# What is your area of expertise?



## bigcozy (Jun 8, 2003)

I have been thinking about this a lot. We need a post that shows the area where each of our members are strongest. Everyone misses a few posts where they may have had an answer or could have helped a fellow member. I propose we do it this way and this could be a reference post for others to look up in the event of a question or need. I think it would be best in the framework I have chosen for myself:

Guitars: 20 years experience, collect, repair, buy and sell. Strongest in Fender's and 80's electrics.

Cars: Former ASE Mechanic and Corvette Collector. Have owned several exotics. Strongest in Corvettes and YJ Jeep Wranglers.

Guns/Knives/Watches: There is so much knowledge here as to not make me special. Very strong on gun history. 

Music History: Wasted youth, I am a human trivia machine.

Boats: Mostly under 45 feet. Restored a 1947 Chris Craft Sedan Yacht. Strongest in Chris and Gibson boats.

Motorcycles: Worked as a Harley mechanic at 14, had my own bike since I was 8. Love em all, owned most every kind. Strongest on Evolution Harley's and 70-90's ricers.

Martial Arts: I can't remember when I wasn't involved. I hold advance ranks in 6 arts. Also a student of the the history of Japanese arts. I have been privileged to study with some of the legends.

I will cut it off with those areas. I also hold degrees in Finance, Theology (don't care to discuss this in public forums), and Mechanical Engineering. 

What are your areas?


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## TOB9595 (Jun 8, 2003)

Bigcozy, After your areas of expertise I am too embarrassed to state the areas I have extra information or experience in /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
SHEESh, I think I'm gonna open my veins now.
Tom 
Alright
Mechanical systems, pumps, chillers, boilers, building automation controls, Building operations, Property management, Security systems (these are cool, hidden cameras remote to vcr), Maintenance systems, Energy efficiencies in buildings, cooling towers, HVAC, air supply (ventilation), building evaluations and integrity, Wastewater treatment, and the like /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Then there are my passions
Briar pipes
aromatherapy
gel candle making
cigars
survival and outdoor kits
leeching appz and bookz off the net


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## V8TOYTRUCK (Jun 8, 2003)

My areas of expertise: Car detailing, Tundras, Photography


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## flownosaj (Jun 8, 2003)

This is disgusting, but I spent most of Saturday earning my living by pulling things out of people. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif 

Today's heavy item were JP-drains with a close second by sub-clavian caths and other intravenous and a few arterial devices. You don't want to know what the third thing was /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif 

-Jason


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## 2dogs (Jun 8, 2003)

I've spent 30 years involved in fire fighting and fire fighting equipment. In addition I was a part of the CERT taining team here in Santa Cruz. CERT stands for Community Emergency Responce Training/Team. The focus is on e-quakes and how to deal with them. I like to think I can see through some of the BS presented by "experts" in this field.

II've been a hunter and outdoorsman all my life. My skills in this area are, I think, pretty solid. In addition I have owned and driven four wheel drive vehicles for 35 years. Currently my time is taken up by family and cattle and horses.

I don't like to offer opinions on things I know nothing about, but if you ask me a question about something I do know, stand by for an answer. I don't know how to be subtle.


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## Catman10 (Jun 8, 2003)

Psychology and Fitness Training are my best areas.


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## The_LED_Museum (Jun 8, 2003)

The most questions I answer correctly have to do with (in no particular order):
_*
LEDs
LED Flashlights
Incandescent flashlights
Antique glass telephone/telegraph/power insulators
Pet rats
Insects & bugs (entomology)
Toliets
Space (astronomy, you know, planets & stars & galaxies & stuff)
Commodore 64 & 128 computers
Lasers
Star Trek TV shows
*_ 
Don't ask me how to navigate a space probe through a subspace inversion, or why the motor in your 1998 Ford Escort pooped out, or how to get the dog to stop peeing & crapping behind the couch, because I don't know. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif


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## NeonLights (Jun 8, 2003)

Baking pies. Pumpkin pies in particular. I used to make about 1000 pumpkin pies from scratch every Thanksgiving in less than 24 hours (with some help from my wife). I worked in an "Amish" Restaurant/Bakery

Restaurants. Not the fast food kind. About 10 years in the industry. I worked in management and waiting tables and just about every other job in several restaurants.

Automobiles. Most aspects, particularly Dodge Neons. I own two, and have worked on a dozen or more. 

Racing. I don't much like spectating, I'd rather participate. Autocrossing, road racing, drag racing, I even drove in a rally once.

Contemporary Christian Music. I've got around 1000 CD's, and about 600-700 of them are CCM. Lots of records and cassettes too. I've been to over 200 "Christian Rock" concerts in the last 20 years.

Music production and reproduction. I've set up and run sound systems for a couple of different churches, I've done a concert or two, and on the reproduction side of it, I clean up and copy to CDR out of print recordings on LP and cassette.

I'm also an information junkie. I used to spend hour upon hour in libraries and reading encyclopedias when I was a kid. If I didn't/don't know something, I could usually find out quickly. The internet has opened up a whole new world of info at my fingertips.

-Keith


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## tsg68 (Jun 8, 2003)

Started to post and felt like I was building a resume so I stopped. Kinda weird so I'll freeform instead! 

Bigcozy, I was a sprayfinisher for Paul Reed Smith Guitars back in the eighties, painted custom guitars for Jimmy Page, The Nuge, Carlos Santana, Brad Whitford, ****ie Betts, Dave Sabo and Scottie hill, John Ashton, Mitch Easter, and all kind of folks, so long ago now I forget alot of em very, very unhealthy work though. 

I was a production guy (still do an occassional event production gig here and there) then a security guard at all kinds of nightclubs and music venues, managed a Hip Restaurant in Boston. Now I mostly do fixture, furniture and architectural fabrication for designers and general contractors and museums and institutions of higher learning here in NYC area, leather, fabric, wood and steel mostly with welding, machining and forging and patina work! (lots of modern and industrial type work but some real classical stuff too). I do carpentry and installation work or refinishing to fill in between jobs.

I started doing some custom kydex work on the side last year and like to design and make web gear too and have recently started selling my lanyards here on CPF!

Classic bicycles and single speed road and mountain bikes are the coolest, and I am kinda into those, I used to like geared racing bikes but eventually tore everything off of them to strip off weight and discovered the single speed fanatacism I have now. Alot of my friends cycle or were or are messengers I did a short stint as one but it bored the hell out of me.

Like shooting but can't keep my firearms in NYC so they live with relatives till I can find a place to settle down. Have to add that I like fishing and hunting but rarely get to do either these days. I grew up on the waterfront right off the Chesapeake Bay and used to do alot of crabbing and fishing as well as boating (canoeing and sailing too) and water skiing and knee boarding with my friends, that I do miss that.

Very good with animals, My wife says I am a magnet for animals and children.

The only sport I am interested in now is Lacrosse, I played varsity in high school and trained at camp in the summers. I'm much older now but would love to find a bar league. I never was much of a spectator at sports, watching always made me want to play instead of sit there.

love gadgets like flashlights, knives and such and am fascinated by new or exotic materials.

Never was much on Motor vehicles and haven't owned one since 1989, Got carjacked (before that was the terminology for it) at gunpoint and the guy kicked me out in a bad neighborhood took the car and threw two rods in the engine while he was outrunning a squadcar (big block V8) if I hadn't been low on oil he'd of gotten away. Never bought another car and used it as an excuse to move to Boston, been urban living ever since and now I just rent cars.

That's about all I can think of now cause I tired and need some rest, so I'll say goodnight! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## zmoz (Jun 8, 2003)

I am an expert at running my hosting business...and I am a briggs and stratton certified small engine master service technician.


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## mouse (Jun 8, 2003)

I don't know that I'm an expert in any area, but I have a lot of interests. Including but not limited to:
Music (theory, performance, history, etc)
Martial Arts
Knives and Guns (though my knowledge pales compared to many here)
Computers and networks
Movies/Cinema/Theater
Home theater/Stereo
Modern Military
Current events
Pop culture
Nutrition/Fitness
Science
Pets
Psychology
Philosophy
Photography
Automotives
Literature
Cooking
Foreign languages and cultures (esp Asian)
Any number of other subjects

In short, if you have a question, I'll do my best to answer, but will let you know if I can't. Ever the student...


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## KC2IXE (Jun 8, 2003)

Visual Basic Programming - Not fully up to what I call my standard in .net, but earlier? - No problems

Basic machining (but compared to some here, I stink)

Emergency Communications

A walking trivia machine


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## logicnerd411 (Jun 8, 2003)

Computers (hardware and software)
Handhelds (Mostly Palm, but a bit of PPC)
Website design (HTML, PHP, MySQL)
Programming (Java, BASIC)

That's about it.

Dan


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## pedalinbob (Jun 8, 2003)

ok...

currently a surgical and critical care nurse working in anesthesiology. i also train anesthesia residents coming in to the Acute Pain Service. it is amazing how little docs know about pain management. 

former ASE master mechanic. (10 years ago!)

martial arts...but very rusty in this area.

LOVE mountainbiking. have a lot of cycling/bike knowlege--including fitness and training. ive built around...30 bikes from frame-up.

weight training. need to start again...

flashaholic!!!

Bob<--not sure what to be when i grow up--if i ever do.


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## trailstoride (Jun 8, 2003)

Horses, pleasure and endurance riding and some dressage. Only one horse now - she is 20 years old and still enjoys getting out on the trails. Great way to unwind after a hard day.

Photography. Various cameras over the years, now doing mostly digital. Love my Olympus C2100, F2.8 38 to 380mm and image stablized too!

Shortwave radio. Old Sony ICF-2010 (1988), and various others.

Computers, mostly Unix (Solaris and RedHat Linux) I've been involved with Unix support since the early 80's.

Flashaholic too!!! Also interested in electronics. Have a BSEE degree, and was a Ham operator for about 15 years.


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## Tree (Jun 8, 2003)

Audio, in particular, getting the best sound out of whatever sound system I'm presented with for a show.

I guess that's the only thing I am an expert with. Everything else is just an interest or hobby such as flashlights (duh!), computers/internet, and always looking for a "better mousetrap".


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## BF Hammer (Jun 8, 2003)

I suppose my expertise is repair and maintenance of copiers, faxes, laser printers, other small office machines because this has been what I've done for 16 years.

Other things I'm knowledgeable in:

PC hardware
radio communication (have associates degree in electronics)
analog electronics
Commodore 64 and 128 computers (still have a full 128D computer system)
classic rock music
history - a strong subject for me in school, I'm also a History channel junkie /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif
shovelling snow - that just comes from living in Wisconsin all my life /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif


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## bigcozy (Jun 9, 2003)

Hey this is great! Just what I had thought it would be, keep it up.


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## jtice (Jun 9, 2003)

Computers: Building, troubleshooting, repair.

Electronics: little bit of everything.

Stereo Equipment

Guns


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## Greta (Jun 9, 2003)

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


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## **DONOTDELETE** (Jun 9, 2003)

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif



/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


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## franken2 (Jun 9, 2003)

no expertise to speak of, but would love to run a real sound system /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## lhz (Jun 10, 2003)

Erm...how about expert at nothing(unless you count the art of procrastination and the ability to eat non-stop at the buffet for 3-4 hours) , but dabbles in just about everything? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## DieselDave (Jun 10, 2003)

This is day 3 of the thread and I'm still looking. I got it, how about...Nope not that either. I'll sleep on it, again.


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## tsg68 (Jun 10, 2003)

lhz, will you be my mentor?!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## CanadianGuy (Jun 10, 2003)

I have a great deal of knowledge about automobile mechanics. I was going to become a mechanic, after all the courses I had taken. Three years of high school "Power Mechanics", a 10 month Diploma course at the local college, and worked about 8 months out of a 4 year apprenticeship before quitting.

I found that working on cars all day just killed my love of cars. So now I just work on my own car, and a few family & friend's cars, etc. I can't wait until I can afford a nice old muscle car someday.

I'm just coasting these days. I gotta get my butt in gear before I wake up one day and realize I wasted my time doing nothing.

Other interests (which I'm pretty good at doing) are bicycle repair, minor computer tweaking, minor electrical repair, and ummm.... Gee, I forget. I am proud of the fact that I'm 23 and I don't waste money on drinking, smoking, or drugs. I just got married and I'm happy, except for my current job.

Well, now that I've wandered off topic... See ya


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## lhz (Jun 10, 2003)

[ QUOTE ]
*tsg68 said:*
lhz, will you be my mentor?!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif 

[/ QUOTE ]

Its almost like exercise /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

1. you start with an empty stomach,
2. warm up slowly, taking time to increase intensity
3. make sure you pace yourself properly, don't start out too strong
4. be oblivious to the looks the waiters are giving you for hogging your place(not leaving after an hour like most decent people) at the table while there are people queueing up outside for places.
5. don't feel intimidated when waiters clear your utensils together with your plates, hinting at you to bugger off. stand your ground and get new utensils from the buffet counter. Hey, they DID advertise all you can eat, not your fault you can eat more than others. If I'm eating a la carte at a normal restaurant I'll usually finish in under an hour /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## tsg68 (Jun 10, 2003)

LOL!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## lhz (Jun 10, 2003)

BTW, I'm stating the obvious here, but this kind of eating is not recommended on a regular basis. I do this about once a month. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## Smaug (Jun 10, 2003)

- Motorcycling, I'm a very good street rider. I'm fast and like to lean, but I know my limits and I'm careful. I ride a 2000 Suzuki SV650, which has over 30k on it now.

- Electronics - I'm a Technician by trade and I'm 3/4 done with my Electronics Engineering Technology degree at DeVry.

- Woodworking. I started this as a hobby a few years ago, and read many many books. I'm not a master cabinetmaker by any means, but since I'm better than 90% of the people out there, I consider this some level of expertise. As of now, I have built a couple of book racks held together without the use of glue or screws, only tusk tenons. I have a nice coffee table halfway built, which features drawers that open from either side and hard held in place in the middle with natural earth magnets.

- Classical music. I don't play anything yet. But once I'm done with school and have learned to speak Polish, I will learn to play piano well enough to play Mozart piano sonatas. To me, they are so beautiful they sometimes bring a tear to my eye. If anyone who reads this thinks they might like classical music, ask me and I can point them in the right direction to get started. So for now, it is just recognizing the music and having a good appreciation for it. I like Mozart the best, followed by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn, Telemann. (yes, I know some of those are technically Baroque...)

- Finding info on the internet and teaching myself about anything that interests me. If you found this forum, you probably fall into that category too, but I'm amazed at how many people have such a hard time with it. Among other things, I have taught myself more about knives, guns, mechanical watches, motorcycles...


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## Darell (Jun 10, 2003)

I am the ultimate Jack of All Trades. Always have been. I am an expert at nothing, and reasonably skilled at several things. Choosing a major in college was tough, as was choosing a "career." Fortunately, neither of those mean anything to me at this point in my life.

I've built a car or two, I've built a house or two, I've built a computer or two, I've built a bike or two, I've built a lighting device or two, I've built a web page or two. And I've made exactly one baby. There you go: My area of expertise is building stuff. I just love to design in my head and build. Stand back, the crazy man has a hammer!

I know just enough about electronics and chemistry to know that I should STAY AWAY from them. And this I learned, at great personal expense, in college.

I love to write too. And most recently, of course, I've become politically active in pushing for zero emission vehicles in this country.


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