What do you do for a living

They look Photoshopped to me. Especially the second one.

Well. As a sport, Spellunking; yes.
As a career: Speleology.
Personally, I don't just study caves, but that's where I see the coolest formations.
Geology; specifically mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals.
This is where my interest peaks... I intend on returning to the cave of Giant Gypsum (Naica mine) in Chihuahua, Mexico with some Rayfoss lasers (100% humidity in this particular cave + extreme heat) and seeing how the crystals glow (light-up) with lasers (sp. 405nm). If I do, I guarantee I will post pics here.

Tech_Junkie said:

They look Photoshopped to me. Especially the second one.

Click to expand...

Not. It's just back-lighting (flood lights) used, so we can see the structure of the stalags.

Those pictures look like normal cave photos to me. Cave exploring is something I have enjoyed from time to time. Although I am not a member of any of the local "grottos" as the local spelunking groups are called. Mostly because I enjoy exploring them, and it takes away from the wonder when there's 5 other people, who have all been to the same cave before, telling you "look here" "look here" "in a minute you will see X" However I have been on more then one cave exploring trip, and the lighting always makes them look a little odd, since there will always be more then one light source, usually from similar directions, as the others in the cave always have a light on to see by. So you get light source from whatever is illuminating for the camera. And a light source from everyone looking where the camera is. (usually everyone else in the cave) and no other light sources.

At any rate I envy you some aspects of your job Ash. A love of geology esp minerals and crystals is what lead into my career as a jeweler. I went out rockhounding to topaz mountain here in utah, collecting red beryl and of course topaz and went from there.

As far as what I do for a living, I have the luxuriously boring job of being a Network Administrator. Of course I always love it when people say "Oh, you work on computers". I just smile and go on my merry way as most people just give me funny looks when I tell them I don't work on computers, I control, assign, and take away rights and accesses to a network infrastructure. Of course I do a lot of other things as well...

Short version...
IT.

Long version...

Electronic Data Processing (~80s) / Management Information Systems (~90s) / Communications & Information Technology (~today).
B.S. in Computer Science.


Highlights (so far... *knocks on wood*)

When: 80s
Where: "Operations"
What: Complete control of an IBM 3090/MVS Mainframe (from powering up to IML to IPL phases & loading all apps, system and business).
Buzzword(s): expansion (of internal EDP centers)

When: 90s
Where "Decision Support Services"
What: Developing multi-dimensional financial models in APL for the Financial planning & CFO for a >40,000 employee firm.
Buzzword(s): down-sizing, out-sourcing,...

When: Today
Where: "Global Competence Center"
What: Business Analyst / Project Management for an International Group specializing in our* Emerging Markets sector (*CEE, Central Asia).
Buzzword(s): right-sizing, near-shoring,...



Connection to Lasers: My old man's the director of a Biophysics/ Bioengineering lab specializing in Ophthalmology. Their optical tables are roughly the size of my '95 Mustang... .

Oh and hence my agressive stance in threads regarding lasers and safety (my promise to him)... :beer:

IT guy here despite the background on electronics. Linux for the last 15 years or so. Currently working as Field Engineer for Canonical (Ubuntu anyone?) responsible for all OEM projects in Latin America (I'm Brazilian).

Communication/PABX Technician here. Most of time installing and maintaining Networks and exchanges. But when its quite, I was always end up crawling through 50 degree Celsius ceilings adding new 200+ pair voice ties, ect.

I am currently a 3rd year student studying packaging engineering. During the school year I work at the circulation desk of our university library, I will begin to train and work as a manager this fall semester. I also have a secondary job assisting/working with the head of the library technical services department. Right now during the summer I am working for a large packaging company helping them update their old spec nomenclature to fit the new naming system. Other than that I worked for almost 4 years at McDonald’s, started at 14 years old. I have had other various summer jobs; I moved/assembled furniture into a new building being constructed at a local university, assembled and stocked corrugated displays in a warehouse, and other various odd jobs.

I was just recently laid off from my job of 20 years, as a r&d supervisor at a maier mfg.
An aftermarket Motorcycle, quad, and utv plastics manufacture .
I designed and made the molds for their parts.
I also am good with a lathe and mill. I would prototype all the brackets and hardware, so they could send my parts to china to have them made of cheap pot metal! Lol

I'm hoping to save some money and get a lathe, so I can do some work from home.
It's not easy for a 48 year old guy to find a job in my area.
Let alone start all over again from square one.

For now I am makeing ends meet by working on cars !