TEN THINGS ABOUT ME

17 Things About Nirav Tolia

nirav380As the product of a small town — Odessa, Texas, which was immortalized in Buzz Bissinger’s “Friday Night Lights” — Nextdoor co-founder Nirav Tolia knows the benefits of a hyperlocal community. The early Yahoo veteran (and Epinions co-founder) launched Nextdoor in October 2011, and more than 6,000 local social networks are currently sprinkled throughout the country.

He recently answered a few of our questions:

What was your favorite TV show as a kid?
“Sesame Street” — wasn’t that every kid’s favorite show?

What qualities do you like in a person?
Warmth, intelligence, passion.

What qualities do you dislike?
Insincerity, laziness, ambivalence.

Name one thing you will regret never having done (if you never do it).
Attending a Super Bowl the Dallas Cowboys win.

Do you still buy CDs or rent DVDs?
I’m all digital; I haven’t bought a CD or DVD in years.

What would you be doing if you were not in your current job?
I’d aspire to be a doctor (like my parents and sibling) but I couldn’t hack it.

What is your greatest achievement to date?
Having a great relationship with my wife — she’s my inspiration, soulmate and best friend.

iPhone, Android or BlackBerry?
iPhone. I am intensely loyal to Apple.

If you could meet any historical or fictional person, who would it be?
Mahatma Gandhi.

What site/app do you check first when you wake up?
Email, Twitter, New York Times, Nextdoor, ESPN.

What was the last thing you fixed?
A Wi-Fi baby monitor for my newborn son, Deven.

What was your first computer?
Apple 2E.

Do you have a dog or cat or other pet?
No, but does a four-month-old son count? He has similar capabilities.

What’s your favorite mode of transportation?
Uber.

What was the last book you read?
“Brain Rules for Baby,” but my all-time favorite book is “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

Name your favorite guilty pleasure.
A huge Tex-Mex or BBQ meal in my native state of Texas.

Who was your biggest influence growing up?
My parents.

Must-Reads from other Websites

Panos Mourdoukoutas

Why Apple Should Buy China’s Xiaomi

Paul Graham

What I Didn’t Say

Benjamin Bratton

We Need to Talk About TED

Mat Honan

I, Glasshole: My Year With Google Glass

Chris Ware

All Together Now

Corey S. Powell and Laurie Gwen Shapiro

The Sculpture on the Moon

About Voices

Along with original content and posts from across the Dow Jones network, this section of AllThingsD includes Must-Reads From Other Websites — pieces we’ve read, discussions we’ve followed, stuff we like. Six posts from external sites are included here each weekday, but we only run the headlines. We link to the original sites for the rest. These posts are explicitly labeled, so it’s clear that the content comes from other websites, and for clarity’s sake, all outside posts run against a pink background.

We also solicit original full-length posts and accept some unsolicited submissions.

Read more »