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Tom's page

Tom

Tom

  • Sex: Male
  • Location: USA
  • Occupation: Quality/Regulatory/Legal/Computer Technology/Auto Mechanics and the list goes on...
  • Member since: Mar 2008
  • Login status: Offline

About me

I am developing a profile - please be patient.

My work

Probably best to say what I haven't done.

Most rewarding - I've worked for NASA in Baltimore (www.stsci.edu) in the early part of the new millennium as part of my continuing education at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD, USA. I was in the ESS department (Engineering and Software Services) and helped to write some of the coding that now guides the Hubbell Space Telescope as part of the translation from an older hexadecimal programming format in its guidance system. The rewarding part was the imagry that came from the changes in the software that really gave a tangible end to the project.

Most challenging - I have practiced law as part of an internship, including courtroom presentation (always supervised by a qualified attorney) in prosecution, defense and civil matters. I never pursued this as a career as I didn't exhibit the 'A' type personality to be aggressive when it was needed in a tete-a-tete. This is why I transitioned to the regulatory field since I could do a lot on paper, just not in person.

Most practical - Automotive mechanics. I have never paid another person or company to repair any vehicle I have ever owned, and have had (years ago, in the late 1980's) re-built some of the finest vehicles I have ever had the priviledge to drive, both here in the U.S and in the U.K.

Most fruitful - (that which generates the most revenue from a income vs. cost of living point-of-view) In High School - You'll have to ask either myself or my life-long best friend about that one, but it has to do with the early stages of computers, say in 1982 or so. A hint would be the first 15 miutes of Ferris Bueller.

Cheesiest - At 21 years old, I took on part-time evening employment in the summertime while I was still employed full-time and had a school break. It was at Pizza Hut, then the next year at TGI Friday's. Most of the waitresses were just out of high school, and I was 21. Do the math. No regrets!

Most dangerous - well at the time it didn't really seem dangerous, but I worked for real 'country-folk' in a rural area. At 14 yrs old I was working for $3.35/hour refilling propane tanks, the small ones for grills, the larger ones for trailer homes and such, as well as the large truck themselves that bring bulk propane. It was no big deal if while I was filling cylinders, a company driver would back up his truck to the dock with a lit cigarrette in his mouth.

Fast facts

  • At the movies I like to see:The feature attraction, not constant interruptions. I prefer my home theatre.
  • Last movie seen:The Contract (DVD), I am Legend (at the cinema)
  • Music I listen to:Variety - Must have notes that I can actually identify so no rap or hip-hop. I say this not because I am biased against any particular genre, but because I play piano and when I hear a song I like, enjoy 'plucking' it out on the keyboard.
  • Best album right now:I'm still sorting out my 8-tracks. Give me time to catch up. This is no joke (sadly).
  • Best game right now:Employment - a game that I didn't know until recently I was playing. Much like why deer-hunting is a sport, when the deer aren't given notice that the game has begun.
  • I'm passionate about:Photography - While it's a great back-up as a money machine, I generally don't use photography as a source of income. It is persoonal to me, and more of a self-expression even though most of the photography I do involves other human subjects.
  • I wish I could:make practical use of living off of the land. Take things back a few centuries when craftsmen actually made things, grew crops and knew how to survive with complete independence.
  • Favorite travel destination:State of Oblivion - It's wonderful this time of year and I travel there often, sometimes with friends. No passport/visa required.
  • On my vacation I..:Haven't had one for a long while; would love to get back to my UK friends.
  • If I won 1 million dollars, I would:not know what to do. I'm not really a money-oriented person.
  • Food I like:I am partial to seafood and properly prepared steak.
  • I don't like:I have my rants and raves, but in general, there isn't much I don't like. I sometimes broadcast the things I don't understand as things I don't like. (OSX or Apple in general)
  • Hardware I use:Screws, bolts, sometimes as complicated as a rivet.