What's your expertise?

[Silver Tyger]

We haven't had one of this in a while, and they're always informative, so, what are you an expert in?

Me: Kimono (at least on this board), Thundercats, Silverhawks, Graphic Design, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Norfin Trolls (via my mom). Possibly some others I'm forgetting.

[Oakminster]

Curmudgeonlyness, the care and feeding of young Moderators, and occasional one liners.

[multimediac17]

I'd like to think pop music.

[Chefguy]

Joatamon.

[ENugent]

Patent law
Ballroom dance technique (not latin, though)
Ballroom dance competition scoring (called the "skating system" even though it is no longer used in skating) - I am a certified scrutineer
The novels of Anthony Trollope
I am a word geek, although there are probably people on the Dope who beat me for that.

[Cyningablod]

Linguistics (especially of the Spanish historical variety).

I have a pretty good lay-level knowledge base in astronomy, music, history, philosophy, firearms, survival techniques, and physical fitness, but none of that could properly be called "expertise".

[Superfluous Parentheses]

Web client-side code. JavaScript/HTML, that kind of stuff.
Emacs
Trying to improve my Lisp/Functional programming skills. And cooking.

[The Hamster King]

Videogame design

[E. Thorp]

For certain values of "expertise":


Microsoft Word
jazz
shapenote singing (aka Sacred Harp)

[Blut Aus Nord]

Old-school death metal
The Simpsons, seasons 1-9

Look out world, here I come.

[Lobohan]

Illustration (Vector, conventional, digital painting)
Graphic Design (General print design, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop)
GMing Role Playing Games

[Hari Seldon]

Math, Latex, Isaac Asimov (bet you never guessed), Steve Brust, Terry Pratchett, Guy Gavriel Kay, ...

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Formerly diatoms.

[KennerTheGreat]

Hockey, particularly associated trivia.

[MsWhatsit]

Indexing books, Microsoft Word, the works of Stephen King, and Saturday Night Live.

[Patty O'Furniture]

Business process automation, service delivery, IT service management.

Was that the sound of everybody's eyes glazing over?

[dangermom]

I don't know that I'm expert in much. Jack of all trades...but my specialties are:

Classical homeschooling
Heirloom sewing
Quilting


If anybody wants an "Ask the homeschooler" thread now is the time to ask--in a few weeks I will be much too busy with the school year and a new little job.

[valleyofthedolls]

The novels of Anthony Trollope

Sorry for the hijack but I've read The Way We Live Now and the Barchester Chronicles. Any thoughts on what I should read next?

[Rand Rover]

The law of U.S. federal income taxation.

[mnemosyne]

Pharmaceutical product development, stability testing and drug expiration dates.

Which is weird, because I haven't even worked in the industry in 3 years and what I know is just what I gathered from about 4 years worth of working as a lab drone.

[carnut]

Adult training and instructional design
Software: Microsoft Office suite, Captivate, Articulate
Northern gardening
Road racing event planning and execution, flag marshaling, race control
Understanding the demands of my overlord felines

[moejoe]

Calming small children and angry customers.

[Unintentionally Blank]

Pretty much everything mechanical or computational. In the last week I've created a radius authenticated enterprise wifi solution, fixed a residential HVAC, replaced the laser and drive motor in a Wii, I'll be doing a brake job on the Vette this weekend.

[Antigen]

Medical laboratory science, more specifically hospital labs and blood banking.
I have a decent knowledge of human physiology as well but I can't hold a candle to the many brilliant medical professionals on the board.

As far as having the insider's view on a topic, I can get in on discussions of cats, depression and CBT, being Canadian, and meeting someone from another country on the internet, moving here and marrying him and fighting with immigration paperwork all the way.

That's about it for "expertise" but I'm often surprised about how much I find I know about random things. I seem to have a trivia sponge for a brain. Also, my Google-fu is strong.

[JCorre]

Software product management. Specifically with internet and SaaS applications. Specialty is with security of billing and finance related products, Fraud mgmt and identity security.

I'm also pretty good at billiards and the patrick obrian historical fiction series (read all 21 books 8 times)

[Autolycus]

I'm not truly an expert in anything, but I reckon I know more than the average bear about:

Japanese language and culture, Christian theology and history, and loooove. OK, that last one is not true...yet.

[Airman Doors, USAF]

Depending entirely upon your definition of "expert":

Trivia
Firearms knowledge
Radio and Television Master Control (a large part of my job in the Air Force)
Restaurant Management (after 15 years I better be good at it)

One thing that I am unquestionably an expert at is making cheesesteaks. That's not exactly what I hoped to be able to say at this point in my life, but there it is. It's right up there with being Captain of the Titanic for auspiciousness.

[Siam Sam]

I have powers beyond the ken of mortal man.

[panache45]

Graphic Design (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, many others . . . and their analog precursors).
Photography.
Painting with little sticks.
Musical Theatre and "The Great American Songbook."
Pop culture of the 50s and 60s.
Gay urban sex in the 70s and 80s.
Objectivism (though I'm mercifully forgetting a lot).
Sarcastic humor.

[Autolycus]

I have powers beyond the ken of mortal man.

True, as I hear one night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster.

[Superhal]

I have a 9th degree black belt in wise-ass-ery.

[Maastricht]

Botany, some biology/ wild critters, and psychology.

All things Dutch.

[Nava]

I'm a generalist pain in the ass.

[KinkiNipponTourist]

Simultaneous interpretation of medical device presentations, between English and Japanese

simultaneous and consecutive interpretation

karaoke machine operation, optimization of

small children, entertainment of

spending waaaaaaaaaay too much $$ on shoes, justification of

[kombatminipig]

Computer Science
SCUBA Diving
Cooking
Sailing
History

[Crafter_Man]

Drinking beer.

[Rhythmdvl]

Climate change policy.

Facilitating drum circles.

I like to think of myself a the resident expert on the Grateful Dead, but there are others here. Jam bands in general, and I could probably get certified in Funk.

[Paul in Qatar]

I'm a generalist pain in the ass.

And one of my favorite posters, my dear.

Me?

Saudi Arabia I suppose, certainly the expatriate community.
Military affairs.
The English language

[LegsAkimbo]

Photographing wading birds from a kayak (and processing those images in Photoshop), editing technical documents (which I hope to never have to do again), not getting lost in places I have never been, napping.

[lieu]

Sedimentary depositional systems.

[Rhythmdvl]

Sedimentary depositional systems.
In my less active days I was an expert on sedentary dispositions.

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Oooh, I found a nice picture of diatoms (http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/enlarge/purple-diatoms-photography.html).

[Crotalus]

Reptiles and amphibians of North America, plus a pretty good knowledge of poison dart frogs and poisonous snakes world-wide

Electronic payments(the US ACH system and online bill payment)

I'm pretty knowledgeable about guitars, guitar repair and guitar playing, but there are others here who know way more than me.

[Gagundathar]

VC++ Version 6
Robotics and automation programming.
I also give a great backrub.

[Bricker]

Criminal law
Computer security
Pop music, 1955-1985
Broadway musicals
Opera
Roman Catholicism
The oeuvre of Joss Whedon

And as a bonus:

Pokemon (vicariously, through extensive consultation w/ Bricker Jr. Not as agood as first-hand knowledge, but you can't ignore a resource like that!)

[overlyverbose]

Product management
Regulatory affairs, primarily Medicare, but also COBRA and ERISA
Archaeology
Linguistics
Languages
Feeling guilty about all the things I should be doing haven't gotten around to (most of this is related to clutter and reading women's magazines way too much - I gotta work on the former and stop reading the latter)

[RickJay]

I'm not sure most of the posters are defining "Expertise" the way I would. With due respect - this is just a semantics thing - I don't think very many people are "Experts" at more than a couple of things, and certainly not five or six.

I am an expert at exactly one thing: quality management systems auditing. In that area I am an expert beyond any doubt or question.

I know a lot about other stuff. I am very knowledgeable about baseball, for instance. But I would not say I am an expert at it. I would think that an expert in baseball would be either an actual baseball professional, such as a player or a professional coach, or would be someone whose knowledge and understanding of the theory or history of baseball involved doing original work in expanding the world's understanding of baseball. I'm a baseball fanatic because I know a lot about the Negro Leagues; a baseball expert is searching archives and finding primary resources doing RESEARCH on the Negro Leagues. I'm a baseball fanatic because I play the game; an expert is someone who gets paid to play the game. I'm a baseball fanatic because I like long, detailed discussions about how the Blue Jays should be run; a baseball expert is someone who actually is part of the Blue Jays staff.

I guess I'm just being picky, but to my mind a thread that talks about what you're really an expert in would be just a bit more interesting than "what stuff do you know a lot about?" But that's just me.

[Jet Jaguar]

Image generator systems and geodatabases for simulation and training.

PC repair, and especially malware removal (I've successfully removed viruses that the recommended solution was to wipe the HD and reinstall Windows).

Fitness and training, as it pertains to endurance sports.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Motorcycles

I'm also a pretty good mechanic and can fix most anything, though I'll admit there are better.

[UncleRojelio]

Drive bys

[ENugent]

Sorry for the hijack but I've read The Way We Live Now and the Barchester Chronicles. Any thoughts on what I should read next?

Which of those did you like best?

In the absence of other information, I'd start you on the Palliser novels, which are, in order, Can You Forgive Her?, Phineas Finn, The Eustace Diamonds, Phineas Redux, The Prime Minister, and The Duke's Children. These follow the political career of Plantagenet Palliser, who you saw as a minor character in book 5 of the Barchester Chronicles, The Little House At Allington. They are not as comical as the Barchester series, but they definitely have their moments. If you liked the legal stuff in The Last Chronicle of Barset, try Orley Farm or Mr. Scarborough's Family.

[silenus]

Beer
Booze
Buffy

[overlyverbose]

I'm not sure most of the posters are defining "Expertise" the way I would. With due respect - this is just a semantics thing - I don't think very many people are "Experts" at more than a couple of things, and certainly not five or six.

<snip>

I guess I'm just being picky, but to my mind a thread that talks about what you're really an expert in would be just a bit more interesting than "what stuff do you know a lot about?" But that's just me.

I see what you're saying. Though for some people whose hobby is X, if they're really devoted, they may well be considered an expert, knowing more than most people, even some professionals in their area of interest.

As someone who listed several areas of expertise, mostly it's because I currently work in product management, am fairly well recognized in my industry as a subject matter expert in Medicare, COBRA and ERSIA and how they work together and have graduate degrees in linguistics and archaeology (which I no longer use, though). Perhaps other dopers are in the same boat - have degrees in areas in which they no longer work, yet are considered experts in their current industries.

As far as guilt goes, I think I have a PhD in guilt - I earned it at the University of Mom. :)

[Kyla]

Middle Eastern politics.
The Balkans in general.
Human trafficking in the Philippines.
Cheesy genre TV shows.

[Zeriel]

In decreasing order of expertise, and currently professionally doing the first two:

Linux administration, Windows administration, and the horrific Lovecraftian experience of both simultaneously
Cisco firewalls
Modern military history, strategy, and tactics
Modern science fiction
Video game history, trivia, and mechanics

[pravnik]

I won't claim outright expertise, but rather areas of professional and/or personal knowledge on a level such that I would feel comfortable discussing them with an expert.

Law, particulalry criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, and federal jurisdiction.

Criminal and forensic psychology, particularly insanity and competence, risk assessment, psychology of the serial sex offender, and psychopathy.

Martial arts and combat sports, particularly boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, judo, combatives, and a smattering of stick and blade.

[Malleus, Incus, Stapes!]

Things I'm fairly knowledgeable about? Jewish theology, zoology, to an extent science in general.

Expert in the Cafe Society sense? Terry Pratchett, backwards and fowards. Also Order of the Stick, and fantasy in general.

Things I tend to do on the board? Trying to get people to get along, I guess.

[Indyellen]

Expert:
Medieval cooking (mostly 14th - 16th c. timeframe)
Medical billing, and by extention medical insurance and how it works.

Knowledgable beyond normal limits:
SCA Culture
Heraldry
Fandom (mostly SF/Fantasy)
Running a fan-run convention

I know a lot about several TV shows, but I'm not up to true geekery on them: Big Love, Babylon 5, Criminal Minds, NCIS, CSI: Vegas.

That's all I can think of off-hand.

[overlyverbose]

Expert:
Medieval cooking (mostly 14th - 16th c. timeframe)


That is so cool! (It doesn't take much to get me excited these days.)

[Unintentionally Blank]

Expert:
Medieval cooking (mostly 14th - 16th c. timeframe)
Medical billing, and by extention medical insurance and how it works.


We need a process on spinning off the expertise thread...I;m really interested to know your opinion on the medical insurance industry (Is it really as fucked up as it appears from the standpoint of a poor schmuck trying to get treated?)

[GargoyleWB]

Can and frequently do delve into geeky minutiae about...

Soccer
Tennis
Martial arts
Kung fu movies
The works of Frank Herbert
Video games
Computers
Dogs
Why everyone who thinks Deckard is a replicant are sad, misguided, befuddled simpletons.

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

Why everyone who thinks Deckard is a replicant are sad, misguided, befuddled simpletons.

Start a thread. I'd like to see the logic on both sides.

[Silver Tyger]

I'm not sure most of the posters are defining "Expertise" the way I would. With due respect - this is just a semantics thing - I don't think very many people are "Experts" at more than a couple of things, and certainly not five or six.

[...]

I guess I'm just being picky, but to my mind a thread that talks about what you're really an expert in would be just a bit more interesting than "what stuff do you know a lot about?" But that's just me.

I define expertise as a relative thing. What does everyone else come to you for knowledge about? Or if they were looking for info about something would you be the best resource immediately available?

By that definition, I'm an expert in the things I said. We could also throw spelling in there, but I would rather not. In other settings, no, I wouldn't be an expert (especially kimono), but on this board I'm the one people ask (and I then usually double check my answers).

[divemaster]

professional:
--Section 7 consultation related to the Endangered Species Act
--writing/developing NEPA documents in a lead role (as relative to cooperating agencies)

Normally I wouldn't consider myself an "expert" on the above; however, given my interactions with resource staffers and management from other agencies, uh, well, I'm an expert.

hobby
--the works of Stephen King and collecting first editions (trade and signed limited)
--while I am in no way an expert on Korean cinema, I've probably watched more Korean movies than just about any U.S. white guy, and can discuss them at length with anyone, even experts from Korea (as long as the conversation is in English LOL).

[pravnik]

I would have though scuba would have fit in there somewhere. :)

[olivesmarch4th]

Being mentally ill. I'm serious. I am fucking awesome at being depressed and anxious. I experience it daily, know it inside out, call it to the floor, deconstruct it and nail it to the wall before it can even think about doing real damage to my life. I can be in the middle of a crushing major depressive episode, be in actual physical pain from the intensity of the feeling, and still rate my overall quality of life as an 8/10 on the satisfaction scale, and mean it. I am the Master.

For related reasons, I am also pretty damn knowledgeable about psychology in general. A lot of it came from self-help research and a lot of it came from the fact that it is my husband's greatest passion and a genuine academic interest of my own. We talk about it all the time. I still don't know as much as he does, but I've picked up a lot.

Also, Nietzsche. I'm no Walter Kaufmann, but the fact that I know who Walter Kaufmann is and why he matters has to say something.

[Voyager]

For work:
IC design, more logic than circuit. I'm reasonably famous in one subspecialty of this field.
I've become way too familiar with running conferences, particularly as program chair. I can create what looks like a coherent program out of a collection of random papers in just minutes.

Hobby: 50s and 60s (and the decades before and after) science fiction. I have almost complete sets of all the major magazines from 1945 onwards, and a fairly good percentage of the books published in the '50s and '60s. Don't ask me about current stuff - I'm so far behind I hardly get anything current. I also have a fairly large collection of old books on sf from this time.

[Rick]

Me?
Most things automotive.

[Shocker Khan]

Improv
Indie Music
Bob Ducca

[jsquire]

Track and field. I just took third (out of 3000+ people) in an online pick 'em contest, somewhat similar to a fantasy league. And a local prof researching women's college track in the pre-NCAA called me before anyone else.

[ThisSpaceForRent]

Some of you I would LOVE to talk with...other would put me to sleep...but a pretty freaking diverse group all in all.

Me...I am a lay expert at Long Distance sled dog racing; Think Iditarod, Yukon Quest and other...especially proficient in race history and current mushers.

Also pretty good at Grateful Dead and related band history/trivia/scene knowledge...not a Rhythmdvl but pretty close. ;)

Definitely and expert as a General Manager for my company and Bakery/Cafe...

tsfr

[Silver Tyger]

Me?
Most things automotive.

And being awesome.

[AnalogSignal]

Expert:
SQL Server specifically replication

Hobby:
Electronic music and synthesizers

[Rick]

And being awesome.
::: Blush:::

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

I hesitate to call myself an expert on anything, but these come closest:

Photography
The Beatles
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Lightroom
60's music
Home repair
Medical stuff


mmm

[Autolycus]

::: Blush:::

Get a room! :p

[septimus]

Data compression algorithms; construction of certain types of puzzles. Various computer engineering areas (but of puzzle-solving rather than knowledge-based type).

I really am smarter than I seem. :D I have more U.S. patents than I have teeth, and the best circuit designer I've ever met called me the best circuit designer he'd ever met.

[Autolycus]

I really am smarter than I seem. :D I have more U.S. patents than I have teeth, and the best circuit designer I've ever met called me the best circuit designer he'd ever met.

Really? What with your username and all, I'd imagine there are six people better than you.

[Omi no Kami]

East and Central Asian history, religion & linguistics
Phonetics
Speech pathology/audiology
Lesbian porn

[woodstockbirdybird]

rock music
the writing of Jim Thompson
alternative comedy
classic foreign films
keeping track of multiple lies I've been telling without giving myself away

[EpicNonsense]

I am good at a lot of things though I can't make the claim of being an expert at anything.. too repetitive for my nature.

'Get good, and move on', as I say.

[Bpelta]

random areas of the development of Judaism, particularly in the modern era.

[tr0psn4j]

Beer
Booze
Buffy

Should have said "beer, booze, and brews." :)

[Rushgeekgirl]

Sensory processing and language disorders, autism, and immigration (specializing in illegal immigration).

[DoctorJ]

Professionally, I'm a general internist, but I'd probably claim expertise in management of hypertension and diabetes and in the processes of evidence-based medicine.

Outside work I'd say I'm an expert in the food and cooking of Kentucky and indie rock, especially of the last five years.

[Cuckoorex]

The ladies.

Just kidding, I have no CLUE about the ladies.

Actual expertise includes illustration and design, teriyaki wings, and staying single.

[velomont]

Vehicular/commuter cycling skill and knowledge (in accordance with local traffic regs)

application of Instructional Systems Design (Training Development is my profession)

amateurish pseudo-expertise on urban planning

[Tethered Kite]

I can converse comfortably about all things prairie, public health issues, family systems, teaching, Victorian culture, horror movies, circus and carnival sideshow history, the joys of motorcycling, cooking, and sewing. Still learning new things.

[Hirka T'Bawa]

I'm a pharmacy student, so I know a lot about medications, and what I don't know off hand, I know where to find the answers... Wouldn't call myself an "expert", but know way more then the average person.

Oh, I also know a LOT about the female reproductive system, at least more then anyone at school, even the teachers.

[DragonAsh]

Self-professed expert:
Economics
Financial translation (J-E)
Japanese language & Japan in general
Equity research
Workflow & production systems
Tennis

More knowledge than average person
Almost all sports except motorsports and cricket
History up to the middle ages
Mathematics
Beer and homebrewing
Cycling & cycling with a power meter
Chess

[SanVito]

Graphic design, particularly branding and print
Cooking, particularly fish and pasta
Snogging. I am a GREAT snog x

[TheoS]

I'm pretty damn good at making small talk.
I'm excellent at interviewing for a new job.
I'm at my finest when wiating for the foursome in front of us to clear out of the fairway and somebody needs to say something funny.

[moldybread]

DRUMS (percussion)
Structural Steel
Metal (music)
Three Stooges
Being Totally Badass

The others I shall keep to myself!

[MikeF]

Narcotics Investigation - Court Recognized - which allows me to state an opinion while testifying.
That and $4 will get me coffee from the local barrista. (Which, in my opinion, is an absurd amount to pay for a coffee but I'm no expert there.)

[Really Not All That Bright]

Oakley sunglasses, 1980-1994 hard rock and heavy metal, Florida workers' compensation law, Orlando-area theme parks, and the novels of Raymond E. Feist.

[Perciful]

Building the information super highway 1985-2000.