I am often able to provide my services on a remote basis using Skype and PayPal. If you are looking for resources in any of the areas below, contact me for information on rates and availability (it’s helpful if you provide detailed information about your project and your estimated budget). It’s hard to be exhaustive and concise at the same time, so if you are interested in something closely related to one of these, contact me to see if I may have experience in your area but did not list it.

IT & Tech

  • Java programming – J2EE, Google Web Toolkit, SWT, Eclipse RCP, and more. I have specific experience writing database-related, web-facing code using servlets and various frameworks, as well as back-end binary network protocols over TCP/IP. I also have domain-specific experience in foreign exchange trading using the QuickFIX/J libraries.
  • Scripting languages – PHP, Perl, Python, Javascript. I have experience with various PHP frameworks including Drupal. I am a firm believer in TIMTOWDI and a fan of the Perl CPAN repositories. I’ve written and debugged code related to Django and scripted the Panda3D engine in Python to do randomly-generated terrain based on Perlin noise. I’m experienced with both Prototype and jQuery/jQueryUI and understand low-level AJAX without the use of a library.
  • Databases – Primarily MySQL, but also DB/2 and PostgreSQL. I have experience connecting Java, C#, and various scripting languages to MySQL, as well as significant experience writing stored procedures and doing query profiling to determine code bottlenecks (I once wrote an entire web-based game engine in stored procedures, which probably wasn’t wise, but taught me a lot about obtaining sub-millisecond result times for complex queries, as well as when not to use them). I’m as familiar with the mysql CLI console as I am with various front-end tools (phpMyAdmin, Navicat, etc.)
  • Android – I’ve written a fair amount of Android code and have some experience with a variety of Android game-related toolkits such as Rokon and LibGDX. I understand the Android lifecycle and stay on top of the SDK and the ecosystem.
  • XML-related services – I’ve been involved in a number of projects related to converting XML into various end-user formats, developing automated conversion tools, and working with various back-end systems that rely on XML (compressed or uncompressed) as a machine-to-machine data interchange format. This includes simple formats such as DocBook and various other formats including the now-defunct PMXML for project management and the Health Level 7 V3 Messaging standard.
  • Administration – I have been running Linux, MacOS/OSX, and Windows-based systems for years, including remote systems administration over VPN and SSH. I’m familiar with the basics of network security and can do simple forensics and break-in analysis (log-level analysis, suspicious processes, etc). I am familiar with all basic sysadmin tasks including scheduling, maintenance, installation and cleanup, and more.

Research & Writing

  • Editing – I have a strong command of the English language. I’ve contributed to the editing and publication of various books, websites, inter-organizational reports, and academic papers.
  • Writing – Novels, short stories, poetry, academic papers, business reports, and numerous blog articles later, I have noticed that I seem to do a lot of this. If you’re reading this site, then you already know what my capabilities are both in terms of writing and editing.
  • Research – I’ve done a significant amount of academic social science research and have been involved in a number of knowledge management and competitive intelligence research projects professionally. References available if needed.
  • Translation – I can provide basic translation of French writing in various domains to English, and only in this direction. I have a fairly strong command of written French, but I do not speak it fluently and cannot translate from English to French with any reliability. Contact me with a sample if you are interested in this.

Creative Projects

  • Painting, Drawing, and Illustration – see my artwork on this site for my portfolio in these areas. I have an undergraduate minor in fine arts.
  • Music – I produce electronica. See my music page for samples. I’m interested in possibly doing game/video scoring, and also in collaborating with other musics and singers (particularly good female vocalists).

General Info: I hold a MA in sociology with a concentration in Knowledge Media Design from the University of Toronto, and have nearly 15 years of experience as a programmer, researcher, and project leader working in domains ranging from sociological data processing to knowledge/project management and foreign exchange trading.