What subject are you an expert in?

[hyphenate]

Everyone has something that they are uniquely skilled in--some people are experts in several different things, but very few can be experts at many different things. So what topic, subject or interest are you par excellence in?

No one can possibly have the same encyclopedic knowledge that I have in recognizing actors in television for the last 45 years. It's gotten harder with there now being so many outlets for scripted shows, but I can come up with a show and who was the lead actor (at the very least) in it for almost anything since the early 60s. I can tell you if they were/are married (if their spouse is/was an actor or in entertainment as well), and items of trivia about them. And of course, I can identify guest actors who appear on regular series, and name other guest appearances as well.

And your area of expertise is ___?

[flvegan]

1. Smartassery.

That's all.

[Chan790]

2. Narrative non-fic? Googling? Kinbaku?

Writing narrative non-fiction about googling Japanese-style ropework?

All of the above!

[Haole Girl]

3. Travel

After working for three airlines, for an accumulative total of 16 years, I know a lot about the subject. It's one of the few areas in my life I feel confident about (not necessarily meaning secure about my job...just confident). :-)

[cordelia]

24. Same here.

I've been in some facet of the travel industry since 1976.

Gets in your blood, doesn't it?

[Haole Girl]

25. Yes, it does!

:hi:

[LeftyMom]

4. The one we're not allowed to discuss now that the fun is over.

:evilgrin:

[Kutjara]

5. Alas, I have great in-depth knowledge...

...about nothing at all, but an extremely shallow understanding of an enormous range of things. So I can sound like a genius about anything...for about five minutes. Then I hit "The Wall of Ignorance."

[Crazy Dave]

6. Computer drafting (CAD)

Too bad I'm primarily self taught and even though I'm considered an "expert" among my peers, I don't have teaching credentials and I really would love to teach it and pass it on.

[harmonicon]

7. experimental music

Particularly the music of Christian Wolff.

[Oeditpus Rex]

8. I'm reasonably sure

that about half Teh Longue could answer this for me. :)

[LeftyMom]

11. I know you hold high rank in the Grammerpolizei.

That is what you mean, right? ;)

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. Oh, shit

You mean I have multiple reputations that precede me? x(

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. A mile wide and an inch deep, mostly.

I know more than most people about aircraft systems, though.

[mokawanis]

10. wilderness travel

I don't reckon I have any right to call myself an expert but I am damn good at long hikes through mountains and wilderness and know how to navigate with compass and topo map.

[Neoma]

13. Well...I'm trying to be an expert on...

Benjamin Franklin, he's way too awesome.

[Captain Angry]

15. That's a great subject.

Have you been to the Benjamin Franklin museum in Philly?

I happened to be in town the weekend they reopened the cemetery for the first time in 20 years (or however long it had been.) It was neat to see his burial site from the inside of the cemetery instead of through the iron gate.

[Neoma]

16. No I haven't.

I've only just read 3+ books about him. Bought this neat new book called Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson though. I don't believe that he mentions Benjamin Franklin's military career (unless my mind is making up falsehoods.), but it should be interesting anyways.

[Captain Angry]

19. You really should try to see Philly in the fall or spring.

It gets so hot there in the summer, and winter weather can be iffy out there.

But his museum, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, Independence Hall, etc. It's a great place to see.

[Captain Angry]

14. Building and fixing PCs in Windows, Linux and OS X environments.

When I was still employed, I was probably one of the top 10 in the country. It sounds horribly arrogant, but the position I held with one of the largest PC companies put me there. And then some manager in another country decided that customers weren't paying enough to have people with my level of expertise around, so my job was sent to India.

I've taught hundreds of people in cities around North America how to troubleshoot and fix software and hardware issues from 386 class systems through the first generation of dual-dualcore Opteron systems. Desktops, notebooks and servers.

[FloridaJudy]

17. Purple-clay Yixing teapots

Don't ask, unless you want to know more about tea brewing than you'd care to.

Also quilts. And women's health.

[Chan790]

26. I want to know more about tea brewing

It's a professional curiosity...I'm going to use this knowledge to unseat the current tea master in my Starbucks.

In the words of Connor McLeod: "There can be only one!"

[FloridaJudy]

37. I use the "gong fu" method of tea brewing

Which is particularly appropriate for Yixing teapots. The pots are readily available on eBay: you can spend anywhere from five dollars to several thousand dollars on a Yixing pot, depending on the age of the teapot and the amount of work that goes into making it (mine all cost $12 or less, including shipping).

More on Yixing pots: http://www.holymtn.com/teapots/yixing.htm

More on the "gong fu" method: http://www.enjoyingtea.com/gonteabrewme1.html

[DarkTirade]

18. I tend to be into a lot of things.

So I know a little bit about a whole lot of things.

The only thing I could really claim to be ridiculously knowledgable on is probably Star Wars trivia. :P

[laylah]

20. On many levels...

life. Other than that, at risk kiddos...love 'em, have worked with them for the better part of my adult life. They rock!

[Miss Carly]

21. Rock N Roll trivia

Carly

[fudge stripe cookays]

22. Genealogy.

Got so good at it, I decided to write a book on my dad's dad's family. :D

[MorningGlow]

23. Alas, rock and pop and Broadway lyrics

Once I learn them, I never forget them. Wastes waaayyyy too many brain cells. (Exception: pop songs from the '00s. I'm getting too old for that shit on the radio now.)

I also know more than your average bear about Arthurian literature, thyroid disease, and witchcraft.

[mike_c]

27. I am the absolute master of making messes in the kitchen....

Clean and clutter free rooms fear me.

[XemaSab]

28. Birds

Yes, I am an expert. :D

[Wcross]

29. Tires & testing of tires.

I have grown to hate tires. I am looking at becoming an expert in something else.

I have a working knowledge of a LOT of other things though.

[Turbineguy]

30. Turbineguy

In my case, nobody has ever been able to guess.

[zanne]

31. Everlasting flowers. Growing and using them. nt

[yellowdogintexas]

32. Baking Cakes from scratch, cooking in general,

Trivial Pursuit because my brain retains tons of knowledge totally useless unless playing that game LOL

English History, especially the Plantagenets and the Tudors

Mexican food, the eating there of

I am pretty good at TV trivia

professionally the following:

Medical insurance claims

Mortgage escrow accounts

and any other subject in which I develop a deep interest. I love to research and look up stuff.

[femmocrat]

33. Art

Not exactly an "expert" but I've studied, practiced, and taught it for decades. I don't know everything, but then no one does.

[Mutley]

34. I'm fairly good at several things,

but I'm not an expert at anything.

[Mendocino]

35. History of Polar Exploration

Perhaps not expert, but ask away.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

36. i'm pretty good at identifying actors, even if I don't know their names

For example, I may see Actor X in Movie A, and I know that I saw him in Movies B and C, even though I don't know his name.

I'm also good at recognizing classic movies (not recent movies) from stills.

Another skill is recognizing both spoken and written languages, even if I don't speak them. Even if I don't know the specific language, I can say, "Oh, that's a Slavic language" or "That's a Southeast Asian language" or "That's either Arabic, Farsi, or Urdu."

[TZ]

38. biology +zoology,,,also

I know a lot about kitty cats!:)

[fizzgig]

39. sarcasm

and being a lazy ass