Introducing Yourself: Sharing Your Interests and Goals at Physics Forums

[onceuponatrailer]

Here is the beginning of my auto-generated, just-received, "welcome email".

Welcome onceuponatrailer,

Thank you for registering at Physics Forums. We hope you will enjoy the discussions and look forward to your participation.

Start out by introducing yourself in the "new member" area (Please No Questions or Homework):
https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/new-member-introductions.240/create-thread​

So... I followed that link. And arrived at this page, where I am typing now.

The first field I am required to fill out, contains this prompt:

"What's your question/title? Be specific."

I assume this is intended to convey: "what is the question that brought you here" and/or "what is the title or general category of the subject you are interested in?"

But if I'm not supposed to ask any questions since I am a new forum member, then how am I supposed to interpret this instruction?

Oh shoot, that was a question. Sorry about that.

But, how do I avoid questions if I want to learn something I don't alrewady know?

Crap. Did it again.

?

(I did originally want to ask something, but...)

 

[phinds]

@Greg Bernhardt

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

We just ask that you are detailed and explicit in the titles you create for your thread. General and ambiguous titles don't help anyone.

 

[onceuponatrailer]

Ah. I think I get it.

So, the welcome letter was trying to say, "make your introduction in the new members forum, but don't use that forum to ask questions".

In which case the prompt is just not well suited to the prior instruction. Probably because it's boilerplate for the subject of all posts.

Okay then. Thanks for clarifying. If I'm still wrong, corrections/notes are always appreciated.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

So, the welcome letter was trying to say, "make your introduction in the new members forum, but don't use that forum to ask questions".

I see what you are saying. Right, the intro thread should be a welcome and intro to you. Ask your science questions etc in the other appropriate forums off the homepage. Thanks!

 

[onceuponatrailer]

Cool. Now that 'protocol' has been sorted out...

Hello all. I'm a not-quite-40-male-human, who studied Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder back in the late 90s/early 2000s.

I haven't used those skills much since then--not even as a construction manager, believe it or not--since they don't tend to trust monkeys-with-hammers (or in my case, monkeys-with-paperwork) to do much design work. Especially when they already did it first. Although I have seized a few opportunities here and there. Avoided a few disasters.

Right now my principal focus is on ultra-low-cost construction methods and low-energy mechanical, electrical, and food-production systems for residential and small-scale community use. This would includes things like Earth'ship 'biotecture' (which is NOT ultra-low-cost, but nevertheless awesome)... open-source farm robots (fresh organic food that "grows itself" in your backyard)...solar/wind/hydro power-production and -storage...water purification...

...basically any process or technology that helps people meet their basic needs with a minimum of effort. The marriage of low-tech and high-tech. And the simpler the better: if the poor were rich already, they'd be driving Teslas.

But as soon as you start down this road--designing non-traditional structures--you very rapidly find yourself in Materials Science Land. That's a big part of why I'm here, so... off to find the appropriate forum(s).

Thanks!

 

[berkeman]

Crap. Did it again.

LMAO. Great first post. Welcome!