email: bill@logicalcobwebs.com
Key Skills
- Passionate about Ruby on Rails and I've been using it full time since January 2007.
- Building websites with Java since 1997.
- 15 years worth of mistakes; doing things the hard way; learning from what went wrong.
- Finishing projects and standing by them in production. Coding isn't all about the thrill of the new - it's also about detail and making it work.
- Beautiful interfaces: HTML, CSS, javascript. Simple, easy to use, intuitive, enjoyable.
- Refactoring and simplifying existing components. It's better to build something quickly and improve it later than to make it perfect first time.
- Test Driven Development so you, the customer, have the confidence to make changes and adapt your business.
- I've been using Linux since 1999 and managing Internet servers since 2005. I am completely comfortable deploying and managing a production environment.
Experience
I've been running my own company, Logical Cobwebs, since 1994 – working as a contractor through an agency, freelance on gigs, and in partnership with others in startups.
-
Contracting
I've worked for banks, telecoms, government, education, distribution and retail. Some of it has been at the leading edge using the latest tools; some of it has been the rigor of maintaining a financial system. All of it has taught me a great deal: language skills like Java and Ruby; coding skills like testing and transparency; business skills like communication and commitment.
-
Projects and Gigs
- Holiday Extras. An airport car parking e-commerce site written in Ruby on Rails. (2008)
- Mindstretchers. An online shop selling educational materials. Written in Java. (2004 – 2008)
- NATEC. A simple website demonstrating electron microscopy for schools. (2005)
- Jubilee Group. Working for a stationery distributor I developed an application to analyse and visualise the flow of stock: looking at who bought what and when. Java. (2004 to 2006)
-
Startups
- Lemontastic (Ruby on Rails). Using PayPal to receive and pay money to businesses and individual members. This project taught me so much about Ruby on Rails and about how startups work. (2007 to 2008)
- WebEcology (Java). This startup never went beyond proof of concept although we did attract some significant grants from the UK government. Although I was an experienced programmer I had a lot to learn about startups.
Education and Interests
I graduated from Bath University in 1990 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. I am a slalom canoeist and represented Great Britain at three World Championships from 1987 to 1993, winning the silver medal in the team event in Italy in 1993. I canoed down the Grand Canyon with my wife, Nonie in September 2001 and enjoyed it so much I went back in 2004 and 2007. We have two young children and enjoy introducing them to the adventure to be found outdoors.
See my biography.