Seeking a challenging Ruby development position with a company that understands quality, care, and the craft of software development.
Programming Languages and Tools: Ruby, Perl, PHP, Shell Scripting (csh and bash).
Markup Languages: (X)HTML/CSS, YAML, XML.
Protocols: DRb, memcache, HTTP/HTTPS, LDAP, IMAP, SMTP, SSH, FTP.
Server Software: Apache 1.x and 2.x with mod_ruby and mod_perl, Mongrel, lighttpd, OpenLDAP, PostgreSQL, MySQL.
Operating Systems: Mac OS X, FreeBSD, Linux, Windows 9x-XP.
Limited Experience with: C, C#, Java, Asterisk PBX, NFS, NIS, POP3, Samba, Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, DNS, OpenVPN, Solaris.
Software and Database Design: I have significant experience design object-oriented software and the databases to go with it.
"Big Picture" System Design: I've developed and/or supported multiple large, distributed software systems.
Agile Methodologies: I have studied various Agile processes and have worked on multiple Agile teams.
Leadership: I've managed groups from 4 to 35.
Problem Solving: I have extensive experience solving problems and putting out fires.
Creativity: I thrive on solving new problems in unexpected ways.
Learning: I readily accept new information, skills, or technologies.
Design and develop web applications in Ruby for internal and external use. Maintain and update existing code to match changes in the corporate environment and infrastructure.
Work with a small team using Agile principles to build custom tools and applications for departments both inside and outside IT.
Designed and developed custom web applications in Ruby on Rails for multiple internal and external clients in an advertising and design agency environment. Performed maintenance programming for existing clients in Ruby on Rails, PHP, and Perl. Work with IT to deploy and maintain existing systems. Developed tools and applications for internal use.
Worked with a team consisting of an account executive, project manager, and programmer to deliver high-quality software tailored to the client's needs. Offered technical expertise and advice during all phases of application development. Acted as a resource for the design department on technical issues.
Developed custom web applications in Ruby on Rails and Perl for multiple clients. Provided database, application, and interface design advice and implementation. Participated in the full development cycle, from concept to final presentation.
Designed and implemented specialized IT systems, emphasizing scalability and Open Source software. Adapted or rebuilt existing systems for optimization or new features.
Provided tier 1 and tier 2 telephone- and email-based service and support to approximately 30 geographically-distributed call centers in addition to corporate staff, including receiving trouble reports, diagnosing issues, submitting and resolving trouble tickets, crisis management for outages, and communicating with vendors and customers.
Performed systems administration duties on Linux and Solaris machines at the call centers and at the corporate datacenters. Wrote and' maintained tools to aid NOC staff, primarily involving data gathering and manipulation with Perl, as well as automating repetitive tasks and similar toolsmithing duties.
Developed complete web applications using PHP, Perl, Ruby and MySQL to allow Corporate and call center staff to perform tasks that they formerly contacted the NOC staff for. Received requirements from customers to design and implement the systems. Designed asynchronous job system in Perl with MySQL backend to perform the necessary tasks of the web system.
Helped to manage and supervise a large group of volunteers who provide technical support to site users. Acted as liaison between employees and volunteers, particularly in the area of new site features and tools.
Assisted with coordination of the LiveJournal Abuse Team, which handles complaints from users. Wrote, reviewed, and revised policies. Summarized current situations for review. Designed new tools and worked with developers to get them implemented.
Beginning approximately 6 months prior to my employment, contributed Perl/MySQL code to the LiveJournal open source project on a volunteer basis.
Implemented new features on top of an existing e-commerce application written in PHP. Applied Model-View-Controller principles to design new actions. Received requirements from customer and fulfilled them on my own terms.
Provided technical support to faculty, staff, and students. Assisted in installation, configuration, and maintenance of College computing labs and servers. Responded to email- and phone-based support requests.
Designed and implemented a system for computing lab management. System included trouble tickets, machine status, time tracking for lab staff, and other features.
Designed and implemented a system to replace paper files on College undergraduates. Received detailed specifications from College staff, and satisfied those requirements in a web-based application. Provided continuing maintenance and enhancement.
In addition to various personal projects (information and code available at http://projects.bleything.net, RubyForge, and GitHub, I have contributed to various open source projects, including Instiki, Typo, LiveJournal and Gallery, and continue to be interested in open source development.