Skills
| Each time I embark on a project I learn more. I also gain experience and skills. Often I select personal projects so that I can gain skills in a particular area. Some day I need to learn metal welding - but I have't had the right project yet. In the sections below are listed a sample of some of my key skills.
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| Computers I have excellent computer literacy having been using computers since 1976. I purchased my own PC for work use in 1989 and pioneered most of the programs used at Layfield since then. I am a good typist and have the ability to compose directly from the keyboard. My current computer skills include:
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| Web Sites One of my skills is the design and creation of web sites. Since 1996 I have been creating web sites for work and for volunteer organizations. I developed the original web site at work and let the development through the next three iterations. Originally I wrote and I coded all the pages myself. I led the development of a database driven web site that has a special "Print from Web" function that prints high quality catalog pages directly from the web site. I also created and wrote a web site for our on-line ISO Quality Program. | |
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| Carpentry I have great fun creating unusual furniture in wood. I built all of our coffee and end tables, a TV cabinet for a friend, a garden shed, my computer desk, a large laundry hamper, and a very special make-up/storage tower for my wife. My garage has a full-width rolling workbench that lets me move the bench out of the way to work on larger workpieces. My interest in carpentry started when I was part of our stage crew in High School where we built elaborate sets and stages for each play. I'm now at the point where I can build almost anything I need out of wood. | |
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| Electrical Being good as an electrician comes with keeping up an old house. I've become a very good electrician over the years. In 2005 I upgraded our house from 70 amp service to a 200 amp service as part of our geothermal upgrade. I did all the planning and design, got the permits, did all the excavation for the buried cables, and did most of the wiring. My electrician did the final 200 amp connections. | |
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| House Repair Living in an old house sharpens your repair skills. Over the years I've done a lot of repairs including: plumbing, drywall, gas piping, hardwood floor refinishing, tile and laminate floor installation, roofing, draft stopping, window and screen repair, and lots and lots of painting. | |
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| Reading the Instructions It's frightening how uncommon it is for people to read things carefully. I read carefully, accurately, and extremely quickly. For many years I was called on to read all construction contracts at work and I am still called on to review many agreements and contracts. Being able to read carefully made me the technical expert at Layfield. I can recall many details from documents read years ago and can still find the appropriate passage in the conference proceedings or specification books when needed. If the solution to the problem is written down somewhere I can find it and figure it out. | |
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| Public Speaking I am a natural public speaker who can easily talk to any group of people. I was the first person to do presentations at Layfield and pioneered the use of technical presentations to engineers and other clients almost 20 years ago. Starting with slide shows and then moving to Powerpoint presentations I developed, scripted, and presented most of the technical presentations in the early days. When we added more sales staff I trained those people in how to prepare and present our products. When significant presentations are needed I am still called upon to make those presentations. I regularly present at conferences and at engineering firms.
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| Performance In high school I was very active in Drama and performed in many plays. I have been involved with student radio, TV, and film. I have performed in skits and plays including "Arms and Man" at the Edmonton Fringe. During my recent two years as plant manager I prepared regular "news broadcasts" of information that were circulated to all plant staff. I have also started preparing instructional videos for plant and sales staff. Typically when I prepare a video I sketch a brief outline of what I want to talk about and then turn the camera on and talk. If I am familiar with a subject I have no trouble speaking extemporaneously. | |
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| Singing I have a strong bass/baritone voice and can sing alone or with a choir. I've sung with many choirs over the years and currently sing with the Chorealis choir of the Unitarian Church of Edmonton, and with the Liederkranz German mens choir. I've sung in coffee houses and musicals, and with many local community and church choirs over the years. Here is a video of a song from one of our Liederkranz concerts. | |
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| Photography/Film/Video I got my first camera in 1967 and have been taking pictures ever since. All the pictures on this web site are mine (unless credited). I took three years of film studies and made a number of student movies. I recently bought a digital video camera that I am using to develop training videos at work and am learning to use a digital editing program. | |
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