Resume

The following is my full resume of work experience and education. Just a few notes: first, I don’t really have a MS Word resume. If you want a nice pretty PDF resume, I can probably come up with one. But Word, not so much. Second, I don’t really want to be a part of a big resume database, or to ask some of my friends to fill any positions, so please don’t contact me for either of those options. If you’ve actually spent the time to read my resume and are still interested in something I can do, then by all means drop me a line.

Work Experience

BraveNewCode

WordPress Development

I am an active member of the WordPress community, and have contributed approximately ten open-source plugins back to the community, including the popular WPtouch iPhone theme for WordPress. I consult for many companies in the areas of search engine optimization, custom WordPress development, and overall web direction. I am fluent in PHP, and have used several frameworks including Zend and Symfony.

Some of my recent plugin concepts have centered around taking WordPress in new areas, such as integrating QR codes with printed media, and performing automatic attribution of creative-commons licensed materials.

I was a co-organizer WordCamp Vancouver, and the prime organizer for WordCamp Whistler, the first WordPress related conference on Whistler mountain.

CounterPath Corporation

Principal Engineer

I was originally hired by CounterPath Corporation (formerly Xten Networks) to add video conferencing abilities to their award winning SIP based softphone, X-Lite. That effort involved sourcing video codecs, developing the media architecture in C++, and interfacing with OS-level components such as DirectX and QuickTime. Shortly after that effort, our software development kit (SDK) was licensed by Yahoo! and used to add voice capabilities into their existing Yahoo! Messenger product. I eventually assumed the role of Media Lead for the company, supervising a small team of C++ developers.

As I was one of the original developers hired by CounterPath, I have been exposed to all aspects of the business cycle and have helped acquire many new customers including (but not limited to) British Telecom (BT), Deutche Telekom, Cisco Systems, and Verizon Wireless.

I am currently a principal engineer in the research and development department, and am exposed to many exciting technologies daily. I have been involved with development efforts on embedded Linux, mobile devices such as the Nokia N810, social networks (such as Facebook), IPTV, fixed mobile convergence efforts, and have submitted patent applications for various technologies developed within the company.

JDS Uniphase Incorporated

Product Engineering

My original position at JDS Uniphase was in the manufacturing department for their dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) fiber optic components. I was initially responsible for all aspects of manufacturing related to their wideband optical coupler products, including production line enhancements, documentation, raw material sourcing, bill of materials changes, optical troubleshooting, and staff training.

During my first six months I received several extremely positive performance reviews, and two separate performance-based salary increases. At the peak of production in 2001, I was personally responsible for approximately two million dollars worth of revenue each week.

I was later promoted to JDS Uniphase’s New Product Introduction (NPI) line, where I helped develop several state-of-the-art products, including a MEMS-based optical cross-connect (OXC), a fiber-optic based tunable dispersion compensator, and also brought to production the world’s first 50 GHz DWDM coupler.

Environment Canada

Java Client/Server Development

At Environment Canada I was responsible for creating a JAVA client/server architecture for viewing weather and satellite data for North America in real-time. I was also responsible for various aspects of the IT department, including troubleshooting server and network problems, and helping individual forecasters with their computer equipment.

Active Projects

Vancouver Technology Contributor

Open-source Development

I am an active participant in the Vancouver web 2.0 community, often attending weekly conferences centered around social networking, blogging, technology and content management platforms. I have given talks on various web 2.0 technologies related to photography, helping educate other members of the community.

I have a public blog where I routinely discuss technology, photography, and life in Vancouver, and also contribute to several community blogs, including that of Canadian musician and human rights advocate, Matthew Good.

I have developed several open source PHP-based Wordpress plugins such as the Crossroads Flickr plugin and WordTwit Twitter integration. Last year I released an open-source RSS reader called TrollDigger which is still under development. I am also working on a novel new blogging platform, similar to Wordpress or Drupal, in my “spare” time.

I am also in the process of organizing StartupCamp Vancouver, a weekend long event meant to generate interest in technology startups and to help attract attention to the Vancouver technology scene.

Freelance Photographer

Travel, city, concert and fashion photography

I have an interest in photography, and have recently begun to take it far more seriously. I am routinely commissioned to photograph Vancouver Technology and fashion events. I have taken photos at several music concerts, been the lead photographer for a Puma photoshoot, and have had photos published in local magazines and newspapers.

Some of my travel photography was recently used in Air Transat’s In-Flight Magazine, Atmosphere.

Education

Master’s Of Applied Science

Electrical And Computer Engineering

My master’s degree was focused primarily in the areas of image processing and video compression. My research was performed under the supervison of Dr. Panos Nasiopoulos, who at one time chaired the comittee that developed the DVD. I focused on modifying the relatively new H.264 video codec to improve the compression ratio of Intra frames by using statistical prediction methods. I also proposed a novel spatial scalability scheme that combined aspects of MPEG-2 (used on the DVD) with H.264 for use in high definition digital broadcasts.

Associated Publications:

• An Efficient Statistical Intra-mode Prediction Method for H.264
• Combining H.264 and MPEG2 for Multi-Resolution Video Applications
• Joint MPEG-2/H.264 Scalable Coding and Enhancements to H.264 Intra-Mode Prediction (Master’s Thesis)
• Multimodel Fine-Resolution Ensembles For Short-Range Forecasts in Montainous Terrain

Bachelor’s Of Applied Science

Engineering Physics

My undergrad was in Engineering Physics, a five-year program that specialized in physics, mathematics and computer engineering. I completed several extra math credits in my final years, and graduated just shy of an honours mathematics distinction.

During my time in university, I was also a part of the co-operative education program. I completed three work terms that involved fire-protection system design, the enhancement of weather-modeling algorithms for a 256-node super computer, and JAVA development for Environment Canada.

I also participated in several industry-sponsored projects, including the design of a robotic manipulator for Vancouver’s Science World and the development of a vehicular accident reconstruction software program for British Columbia’s Intech Engineering.