I'm Brian Burton, I live in the UK and I have a family (details of whom probably won't appear on this site).
I'm an engineer by training and by trade, with a background spanning telecommunications networks, IT architecture and IT/Network Security. I'm a big fan of discovering and optimising how things work and not necessarily what they do (although you need to know a bit about what something does to optimise how it does it).
I'm a generalist, so I program a bit, I solder a bit, I coach engineers, I design solutions that can handle global scale and I do my own emerging technology research.
I'm a Dad and an Assistant Cub Scout leader. I cycle, I wear out hiking boots, I read (fiction only - I get enough bizarre non-fiction in daily life!), I take photographs, I play computer games occasionally (badly) and I like to geek out with tech.
For my tech pleasure, I love playing with physical computing and home automation, with a bit of robotics thrown in. I'm a keen PC builder and owner of many, many Raspberry Pis (including being the proud owner of one of the original batch - yes, the 256Mb one with the Hynix memory!). And don't get me started on LEDs and data storage. I love LEDs and data storage.
I help Vodafone Group to answer some fundamental questions:
As a Distinguished Engineer, I do everything from building proof of concept demonstrations to writing company strategy and influencing the career paths and decisions of our engineers.
I'm a stereotypical white, male engineer and I try my best to use that privileged position to expose the talents of engineers around me who might not get the same opportunities as I do. I'm not perfect, so if I'm not doing enough, call me out on it.
Good question - that depends on what you're looking for.
At home, I'm usually surrounded by half completed electronics projects, computer components, cameras, fairly amateur bits of code in several languages and 3D printing experiments. I do most of my own DIY, woodwork, plumbing, electrical work (where permitted, of course) and decorating. I have a relatively short attention span for things, but because of that I also get into all sorts of topics, so if it's STEM* related I can usually talk with you about it.
The thing I do really well is pick up new things, form reasonably accurate opinions on them quickly and discover new ways of applying them.
If you want prototype something, I can often help or advise.
If you need a sounding board to help work through a problem I can help with that, too.
I'm also a big fan of coaching people to their own success: apprentices, final-year undergraduates, graduates in their first roles, through to experienced engineers.
I don't get about much on social media, but you can find me on Github, Twitter and maybe, if I'm feeling confident enough one day, NPM.
* I only say STEM rather than STEAM because although I'm creative I'm not artistic - you do not want my art or fashion advice.
I don't offer opinions on or for any of my employers, past, present or future unless you contact me at work.