What do people here do?

A section to discuss matters not related to Chess in particular.
LozCooper

Re: What do people here do?

Post by LozCooper » Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:06 pm

My glittering employment record consists of being a civil servant (at RAF Stafford) then taking a redundancy package after 18 years in January 2008 and becoming a self employed chess coach.

AustinElliott
Posts: 660
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:01 pm
Location: North of England

Re: What do people here do?

Post by AustinElliott » Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:23 pm

Definitely James "vacuum cleaner" Dyson, I would think.

Not read his book, but having read Peter T's post might see if I can find a copy.

The current Govt signed Dyson on last year as some kind of consultant on science/R&D, I think, esp to do with translating engineering/R&D into innovative new products. He is certainly an interesting guy, and has done a lot to raise the profile of engineering and industrial design in the UK.

@Loz Interesting career change. Did you read my "April 1st put-on" on a similar theme? Fooled quite a few of my colleagues. None of them chess-players, though.

Michele Clack
Posts: 437
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:38 pm
Location: Worcestershire

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Michele Clack » Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:55 pm

James Dyson may be an interesting person but I don't think much of his vacuums. My Dyson is the worst vacuum I've had, by quite a margin. It's supposed to be a "carpetpro" but it was flattening the pile on the hall carpet so much I bought another make in an upright to try and rescue it. This one is better with the pile but still misses bits of fluff no matter how many times you go over it. It is better than the dyson though. I have a suspicion that bagless technology is not all it's cracked up to be.

I'm not working now but I have a degree in biology. I'm not that good at chess so perhaps I should have done a maths degree!

Phil Neatherway
Posts: 662
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 4:10 pm
Location: Abingdon

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Phil Neatherway » Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:12 am

I am an IT Project Manager. Before that, I was a prorammer - mainframe COBOL, not this new-fangled webby stuff.

My degree is in History and Law, so nothing to do with Maths!

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Mike W. Richardt
Posts: 94
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:37 am
Location: Abu Dhabi & Taunton

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Mike W. Richardt » Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:34 am

BA in SocialWork and Psychology and now back at Uni to study Adult Nursing
Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri - I am not bound to believe in the word of any master
http://www.mikerichardt.co.uk

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5821
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:21 pm

Advising on chemical names (frequently the long systematic ones) and on chemical safety. Also writing papers for people who are too busy to do it themselves!
"Kevin was the arbiter and was very patient. " Nick Grey

Alex Holowczak
Posts: 9085
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Alex Holowczak » Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:27 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:Advising on chemical names (frequently the long systematic ones)
So it's you I have to blame for that element of the A Level Chemistry course? :evil:

Geoff Chandler
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Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Under Cover

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Geoff Chandler » Mon Apr 18, 2011 2:19 pm

Dyson book is excellent. You get a free copy when you buy a new Dyson.

Main companies threw out his idea of a vacum cleaner that
did not require bags because; "...this is how we make money."

My Dyson BTW is perfect and have no complaints after 10 years.

What do I do?

No way am I revealing what I get up to.
Especially not with a Tax Collector lurking on the Forum. ;)

Wot no Joke?

My wife's nickname is 'Old Hoover'.

She cleans up the house and scares dogs.

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5821
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:22 am

"So it's you I have to blame for that element of the A Level Chemistry course?"

I didn't write the rules (well, I assisted with one or two). If you had bought my book, "Chemical Nomenclature", you might have found it easier! In fact the English education system does not use IUPAC names - it has produced its own system, which is used only in schools.

I like the use of the word "element". I do advise on the names of new elements, but that doesn't take much time obviously.
"Kevin was the arbiter and was very patient. " Nick Grey

Alex Holowczak
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Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: Oldbury, Worcestershire

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Alex Holowczak » Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:39 am

Kevin Thurlow wrote:"So it's you I have to blame for that element of the A Level Chemistry course?"

I didn't write the rules (well, I assisted with one or two). If you had bought my book, "Chemical Nomenclature", you might have found it easier! In fact the English education system does not use IUPAC names - it has produced its own system, which is used only in schools.

I like the use of the word "element". I do advise on the names of new elements, but that doesn't take much time obviously.
I'm glad my pun didn't go unnoticed. :D

Good to know that I wasn't wasting my time remembering that, then, if it's all different in the real-world anyway. :?

PeterTurland
Posts: 541
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:03 pm
Location: Leicester

Re: What do people here do?

Post by PeterTurland » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:47 am

Nicky Chorley wrote:
Sorry to hear that, Peter.

Yes, I do like the idea of doing something to benefit people. In fact, one of the jobs I've applied for would be just that, at least indirectly (automated processing of retinal images). Also, what did you mean by "get a trade"? I've not really heard that phrase before :oops:.
No I'm ok, COPD used to be called emphysema what it means is, if I exert myself, I get out of breath very fast, I do not so much get out of breath, but start to fight for breath. The stupidest thing is, I paid a lot of money to do this to myself - caused by smoking. I stopped smoking just over five years ago. But 'it is an ill wind that blows no good', because of my stroke and COPD, I qualified for a motability car.

Last year I bought a caravan, it is a struggle hitching it up, but once I get to where I'm going I drop the legs on my caravan and I'm at home anywhere, mains electricity and all mod cons. Drove to Sweden last year, going to Holland for next week and plan on hitting Poland in the summer.

You can read about my travels here.

A list of 'trades' Painter and Decorator, Truck driver, Plasterer, Plumber, Printer, Electrician, Brick layer, Fitter, Mechanic, Carpenter and more or less anything that requires a skill set and physical labour. Some trades are paid very high wages.

The nice thing about having a 'trade' is, you never have to worry about unemployment, with many trades you are 'out and about' meeting people, instead of being stuck in an office and you nearly all the time are doing something useful.

AustinElliott
Posts: 660
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:01 pm
Location: North of England

Re: What do people here do?

Post by AustinElliott » Tue Apr 19, 2011 3:14 pm

PeterTurland wrote:A list of 'trades' Painter and Decorator, Truck driver, Plasterer, Plumber, Printer, Electrician, Brick layer, Fitter, Mechanic, Carpenter and more or less anything that requires a skill set and physical labour. Some trades are paid very high wages.

The nice thing about having a 'trade' is, you never have to worry about unemployment, with many trades you are 'out and about' meeting people, instead of being stuck in an office and you nearly all the time are doing something useful.
I've met a good few tradesmen over the years who had re-trained from other occupations - seems especially prevalent with electricians and plumbers. I can recall one plumber who was formerly a research scientist working for AstraZeneca, and another one that was an ex-policeman.

Also come across several tradesmen where the occupation "passed down" the family - again plumbers, and a roofer or two as well.

Richard Thursby
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Re: What do people here do?

Post by Richard Thursby » Tue Apr 19, 2011 4:37 pm

AustinElliott wrote: Also come across several tradesmen where the occupation "passed down" the family - again plumbers, and a roofer or two as well.
That's how things were in previous years. Some might even have the names to prove it!

George Szaszvari
Posts: 326
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:14 pm
Location: USA

Re: What do people here do?

Post by George Szaszvari » Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:07 pm

A long list of various types of jobs over the years, that includes, from the mid 80s to the late 90s, a variety of chess
related work! More recently landscaping as part of an interest in botanical matters in desert environments....NO, not that
kind of botanical, tsk, tsk! :wink:
Currently doing armed security.
Last edited by George Szaszvari on Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

Arshad Ali
Posts: 704
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 12:27 pm

Re: What do people here do?

Post by Arshad Ali » Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:50 pm

PeterTurland wrote:A list of 'trades' Painter and Decorator, Truck driver, Plasterer, Plumber, Printer, Electrician, Brick layer, Fitter, Mechanic, Carpenter and more or less anything that requires a skill set and physical labour. Some trades are paid very high wages.
How does it work these days in Britain with a large East European contingent driving down rates and wages?