Phone, and this is a Home telephone: 301-699-8833, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Eastern time
Faxes: I receive them only by pre-arrangement.
I have two businesses and two primary volunteer involvements--plus a labor of love for which I developed a web site in late 2010. After giving you links to information about all of those, I will talk briefly about former professions and provide a link to other personal data.
Electrician
: I have been in business for close to 40 years as Safety First Electrical. I now have information about that business on its own web page. Please note that in late-February, 2012, I decided to stop serving as a Third Party Inspector for Washington, D.C.'s Department of Community and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), primarily in response to their requirement that all third party inspectors, whatever their qualifications, work under the direct supervision of professional engineers. (PEs).Writer/Editor
: I have been in business as a writer and editor since the mid-1980s, trading until recently under the hefty business name Accurate and Intriguing Writing and Editing. Now I identify the venture more simply as David E. Shapiro, Writing and Editing. You can find an immense amount of information here, at the separate web page devoted to that business. It includes my focuses, my values as a writer, my publication history, several writing samples, rate information, book reviews, references, and more. Volunteer ActivitiesI maintain a considerable commitment to forwarding electrical safety through the International Association of Electrical Inspectors, the National Fire Protection Association, the American Council on Electrical Safety, and other memberships and activities.
For 35-plus years, I coordinated a Special Interest Group (SIG) for intellectuals involved or interested in the electrical industry. I published 361 issues of the SIG newsletter. I gave this up in early 2018, when another member volunteered to take over.
The Publishing VentureIn mid-2010, a several-year-long effort culminated in the publication of W. Creighton Schwan's final project, which I co-authored with him. Behind the Code both explains how many modern electrical rules came to be and traces their development. A historian and a P.E. offered early responses showing the interest that the stories convey. Electrical inspectors and consultants have added that the detailed histories help them make decisions about whether installations they run across deserve to be grandfathered. You can order it here.
Here are three examples of ways this has fed into recent activities:
In 2008 and again in 2016, I provided guidance to my friend and former colleague John Heil, DA, as he
prepared reports on the lessons learned in his field.
I continue to explain the applications of current social science research on decision-making
and interpersonal influence in my column for electricians in Electrical Contractor magazine.
Finally, I served as guest editor for the Fall 2009 issue of a peer-reviewed scholarly quarterly, the Mensa Research Journal.
The issue was devoted to studies of autism.
More generally, my now-dusty training in statistics, in research design and analysis, and
of course specifically in social science allow me to write
knowledgeably about these areas-and to evaluate the scientific bases of
claims.
Then there are the special benefits that came out of earning my first Master's degree from a specialized program Lehigh University offered. It was an unusual science graduate program,
focused on not only training researchers but on preparing us to become skilled college instructors. This means I had
more education and practice in the theory and practice of teaching than
most people receive, even people who have many years of schooling. I
was educated to teach through writing as well as by standing in front of
students. The training
benefits my teaching whether I'm consulting one-on-one or presenting a
seminar to a full room. The program was well designed, with good
instructors.
I used to work as a massage professional, ultimately training as a Structural Integration Practitioner; I have not practiced these skills professionally for many years. I rely on other ways of serving people. The education and training did give me a valuable understanding of body mechanics. For information on that work, check out the Guild for Structural Integration
Link here to Personal Description and early work and social history
Go to the top of this entire web site
I have served since the mid-1990s as Secretary-Treasurer for the International Association of Electrical Inspectors, George Washington Chapter (The chapter encompasses Washington, D.C. and much of Maryland). I also represent the chapter on the Executive Committee for the Eastern Section, IAEI.
Our purpose is to further electrical safety, and in particular to foster electrical education and the uniform application of electrical standards. About a third of us are electrical inspectors, mostly working for local governments; the other two-thirds are contractors, consultants, and representatives of organizations that support IAEI.
Please press this button to reach the web page of the local chapter , with meeting notices and reports, plus additional contact information.
Here's a button to reach the main web site maintained by IAEI's international headquarters.