User:Woozle/archive/rez

122 Pinecrest Rd. Durham, NC 27705

Nick Staddon nick2024@hypertwins.org

919-402-9774 home/office

Please note that links to htyp.org almost always point to content I have authored (to check this, check each page's "history" tab; my login name for all wikis is "Woozle") and sometimes point to documentation of my work specifically.

Résumé

Areas of Expertise

• Programming:
  • Overview: VB6/VBA (w/VSS), SQL (MySQL, MS Access, MS SQL Server), HTML, CSS, CGI, Linux, Perl, C++, Delphi / Object Pascal, CGI, ActiveX, Windows API
  • Microsoft: Visual Basic 6.0, Jet / Access 8.0 (97), Visual SourceSafe, SQL Server 7 & 2000, DAO, ADO, COM
  • Open platforms: HTML/CSS, CGI, PHP, Perl, Linux; familiar with KDE, GNOME, MySQL, MediaWiki 1.4-1.10 including custom mods (e.g. SpamFerret, PsyCrit) and installation of several extensions
  • phases of software development: requirements specification, design & documentation, coding, testing, deployment
• Multimedia
  • audio: audio editing, multitrack audio recording/editing/mixing, digital effects composition, digital archiving, format conversion, usage of audio formats (WAV, MP3, OGG, FLAC, WavPak...), music CD production/mixing
• General
  • Explaining technical issues in audience-appropriate language

History (Work by Date)

• 2003sep23 - present — Durham, NC: Cox-Staddon Enterprises, Inc. (CSE) dba vbz.net (Owner):
  • for local client (a doctor's office) needing web site redesign: (a) deployed test installation of osCommerce; (b) settled on ZenCart as having better security; (c) added extensions to ZenCart for bulk upload of images and catalog data; (d) modified ZenCart to allow managing some of online store's text content via MediaWiki
  • converted vbz.net catalog display from mostly static pages (generated off-site) to mostly CGI-generated pages written in Perl
  • rewrote those same pages in PHP to pull data from MySQL instead of text files (data schema detailed here)
  • began migration of all data to MySQL/Linux (main catalog data and stock/location data now ported)
  • deployed 6 installations of MediaWiki currently live: HTYP, Issuepedia, vbzwiki (support site for vbz.net), this site, PsyCrit, and SquadWiki; maintained sites (including spam prevention, backups, and updgrades) and authored almost all content
  • wrote SpamFerret, a MediaWiki extension for blocking wikispam and logging spam attempts
  • deployed 2 installations of Drupal, but found it impractical for intended uses
• 2003mar29 - 2003sep23 — mostly telecommute (from Durham): Carrier Transicold: Software Engineer
  • Reason for leaving: top-level administration issued an order to discontinue all outside programming contracts, as in 2001
• 2001jun14 - 2003mar29 — Athens, GA and Durham, NC: CSE/vbz (Owner): improvements to search (Perl/CGI), static pages (HTML), and order management system (MS Access)
• 1998nov05 - 2001jun14 — Athens, GA: Carrier Transicold: Software Engineer, MIS Department
  • Reason for leaving: top-level administration issued an order to discontinue all outside programming contracts as a cost-saving measure
• 1997aug - 1998oct19 — Appleton, WI: Pierce Mfg., Inc.: Software Engineer (early version of CommandZone)
• 1994apr - 1997aug — Athens, GA: CSE/vbz (Owner): Design/code (Perl) for vbz.net shopping cart system; design/html for early versions of vbz.net web site
• 1993oct - 1994apr — Athens, GA: UGA, Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering: "Laboratory Assistant part-time", Windows 3.1 / DOS programmer [1]
• 1991oct - 1993oct — Athens, GA: The Athens Observer: graphic layout, also computer technician (mostly amateur)
• 1990jan - 1991sep — Durham, NC: Duke University Humanities Computing Facility: "Neural Network Computing Research Associate"
• 1985oct - 1989dec — Providence, RI: Brown University Department of Psychology: "Research Assistant", mostly programming
• 1983 - 1985may — Durham, NC: Microglyphics, Inc.: "Customer Support Technician"

Work by Project

• Carrier Transicold (1999-2001, 2003):
  • Co-designed/wrote shipping calendar application (VB6) (written in 1999, still in use as of 2003)
  • Co-designed/co-wrote Windows (client) end (VB6) of system for exchanging data between mainframe (DEC PDP-11) business system and MS Access and SQL Server - a critical business system; written in 2000-1 and still in use as of 2003
  • Co-designed/wrote application (VB6) for tracking product assembly as components travel down the various assembly lines
  • Provided user support for all written applications as well as other MS Access applications supported by the IT department
  • Re-hired in 2003 to improve existing applications (VB6, MS SQL Server 2000) and assist with design of some new ones; also stood in for technical supervisor for most of a week
• vbz.net (1995-present):
  • Designed/wrote order and stocking management system in MS Access 97 / VBA (1999-present), and began porting it to PHP/MySQL (2007)
  • Installed MediaWiki for use as a customer relations tool (2005)
  • Made custom modifications to allow use of MediaWiki for managing parts of displayed catalog content (2007)
• freelance consulting (2003-present):
  • Resolved network issues on home WinXP Pro system, multiple incidents
  • Installed wireless networking on WinXP
  • "Cleaned up" XP systems by uninstalling malware
  • Assisted multiple technophobic users with various basic computer tasks

Notes

• I tend to learn new technologies best by using them; I learned the following on the job having had little or no prior exposure:
  • MySQL, PHP, Perl (vbz.net; no prior experience)
  • Linux (home use, for vbz.net and other projects; no prior experience)
  • Visual Basic 6 (Carrier; no prior experience)
  • MS Access 97 (Carrier; no prior experience)
  • Transact SQL (Carrier; no prior experience)
  • C++ (Duke U.; no prior experience)
  • Borland Pascal (Brown U.: I did take a course in Pascal in 1977, but it used punch cards and was not really applicable to Turbo/Borland Pascal)
  • Fortran IV/77 (Brown U.; one class in the late 1970s, using punch-cards, otherwise no experience)
• I have been learning MySQL (similar to MS SQL Server) for use with some of my own projects.
• I learned HTML entirely on my own, and have used it heavily since 1996.
• I learned CSS entirely on my own, and use it frequently.

References

• Ed Johns (formerly at Carrier): James.E.Johns-2024-11-22-11:37-spam@adelphiaspam.net (I should be able to get further contact information on request)
• Jim Mieczkowski, now at Polaris Library Systems (but please ask me before contacting him)