What is your daily job ? ... any hobbies ?

[pads]

I am a goldsmith and gemmologist originally trained as a watchmaker, lover of music, hiking, photography and amateur stone carver.

 

[scott wurcer]

I am a goldsmith and gemmologist originally trained as a watchmaker, lover of music, hiking, photography and amateur stone carver.View attachment 109980

That's very nice!

 

[A Surfer]

I am a goldsmith and gemmologist originally trained as a watchmaker, lover of music, hiking, photography and amateur stone carver.View attachment 109980

Is that Snowflake Obsidian? I spent quite a few years in fine jewellery sales and once was quite serious about studying gemology. Now I love collecting mineral specimens although my collection is quite modest. That is a lovely piece by the way. I love freeform designs and used to wish to design a line, fire and ice with black opal and aquamarine. I also love mechanical watches. I have a lovely Rado DiaStar with a loose cannon pinion that I can't get serviced because everyone wants to do unnecessary work (cleaning) to make more money. It has been recently cleaned. The cannon pinion was just bad luck.

 

[A Surfer]

I am a social worker in a men's jail that is actually run as a mental health treatment hospital. It is great as treatment is the focus with correctional staff being mostly invisible and only seen when needed. Other than that, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, drug counselors and various nursing professionals run the show.

 

[Dave Tremblay]

I write software and design hardware architectures for the professional audio market. Currently, Universal Audio. Before that, I worked at Avid, where I worked on the HDX DSP system architecture and designed the AAX plugin format for Pro Tools. And there was a before that, and a before that. Most of my career being on the recording side of pro audio.

My hobbies are playing music (piano, vocals, guitar), woodworking, designing loudspeakers, coffee, and cocktails. I try to spend a lot of time outside; tennis, skiing, and hiking. I also like to measure speakers outside, off my deck, to get relatively anechoic measurements. I'm sure the neighbors love it.

 

[Weeb Labs]

Electronics engineer as some may have guessed, although my full time job is nothing particularly fancy. I work with a company here in Ireland which restores vintage radios. I am also a freelance cinematographer, developer, colorist and 3D artist.

I have far too many hobbies but they include music (pianist/arranger), audio, CRTs, VR, anime, Star Trek (TOS-ENT), lighting design (mmm R9 98 emitters), gaming, languages, reverse engineering things, photography and open sourcing oddly specific software.

 

[pads]

Is that Snowflake Obsidian? I spent quite a few years in fine jewellery sales and once was quite serious about studying gemology. Now I love collecting mineral specimens although my collection is quite modest. That is a lovely piece by the way. I love freeform designs and used to wish to design a line, fire and ice with black opal and aquamarine. I also love mechanical watches. I have a lovely Rado DiaStar with a loose cannon pinion that I can't get serviced because everyone wants to do unnecessary work (cleaning) to make more money. It has been recently cleaned. The cannon pinion was just bad luck.

It's quartz with mica from a local beach. The Rado should go back to the person who cleaned it, most watchmakers would give a year's guarantee for their work.

 

[Rottmannash]

Day job ; drywall contractor ( on the tools for 23 years) .

I don’t really consider myself as having ‘ hobbies’ I do enjoy a variety of things outside work many of which seem interconnected by certain themes that themselves could be considered my core interests but I won’t bore you all with that , non involve me spending a lot of time in my garage trying to straighten out a bit of wood or obsessing about train engines and spending a disproportionate amount of time standing on a bridge with a flask of tea and a notebook and pencil.

Had no effective formal education in my formative years, barley able to read or write on leaving school I did do a year studying microcomputer and associated technologies at College ( did not have the grades to get on the course but they allowed me to take a few aptitude tests that revealed my potential suitability best they had seen apparently ha ha. ) . Unfortunately I’d just not really learnt how to learn ( something you all will take for granted) and did not have the self confidence and belief to get though the struggle so quit to start my journey in drywall.

In my work life I’m considered simply incredible, my application and ability in my field beyond anything anyone has ever seen before and to many simply unbelievable let alone replicatable ( not a official word apparently lol) but then it’s just spreading shit on a wall so nothing to get excited about lol .

I don’t really rely on any of the above in terms of ‘defining ‘ myself so I’m not sure how useful or relevant it is to any of you but make of it what you will.

Something relevant, Why i took the job of moderator ( as it’s a kinda job I guess ) ..,
A. I felt a emotional affinity with amir , he appeared fair minded and stuck up for guys vs bullies and i generally liked him so offered my help and my thoughts to him before this place got started. I also weirdly felt very protective towards him, he’d done a lot of fighting and I felt he deserved someone to fight for him back. Bloody weird thinking about it lol

B. I thought it would help my writing and be a point of personal development, I was illiterate before I started posting on WBF 4 years ago as a few here will attest to lol .

C. I thought I could do it, generally that’s rare for me but I grew up around conflict and I’m a natural peacemaker. I have to be useful, know I’m useful not just delude myself to that belief. As long as I think I’m useful y'all are stuck with me.

D. Crafting something like this, being in the wheel house from the start was and still is a privilege so thanks to you all for allowing me to carry on and generally being respectful towards me.

A additional thing you don’t know about me, it takes me fucking ages to write even simple paragraphs , often having to re-read them several times over so discharging my moderator duties here takes more effort,care and time on my behalf than probably any other guy doing comparable works.

That’s a lot more than the OP but with me you will often get a lot more than you bargained for, just ask poor old amir.

That is a touching story. You're quite literate btw.

 

[Rottmannash]

What is it about playing golf that makes it your passion?
My sport is as legitimate as any.
And consists of a number of Olympic games
A bunch of foolish prejudges remarks here

Don't let that deter you from indulging. I love guns but now that I live in the city can't shoot as often as I'd like. One can love guns and shooting and be non-violent.

 

[Rottmannash]

I had an English BSA .22 calibre air rifle with a Tasco sight when I was young kid too. Same smell I remember. We used to go down to Kmart to buy pellets. I shot maybe two birds, lots of 'targets', several street lights, my very first pocket transistor radio my Dad gave me when I was 3, and a few ceramic HV insulators. I never forgave myself for killing that innocent bird on our TV antenna. I climbed up on the roof, retrieved it and gave it a decent burial.

Then I proceeded to rebuild my transistor radio PCB I had shot to pieces. It was arguably one of the first restorations I did. I must have been about 9yo.

Fired a Ruger 308 rifle at an Army rifle range with a mate several years ago and decided shoulder dislocations (not quite but it hurt) weren't my thing. I was actually quite good a hitting the targets and I can see how marksmanship is a great skill, but just not for me.

Ironically I had similar experience. My first gun was a BB gun-I was probably around 6 or 7 years old. I saw a small baby bird perched on a limb in our yard so like an imbecile I put the gun up to it, shot and killed it. I've never gotten over that senseless act of stupidity and it shaped my attitude toward nature and the right of living creatures to live peacefully.

 

[Rottmannash]

Those of us who like shooting like it because... well... it's fun. I'm a lifelong vegetarian so don't hunt, but I really enjoy perforating targets- it's a good combo of mental and physical activity. And it gave me a newfound appreciation for my wife; I'm pretty good with a handgun or a rifle, she is frighteningly good with both, and blows me away at skeet (figuratively).

My day job, as I've mentioned, is running a chemistry research group, specializing in surface modification, siloxane synthesis, electrochemistry, and corrosion management. Over the years, I've started and sold off companies in electronics (specifically force and position sensors for human-machine interface, with Microsoft being one of our big customers for some time) and wine (I invented the coextruded synthetic wine cork now used worldwide). And I spent a few years in the research grant game, sucking up a few million in American taxpayers' money to study endocrine disrupting chemicals in food packaging.

My night and weekend job is doing test and measurement reviews for AudioXpress. My wife and I also run a political discussion website under different identities to keep things separate from our professional lives (so don't ask, I won't say). This got rather more popular and time-consuming than we had originally anticipated, with about a million user-generated posts per year.

PFA's?

 

[Rottmannash]

Shiitake, Eryngii, oyster as opposed to your normal every day white or chestnut closed cap mushrooms, sume poor sucker has to do it and sadly I am that man!

Psilocybin? Amanita?

 

[Rottmannash]

Just take care to be sensible about things.
I way overdid it in my gym-rat days and am paying for it now with badly arthritic joints everywhere.

Me as well.

 

[SIY]

PFA's?

These days, PUs. Urethane chemistry is its own thing.

 

[TLEDDY]

Three types of beautiful music in this life, that performed on musical instruments, that made by high compression V-Twin and V-8 engines, and that made by a max loaded, short barreled, magnum handgun. [/QUOTE]

I am an old (!) pistol and shotgun enthusiast. Do you still work on 1911s or SIGs? Ever hear of ClearsighT optic for iron sights?

 

[Sal1950]

Three types of beautiful music in this life, that performed on musical instruments, that made by high compression V-Twin and V-8 engines, and that made by a max loaded, short barreled, magnum handgun.

Amen, you must be my clone. I love all mentioned and the bark of my S&W 5" 460V Mag gets the attention of all within earshot.

 

[Wes]

Maybe we need a review of the aural benefits of flat-crank V layout engines....

 

[paulraphael]

Day job ; drywall contractor ( on the tools for 23 years) .

I don’t really consider myself as having ‘ hobbies’ I do enjoy a variety of things outside work many of which seem interconnected by certain themes that themselves could be considered my core interests but I won’t bore you all with that , non involve me spending a lot of time in my garage trying to straighten out a bit of wood or obsessing about train engines and spending a disproportionate amount of time standing on a bridge with a flask of tea and a notebook and pencil.

Had no effective formal education in my formative years, barley able to read or write on leaving school I did do a year studying microcomputer and associated technologies at College ( did not have the grades to get on the course but they allowed me to take a few aptitude tests that revealed my potential suitability best they had seen apparently ha ha. ) . Unfortunately I’d just not really learnt how to learn ( something you all will take for granted) and did not have the self confidence and belief to get though the struggle so quit to start my journey in drywall.

In my work life I’m considered simply incredible, my application and ability in my field beyond anything anyone has ever seen before and to many simply unbelievable let alone replicatable ( not a official word apparently lol) but then it’s just spreading shit on a wall so nothing to get excited about lol .

I don’t really rely on any of the above in terms of ‘defining ‘ myself so I’m not sure how useful or relevant it is to any of you but make of it what you will.

Something relevant, Why i took the job of moderator ( as it’s a kinda job I guess ) ..,
A. I felt a emotional affinity with amir , he appeared fair minded and stuck up for guys vs bullies and i generally liked him so offered my help and my thoughts to him before this place got started. I also weirdly felt very protective towards him, he’d done a lot of fighting and I felt he deserved someone to fight for him back. Bloody weird thinking about it lol

B. I thought it would help my writing and be a point of personal development, I was illiterate before I started posting on WBF 4 years ago as a few here will attest to lol .

C. I thought I could do it, generally that’s rare for me but I grew up around conflict and I’m a natural peacemaker. I have to be useful, know I’m useful not just delude myself to that belief. As long as I think I’m useful y'all are stuck with me.

D. Crafting something like this, being in the wheel house from the start was and still is a privilege so thanks to you all for allowing me to carry on and generally being respectful towards me.

A additional thing you don’t know about me, it takes me fucking ages to write even simple paragraphs , often having to re-read them several times over so discharging my moderator duties here takes more effort,care and time on my behalf than probably any other guy doing comparable works.

That’s a lot more than the OP but with me you will often get a lot more than you bargained for, just ask poor old amir.

This is one of the most interesting things I've read in ages. FWIW, I think you write better than many people I went to school with. You didn't exactly answer how you found this forum—how you fell into / wandered so close to the audio rabbit hole ...

 

[muslhead]

Chemical engineer by education with MS in business. Started working in Silicon Valley as a process engineer making IC's in fab (my first forray at Signetics was the Atari game ROM's). Switched to marketing some years later and eventually threw in the towel after two decades to start my own biz as an Investment Advisor. Managed over $100M for clients and businesses for more than two decades before selling my business last year. My wife has contracted a terminal disease and my life is better spent making up for all the lost years i spent on my business and not enjoying my time with her.
I played semipro baseball and college and finally had to quit playing all together at 55 since all the cartilage in my right shoulder (I pitched) is completely gone. I am now just a full time professional trader and investment market resource to those that want to learn and capitalize on extracting money and building wealth from the markets. My proudest accomplishment is being one of only ~1800 people in the world with a CMT credential.
Part of what i learned is that to be successful in the markets is its 90% mental and the other 50% a data driven process. When i came to ASR what resonated, and why i go no where else, is its data driven and so much of what is peddled in audiophilia is our weakest link, the 90% mental part.
Funny how investing and audiophilia intersect at the same place.
I am here mostly to learn since this site has some very intelligent, experienced resources that have taught me a lot by following their posts. I thank you all

 

[ex audiophile]

chicken aficionado, woodworker and retired veterinary orthopedic surgeon. i waste time building stuff for our two chickens, neither of which lay eggs. I waste money buying audio stuff that is "better" than the audio stuff i already have