User:SmokeyShyla

The most important things to know about me is I am an avid Wiki-Walker and thus try to improve articles where I can. My feelings are not easily bruised, so I hope I can accept constructive criticism when needed.

I am a 65 year old mother of two, now retired. I do not have either an undergraduate or advanced degree, although I have enough credits for at least two Bachelor’s Degrees, if they gave them out as “BS of Whatever Interested Her.”

I have a background in telecommunications, product marketing, network design, and product management, but have also worked on motorcycles—both as an owner and as a paid mechanic, and have worked as a part-time Disc Jockey. Since early retirement, I have acted as a consultant in management, a proofreader and editor of technical journal papers and theses covering a wide variety of topics, from vapor deposition, 2D crystalline structures and manufacturing of same, chirality, effects of temperature on induced degradation of electron, electron spin FET channels. I dabble in making small batches of cosmetics, fabric dyeing, airbrushing, woodworking, gardening, and anything else that interests me,

Recently, I have revived an old hobby, once again becoming a freshwater aquarium enthusiast, with all that hobby entails if one is doing more than putting a fish in water or questionable quality in a bare tank and wondering why it dies. I use RO/DI water, remineralizing it to meet the particular parameters needed for each aquarium and its inhabitants and plant life.

I contribute to Wikipedia because I am a frequent Wiki-walker. Donating money does not seem enough of a contribution, so I am trying to use my schools to improve articles where I can. I am an American, one of the group that cannot figure out why we have not adopted the metric system as a nation, not just in science. Since we have not adopted the metric system, I will sometimes add the US equivalent unit measurement to make articles more reader friendly to we Yanks who have not caught up with the test of the world. I will NOT usually change anything in scientific formulae. I will try to remember to spell litre correctly, so the Brits can be impressed by my worldliness. I do use the Oxford comma, except when I forget.

I will, however use collective nouns in the US style guide form, while at the same time resisting the temptation to change the beginnings of articles on (mostly) Rock Groups to agree with the US form of the collective noun, although it pains me greatly. For Example, I have let the beginning sentence “Nothing but Thieves are an English rock band...” as is, resisting the urge to change it to read “Nothing But Thieves ian English Rock band...) I have also refrained from inserting my opinion that NBT is possibly the greatest English band to come along in recent years.