About Me

WARNING: WORDINESS AHEAD!
Well, I'm talking about myself...

I like to tell friends that “I built the Internet.” What I actually did is slightly less dramatic, but it was very exciting, regardless. Having been in the business of computers since I got out of high school (too long ago to remember), I have had the great good fortune to be on the absolute bleeding edge of technology, pretty much by accident. Along the way, I have always been fascinated by the capabilities of networks. When the opportunity became available to work for a small-i internet company, I jumped in with both feet. This was in the days of token ring and thin-net coax, when mainframes ruled the earth (and I ruled the mainframes.) I immediately saw the possiblities and potential for networked computers and user-managed information. Over the ensuing years, I’ve been involved with almost every form of networked communication that’s seen the light of day, in some form or fashion. Things have changed an unbelievably large amount, let me tell you.

Along the way, I got to be kind of good at working on web design. Over the last 12 years, I’ve developed a tool set and a work flow that is extremely flexible, and capable of supporting a broad spectrum of clients. I also know the places to go and the procedures required to ensure that your web site is secure, flexible, responsive, dynamic, but most of all, it is your website. I work in a customer-focused manner, using regular conversation and collaboration to ensure that your goals are being met, not mine. I work best with small biz, entrepreneur, lone wolf types — probably because I am one of those, at heart.

I’m fluent in HTML, CSS, PHP and MySQL (but not so fluent in ASP — a man’s got to know his limitations), so I’m very partial to the LAMP stack. I like open source software, and I will almost always recommend using software that is portable. I remain committed to rapidly-developed, dynamic, databased, customer-controlled websites that reflect the customer’s personality and business. I’ve done tinkering under the hood of one heck of a lot of internet publishing platforms, and I’ve done some pretty good work, if I do say so myself. You can see a list of my of my clients on the left (you should go check them out.) Probably what I’m most proud of is the work I’ve done for Pokerati.com. Pokerati has become the top-ranked independent poker site on the internet over the last seven years.

I’m also a hardware / software blue-sky, garage-built tinkerer. My current infatuation is video & video surveillance technology. You can find my company websites at NetVid Labs, and NetVidSurv. I’ve been in that market space for about 4 years now, and I basically find it fascinating. It’s not the most lucrative place for a tinkerer to be, but it’s fun, and it has a lot of potential. Besides, fooling around in a garage worked out pretty well for those guys named Hewlett, and Jobs, and Packard, and Wozniak. Maybe one day…