The TMD Community Help Directory

[Komatteru]

I am a junior studying mathematics at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (planning on going for a Ph.D. afterwards).  I've taken courses in pretty much everything so far, so if you need any help with any sort of math, I'm the one to talk to.  My area of specialization is numerical analysis/linear algebra and scientific computation, so if you have a project that involves large matrices and complex calculations, I can definitely provide some insight.

I'm also a tutor at school, so I can help with pretty much any math course I've taken (there's a lot) and intro level Physics and Chemistry.

I'm currently studying Japanese and will be pretty decent by the end of this school year.  I took 4 years of Latin in high school.


UPDATE (1/25/06):

I am going to grad school in Electrical Engineering now.  That whole math thing didn't work out the way I had hoped (hate research yo).  I will be concentrating in signal processing, meaning I should soon learn how to make a mean audio amplifier.

[MuzzonoAmi]

My only real talent is molecular biology, but even that's limited to about a 3rd semester undergraduate understanding, so if you feel the need to ask a simple question...feel free?

Also, I can probably put some people up for the night if they're in the greater Pittsburgh area.

[Zherbus]

I spent 8 years repairing and building PC's, five years as an actual bench (as opposed to doing on-site work on my own) tech lead that was in charge of about 4 technicians and was the primary trainer for my company in the entire state of NH. The past few years, I've been writing a lot of SQL (stored procedures, querys, etc), running 9 SCO UNIX servers (so naturally a light amount of scripting), and a network guarenteed to be bigger than yours.

I hate networking issues when I can't touch things myself, so don't ask me anything about that. I like helping out with SQL though, since that's what's been the majority of my jobs responsibility.

[Jhaggs]

I'm a Police Officer in California (Bay Area).  It's been tough to post lately due to training but hopefully now I can get back into the swing of things.  If anyone has a legal question, concern, or situational "what if" and would like a cop's perspective, feel free to drop me a line.

As for my bio, I have two degrees from UC Davis (poly sci and philosophy) and if I play my cards right I'll be going for a master's  next year.  I've been taking Kung Fu classes for almost two years (Eagle Claw) and trying to get back into surfing. 

I been playing magic since Unlimited and reading TMD since 2002. I f&*king love the information that I get from it.  You guys have done an outstanding job with the site and should be damn proud of yourselfs.

[Meddling Mike]

Hey, I'm currently a sophomore at Boston College, I'm a history major, primarily focused on United States History and foreign policy, if you have any questions about American History I can probably help.

This year is quickly coming to a close and I'm living at home next year most likely but if anybody's in the Boston area and needs a place to crash in the next month they're welcome to a couch in the common room of my 8-man suite. I can also typically hook people up with rides if I've said I'm heading to a magic tourney (usually I'll post in the tournament announcement forum if this is the case)

[Outlaw]

Im a senior in highschool, soon to be freshmen at Umass Amherst.  In very north western mass there is a place people can crash, we live in a mansion like place so we can fit quite a few.  FYI i ts right next to the Vermont boarder, and Williamstown is right next to my town.  I also carry a camera everywhere I go, so if you want a picture to be posted up here, just get my attention and I'll click one.  I have been in the shop field of Information Technology for 4 years, so drop me a line if you need something dealing with it (pretty general but I imagine I can help).

[Milton]

BS in Political Science and Broad Field Social Studies with minors in Econ and History.

I'm in my 8th year teaching at Menomonie High School in Menomonie WI.  I teach Economics mostly.  I love education and would be happy to help anyone looking at ed as an area of study.

Ran track and CC in college and I coach both.  Ran 800's and 400's mostly.  Mid-distance.  Ran CC just to stay in shape for track.  I know both sports very well, so if you want to improve times I'd be happy to talk to you about training/race strategy.

I play the guitar.  I suppose everybody plays the guitar, though.

[nataz]

if you got a question about striper fishing (fly,surf,etc.) I'm your man. I spent the last three years working on tracking them with radio tags in Gulf of Maine coastal waters. Someone out there must fish.

Looking for cool things to do in Belize or Japan on vacation, let me know. I've spent quite a bit of years in both places and should be able to hook you up with some local hot spots.

finally, if your boat is ever sinking between Portland Me and York Me, just call the coast guard, and they'll have me come pick you up. I work during the summer for an ocean rescue crew captaining a boat, so if you have any questions relating to search and rescue, boat safety, navigation, etc, I should be able to help out.

I'm also just finishing a degree in political science, marine science, and a minor in law, so if you need help with that kinda stuff let me know.

[The Atog Lord]

A.B. in Classics and Computer Science from Brown.

I've spent four summers working in computer science research labs, including two at BBN. I'll be starting up a PhD program in the Fall after spending the past year or so as a bum.

I am devoid of useful skills. Karate and some techy stuff are about as close as I can get. Though, I'm always up for discussing philosophy or religion.

[Anusien]

Computer Science student at the University of Virginia.  So yeah, I'm part of the TMD Geek Squad.

[Rico Suave]

I am a musician in the Philadelphia area.  If you need somebody to sing or play guitar, group or solo, I will be able to play a variety of styles for you.  I've studied under several teachers including G.Lyons and R.Polonsky, and my main focus areas are theory/composition, technology, and I am currently studying music therapy/psychology. 

Music aside, I have enough classes under my belt to get a minor in Psychology. 

I'm down for practically any board or card game, ranging from Poker to Chess to Monopoly to Pool.  LOVE em. 

My third and final talent is my ability to consume vast amounts of alcohol.  I'm not sure how much of a talent this is, but it is an area in which I excel. 

At the very least, I will gladly have a conversation on any of the above areas of interest. 

[Often Lost]

I have a  high quality recording setup and am well trained in audio engineering. If anyone has any questions about any form of pro audio I should be able to help. I mostly do music recording and on location work either film or music.

[Sylvester]

1 year of Preden and half a semester of Dentistry under my belt (beginning maths-cs tomorrow)

I co-own a Sun E4500. It's running solaris 9 on 10x UltraSparc [sparcv9, sparc64] @ 400 MHz, 10 GB RAM, soon to be 14x USparc, 14 GB RAM. If you need to process large data sets in parallel I can always try to set something up. I can also sometimes have access to a relatively large cluster. If the problem is really interesting I might be able to ask its guardian to lend it to me

[Dozer]

I study journalism and contemporary history at the University of Leipzig, Germany. This summer, I am going to finish history. And then, after a couple of leisure months, on April 1st 2007 I'm starting my practical year at a newspaper in Cuxhaven, up in the north of the country.

I have no expertise in maths, programming or other natural science stuff, but I am good with words. If you need something proofread, send me a PM (but remember that English is not my first language). I also do page design; magazines, flyers, newspaper pages and similar stuff are part of what I can do. I am always willing to talk history, especially British empire, post-1918 German history, Cold War (esp. Cuban Missile Crisis) and transatlantic relations since 1945.

Like everybody else, I play the guitar. Oh, and I can juggle.

/edit: Found a job! Or rather, they found me. Just signed the one-year contract I need to fulfill before I can start on my diploma.

[Methuselahn]

I ~do~ have some practical use.

The motherplant of company that I work for/at manufactures roughly 200,000 pounds of ink per week.  Therefore, I know all about getting rid of it and cleaning it.  I have access to cleaning solvents and thus, am able to wipe the front side of any magic card clean without damaging the surface in about 30 seconds each.  Because I'm not scraping the card with an eraser, and instead, simply lifting the ink, the card thickness and bend test are consistant to a fresh card. 

This all comes in real handy for making proxies and alternate art cards.  If you are in need of such a service, PM me and maybe we can work something out.

-Jeff

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

The motherplant of company that I work for/at manufactures roughly 200,000 pounds of ink per week.  Therefore, I know all about getting rid of it and cleaning it.  I have access to cleaning solvents and thus, am able to wipe the front side of any magic card clean without damaging the surface in about 30 seconds each.  Because I'm not scraping the card with an eraser, and instead, simply lifting the ink, the card thickness and bend test are consistant to a fresh card.

Does this work on foils as well? There's this one dude here who plays with foil lands with only the picture and mana symbol. It looks amazing, and I always wondered how he made them. If this works, you should hook me up!

[Methuselahn]

Well, no.  It doesn't work on foils.  It doesn't work because foils are made differently.  Non foil cards are just plain white cards with printed ink on them, etc.  Foils are plain cards that have a plastic film on them.  Basically, an image is printed on the plastic (reversed, of course) then the silver and glue are applied to foil them out and make them stick.  So, maybe your friend simply cut out around the picture and mana symbol, then peeled away the plastic film.  This is quite easy to do, once you practice it once.  Actually, if you want an alternative to a normal card that's been cleaned, then just grab a crap foil card and peel away the top to get yourself a perfectly white and smooth card face.  Though you will have to deal with some leftover glue on the card.  Hope this helps.

[Smmenen]

I am an attorney (passed the ohio bar at 96%ile). 

I also have a degree in economics and love talking about markets. 

PM me if you have any questions. 

[Moxlotus]

I am about 2 weeks from completing my sophomore year at Loras College majoring in Biochemistry.  I have been accepted into Iowa Dental College and will go after my junior year.

If you have any questions regarding Genetics or Organic Chemistry (by far my best and favorite subject), ask.

[Kowal]

I'm updating my entry here, because of a fairly substantial change of employment.

I work for the Clarion Hotel in Northampton, and as such have access to incredibly discounted rooms in any Choice hotel.  If you stay in a hotel room with me, I can get the room at an extraordinarily cheap rate.  Note this is limited to a certain number of uses per year, so I can't be handing this out like candy.  PM me before you make travel arrangements, and if it's feasible for me to travel with you I'll be lending a hand to keep things on the cheap for both of us.

[Komatteru]

Editing my old entry on this doesn't call this new fact into attention:

I speak Japanese.

Well, that's been true for a while, but I spent this summer in Japan, so now I know a lot about Japan in general. If you ever want to plan a trip there, talk to me.  I hit pretty much every highlight in the entire country over the 3 weeks we travelled (and picked up all sorts of neat stuff over the 6 weeks I was an exchange student).

[Moxlotus]

If anybody needs any advice on studying for admittance tests, you can ask me.  I just took the Dental Admission Test today and got an overall score in the 92nd percentile.

[Moxlotus]

I'm a basic user on TMD. I am writing to you because you were the last to post on the TMD Community Help Directory. I can't post, but wanted to offer my assistance. I am currently an MD/PhD at the University of Chicago. I have taken 2 years of medical school and performed very well on the USMLE (US medical licensing exam). If anyone has medical questions I would love to be of service. Also if anyone has questions about applying to medical school or getting in, then I might be of service. My PhD is in computational neuroscience, which I use to study epilesy. I have a very strong background in mathematics, quantum physics, chemistry, and biology. I also do a bit of parallel programming. If anyone has any questions about the MD/PhD program or any science question in general, then I would love to help. I mainly wrote to you because there weren't any future doctors posting, and I thought the community might like to have that resource. Thanks for your time.

Marc

[Nazdakka]

I've got 2 years of a degree in Physics and Astronomy, and I've moved onto studying Software Development (don't know enough Java yet to be really useful). I can program in Fortran, and I know a real expert if the problem is beyond my knowledge.

[ELD]

I live in Bellinham, MA and I'm a finish carpenter.  My advice is going to be "hire a professional" more often than not, but if you have jobs around the house, I may have easy solutions.  I also buy and sell more than a little in the way of CCG's. 

[Matt]

I'm learning the textbook publishing trade. I can't imagine how that's going to be of any help to any of you, though.

[Godder]

Oddly, I'm looking at writing and publishing a textbook of sorts some time either this year or early next year. Being in New Zealand, you're unlikely to be able to help, but still, TMD has everything apparently .

[Vegeta2711]

I've apparently gotten better at the whole 'photoshop things to look pretty' thing. So if you need a design or drawing colored, I can do that. ^^

I can also do drawings of decent stature of most things (please not a god damn complicated background).

My old gallery for note: www.vegeta2711.deviantart.com

The only other real notable advice I can give people is for those who do heavy lifting on a constant basis. I can probably help with that.

[Kasuras]

19/09/2006 (European sequence!)

I suppose I can call myself a member of the TMD law club now; I'm currently in my first year at lawschool in La Hollanda. I'm not allowed nor knowledgeable to give you any professional advice, but if you want to know something about basic Dutch law (like history, the way our government works, etc.) I suppose I can help you out.

I've finished high school with grades I suppose to be equivalent to an A in America in German, French and English. Again, that's just basic knowledge though. I know a fair bit of maths and I've written an essay on Hypercubes and Codetheory (note, not cryptography). So if you need any help with high school stuff, I think I can help you out.

Finally, I think I know World of Warcraft inside out, including all theorycraft.

[orgcandman]

Things I can help with:
  - Software development: 5 years as an embedded software developer is pretty decent. Add another 3 years of applications development and I know a little something. My expertise is in C/C++, but I've been known to dabble in perl, sql, java, and even asm.

  - Car troubles? I've worked on most problems, and can usually give you a good idea about what is wrong with the vehicle.

  - I've had a few fish tanks before, and currently have a running 30gal with some dalmatian sailfin mollies, fantail guppies, and a common pleco. I've been known to operate freshwater tanks containing gouramis, oscars, piranha, and cichlids. Jared (nataz) is probably a bit more knowledgeable than I am, but I can still answer quite a few questions.

  - Lastly, if you have questions about house buying let me know. Not only do I have relatives in real estate, but I've also recently purchased. I'm not claiming to be an expert in this area, but I'm not a total noob either.