1. archerfenris

    archerfenris Active Member

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    Professional Areas of Expertise

    Discussion in 'Research' started by archerfenris, Jul 2, 2014.

    I made this thread so that users may glance in and identify which members to possibly question about research topics of a particular field.

    Obviously, most of us have day jobs. Michael Chrichton was a doctor before he took to writing, John Grisham a lawer, Kurt Vonnegut a WWII veteran and failed chemist.

    That being said, feel free to post your profession if you so choose so that others may have someone to direct specific questions to.

    (Oh and in the off chance that anyone here works in forensics, please let me know so I may spam questions to you ceaselessly)
     
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  2. stevesh

    stevesh Banned Contributor

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    I have working experience in: alarm system design and installation, IT management, coffee roasting and beekeeping, and extensive personal experience with firearms. I'm happy to answer questions about any of these, but would prefer to do so in the open forum, maybe with a PM pointing to the thread.
     
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  3. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Federally licensed Court Interpreter for Spanish/English. I have worked in the past in the USAF as a Russian/English interpreter as well.
     
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  4. jazzabel

    jazzabel Agent Provocateur Contributor

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    Medical doctor and psychiatrist, briefly an interpreter. I also have experience in photography. Hobby-wise, I know quite a bit about Chinese metaphysics (feng shui, astrology, alternative medicine), qigong, yoga, dogs, tennis, singing.
     
  5. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

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    Started out in life insurance in claims administration, moved on to accounting, then taxation. Managed a tax department for 12 years before ditching corporate life and going to work for the IRS as an international specialist (and, no, I will not give tax advice :rolleyes:). I also coached youth soccer for 10 years and play drums and a little guitar.
     
  6. Garball

    Garball Banned Contributor

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    I'm a professional sot. To support my profession I work as a chef. Aside from food and drink I can answer questions about gigging, grabbin (not grabblin), bow-fishing, and spot-lighting. I also picked the heart-shaped lock on @Lewdog 's diary and can tell you about his deepest, darkest secrets and desires.
     
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  7. Commandante Lemming

    Commandante Lemming Contributor Contributor

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    I work in Washington DC around Capitol Hill so I can help with a lot of political stuff - including the sorts of "how the sausage is made" backroom stuff.

    Also a big international relations/geography/foreign politics geek - so I'm very good with world geography, hints on various locations, 20th century history of odd places, historical geography etc. Also I'm really good at the mechanics of elections to various types of parliaments around the world, so if you ever need to understand the virtues of the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation with ranked-preferences as opposed to the D'hondt system without ranked preference, I'm your guy.

    Half-decent resource on Judaism if you need.

    Also I'm very much on the conservative side of politics, but don't mind working with those who disagree - so if you're ever building a conservative character who you don't want to make a stereotyoe, I can explain my thought process without getting preachy. May occasionally ask for help doing the same for my lefty characters as my fiction has a lot of politics.
     
  8. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    I go to law school, though by no means am I a law expert (is anyone really an expert in anything?). In my old job I used to deal with loans and bankruptcy and those sorts of things.

    As far as hobbies go, I know (or like to think I know) a lot about philosophy, literature, basketball, and a bunch of other things no one cares about. I'm also a professional alcohol drinker.
     
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  9. Garball

    Garball Banned Contributor

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    Should we form a Union?
     
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  10. Lewdog

    Lewdog Come ova here and give me kisses! Supporter Contributor

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    Well I've gone to school for Criminal Justice and Sociology. I worked in a state correctional facility for five years and was on the Special Response Team for three and half years doing tactical training. I also know quite a bit about sports, food, and smartassery.
     
  11. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    As a professional anarchist, my answer is no.
     
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  12. bsbvermont

    bsbvermont Active Member

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    Education (many, many years) and educational policy. Education in the 21st century is not your momma's education!
     
  13. archerfenris

    archerfenris Active Member

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    Excellent. I can already tell I'd like to talk to a few of you in the future (for my second novel which I keep promising myself will begin this November).

    Since I didn't mention it before, I'm in the military and work specifically with artillery. I've also been to Afghanistan. My degree is in international studies so if you have any questions on monetary unions or foreign politics, I'm your guy. Beyond that I write, read, video game, and I'm an armchair baseball manager. I also know way more than I should about both world wars.
     
  14. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

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    I've got a degree in animation, but generally anything you wanted to know about game design, videography, or general art stuff, I'd be happy to help.

    Also I apparently know an awful goddamn lot about smoking. So that's interesting.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2014
  15. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    Nurse practitioner, specializing in occupational infectious disease and infection control. I've worked in the past in half dozen areas of nursing: ICU, CCU; pediatrics; public health; alcoholism and addiction; 35 bed rural hospital where you do everything from ED to OB; and an inner city medical surgical unit. Not that I'm old or anything. ;)

    I've also worked on a bone marrow transplant unit on a short term contract. And I was one of the pioneers in this state that began working as independent contract nurses instead of working for an agency employer. The agencies challenged our status claiming we were unfair competitors because we didn't have the middle-person that had to pay employee taxes. We won the case. So I know a bit about that whole legal process.

    I'm going to write a non-fiction nursing history book after I finish my sci-fi duology.
     
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  16. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    I'm an electrical engineer with a fair amount of experience in machine control (both electric and hydraulic). I've also done quite a bit of software design and programming.

    I'm a pretty good guitar player and singer. I noodle around a bit on keyboards, too, but I don't claim any virtuosity. Stick any instrument in my hands, though, and I can probably get a tune out of it.

    In my teens I was a good sailor - I won races and stuff. I haven't sailed for a long while, though. Same with scuba diving.

    I'm enormously skilled at putting my ass in a chair and staring at a computer screen. My buttocks are ideally developed for this task.

    When I was living in Victoria, it became apparent that I was incredibly good at trivia games. My brain attracts random facts like bullshit attracts flies.

    I stink at pretty much everything else. :p
     
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  17. Mans

    Mans Contributor Contributor

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    I was an electronic technician, also know somethings about mechanic and auto-mechnich. I hope it is enough to be able to respond questioners.
    But my noticeable knowledge is about paranormal- supernatural matters, the origin Islamic ideology and laws , philosophy and so on. I have experienced a lot of heavenly prays that each one has an direct effect in life and destinies.
    For example some of them are useful and effective for treatment of sicknesses, some for getting rid depression and sorrows, some for increasing income, some for repercussion of any danger and bad events, some for getting rid nightmares and sleep paralyses, some for protection against evil supernatural entities like turbulent and rebel daemons ( not good daemons. Because daemons are like humans, some of them are good and peaceful. Such daemons don't frighten people and don't hurt them, while they are living beside humans peacefully. But some of them are unbeliever, cruel and aggressive- These two kind daemons are living in every neighborhood of cities and villages on the earth but usually the number of bad demons is less than the good daemons. Bad demons are like gangs and criminal men in human societies that their number is not large.) A few of those heavenly prays is effective against snakes and scorpions and other venomous insects and prevent them to approach people and bite them. there is a lot of explanation about these matters.
    Also I know some philosophy things and would be glad to answers the questioners in every background :)
    Of course it is necessary I explain about something. The origin Islam is different with what some rebel groups claim they are following it. They don't know a noticeable thing of origin Islam and are just following their false suppositions.
    The most of them are the illiterate and low-mind people that are following their illiterate and stupid heads. They are killing people, among the innocent Muslims in Syria, Iraq and other Islamic countries by handmade bombs and then claim they have Islamic root!
    They are lying obviously. The root of their actions is ignorance and jealousy to people and to their fortune. Taliban and its trees ( rebel groups in Syria and Iraq) try to drive a wedge of different between people in the world.
    The commander and supporter of these groups is the Saudi king , his wealthy family in Arabia and some stupid religious leaders that don't know anything about real Islam but are fighting with it.
    Every terror and murder that has been seen from these illiterate and cruel groups in the middle east (attacking Muslims by handmade bombs) or other areas of the world, is not relevant to Islam and masses of Muslims at all, but unlikely, they are versus Islam and versus all its statements and laws.
    Islam has the most accurate and developed laws and rules but sadly these mad, stupid and anarchist groups don't know or don't like to know and just follow their own suppositions and mirages.
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2014
  18. daemon

    daemon Contributor Contributor

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    Humans are bizarre creatures, but I do my best to act like them and to live in peace with them.
     
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  19. Mans

    Mans Contributor Contributor

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    Hi daemon, I didn't get what you said :) Do you mean that you are in relationship with peaceful daemons?
     
  20. daemon

    daemon Contributor Contributor

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    It's just that daemon life has got me in its sway.
     
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  21. Andrae Smith

    Andrae Smith Bestselling Author|Editor|Writing Coach Contributor

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    Damn... make me think about all the things I could get into...I should know who does what by now, as this isn't the first time we've seen this question in one form or another... I need to branch out more, as English Lit./Comp. and writing/editing are the only things I've really gotten into aside from competing in and coaching the throwing events in Track and Field (specifically, Shot put and Discus), and I'm no expert. Maybe I'll make a list of my growing interests and take some action to see where they take me. I guess at 20 years old with only two years of life out of high school, I can't be expected to have advanced knowledge in anything, but hanging around you fellows makes me feel like I should ha ha.
     
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  22. Mans

    Mans Contributor Contributor

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    Sorry, I wanted to visit what you addressed but that web or blog is filtered in our area
     
  23. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    While I'm not an 'expert' (I don't know what qualifies for that term) I have a good level of academic experience for someone my age, even being trusted to proofread the odd PhD proposal despite the fact that, because of financial reasons, I'm only just about to start an MA in English Literature. My areas of specialism include:

    Modernist literature
    Restoration literature & Shakespeare
    Dante and The Divine Comedy (it was my undergrad dissertation)
    Greek and Roman Classics.

    I'm also developing a keen academic interest in Norse and Angle-Saxon Poetry - stuff like Beowulf, the Elder Edda, and 'The Wanderer'.

    I also know a lot about Italian and Greek food, beer, being a lazy idiot, and I can speak one or two languages with varying degrees of fluency.
     
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  24. criticalsexualmass

    criticalsexualmass Active Member

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    I'm an attorney, dealing with injury law, real estate, criminal, and oil and gas law. I play guitar when the mood strikes me, build log houses and farm cattle. Basic working knowledge of astronomy and astrophysics on a good day. My family doesn't purchase meat so any meat we eat was hunted and cleaned by me, so I guess I know quite a bit about that too. I restore old Mopars when not building houses. Just don't ask me about transmissions!
     
  25. NanashiNoProfile

    NanashiNoProfile New Member

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    I work for a games developer, and have for the last eight years. Hand in hand with that, I also play a lot of games (RPGs mostly), and I think this is where my love for journey-type stories has come from - I do read a lot too, though!
     
    Christopher Snape. likes this.

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