Mr. Marcombes is a soft-spoken, earnest electrical engineer and self-proclaimed geek who loves technology and electronics.

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Steve Donnelly, 39, an electronics engineer, took on a three-bedroom townhouse with his partner a year ago in Oakenshaw, Bradford.

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In fact, electrical engineer Limor Fried founded Adafruit Industries, an e-commerce website that distributes a veritable treasure trove of toys, electronics and ways for children to learn to build programs, apps and more.

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