This faq is not affiliated with www.RPLS.com, POB or BNP Media. The information contained on this page does not represent the professional opinion of Timothy Nold.
| 1. What is an "RPLS"? |
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RPLS is an acronym for Registered Professional Land Surveyor. In some
states the surveyor is known as a PLS, PSM, LS or other abbreviation.
This site is a repository of information (mostly humorous) for land surveyors who frequent the RPLS.com website. If you need to find a surveyor in your
area, please consult your local phone directory or contact your state
surveying society or board of registration.
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| 2. AFBs, Shiny side in or out? |
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RPLSers are always on the lookout for technology to improve our jobs and our lives. Aluminum Foil Beanies (AFB) are helpful for deflecting harmful government mind control rays that surveyors have greater exposure to due to outdoor neature of job and working with GPS equipment. For maximum protection, make the hat out of two layers of aluminum foil with shiny side facing both out towards the mind control satellites and in towards the brain. Commentary from Kent McMillan: Andy: It has been pointed out to me by a longtime POB Message Board reader that your FAQ webpage contains a serious error. Under the dictionary of initialisms commonly encountered on the POB Message Board, you have: AFB - Aluminum Foil Beanie This is grossly incorrect. Shawn Billings originally named the object in question and it is properly given as: AFP - Aluminum Foil Prophylactic I believe that other posters have attested to the powers of the AFP to protect the wearer from psychotronic radiation. I do not know whether it improves the accuracy of dowsing or divining rods. Best regards, Kent McMillan, RPLS Austin TX Go to top |
| 3. How do I insert images into my message? |
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Your image needs to already be out on the net, not just on a file on your machine. If you don't know how to arrange this, just ask (there are several people on the board that will host these for you). If the image is at "http://image" then put the following into your post: <img src="http://image"> *IF* you leave off the closing quote, or leave off the closing >, you will mess up the thread badly. Go to top |
| 4. How do I insert a link into my message? |
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How do I put a link into a post? If you want a link to "http://example" and you want it called "My link" then you can put the following into your post: <a href="http://example">My Link</a> *IF* you leave off the closing quote, or leave off the closing >, or leave off the / in </a> you will mess up the thread badly. Since most (if not all) people on the board can cut and paste, this is only a convenience. Go to top |
| 5. Commonly used abbreviations? |
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AFB - Aluminum Foil Beanie Chariot - Surveying vehicle. "What kind of chariot do you drive?" OWM - Oklahoma Weather Machine - Search for Scott Partridge post on 3/3/2002. Conspiratorial theory that the world's weather is controlled by a machine in Lawton Oklahoma that is tied into the GPS satellite constellation. (The satellites are also the delivery system for government mind control (see AFB discussion). RADU - Richard Abbott Down Under - Login name for Australian contributor Richard Abbott. (Ask him about the Torrens Land Title System!) SMOOT - Unit of measure equal to 2.00999598 varas. Unit of measurement common to Cambridge, Mass area and Google Earth. SOTW - Surveyor of the Week SWMBO - She Who Must Be Obeyed - wife TDD - Ted Dura Dura. An older login name for Ted Dura with the last name repeated. TNAI - The North Aboyne Irregular TTT - To the top YOS - Your Obediant Servant Go to top |
| 6. Commonly accepted unwritten rules of conduct |
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Unwritten Rules of Conduct Well, if I wrote them down, they wouldn't be unwritten, would they? Just kidding. I'm waiting for the author's permission to include. I will add a few of my own observations in the meantime. Apparently, a fondness for kitties is the only acceptable sign of softness in surveyors. Most surveyors come down squarely on the side of either liking cats, or liking them with a side of mashed potatos and gravy. Don't be a Peter Potamus. When using RPLS.com as a followup on email sent to a fellow contributor, remember to close your letter with "Bro". As in, "Did you get that email, Bro?" Go to top |
| 7. Wine pairing with chili? |
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1 to 1.5 lbs ground venison 1/2 c. onion 2 16 oz. cans pinto beans 1 16 oz can red kidney beans 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes 1 10 oz can Rotelle tomatoes (depending on your taste buds choose your heat here, we like hot so I use the Rotelle extra hot, and it IS hot) 1 16 oz can whole kernel corn 1 pkg. dry taco seasoning 1 envelope dry ranch dressing 1/2 c. water Brown ground venision and onion, then add the rest and simmer until hot enough to eat or more. Go to top |
| 8. Recommended reading list? |
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Recommended reading list from Bill McComber, additional recommendations welcome. |
| 9. What is the reference to 0.04'? |
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Why do I see references to 0.04 feet used all over this board, and what significance does it have? While the first reference to 0.04' on the board was by Greg Kuroski 10/25/2000, the modern POB usage didn't show up until 1/5/2001 when Mark Witalec used it in the current sense. His use appeared in response to a survey problem then on the Proseals.com web site. Any group develops a certain unique linguistic flavor, and this board is no different. In the following years 0.04' has come to mean any measureable but insignificant difference between what is expected (usually on a plat) and what is observed. Nowadays, the mere use of the phrase "was 0.04 feet short" sparks various humorous and not so humorous attempts by various folk to help one locate the "missing 0.04'", or in some cases even attempts to sell the person a 0.04' to replace the one they are missing. (Although, so far, I've yet to see one on Ebay.) This idiosyncratic usage of the term now allows it to be used as an indirect "ad hominum" attack. For example in the phrase 'then XXX can take his 0.04' and set his pincushion'
To the best of my
knowledge, the issue of whether or not this is 0.04 survey foot
or 0.04 international foot has never been completely answered. |
| 10. I want to start a surveying business, what should I do? |
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Words of advice from Bruce Small See a good CPA about tax planning, and yes, health insurance is a problem, but not insurmountable. Go solo. No employees. Learn how to do everything by yourself, except the accounting. Instead of the typical survey crew setup, have a highly motivated RLS party chief with either GPS, or a robot. Have him (or her) do the research, field work, and drafting. Everything, beginning to end. Give the employees a share of the profit they generate. Encourage them to work odd hours (you can get twice the work done on Sunday). Buy Dan Beardslee's new book on management. One caveat, and this is critical: To be a successful solo operator you must enjoy field work and be very good at it; must be innovative and a problem solver; must be good at AutoCAD; and must be a self-starter. Those are essentials for success. I realize that most of you don’t have the resources to write checks for $65,000 in equipment, but for starting out you don’t need a big investment. You can do it on a shoestring with a used total station and the wife running the instrument, at least until some big checks come in the door. For the moment you can e-mail the drawings to a local reproductions firm and have them do the plotting. There are lots of ways to minimize the initial investment. However, at the first opportunity you need to invest in your future with some high-tech purchases. You need either GPS RTK or robotic, depending on your local conditions and what you intend to do. Get fast and powerful computers, and an E-size plotter. Don’t skimp on quality or speed. Now is the time to get the best, because you are spending money in order to make money. When I started I knew the way to success was to go all high-tech. I have a Leica GPS, Leica Disto, Topcon total station, high speed computers, laptop, and a D and an E plotter. I also have my own software, which is optimized for maximum efficiency. You can make a lot of money in surveying by investing in high-tech equipment if you think creatively and are highly professional. If your start-up funds are limited, bear in mind that it is perfectly proper to ask for partial payment up front. I did on my first two big projects, and the checks arrived by Fed-Ex the next day. If they are serious they will find a way to get you the advance payment. That will help you get started. I realize that writing big checks with no guaranty of success is scary, but have faith. Spending $43,000 on a Leica GPS was the scariest thing I've ever done. I remember staring at the check and hesitating several times before I put it in the Fed-Ex envelope. Turned out to be a gold mine and a wise investment. I went into business hoping to pay the bills. I had no idea it could be so lucrative and fun at the same time. This year I chose to work very hard, but as someone else said, the neat part is we get to choose and we get the rewards of working hard. You will be amazed at how fast the business will grow from referrals. No employees. My wife handles the business end, and I do all of the field work, computing, and AutoCAD. Mostly ALTA surveys, half with topo. No construction staking. Rarely a lot survey, and then only as a favor to someone. Bottom line: This is a great country, the land of opportunity. Make the most of it and you won’t regret it. Go to top |
| 11. Helpful Links? |
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www.rpls.com NSPS Surveying Careers Tyler Junior College Surveying & Mapping Program NGS OPUS Page My other webpage Placeholder Link standards for temporary marking of subsurface facilities. Go to top |
For questions or to submit additional material, please email Andy Nold