King Douglas: I first learned about you from Raynald Levesque, in Montreal, Canada. How did you first learn about Raynald?

Kirill Orlov: Somebody at SPSS staff in Moscow mentioned Ray’s website around two years ago. I visited his site and I liked it very much. The site is very rich and there is everything for those who study SPSS. I have a very high opinion of his site and his efforts. I sent him a letter to say that his site is very good, I’m an SPSS user and we can know each other.

King Douglas: Both you and Ray are very intelligent. If you say that another person is intelligent, what does that mean to you?

Kirill Orlov: I would prefer to value somebody for the results of his or her work. I don’t value intelligence, per se.

King Douglas: What is your earliest experience with computers?

Kirill Orlov: In 1988 when I graduated from the medical academy, I was interested in social psychology and was working on my Ph.D. thesis. I had to produce a document on a Russian computer [word processor]. I remember the computer croaked very loudly when I pressed “Enter.”

King Douglas: What is your comfort level with statistics?

Kirill Orlov: This is an interesting question that is an important one. I’ve always found that I know less than I should have to know and less than I ought to know and want to know. I think that looking into a text is a good sign—you should look. It’s a good manner if you are not shy to say that I must look through my text to see whether I think right or wrong…that I’m longing to know more.