TheFreyers.net

About Chris

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:53:00 -0400

About Chris

This page details various aspects of my professional and digital life.

Résumé - Its always difficult to write an appealing yet generic resume. Some people want to see the technologies, others want to see the big picture.
Web history of things I've been involved in over the years.

Welcome

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:28:44 -0400

Welcome

Welcome to TheFreyers.net. This site has been dedicated to various technical, business, and personal pursuits since 1994. Its structure has evolved over time, from hand-crafted HTML (1994-5) to tool-generated HTML (1999) to a forum (2001) to a blog (2005) and to a wiki (mid 2007).

The main purpose of this site is to document what I discover and do. There are a variety of things here, and not all the areas are as robust as I'd like. But then…there's always tomorrow, right?

Happy reading! Chris

The Most Recent Edits

Page	Date	Discussion	Tags
XML File Validation	2010/08/30 17:34
Ant	2010/08/30 17:28
Web History	2010/08/04 00:56
Experiment #3	2010/08/03 12:04
Linux	2010/08/02 00:22
Using Neo4J	2010/08/01 22:13

menutest

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:54:33 -0400

Résumé

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:57:15 -0400

Résumé

This page details my professional history. If you'd like to know more, feel free to contact me.

Contact	Address
email	Chris [at] TheFreyers [dot] net
Phone	(904) 514-4862
Yahoo IM	FreyerInJax
MSN IM	FreyerInJax at hotmail
AIM Screen name	FreyerInJax

A slightly more formal version of this document is available as a PDF.

Education Summary

Master of Science in Computer and Information Sciences. August 2000. Thesis: Feature Extraction and Shape Classification using the Freyer Edge Protractor.(reference)
Upsilon Pi Epsilon. International Honor Society for the Computing Sciences. Requires a 3.5/4.0 GPA for membership.
- UPE web
- Florida Epsilon chapter
Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing. December 1989

Memberships

San Jose Episcopal Church member. Lector, Chalice Bearer, and guitar player. Former webmaster. Former stewardship committee member. Former vestry member.
Boy Scouts of America. Committee Member of Troop 27. Assistant Cub Master of Pack 442. Web Master for both. Eagle Scout, 1985.

Professional Summary

Northgate Arinso

I accepted a full-time position with Convergys Employee Care (later to become NorthgateArinso) in May 2004 to pursue leadership opportunities that were not available to me as a software contractor. I have been fortunate to work in many capacities from software development, to team leadership, to product management, to research and development. I attended Convergys' Emerging Leaders program for staff development, and have used the skills I learned there to great effect on both business and technical levels.

My current work includes leading 3 software teams in the creation of call center products. These products help transform our business and give us new ways to reach customers. Technologies include: Java, PHP, Asterisk, Oracle, MySQL, Jabber, Linux, Solaris, SVN, WebLogic, Dokuwiki, Mercury Quality Center, Microsoft SharePoint.

Tasks:

Manage distributed staff (onshore, offshore) with various collaboration tools–instant messaging, software defect tracking, wikis, etc.
Establish growth and development goals for team members and provide constructive feedback on progress
Conduct necessary design/work/review sessions with developers, QA staff, and support personnel
Write internal marketing and technical literature to support products
Give product and technology demonstrations as needed
Determine scope, complexity, and cost of change requests
Act as liaison to our customers
Report status of projects to leadership
Code and troubleshoot in multiple languages and environments

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida

Contracted at BCBSFL from October 2001 to May 2004 as a Java Software Developer. I was a member of Data Architecture team that was responsible for the data tier of a web-based benefits enrollment application. This was an IBM environment that used DB2, AIX, WebSphere 4.0, VisualAge 4.0, and Websphere Studio Application Developer. Other tools in the environment were Merant PVCS and Mercury Test Director. The project followed the RUP methodology and used UML as a documentation paradigm. Used Rational Rose for object modelling.

Tasks:

Designed Java Data Access Objects to manage data requests
Developed tables according to clients normalization standards
Architected a Java-to-XML binding framework using Castor
Performed design reviews, code reviews, and JAD sessions
Mentored junior developers on Java, DB2, source control, project management, etc…
Presented status to management on a weekly basis
Provided production support as needed

Homeside Lending

Contracted at Homeside Lending (now Washington Mutual) from July - Oct 2001 as a Java Software Developer. During that time, I co-developed a J2EE-based loan tracking system to replace an overworked Microsoft Access application. The software monitors the status and location of various legal documents and tracks worker productivity. The environment consisted of IBM WebSphere 3.5, IBM VisualAge for Java 3.5.3 and Merant PVCS. Software discipline was J2EE (JSP & Servlets) with Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 and 7.0. Significant client-side Javascript was involved.

Unfortunately, the company experienced financial problems (here and here) and released many of its contract employees soon after. I was not able to finish the project.

Tasks

Performed business process reengineering.
Created a prototype application to facilitate discussion and requirements gathering.
Developed JSP pages with DreamWeaver.
Implemented business logic in java and SQL stored procedures.
Conducted analysis and performance comparison of object-relational mapping tools.

Encore Development

Employed from January 2000 to July 2001 as a Senior Software Engineer. Participated in virtual project teams to complete web application projects for large clients. Typical project life cycle included requirements gathering, prototyping, scoping, estimating, development, QA, documentation and system integration. Client projects included work for Blue Cross Blue Shield, JM Family Enterprises, Homeside Lending , and HealthScreen America (closed). Environment varied based on projects, but included Microsoft Windows 2000, IIS, Visual Source Safe, and SQL Server; Sun Solaris and Java, BEA WebLogic, Inprise JBuilder. Technologies included XML, XDR, XSLT, XPath, HTML, DHTML, XHTML, JavaScript, ASP, COM, JScript and VBScript.

Tasks

Modeled business processes as UML diagrams.
Generated prototype websites with DreamWeaver and Photo Shop.
Used Interdev (ASP) or JBuilder (JSP) to implement web front-ends.
Implemented business logic in VB/COM+ or EJB.
Mentored other developers as required.
Configured web and application servers to support projects.

Nations Bank / Bank Of America

This segment of my dual-merger experience stretches from June 1998 to January 2000. At that time, I was a Software Developer helping to develop CreditWeb, an ASP-based web application for the bank's commercial credit centers. I had already built several websites, so my web development skills were beneficial to the project. The software replaced an aging Power Builder application. The environment included Windows 98 and NT, IIS, Visual Source Safe, Elsinore Technologies’ Visual Intercept, Dynalivery Parallel Crystal, Visual Interdev, Visual Basic, ODBC, SQL, and Sybase ASE.

Tasks

Implemented getAccess, a Corba-based enterprise security product that enables single sign-on.
Coded the “Total Credit Exposure” module of the application using ASP and Visual Basic.
Managed several IIS application servers
Implemented a service that allows Crystal Reports to be rendered in parallel on a report server and sent to a client with minimal latency.

Barnett Technologies

The middle part of my banking experience (August 1996 to June 1998) led me into C++ software development. I was an unseasoned C++ Developer, but I helped support a 16-bit Windows application used by commercial credit customers. It let them perform various banking operations from their offices: stop pays, electronic funds transfers, balance inquiries, etc. The development environment was Windows 3.1 and 95, Borland C++, Booch Components, RogueWave zApp Studio, Install Shield, PVCS, Elsinore Technologies’ Visual Intercept, and the Btrieve database.

Tasks

Performed internal interviews to understand new software requirements
Coded and debugged with Borland C++
Tracked bugs with Visual Intercept
Trained customer support personnel
Provided second-level telephone support to customers
Improved InstallShield code to support various upgrade paths
Performed on-site client visits to help repair software installations.

Barnett Banks, Inc.

Barnett Banks, Inc. was the holding company for the various legal entities that comprised Barnett Bank. It was also home to the company executives. I was employed as a Market Information Officer (August 1994 to August 1996) to help the bank do “whatever it takes” to keep Barnett in control of the Florida market. My previous market segmentation experience was a plus here. The technical environment was composed of Windows 3.1/95 and OS/2 workstations and a Novell Netware server. Programming tasks included Borland C++, DB/2, SQL, Attachmate Extra, SQL, FOCUS, SPSS, Mainframe SAS, PC SAS, Borland Paradox, Microsoft Access, DataWatch Monarch, Data Junction, COBOL, and MapInfo.

Tasks

Purchased, scrubbed, and re-organized data from external sources
Queried internal data sources using SQL and various statistics packages
Merged and analyzed data sets to identify trends and patterns
Integrated data from many sources to provide demographic and marketing info to senior management
Helped identify the dimensions needed for data warehousing
Wrote small C++ applications to perform latitude/longitude distance calculations
Integrated statistical data into GIS software to produce data-bound maps
Designed, installed, and managed a 50-user Novell network

Humana Healthcare

I was hired at Humana as a Software Developer because of my database experience. During my 18 month employment (February 1993 to August 1994), I worked with the Alpha Four database and created a tool which helped the company reclaim its overpayments to participating physicians ¹⁾. The system worked extremely well. So wel that it cost 6 people their jobs. Ouch, I didn't see that coming. Welcome to software-land, where we change the future on a daily basis.

I earned a promotion to Computer Operations Manager and became responsible for 3 employees, approximately 300 desktops, and a raised-floor data center consisting of AIX servers, optical storage units, UPSs, and a host of telephone equipment. I spent the next several months working with AIX, working with telephone systems (bix blocks, punch-down tools and a small PBX), networks (twisted-pair wiring and Token Ring MAUs and CAUs). It was a fantastic work experience, but I really love the intangible side more than the tangible side (the software more than the hardware).

William Cook Advertising

My employment at William Cook Advertising was short-lived. I conducted demographic research using Claritas's PRIZM market segmentation product. I used it to conduct database marketing campaigns. First I found the right type and number of customers who were close to a store. Then I purchased addresses on magnetic tape. Finally, I'd have them delivered to a local fulfillment house for printing, assembly, stuffing, and mailing.

I also used a desktop database called Alpha Four to manage my campaigns. We tracked our results via codes printed on the materials we mailed. Unfortunately, the agency lost its largest client (Winn Dixie) and many people had to be let go, myself included. Fortunately, I had a niche job and was the only one who could do it. So I contracted with the agency while job hunting. It worked out well for both of us.

AC3 Computer Centers

My second job was an attempt to get into the computer business. I didn't have enough experience to work as a software developer, but I could at least *sell* computers and be around the right people. This was a fantastic introduction to client management, sales leads, cold calling, and time management. I also received weeks and weeks of technical product training directly from Compaq, HP, Microsoft, and IBM. I used this time to improve my database skills (with DBase and Q&A), network skills (OS/2 Lan Manager and Novell Netware), operating system knowledge (OS/2, Windows, AIX, and SCO Unix).

Hub Inc.

My first job after college. I went through a 90-day introduction to the Pipe, Valve, and Fitting business while located in Atlanta. Fantastic exposure to metals and refining, manufacturing processes, products and their vendors. I was trained in Engineered Products (pneumatically controlled valves, measuring devices, etc…) because I enjoyed the physics and mechanics of it.

Even though the company had a computer for creating and storing quotes, it did not handle the work I needed to do: flow and volume calculations, matching of valves to actuators, calculating safety margins, etc..). So I found myself writing Lotus 1-2-3 macros to do calculations on my home computer. Ultimately I learned a lot about chemistry, physics, metalurgy, manufacturing, fluid dynamics, and mechanical contracting. And I really began to see the benefits of custom software.

Pre-College Efforts

Built a memory expansion device for the Commodore VIC-20 computer. Mostly consisting of wiring and mechanical relays plugged into a double-sided breadboard. Allowed manual bank-switching between up to four 16KB memory cartridges, giving the computer a max of 67.5KB RAM. A whopping 19X improvement!
Wrote a small memory manager. Programs that used it would display a text message on screen telling the user to switch to a specific memory bank and press return.
Wrote a text-based adventure game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Used my bank-switching memory manager. Random movement for all “monsters” in the game. Visual map of dungeon showing player's location.
Built a speech synthesizer from a phoneme chip purchased from Radio Shack. Required electronics knowledge, circuit layout skills, breadboard etching know-how, and good soldering skills.
Wrote software in machine language and BASIC to make the speech synthesizer work. The program stored the phoneme sequences for words, and sent instructions to the speech chip based on sentences entered at the command line. (Built in 1982!)

Miscellaneous

Comment about Sun changing its stock ticker to JAVA in Jonathan Schwartz' Blog. Picked up by Sys-con magazines like Web 2.0 Journal here and Flash Journal (here).
Comments on software project management published in Java Developers Journal, November 2002
Comments on computer skills certification published on RTEK2000.
Comments to Linux Journal magazine, June 1995 http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2683?page=0,1.

¹⁾ HMO's were new at the time and many healthcare companies had systems that were poorly suited to rejecting bills from participating physicians

TECHNOLOGY

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:15:34 -0400

TECHNOLOGY

MUSIC

PERSONAL

FRIENDS

WIKI HELP

My ToDo List

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:48:06 -0400

My ToDo List

steal icons from Ryan Delaplante and update wiki footer

Web History

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:56:48 -0400

Web History

Here is where I gather links about myself on the web.

1994, a small C++ book review I did for a Fidonet newsgroup.
1994, my Linux Counter ID, showing that I registered in Dec 1994.
1997, corrections sent to author of Algorithms for Image Processing and Computer Vision related to image morphology
1997, looking into a Psion 3C handheld on the comp.sys.psion.apps newsgroup
1997, providing hardware advice to someone in the comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips newsgroup
1998, someone's web page from back then, showing a link to my then-current Linux page. Obviously they thought it was good enough to link to.
1998 - 2000, Internet Wayback Machine copies of my old website. (warning: very slow & sometimes unreliable)
1998 - enlightening someone on comp.publish.cdrom.hardware newsgroup about how to tune their system for burning CDs (old school…before buffering)
1999 - Copy of my web page about my Memorex CRW-1622 CD burner
1999 - 2000 asking questions about shape classification in the math forum during my masters degree.
2000, Amazon comments about my Palm Pilot IIIxe (man, I LOVED that thing!). Now found more easily here
2000, various comments in the org.apache.tomcat.users and org.apache.xml.soap-user mailing lists
2001, comments at servlets.com about Tomcat and JSPs
2002, Comment in November's Java Developers Journal about project management. (See page 78)
2002, my responses to someone's Castor JDO problem (I was actively using it at the time)
2003, asking a couple of questions while writing a desktop app with SWT (cross-compiled to a native app)
2004, answering a question about Java vs. C++ in the Open Suse forum
2004, problems upgrading SuSE Linux 9.0 to 9.1
2005, participating in the Java Linpack Timings benchmark effort.
2005, using SOFIA framework to develop a multi-lingual data entry app
2007, commenting on Sun's stock ticker change to "JAVA"
2007, commenting on ThePlanet blog about an article To Cert or Not To Cert
2007, comment to author of Dokuwiki's Dokutexit Plugin
2008, comment to Linux Journal about using smartd to know when hard drives are failing
2010, attempting to use SOAP web services with OpenLaszlo

Interesting Searches

These are interesting searches that find information about me…

"Chris Freyer" "aquarium stand" - I built an aquarium stand in 1992/3 and wrote a web page about it. You can still find reference to my old page.
"Unofficial Memorex CRW-1622 Homepage" - I bought a CD burner very early on and created a website to detail how to burn CDs, use CDRWs, etc. (It wasn't easy back then). The page is gone, but the references to it are still there.
"Chris Freyer" genealogy - I've been participating in genealogy research since 1990. Tons of references to me here.
Google Groups search for my name. I was really talking about hardware in the late-90's. (My old email address was cfreyer@southeast.net).