Raynald Levesque: Solve the simple case then generalize.

King Douglas: Do you like to have quiet while problem solving, or do you prefer to listen to music or something else other than silence?

Raynald Levesque: I need to have quiet. I cannot work with voice, music or TV in the background.

King Douglas: Has your expertise in SPSS or other statistics/data management applications influenced the way you approach your other work?

Raynald Levesque: No. I was careful and systematic before starting to use SPSS.

King Douglas: Do you drink coffee or use other stimulants when you work? What is your stimulant of choice?

Raynald Levesque: I drink too much coffee (about 8-10 cups/day). I am trying to replace some of these with green tea and / or water.

King Douglas: At what hour of the day do you do your best work?

Raynald Levesque: At the office, my best work is in done the morning, after that first cup of coffee. Around 5 o’clock I often get tired and it is more difficult to concentrate. At home after having had supper, I have a second “life” and can be productive at the computer.

King Douglas: At what time of day do you prefer to tackle difficult programming challenges?

Raynald Levesque: Before 3 PM.

King Douglas: What are your sleeping habits?

Raynald Levesque: I usually go to bed around 11:00 PM. Most of the time I “sleep like a baby”—which does not mean I wake up every half hour to cry. I try to get up at 7:30, but I hate to get up.

King Douglas: Are you disciplined in your approach to work?

Raynald Levesque: I try to be but it is difficult in consulting. The phone rings or something comes up and one’s plan for the day is completely changed.

King Douglas: Say you have creatively solved a particularly difficult problem, with even a flash of brilliance. Whom do you tell?

Raynald Levesque: I might tell one of my SPSS trainees at the office or I might add it to my website. A couple of times, I posted short useful code to the SPSSX-L list. that were not resulting from questions.

King Douglas: Do you have friends who are skilled in SPSS or have other computer or programming skills?

Raynald Levesque: Not in Montreal. I have quite a few SPSS friends in cyberspace. I feel close to people like Marta, Art, Hector, Richard and Kirill because they have strong knowledge of SPSS in many areas. Hector Maletta translated my home page into Spanish.

King Douglas: What were your thoughts when I asked you to participate in this project?

Raynald Levesque: I was wondering whether I would have anything to say that would interest your audience at the users conference. I think I can be more “interesting” when I present SPSS solutions or macros or scripts than when I talk about my opinions or myself.

King Douglas: What advice do you have for the participants at the SPSS users conference?

Raynald Levesque: The best thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother. And the reverse is true: the best thing a woman can do for her children is to love their father.