Polymath

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jim_mich
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Polymath

Post by jim_mich »

Polymath: a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning.

Polymath was mentioned in a couple of posts.

I've worked as a mechanical draftsman, an electronic circuit draftsman, a mechanical designer, a medical instrument designer, a chief draftsman, a Styrofoam shipping package designer, a computer case designer, a computer keyboard designer, an architect for my own home, a machine tool designer, head of quality control, and I've probably forgotten more than many youngsters have yet to experience.

I've mowed lawns, mowed hay, raked hay, baled hay, plowed fields, rototilled, cultivated corn, fed chickens, gathered eggs, milked cows, raised cattle, raised chickens, and raised sheep. And I've planted many gardens over the years.

I've plumbed houses, sweat soldered copper pipes, soldered wires, installed PVC piping, plumbed LP gas lines, wired houses, roofed houses and barns, sided houses, stripped off old lead paint, painted houses and barns, installed kitchen cabinets, laid vinyl flooring, laid laminate flooring, installed windows, finished wood trim around doors and windows.

I've mixed concrete, poured and troweled concrete, mixed mortar, laid bricks, laid stones, installed furnaces.

I invented the barrel composter, invented a de-striper for removing the tractor feed strips from old fan-feed printer paper.

I invented a method for obtaining unlimited Free Energy from any warm deep body of water. I invented a solar powered water wheel.

I've run RS-232 wiring and connected CNC mills and lathes to a PC, wrote an interface program for the PC, wrote a triangle solving program for PC's and hand-held HP calculators for use in writing CNC programs (back when computers were still DOS based 286 machines). I've operated a CNC mill.

I've done DOS programing, Basic programing, Visual Basic programing, Fortran programing, PC Machine Language programing, HP calculator RPN programing, HP calculator machine language programing,

I wrote computer games starting back in 1979, wrote horse-race analysis programs, was down-loading horse-race data using a 1200 bps modem long before such evolved into the internet.

I wrote stock analysis computer programs, wrote hundreds of Bessler wheel type programs before finally finding the solution to perpetual motion.

I've made hundreds of CAD drawings of PM wheels and other invention ideas. I've made hundreds of MS paint drawings.

I've invested in the stock market. I've day traded stocks. I've traded in the Forex gold market. I helped run a natural foods community coop. I helped my wife with a restaurant she bought. I've changed diapers and wiped snotty noses.

What else can I remember? As a child I was driving tractor at age five, wired my first electric outlets at about age eight. Built my first crystal radio about that time. Listened in on the home phone calls by running wires parallel to the incoming phone wires. Build a wind powered cart. Repaired the engine on my go-cart. Decapitated chickens with an axe for my Mom. Later learned to decapitate chickens hung on a fence.

I build a broadcasting system by circling my bedroom with wires hooked to an amplifier, then picked up the signal with a small wire coil hooked to a one transistor amplifier, back when few people even knew what a transistor was. I built a radio transmitter.

I learned to shoot a BB-gun at about age 7, and a rifle at about age 11. Was given a 22 ga rifle for Christmas at about age 12. Soon after, I shot a squirrel in midair as he jumped between trees. Build my first bicycle from scrap bike parts. Then I learned how to ride it.

Starting at about age 14 I would drive tractor and wagon to the feed mill in town, unloaded the corn, load the bags of ground cow feed, then drive back home.

I replaced the main bearings in my Dads '52 Chevy at age 16. I tuned up many automobiles. Repaired many automobiles, repaired many farm implements when they broke, learned to shear off rivets and re-rivet hay-mower teeth, learned how to replace broken guard teeth on the hay mower, learned how to replace spring teeth on the old hay rake, and how to repair its link chain when it broke. Learned how to mount and un-mount the corn cultivator on the old John Deere tractor. Learned how to hand crank start both of my Dad's tractors.

I got my driver’s license when I turned 16. Owned my own car at age 17. After high school I attended Allied Institute in Chicago and studied machine tool design.

At age 18 I was accused of cheating on an employment aptitude test because I finished it early and scored 100%. In high school I read encyclopedias for pleasure. I score in the top one percentile when taking mechanical aptitude and spatial relations tests.

I've glazed windows. Repaired many a door latch. Designed a special two wheel cart for lifting and moving plastic parts pans at the machine shop where I worked. One of the more experienced guys did the welding of the cart. I have a stick welder and I've welded a few things.

Chemistry... many years ago, I built a few chemical bombs that used bleach and chlorinated cleaner, which when mixed produces very toxic chlorine gas. Such instantly bleaches and kills green grass. I wetted and scraped the heads off from strike anywhere kitchen matches, then formed the paste into little balls, dried them, and they explode with a small pop when thrown against a rock or sidewalk. I had a chemistry set during my teen years.

I've travel the USA north and south, east and west. Been to the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands.

Obviously I’ve learned how to cook and bake, but I’ll never be a real chief. I’ve washed many dishes, pots and pans. Suzy, my Maytag dishwasher now does my dishes.

I’ve installed clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and gas stoves. I've repaired washing machines, gas and electric clothes dryers, and electric stoves.

I've cut down hundreds of trees then cut and split them for fire wood. I built a barn and I've built fences.

I own a small milling machine, a small engine lathe, a power metal saw, a router table, a table saw, a band saw, a welder, and many power hand tools. I've milled parts, turned parts, sawed parts, drilled parts, threaded parts, tapped parts, glued parts, and assembled parts.

I’ve built more PM wheels than I can remember.

I'm an elected politician serving as a local precinct delegate. I've raised four very intelligent offspring. Three now own their own businesses in North Carolina, the youngest runs a business near Detroit. All three boys attended college, my daughter opted for marriage instead. I have five grand-kids and three great-grand-kids. My wife of 45 years bailed on me about three years ago. I was exhausted all the time. She seemed to think I was just lazy. She said I no longer loved her because I no longer had the strength to work my ass off for her.

I survived a ruptured appendix. I survived my liver shutting down for a week due to breathing cleaning fluid fumes at work. I fought fibromyalgia pain and got rid of it. And I fought chronic fatigue syndrome, which turned out to be MDS. Twenty years working in a machine shop with toxic industrial cleaning fluids had sapped my strength and damaged my chromosomes. I have only a fraction of normal number of all types of blood cells. This really puts a drain on one’s personal energy. It brought a halt to my wheel building. The doctors had never seen blood counts so low. I’m now like a vampire, living on other people’s blood. This illness has been a setback, but like I’ve always done, I’m bouncing back and once again beginning to kick ass, living life to the fullest.

There is so much more that I no longer remember at this moment.


So it seems I am indeed a polymath person with wide-ranging knowledge, learning and experiences.


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re: Polymath

Post by daanopperman »

Jim_Mich ,

U sound like a qaucksalber .
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re: Polymath

Post by ovyyus »

jim_mich wrote:I'm an elected politician serving as a local precinct delegate.
Everything comes into focus now.
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Post by jim_mich »

Dan wrote:U sound like a qaucksalber .
I think you just called me a charlatan quack snake oil salesman?

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Post by jim_mich »

ovyyus. aka Bill, wrote:Everything comes into focus now.
The only thing a local precinct delegate does is attend the annual county convention so as to vote on who to send as delegates to the annual state convention where they vote on who to put on the ballot for state and national offices.

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re: Polymath

Post by daxwc »

...I've probably forgotten more than many youngsters have yet to experience.
I think slowly those toddlers are catching up.
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re: Polymath

Post by ovyyus »

jim_mich aka a politician wrote:The only thing a local precinct delegate does...
Said like a politician :D

Politicians are skilled at cherry-picking facts to support an agenda, and typically try to marginalise opposition at the cost of facts they don't support. Politics is the art of lying.
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re: Polymath

Post by ME »

Wow Jim, that's quite résumé ! What made you want to share it like that?

Just for curiosity reasons, and while you're at it anyway:
From those listed skills most of them seem to be on the productive and/or logical side. How are your artistic skills -for example- art, poetry or other creative stuff?
Marchello E.
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Post by jim_mich »

daxwc wrote:I think slowly those toddlers are catching up.
When my daughter was 4 years old she was 1/6 my age.
When my daughter was 5 years old she was 1/5 my age.
When my daughter was 10 years old she was 1/3 my age.
When my daughter was 20 years old she was 1/2 my age.
When my daughter was 40 years old she was 2/3 my age.
When will she be my age?
Marchello wrote:How are your artistic skills -for example- art, poetry or other creative stuff?
Art: no. Poetry: no. Story writing: not to bad.

Artistic skills: House design, computer case design, keyboard case design, medical instrument case design, office desk and book cases designed specifically for my office.

Most artistic skill have been along the practical side of art. My wheels usually turn out looking rather artistic.

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I knew I was forgetting a few things. I worked after school stocking grocery shelves, sorting soda bottles, and carrying grocery bags for store customers. That is how I bought my first car.

Worked one summer in a Ford auto factory.

My inspection job included inspecting gears. I wrote a computer program for calculations needed when inspecting gear teeth.

Installed a lighting-rod system on my wife's house. Before marriage I worked in the 3M tape recorder factory in Chicago boxing up tape recorders, testing transistors, and testing tape recorders.

I worked for Westinghouse drawing plans for high-voltage enclosures. I ran one the early Xerox copy machines and a very big ammonia blueprint machine.

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Post by ME »

Absolutely no artistic skills?

When will she be my age? : Unfortunately or luckily for you: 20 years after you passed away.

Don't forget this'list:
Jim wrote:I was a professional draftsman for about 15 years starting in 1966. Part of that time I was a chief design draftsman overseeing the work of other draftsmen. I've drafted hydraulic piping. I've drafted electronic circuits. I've drafted printed circuit boards. I've drafted medical instrument cases. I've drafted medical instrument mechanisms. I've drafted computer keyboards and computer cases. I've drafted industrial tooling. I've drafted gears. I've drafted Styrofoam shipping inserts. I drafted architectural drawings. I've drafted more perpetual motion wheels ideas than I can count.
http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/viewt ... 385#143385
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Post by jim_mich »

Marchello wrote:Wow Jim, that's quite résumé ! What made you want to share it like that?
I once again saw a reference to polymath. and it got me to thinking whether such would apply to myself. I started writing this list of my knowledge and learning.

Also, many times some of the trolls here have tried to portray me as ignorant, uneducated, and unintelligent, which is really and truly not the case. So I thought this might serve two purposes, much like Bessler's double entendre.

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re: Polymath

Post by ME »

nah, there will always be someone trying to burn down the house, and there will always be someone to help you build it up again: it depends on where you look.
The one side of the "normal" often blames the other side of not being "normal" - unaware of what (or who) defined the dividing parameters.
I guess unfortunately your list (although impressive) might not persuade or will have the intended effect on the 'other side', nor will it expand the knowledge.
So many interesting questions: What would the "verdict" be when compared to someone else's list? What would be the value, by who, and for who? Wouldn't that just be another variation, a new "side" where none was before?

Perhaps an interesting exercise I assume you'll appreciate:
Sort your list on relevancy for Perpetual Motion, and observe the multiple ways in getting it sorted.

As for my polymath-skills: I often bump against my own incompetence-level. I just tell myself: that's where the most interesting stuff happens.
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Post by Mark »

Wait... what?!
Expert Beard Grower is not on the list??
Come on!

:-D
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re: Polymath

Post by daxwc »

Feeding the wildlife are we Jim?

Jim:
When will she be my age?
I guess it depends if your daughter lives long to be your oldest age and still dancing on your grave.


Jim:
“Also, many times some of the trolls here have tried to portray me as ignorant, uneducated, and unintelligent…�
No they portray you as a narcissist egomaniac. I have never called you any of those names because none of them fit. I have no idea why a grown sane man would take all the time to compile a list of that nature. I guess there must be some purpose to it all… What ever blows your hair back.

Strange I thought somebody with Narcissistic Personality Disorder would understand sarcasm.

Seriously are you sure you are alright jim? You don't seem yourself lately even for you.
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re: Polymath

Post by daxwc »

Me:
The one side of the "normal" often blames the other side of not being "normal" - unaware of what (or who) defined the dividing parameters…
Society set the parameters in the end and on a micro level your peers do, but there is always one ass clown pushing the envelope. 8P

PS- before somebody gets their panties in a knot the ass clown was directed at myself. 8)))))
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