Skill Set

The world of the internet and information technology is fascinating and has transformed our relationship with information in unprecedented ways. However the landscape of this new world changes very quickly. It is hard for the average consumer to keep pace with new hardware and software products. The situation presents even more challenges for professionals (and hobbyists) who actually produce these products, who wish to both be well-versed in the vast array of tools already in use, and to stay current with the rapid and frequent new developments in the field.

Because my clients rely on my decisions, I have a resolute dedication to constantly increasing the breadth of my skills. Thankfully I truly love this aspect of my profession, and each project I complete invariably requires me to learn new skills. Since I've been in web development since 1996, I've amassed a skill set that allows me to serve clients in graphic design, print design, web design, web programming, web hosting, database design, flash development and programming, data-driven applications, digital photography-audio-video, and custom tools development.

For those who like to see the gory details, below is a list of tools in my toolbox, along with star (*) strength rating out of 5. Note that all code mentioned below is hand-coded in my favorite editor: (g)vim.

Client-Side Code

• Standard Fare:
• (X)HTML *****
• CSS *****
• Javascript (DHTML) *****
• Javascript Frameworks:
• JQuery ****
• scriptaculous ****
• prototype ****
• Mootools ***
• Javascript Plugins:
• Light Box (beautiful image viewer/gallery) *****
• FLowplayer ***** (video player)
• HTML Forms (data collection) *****
• Flash Actionscript 3 ****
• Flash Animation ***
• AJAX *****

Server-Side Code

• PHP 4/5 *****
• PHP Frameworks
• Cake PHP (model view controller) *****
• Zend Framework (model view controler) *****
• Smarty Framwork/Template Engine *****
• Code Igniter (model view controler) ***
• Pear Repository *****
• MDB2 ***** (Db abstraction)
• DB Table ***** (Active Record / DB objectification)
• HTML QuickForm ***** (High level form generation)
• Drupal (content management) **
• Joomla (content management) **
• Perl ***
• ASP **
• Ruby *****
• Ruby on Rails 2/3 ***** (MVC rapid application development)
• Key Ruby on Rails Gems / methodologies
• Ruby Gem management *****
• Rapid coding: HAML, SASS, Textile, Markdown,
• Authentication: authlogic, devise
• Cloud Services: AWS (Amazon S3, EC2), youtube_it,
• Ecommerce: authorize_net
• Ruby on Rails CMS sytems
• Refinery *****
• Radiant ***
• Ruby on Rails Hosting
• HostMonster
• DreamHost
• RailsPlayground
• Python *
• VBScript *
• Linux Command Line *****
• Database:
• SQL *****
• MySQL *****
• SQLite(3)
• Postgres ***
• MS Access (odbc) ****
• Delimited text *****
• Database abstraction ***
• PDO ****
• Active record model *****
• Apache Server:
• .htaccess *****
• .htpasswd *****
• mod rewrite ****
• Subversion (version control)
• Amazon S3 *****

Server / System Administration

• CentOs
• RedHat
• VirtualMin
• Virtual Private Servers
• Dedicated Servers

E-Commerce

• Authorize.net gateway API *****
• Paypal integration *****
• Google checkout integration *****
• SSL
• PCI data compliance

Coding Tools/Editors

• VIM / GVIM (my favorite) *****
• Dreamweaver *****
• NVU *****
• Go Live ****
• Eclipse ***

Graphic Design, Photography, Audio Tools

• Applications
• Photoshop *****
• Gimp ***
• Freehand (vector) ***
• Fireworks (vector) ***
• Audacity (audio editor) ****
• Command Line Applications
• ImageMagick

Other Skill and Experience

The following skills might be special assets on specific projects.

Language / Inter-cultural

I spent many years in the language field as a teacher and interpreter. One of my undergraduate degrees is in French, and I did my Masters degree in Language Acquisition and Education (more info on my resume). I'm comfortable working in bilingual, trilingual and even multi-lingual situations. I spent 3 years working with Latinos and Hispanics as a Spanish-English medical interpreter at Mission Hospital, Asheville, NC.

• English *****
• French *****
• Spanish *****
• Italian **
• Chinese *
• German *

My family moved a lot, and I have lived in Georgia, Hawaii, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. I have lived internationally in France, Ecuador, China, and Italy. Additionally, I have traveled extensively to Canada, Quebec, Mexico, Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Texas : )