With the unexpected departure of Victoria Taylor from Reddit, the future of the site's celebrity AMAs are uncertain.

The beauty of the Ask-Me-Anythings is in their variety. Some love asking technical questions that delve into the minds of the world's most successful people. Others find common cause in asking personal questions that reveal honest insights in unexpected ways. These are not always the kind of questions journalists would ask, and they are better for it. In fact they often end up being reported on traditional news sites anyway.

We've rounded up some of our favourite answers from the best AMAs below. Due to the relevant subreddits currently being locked, we've linked to the full transcripts of the AMAs as hosted on Interviewly.


Buzz Aldrin

Do the pictures of space do any justice to the real thing?

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Yes, they do. They recall (for me) the actual experience of myself in space -- not by words, not by print, but visual reminders, it brings back a very in-depth appreciation. They can be used very well for communicating in speeches, talks, and more to other people who can actually see what i saw and what the camera saw.

Is there any experience on Earth that even compares slightly to having been on the Moon?


My first words of my impression of being on the surface of the Moon that just came to my mind was"Magnificent desolation." The magnificence of human beings, humanity, Planet Earth, maturing the technologies, imagination and courage to expand our capabilities beyond the next ocean, to dream about being on the Moon, and then taking advantage of increases in technology and carrying out that dream - achieving that is magnificent testimony to humanity. But it is also desolate - there is no place on earth as desolate as what I was viewing in those first moments on the Lunar Surface.

Because I realized what I was looking at, towards the horizon and in every direction, had not changed in hundreds, thousands of years. Beyond me I could see the moon curving away - no atmosphere, black sky. Cold. Colder than anyone could experience on Earth when the sun is up- but when the sun is up for 14 days, it gets very, very hot. No sign of life whatsoever.

That is desolate. More desolate than any place on Earth.

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Bill Gates

Hi Bill, what is a life lesson you learned the hard way?

Don't stay up too late even if the book is really exciting. You will regret it in the morning. I am still working on this problem.

What do you think about life-extending and immortality research?

It seems pretty egocentric while we still have malaria and TB for rich people to fund things so they can live longer. It would be nice to live longer though I admit.

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Can you still jump over a chair?

A shorter chair every decade I am afraid.

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Tim Berners-Lee

What's your best non-internet thing that you love?

People

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What do you think about memes?

One does not simply ask the inventor of the WWW what he thinks about memes.

spirit of america / Shutterstock.com

Barack Obama

How do you balance family life and hobbies with, well, being the POTUS?

It's hard -- truthfully the main thing other than work is just making sure that I'm spending enough time with michelle and the girls. The big advantage I have is that I live above the store - so I have no commute! So we make sure that when I'm in DC I never miss dinner with them at 6:30 pm - even if I have to go back down to the Oval for work later in the evening. I do work out every morning as well, and try to get a basketball or golf game in on the weekends just to get out of the bubble. Speaking of balance, though, I need to get going so I'm back in DC in time for dinner. But I want to thank everybody at reddit for participating - this is an example of how technology and the internet can empower the sorts of conversations that strengthen our democracy over the long run. AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER - if you need to know how to register, go to Gottaregister.com. By the way, if you want to know what I think about this whole reddit experience - NOT BAD!

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David Attenborough

In all your time of shooting nature programs, what is the most human thing you have ever witnessed an animal do? Thanks!

A chimpanzee does in fact tell lies. If you can believe that. Also, when some Colobus monkeys find a very precious piece of food, it calls the alarm call that it would make if a snake were to arrive, and all the other monkeys run away and it gets the food.

What has been your most distressing/upsetting moment in your career?

Seeing chimpanzees kill monkeys, they do this to eat them. They chase them, set an ambush, catch them, and tear them apart.

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If you could deliver just one message to the generation that's currently growing up, anything at all, what would you focus on?

Cherish the natural world, because you're a part of it and you depend on it.

Chris Hadfield

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Did you have to pass through Customs or some other international checkpoint when you landed in Kazakhstan?

Yes, we did. NASA kept our passports and visas, and brought them to us at landing, so we had them at the Karaganda airport to leave Kazakhstan. A funny but necessary detail of returning to Earth.

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If you could've had any animal in the ISS with you, what animal would it be?

It's a strange environment, weightlessness. I wouldn't want to bring an animal that would be scared or unable to adapt. Also food and pooping are problematic. So perhaps something calm and simple, a reliable pet, like a snail.

Nah, who am I kidding -- I'd like Albert, my pug. He'd be hilarious and cheerful.

Do you fart more or less in space?

More -- because it's impossible to burp when weightless (the gas, liquid and solid in your stomach all mix together).

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As an experiment, try standing on your head and burping

What happens if you sneeze in the helmet?

When we have to sneeze in our spacesuit, we lean our heads forward and sneeze into our chest, to keep it from splattering on the visor. Still messy, but the best compromise - clean it up when you de-suit.


Hey Chris, just wanted to say that your rendition of Ground Control to Major Tom actually made me happier than I probably should've been. Thank you for that.

You're welcome. Why do you think that version of Space Oddity was so popular? I've been thinking about it some.

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