Standalone Code LLC iOS, Android and Rails consulting
Circle 8 for iPhone

Why do I write code?

I write code because I love to.

I write code because I care about solving problems for myself and for others using technology. I keep writing code because I care about doing a better, faster, and more robust job of solving those problems as new tools, technology, and methodologies become available. I am so lucky to be able to use tools like Ruby, Rails, Objective C, and Java to work on platforms as widespread and amazing as the web, iOS, and Android devices.

I love it when someone looks at Circle 8 and says, "That's pretty cool!" I love it when someone looks at my code and tells me they learned something from it. I love it when someone says they finally "get" test-driven development because of the test suite I left behind.

I have been a professional software developer since 1982 and a programmer since the mid-1970s. I remember writing BASIC programs as a kid using a TTY (the kind with the clunky keys and the spool of yellow paper) hooked up to Lawrence Berkeley Labs with an acoustic coupler. As a freshman in EECS at UC Berkeley when I was fifteen years old, I remember submitting my card stacks for CS 1 class (FORTRAN) and then coming back 20 minutes later to see the output from my program execution. I left Cal after my freshman year to work as a computer operator and applications programmer for an environmental research company. There I ported our in-house graphics software to display on an ASCII terminal. When I went back to school at Cal Poly SLO in 1984, I bought a Macintosh 128K because, after seeing it at the computer shop, I knew that it was going to change everything. I changed my major when I went to Cal Poly from EECS to Computer Science because I realized, even way back in 1984 — I love writing code.

If you are looking for contract help from a veteran, skilled, quality Rails/iOS/Android developer who loves his craft, feel free to drop me a line. You can also find me on Github, on Twitter, and on my blog. Here is my résumé.

Current Tools

  • iOS developer since 2008
  • Android developer since 2010
  • Ruby on Rails developer since 2006
  • Java developer since 1998
  • C++ developer since 1990
  • Professional software developer since 1982

A Couple of Recent Projects I've Worked On