I am a Professor in the School of Technology Studies at Niagara College Canada in Welland, Ontario, Canada. I'm also the Webmaster (for lack of a better term) for this server, so feel free to send me comments/critiques/complaints about our site.
What I Went To School For:
B. Eng (Computer), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Class of '92
What I've Done In The Real WorldTM:
Prior to joining Niagara College, I worked in the telecommunications and banking sectors, developing software in C and C++ under various flavours of UNIX. I have also operated my own business servicing computer networks. These days, though, I fix computers pro bono for family and friends, and when asked, endorse only Apple computers. I own a Mac Studio — the two reasons I bought it are:
- it's a UNIX box — I run Terminal as a Login Item; and
- iTunes — I prefer to curate (obsess over?) my music collection.
The college also bought me a mid-2012 MacBook Pro 15 — I traded it in for a Dell laptop with an i9, 64 GB of RAM, and 1 TB SSD (despite Windoze.)
I purchased a MacMini in 2016 — it was used as a host for my ever-expanding 300+ GB iTunes library; gave it away to a student.
I have a new (2023) iPad Mini (256 GB), it will eventually be my iPod (for which I am currently using an [old] iPhone 6S and [ancient] iPod 3.)
In 2017, I acquired a 2010 iMac 27" — big screen. It is slowly moving into my office…
In 2012, I acquired an old PowerPC G5 Mac Pro — it was my home server and workshop/home gym jukebox, an iPad 3, and 3 Apple TV (two 2's and, recently, a new 4K unit) — for streaming.
In 2006, I bought a MacBook Pro 17; gave it away to a student.
Things That Make Me Geek Out:
Software engineering, particularly in the areas of reusable software components and distributed objects. I code (or have coded) in C, C++, Java, Bash, Perl, PHP, VB, C#, PIC18 ASM, PIC24/dsPIC ASM, Python, and JavaScript. Someday, I plan to learn Swift, so that I can do iPhone development. And more JavaScript, so that I can do Ajax, JQuery, Node.js, etc., web pages.
Geek-Friendly Sites:
What I Do When I'm Not Geeking Out:
I spend time with my lovely and talented wife, Claudia, and our kids Anthony and Juliana. Often in the summer, and occasionally in the spring, winter, and fall, spend a lot of time at our cottage in Pike Bay, the "Sunset Capital " of Ontario. Hiking, swimming, fishing, sitting around the campfire enjoying the specialty of the house. :-)
I like to play guitar in my spare time, which I seem to have less and less of. I used to play at weddings, parties, etc. on weekends with my band. But, sadly, "the band broke up ... and it looks like ... we will never play again."
I have been a long-time fan of professional wrestling. OK, the match outcomes are predetermined and (some of) the punches are pulled. But, you have to admit, it requires a certain degree of skill for a 200+ lb. guy to fly off the top rope and not injure himself and the 200+ lb. guy that he lands on. It's soap opera for guys, where the actors do their own stunts! Once in a while, the writing is very good, and the performances are perfect, and I remember why I became a fan in the first place.
How To Reach Me:
My office is located at the Welland Campus, Lundy Wing, Room L-117A. I prefer email. You can use the same user name at Gmail, which I check more often.
If you need extra help, please make an appointment by email, so that I am guaranteed to be there.
Courses That I Teach:
- CTEC1332 Software Engineering Practices (Computer Engineering Technician — Term 3)
- CTEC1336 Data Management (Computer Engineering Technician — Term 3)
- CTEC1432 Embedded Systems Applications (Computer Engineering Technician — Term 4)
- CTEC1433 Internet of Things Applications (Computer Engineering Technician — Term 4)
- CTEC1436 Computer Engineering Project (Computer Engineering Technician — Term 4)