone else? This article is going to be bigger than Homer's Odyssey!

There's not really much that can be done. The game rules mean we have 40 people in congress with all our regions. Out top 5 political parties have about 140 members between them. So, 1 in 3 will be chosen for congress. One of my biggest problems as party president of KHMC was getting enough people to run to fulfil the vote quota (25% votes means 10 seats, which needs at least 10 nominations). As a side-effect, we end up with 2-clickers, trolls and borderline inactives in congress.

How to fix it? Well, there are two sides to it.

We could reduce our number of senators elected. That means reducing the number of regions we have...

Or, we could get more people. That would be awesome. But, eAustralia has been around since day 1. If we don't have people by now we're probably not going to get many. Recruiting internationally can work, but is also something of a Pandora's Box...



Well a big thank you for Ilene Dover, I hope people read this before the potential reporting.... I think I am pushing the barriers.

Rusty D
Loyal excitizen of eAust.


Endorse, Shout, Subscribe and Vote.