About me:

I've been a programmer, lead developer, manager and technical consultant.

I started as a UNIX systems programmer. I've been paid to program in C, Perl, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python and Ruby. My current focus is on Web development with Ruby on Rails.

At this point in my career, I can't imagine doing anything but agile software development.

My areas of expertise include:

  • Requirements analysis
  • Data modeling
  • Software development best practices
  • Web application development
  • Managing programming teams and projects
  • Extreme Programming and Scrum

Some of the things I've helped create:

  • The Ingres relational database management system (PostgreSQL's predecessor)
  • The Perforce software configuration management system
  • VxWorks, the real-time operating system that runs the Mars Rover
  • The Ford Motor Company's first Web site
  • Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers
  • Gracenote CDDB—where iTunes gets its information about albums, artists and songs
  • Betfair, an online betting exchange that reported £29M in net profits in 2008
  • The manufacturing system that's used to make Reebok shoes to your specifications

I have extensive experience with:

  • Object-oriented design
  • Software testing and quality assurance
  • Software portability
  • Configuration management
  • Process automation
  • Framework design and development
  • Domain-specific language design
  • Client-server programming
  • *nix systems administration
  • Software evaluation and procurement
  • Technical documentation and training
  • Most three-, four- and five-letter acronyms

Availability:

I'm busy with the startup I co-founded in March 2009, and am not presently seeking work.