# What's your area of expertise? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 26, 2002, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007 "2002-12-26T19:07:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/21 "2002-12-27T03:53:45Z")
Myself, clearly. I can even bet that none of the 6 billion plus people know me better than I do. šŸ˜› Bits and pieces of computers and networking. Random assorted games. Chinese and Chinese history. Bits and pieces of science - particularly mud puddles after spring rains (j/k ;)). ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/22 "2002-12-27T03:54:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eva Luna \* > **What do you know more about than 99.9% of the population?** Honest answer: not a damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/23 "2002-12-27T04:25:46Z")
**Mamapotomus**!?!?! _Yay_!! Thought youā€™d pulled up stakes. ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/24 "2002-12-27T04:34:08Z")
Germanic linguistics, specifically the Western and Northern branches. I bet I know more than 99.9% of the population does about that. And while still on that thread, acoustic and articulatory phonetics, in that I can pronounce pretty much everything on the IPA chart, except for perhaps the ingressives and a few specific articulations. Oh, dear, the geekiness is leaking againā€¦ Any othersā€¦ Nope, unless you count Weimar-era Germany, Victorian-era England and countless bits of historical and literature-related trivia. But those probably donā€™t qualify for the 99.9 percent stipulation. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/25 "2002-12-27T04:35:40Z")
And **astro** , as mud puddles go ( šŸ™‚ ), you do a pretty damn good conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/26 "2002-12-27T05:07:43Z")
Quality of and treatment methods for urban stormwater runoff. You know the water that runs off the parking lots when it rains? Thereā€™s a whole industry built around cleaning that stuff up. ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/27 "2002-12-27T05:18:40Z")
**astro** Youā€™re far too modest. Apologies to the OP. I didnā€™t complete my post properly. Iā€™ve been cabinetmaking for 22 yrs. Like Ringo, I ran my own company for a number of years. Also like Ringo, I let the job define me. The real reason I think I gained expertise is desire. I _wanted_ to learn about cabinetmaking. Iā€™ve had arguments with a few friends before about that. I say that any person will be better at any given discpline if he/she desires it. Iā€™ve actually had a friend take the opposite side, saying, ā€œMotivation does not matter.ā€ I think heā€™s crazy! Any person who desires (insert area of expertise here) will strive to be the best. Doing it for the money, or parental approval will never produce the same results. FWIW I didnā€™t read the 99% bit. Me in the one percentile of expert sailors? Ha! It is laughable! Me in the one percentile Opera expert business? Laughable! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/28 "2002-12-27T05:21:52Z")
Movie Trivia use to be \*my thing \*. Since kids, Iā€™ve slacked off way far, but I could still hold my own. \*\*Regency, England \*\* \*\*Stain removal from carpet \*\* ( vomit works better than Resolve, just so you know.) ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/29 "2002-12-27T05:47:13Z")
What if youā€™re **determined** not to vomit? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/30 "2002-12-27T08:06:57Z")
The secret is to pick an obscure field. šŸ˜‰ I know more about recumbent bicycles than 99.9% of the population. That comes from reading all (or rather, both) recumbent-related publications for a couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/31 "2002-12-27T11:34:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darwinā€™s Finch \* > Honest answer: not a damn thing. Not even yourself? šŸ˜‰ Seriously, though, there are 6 billion people on earth. 0.1% is 6 million. For many fields, there arenā€™t that many reseachers in them. ---
**Author:** ![Eissclam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/2acd7d/32.png) [@Eissclam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eissclam)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/32 "2002-12-27T12:35:26Z")
The associative interpretation of the McCollough Effect: I wrote my dissertation on it. Heroin dependence pharmacotherapies: I worked with them as a post-doc. Potential reduced exposure products for tobacco users: I study them now. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/33 "2002-12-27T12:55:48Z")
Bridge load rating. Bridge Management Software- in fact I call myself the Pontis Pilot. (You wonā€™t get that unless youā€™re in the business) ---
**Author:** ![SmileyDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SmileyDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmileyDeath)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/34 "2002-12-27T12:56:28Z")
Comic books ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/35 "2002-12-27T13:16:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MSU 1978 \* > **I call myself the Pontis Pilot.** Pithy, appropos, sacreligious, I LIKE it! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/36 "2002-12-27T13:44:36Z")
I am the worldā€™s leading expert in Military Codewords (Desert Storm, Overlord stuff like that). I have the only published book on the subject. Masonic history also. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/37 "2002-12-27T13:49:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darwinā€™s Finch \* > \*\*Honest answer: not a damn thing. \*\* My ass you donā€™t! Iā€™ve seen you on several boards, talking about evolution and you seem to know a great deal about it, and if you donā€™t know more than %99.9 you know very close to that number. Shoot, whenever I see a post thatā€™s anti-evolution, I almost **expect** you to come along and straighten out the ignorant person.šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Birefringence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Birefringence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birefringence)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/38 "2002-12-27T14:00:40Z")
Food, and all aspects there-in. I am a independant gourmet chef specializing in catering musical events and have been the premier chef for the Phoenix Sympony Orchestra, Providence Symphony Orcestra and am the sole owner of Mystical Palate procurer of fine foods. Owned and operated the business for 22 years. Tapas anyone? ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/39 "2002-12-27T14:09:29Z")
The history of 19th century western North Carolina. How? Grad school, independent research, working in history museums, and hours upon hours spent in the archives. Why? Because, really, who wants a high-prestige, well-paying job when they can be a historian? šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007/40 "2002-12-27T14:16:40Z")
Anglo-Norman historical writing in Latin in the 11th and 12th centuries. Amazingly enough, I am not unemployed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-area-of-expertise/145007.md?page=3)