List Your Specialist Subjects

Status
Not open for further replies.

MadScientistMatt

Empirical Storm Trooper
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
1,692
Reaction score
252
Location
near Atlanta, Georgia
Website
madscientistmatt.blogspot.com
Ok, I'll add my qualifications.

Mechanical engineer with a BSE degree and a member of ASME (not that I'm a very active member)
Minored in ancient history.
I work with lasers. Mostly CO2 lasers used for metal cutting.
And I tinker with cars in my spare time.
Oh, and I fenced epee for about four years. Haven't had the chance to pursue that after college.

So if you need help with describing a hot rod in your story or want some advice on how a laser weapon in your hard SF story might work, I can probably help.
 
Last edited:

ChunkyC

It's hard being green
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
12,297
Reaction score
2,135
Location
trapped between my ears
Liam -- I am so glad you are my friend!

I am not what you would call an expert at anything. All I can offer is a life full of varied experiences which may add a little verisimilitude to a story here and there, and I'm more than happy to share. PM me if there's something here you might like to know more about:

  • I'm a recovering alcoholic, sober for 18 years as of May 7/05. I quit on my own.
  • I married young, had a daughter young, and divorced young.
  • I spent nearly two decades as a professional guitarist, playing in bar bands. While doing so, I travelled extensively through all ten Canadian provinces, the Canadian Arctic, and parts of the northeastern US. All of this took place in the 1970s and 80s.
  • I am currently an engraver/awards shop operator, and computer network administrator.
  • I write a weekly movie review column for my small town newspaper.
  • I have been owned throughout my life by various and sundry cats.
  • My wife is a non-practicing Private Investigator
Great forum!
 
Last edited:

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
6,284
Reaction score
1,375
Location
Parrot Cage, Alabama
Website
www.geocities.com
Acoustic stringed instruments, anyone? My husband is a professional musician who owns his own music school. If you have guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass (upright and electric) questions, shoot them my way and I'll hand them over to him.

I was a publicist for a small record label for several years so I can also help with basic questions about creating band bios, writing press releases, etc.
 

Fractured_Chaos

Distra-- Ooh! Shiny!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
1,588
Reaction score
283
Location
Redneckville, Oklahoma
I have quick, and easy access to someone with a Bachelor's in Sociology, heavy on the Poli-Sci, Asian studies, and further along the path of Buddhism than I am.

Also can give info for Cellphone tech, especially when it comes to the data services, like the PDA phones, and air cards. Network (some), and Hardware tech, as well.

Me? I dunno squat.
 

Alphabet

Aspiring Inspirer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 28, 2005
Messages
961
Reaction score
265
Location
Stevenage, England
I'm a know-nothing. I didn't realise until just now, but it seems so.
If anyone needs to know about knowing-nothing I can oblige!

Well... I do have job expertise in a number of categories (I'd rather not post specifics, but I'll keep my beady peeled for those posting 'help-me' threads, and will PM the requester if I can help). I've also lived in a number of parts of East London and the South East, and have family who have lived in North London.

Ahhh family.... If I add together the jobs of all my family that would be 20 different professions on tap!! And I'm less identifiable by throwing my professions in amongst all theirs so here goes: including nursery teaching, math teaching, adult pc-literacy teaching, IT, librarian, Fast-Food restaurant management, banking, waitressing, typist, helpdesk, secretary, security guard, cab-driver, radio, research, cold-call sales and others too obscure to mention. Plus, I'm brazen enough to just go ask a whole bunch of friends AND strangers, so you can add newsagent, supermarket, estate agents, you get the idea!
 

mdin

The late, the great XThe NavigatorX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
2,376
Reaction score
539
Location
Seattle, WA
Website
www.mattdinniman.com
I know about the angels, demons, and afterlives of many religions.

I work at a daily newspaper.

I know everything there is to know about being a telephone psychic.
 

kmm8n

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 2, 2005
Messages
102
Reaction score
32
Location
NYC
Well...I thought I knew a whole bunch, but when I went on Jeopardy, I got creamed! (Ha, ha...found out that I know nothing about country music, movies, and the mulberry bush)

What I do know is:
1. Teaching (I have a Ph.D in multicultural education) and Diversity issues
2. Peace Corps (I was a volunteer in Morocco in the 80's and still speak some Moroccan Arabic)
3. Dogs (I have one at the moment, but I always include them in my writing)
4. Various jobs in the past include waitressing, library assistant, and cashier
5. I'm pretty good with grammar.
6. One of my sisters is a horse trainer.

Hope this adds to the list. Any questions, just let me know.
 

firehorse

Living the Dream
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Messages
815
Reaction score
259
Location
Nanaimo, BC
I'd only say I'm an expert in the following:
*Theatre (stage management, rehearsal/production process) and television production (writing, research, production and editing)
*Acting, actors and the psyches/experiences thereof
*Specifics: MTV, Yale School of Drama, prep school
*Interviewing
*WASP culture (growing up preppy)
*Mensa

But I'm a pretty good reference in these areas, as well:
*Social Psychology (partial Masters degree), esp. as it relates to physical health
*HIV/AIDS - sociology, psychology, support groups, medications, particularly in the 1980s
*Abnormal psychology/psychopathologies/personality disorders
*Mental health (see below)
*Music industry
*Motherless daughters
*Bodybuilding
*Cycling

My first field was psychology and two of my sisters are therapists, so between us, we can cover pretty much anything in the mental health field, but especially seratonin-related disorders (anxiety/depression/OCD etc) and eating disorders.

Not an expert on families coping with cystic fibrosis, but I have very close access to one.
 
Last edited:

Richard White

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Messages
2,993
Reaction score
600
Location
Central Maryland
Website
www.richardcwhite.com
kmm8n said:
Well...I thought I knew a whole bunch, but when I went on Jeopardy, I got creamed! (Ha, ha...found out that I know nothing about country music, movies, and the mulberry bush)

What I do know is:
1. Teaching (I have a Ph.D in multicultural education) and Diversity issues
2. Peace Corps (I was a volunteer in Morocco in the 80's and still speak some Moroccan Arabic)
3. Dogs (I have one at the moment, but I always include them in my writing)
4. Various jobs in the past include waitressing, library assistant, and cashier
5. I'm pretty good with grammar.
6. One of my sisters is a horse trainer.

Hope this adds to the list. Any questions, just let me know.


Asalaama walakum, Kathleen. Kifi halikum, alyom?

(Well, that pretty much used up most of my Arabic. ;) )
 

Shiny_Penguin

665:Neighbor of the Beast
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
99
Reaction score
30
Location
PA
Website
www.bellaonline.com
Well, I feel so terribly unqualified at everything! The few things I know about...

Crocheting, Knitting, Blackwork embroidery
Pet rats, Ferrets
Was a midwife to our dog
Life with two um..."spirited" sons
And I know way too much about the Jerry Springer show
 

wurdwise

Banned
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
1,032
Reaction score
197
Age
68
Location
Texas
I sold life insurance for five years, have a box full of awards for agent of the month, was the manager of a finance company for four, owned a small advertising business for ten, was the credit manager of Lowe's Building Material Center for three years, so I even know how to figure board footage!:Wha:

Have raised two sons as a single parent without child support, so I know lots of stuff about raising kids and living on a budget. I am also intimate with domestic violence, the bar scene, having bartended and also spent plenty of time of the other side of the bar! Besides being raised in a dysfunctional family, I am also now, unfortunately, intimate with surviving the sucide of a loved one.

I would like to think I have good advice for people involved in unhealthy relationships, but I won't go into the details here. THe good news is, I can also show you the flip side of the coin and tell you what, to me, is the definition of a happy marriage and what makes a relationship successful. I am a graduate of the School of Hard Knocks.:guns:

Denise
 
Last edited:

Moondancer

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
922
Reaction score
195
Location
Nashville
Website
www.jc-hosting.net
Hmmm... well... I have 23 years experience as an abused housewife if anyone needs to know something from the noncounseling side of abuse.

Other than that, as my title states: I'm a perpetual WIP, so I know a little of this and a little of that.
 

Lauri B

I Heart Mac
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
2,038
Reaction score
400
If anyone ever needs a quote from parenting expert, I'm happy to help (although I'm not sure at what point I became an expert). I've written a bunch of books on the subject and have done lots of interviews. You can also ask me any questions you have about nonfiction book publishing, Jane Austen, competitive swimming, and tv commercials from the 1970's and 80's.
 

MacAllister

'Twas but a dream of thee
Staff member
Boss Mare
Administrator
Super Moderator
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
VPX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
22,009
Reaction score
10,702
Location
Out on a limb
Website
macallisterstone.com
I know horses from top to bottom, inside and out. Shoeing, feeding, grooming, training, riding, etc. I've worked extensively with stallions and difficult horses.

I also know Montana landscape and history pretty well.
 

LisaHa

Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
38
Reaction score
0
Location
Plymouth, England
My contribution

I may be able to help you if you need info on:

Radio/radio stations (British-based which will be a bit different from the US)
Voiceover work/voiceovers
Life in the UK - have lived in Warwickshire, Wales and now Devon (Plymouth and the South Hams)
Life as a Grace of the "Will and Grace" variety (actually not quite that bad - but I do seem to have a huge number of gay friends compared to straight ones - must be a result of working in the media)!
Difficult neighbours

Ok, scraping the barrel here. Suddenly my mind is blank, so may have a think and come back.:Huh:

Ah yes, my absolute speciality....being dopey!:roll:

Lisa
 
Last edited by a moderator:

gizmotron

Registered
Joined
Feb 24, 2005
Messages
20
Reaction score
3
Website
www.gizmotron.org
My array of achievements:

First off this thread is fun... if anyone can use information from me about any of this then go ahead and contact me.

I'm one of the original extreme sports "been there, done that" experts. I got started after a therapist suggested to me "triers try and doers do." It hit me in a very good way, at a time in my life that I really needed something to go on. In spite of my own personal problems I set out to discover doing things. First off I needed a job so I became a carpenter apprentice and built residential construction for many years. That led to many years later of me being a General Contractor. I know all the crafts and can perform most of them at the most competitive level regarding custom home construction.

After having a steady income stream I set out for my own adventure. My discoveries of adventurous activities led me to believe that almost everyone I knew had no interest in what I was doing. Within a year of trying dangerous sports I stopped telling most people what activities I had achieved. Now, as I'm about to turn 55, I'll mention it here for the first time.

I'm an expert rock climber that climbed between 1970 and 1989. I did two first accents that were recorded in a climbing journal. I fell over an overhang and hit a ledge before the rope caught me. I also have waterfall ice experience and big mountain climbing experience.

I'm a big mountain skiing expert and began that in 1971. In 1984 I skied the north face of Mt Shasta. In 1985 I skied God's Half Pipe after a giant avalanche ripped a ten foot deep perfect half pipe down the 50 degree face at the Lee Vining ice-climbing spot.

I'm a wind surfing expert and have jumped my small sailboard over fifty feet above the water. Once I took a sinker out of the Golden Gate on a big day and spent half the time air born above the mast high waves. That was one of three of the best rides of my life. The second best was a trip down the men's downhill course at the world cup.

I became a private pilot. I once flew a stunt plane down the face of Half Dome ten feet a way. That was the third best ride of my life.

I'm an expert scuba diver and once dove to 205 feet deep in Lake Tahoe in February, in the snow, and on one air-tank. That was a record dive for mountain diving with one tank.

I'm not bad at bowling. I won two tournaments that included about three hundred amateur bowlers.

I'm not bad at Golf. I got my handicap down to 1 at one time in my life when I tried hard at it.

I studied Ti-Kwon-Do for two years.

I was in life changing car accidents twice. The second time I had to find a new way to make an income. I lost it all. I can't do much now and know all about that too.

I became a self taught computer programer and have since learned four computer languages. I might try to tackle machine language and embedded devices just to see if I can do that too. I've invented MTML and the supporting software that displays it.

I spent several years in the music business where I designed a world class recording studio, worked with artist management, and ran live sound stages. I worked with the band The Hazies out of Central Florida. I had a computer based virtual studio and play the guitar good enough to actually pick one up in front of anyone.

I'm an expert on the game of Roulette and gambling in general. I have written several experimental games that prove my theories.

I follow politics in America very closely and know when a politician is trying to pass an untruth past me.

There is no stopping me as I move on to achieve more with my life. This writing thing I'm delving into now is just one more challenging way of expressing myself in a new way. I got my feet wet with writing while taking an on-line course in tech-writing, something I needed to write manuals for my inventions at that time. I used to be afraid of my limitations as a writer until I learned a few things that I needed to know before embarrassing myself at this level.

So if you need a nut-burger's point of view on flying above the crowd in the thin air of the extreme and experienced adventurer, the more down to earth opinion of an avid listener, or a programer's point of view then "go for it," I did.
 
Last edited:

Hermit

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Messages
105
Reaction score
22
Location
Ontario, Canada
I'll toss in a few catagories of my own:

Hotel and Motel management, finance, policies, procedures and experiences, and politics(15 years managing two hotels)

Cottage life, cottage living, canoeing, bon fires, campfires, hunting/fishing lodges and anything to do with camp or life/living at a cottage. (not tenting or RVing though)

Long term gay relationships (23 years with kids and grandkids)

Protiring rather than retiring

Flat haired labs (also known as long haired labs)

Spinal disc problems and surgery (laminectomy and discotomy)/slipped discs

The game Scrabble (avid player!)

High School dropout stats (U.S. only)

Steel manufacturing

Although I don't have personal experience, I can provide extremely quick answers through two close friends on the subjects of:
-blindness (regarding living blind & succeeding in life, not diseases etc)
-horses (dressage, breaking, stuff you can't find on the net)

Hopefully I put enough 'key' words in to work in a search.

Email me or PM me. Either is okay and I will answer even if I can't answer the question.
 

Hummingbird

Pen, Paper, Prepared. ...Write!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 10, 2005
Messages
445
Reaction score
82
Location
Glued to my computer screen.
You can PM me if you want, I don't mind. ;) (Or bite. Lol)
I know a few odds and ends, but I'm not an expert. Hopefully I can help with what is needed. As to some things, I'm not a doctor, just have some friends with the medical conditions.

Stuff a know a good amount of:
Gardening
Poultry
Unicorns (I've loved them for forever!)
Dragons
Scrub Woods
Poison Ivy, Sumac, and Oak
Food Alergies
Systemic Lupus

Stuff I know some of:
Autism (High functioning, but I still know a few things that could help)
Fibromyalgia (I know someone else who could help with more detailed stuff)
Song birds and Birds of Prey
Goats
Trees
Elemental Magic (Fantasy)
 

Cate

Never Bored
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
1,226
Reaction score
171
Location
USA
Website
www.catherineltully.com
Cool

Love this thread and this room!

Ok:
Dance (Ballet expert, know a lot of other styles too)
Martial Arts--brown belt
Lived and worked in Japan
High-school teaching experience
Worked in a rehab with adults and teens
Bartended (not at the same time as working at the above, mind you)
Choreographed dance
Modeled
Acted
Personal Trainer--(was) have degree in Exercise Science
Group exercise teaching experience
Worked in a billiard hall
Held position at events company as Coordinator
Taught English (again Japan)
Know a little about real estate

Know too much about dog's cruciate injury/recovery process
Know some about keeping tropical fish
Can't think of anything else right now--feeling the pressure! Will add if I can . . .
Please e-mail me here--don't PM, as I don't do them--too distracting for me when I am working . . .
Thanks!
 

ShadowGuide

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Messages
120
Reaction score
11
Location
Somewhere over the rainbow...
Website
www.votrevray.blogspot.com
Here are my basic areas of knowledge/experience. Hope it can help someone. Yes, you can PM me.
Thanks, Jenna for setting this up.
-Mel.
*****

Areas (geographic):
Northern Arizona (Flagstaff, Sedona, Camp Verde areas)
NW Montana - a bit from Missoula to Kallispell, a ton of info on Lincoln County where I taught in three different schools
Eastern Tennessee - Johnson City area
Northern NY - Adirdondack region (grew up there)

Skills/Crafts:
Spinning wool - with drop spindle and wheel
Knitting

Academic/Career:
AA in Liberal Arts with focus on theatre
BA in English/Secondary Ed. (taught in three different states, all ages)
MA soon-to-be-completed in Storytelling and Reading, with a thesis on the Role of Humor in Ghost Stories
Coaching a State Competition Level Speech, Drama and Debate team
Directing, acting, theatre tech - teaching and doing, basic TV production and pagination editor outsourcing to some of our nation's top 100 newspapers (including NY Times, LA Daily News)

Other Certifications/Jobs:
Ashtanga Yoga teacher
Reiki Master Teacher (Usui and Karuna schools)

Other Work Experience:
Professional Storytelling
Op Tech
Waitress/Food Service (name it, I've probably made it or served it)
Sock sales (Kid you not - manager for a store of socks for 1 year)
Tabletop sales (china, silverware etc. - two years of my life doing this)
Domestic Violence Relief Counselor/Children's Art Therapy Group Leader

Passions:
Chocolatier (making and eating), Baking (fancy danishes, pies etc. - making and eating)

Animal Knowledge:
Llamas (as pets and for investment)
Angora rabbits (especially English and English cross breeds)
Black Labs
Cats (Tabby, Tuxedo, Maine Coon)


Hope this can help someone!
:Thumbs:
 
Last edited:

LisaHa

Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
38
Reaction score
0
Location
Plymouth, England
Thought of more!

LisaHa said:
I may be able to help you if you need info on:

Radio/radio stations (British-based which will be a bit different from the US)
Voiceover work/voiceovers
Life in the UK - have lived in Warwickshire, Wales and now Devon (Plymouth and the South Hams)
Life as a Grace of the "Will and Grace" variety (actually not quite that bad - but I do seem to have a huge number of gay friends compared to straight ones - must be a result of working in the media)!
Difficult neighbours

Isn't this astounding! So many people with so many different and amazing lives all brought together by a love of writing. The internet can be such an amazing tool. And those of you who have apologised for having less interesting lives than others...STOP IT! I am as impressed by those of you who can sew, knit, raise kids etc. as I am with the extreme sports and military expertise. It's what makes life so interesting.

OK, thought of a couple more things following on from the above:

Happy to talk about living with PCOS (not an expert but can tell you how it has affected me).
Also, a little know condition called Vaginisimus (a sensitive topic but if it would help others just ask).
I have travelled within the Solomon Islands to many places tourists would never go and have stayed with within Islander's homes.
Lots of backpacker stories - Europe and Australia.

I'm sure I'll think of more and be back again:D

Lisa x
 

soloset

'bye
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
488
Reaction score
59
Location
Houston, TX
I don't really have many areas of expertise -- I'm a flitterbug, so I know a little about lots and lots about very little.

I have a pretty sizeable library, and I'm happy to look stuff up if anyone needs something looked up.

My collection is probably heaviest in the criminology area, followed by paranormal stuff (mostly skeptical). I have two shelves of books on writing from last year's writing hiatus as well.

In addition, I can connect you with a history buff who specializes in the ancient world (Greece, Rome), the early medieval period, and Vikings.
 

Torin

Wandering vaguely
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Messages
530
Reaction score
48
Location
In the mirrors of my mind
Website
www.cebarrett.com
Okay, I don't know what I know, but let's have a look. :)

massage therapy
human anatomy
baby massage
pretty much anything to do with forms of massage from palliative care to sports massage
knitting and crocheting
cats
Nova Scotia

Probably some other stuff. :) I'll come back and edit if I ever remember.

Torin
 

thistle

Hipster Doofus
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 29, 2005
Messages
170
Reaction score
55
Location
Wisconsin
What a helpful thread

I am so honored to be among people with such varied and interesting backgrounds.

Here's mine:
  • BA in French
  • BA in English
  • Taught French, English, and journalism in high schools for 10 years
  • Advised newspapers, yearbooks, and theater
  • Lived in Texas, Wisconsin, and Belgium (exchange student)
  • Hobbies: gardening, sewing, dog training, chauffering daughter to sports
  • Interests: rheumatoid arthritis, troubled teens, free speech
  • My husband manages the recovery services for a large tissue bank
 

Mags

hanging out in near-permanent lurkdom
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
74
Reaction score
16
Location
Woodston Parsonage
Website
www.tilneysandtrapdoors.com
I joke that I'm a Renaissance Woman because I've had so many different jobs/careers. Really I just didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up (except a writer--but so far I've needed a day job).

I was a hairstylist for ten years and was an expert in hair coloring techniques such as highlighting. One of the the things that bugged me about THE PELICAN BRIEF by John Grisham was that the heroine, in an attempt to escape her pursuers, kept changing her hair color, from red to black to blonde to brown. I was sitting there grinding my teeth, saying, "NO! Can't DO that!" With wigs, yes; with anything you can buy at CVS, absofreakinlutely NOT. ;) I never worked as a manicurist but love doing natural-nail manicures on myself and others. Never got the hang of the acrylic thing but I have a general acquaintance with the procedure.

I'm currently a website administrator for a law firm. I used to work at a legal publishing firm that mostly dealt with personal injury lawsuits. I worked for a site that investigated organized scam artists. I also worked for an online archive site (like Lexis but not Lexis--not naming names, though I will privately if necessary). I know stuff about web design but not much about programming, networks or hardware.

I also worked for a dotcom during the dotcom bubble. It was heady. I had stock options and everything (and cashed those bad boys in while the cashing was good). I also had some "sloptions" that were worthless from day one. I came in when they were just emerging from the garage and rode it through the V.C. money influx and the burn-through until they finally kicked me out when they sold out to another company.

My passion is history, mostly 18th and 19th century. My particular areas of expertise are England 1795-ish through 1840 or so. I love American colonial and Federal-period history but am not as well versed in it. I have most of Jane Austen's novels more or less memorized and can also expound at (opinionated) length on her biography.

I am also a big fan of the Age of Fighting Sail (think Patrick O'Brian or C.S. Forester) and have even tried my hand at writing a couple of nautical stories, which made me realize that I am *not* an expert in that area by a long shot, but I probably know a little more than the average person on the street. :) (I'll be in Portsmouth for Trafalgar Day this year--200th anniversary. Can.Not.Wait!)

Oh, I also have a pretty good working knowledge of copy machines. Seriously.

P.S. I forgot! I am also an expert needleworker--particularly thread crochet, but also regular crochet, cross-stitch and needlepoint. I have more than 20 years' experience at crocheting, almost as much with needlepoint. In fact, the nonfiction book that I'm currently researching will be something to do with creative needlework in history.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.