Introduction

I am a individual, passionate about anything to do with technology. I am a software developer, a problem solver, a person who enjoys dissecting the problem at hand into its many simple parts. Then architecting a solution and writing code to create the "tools" required. A modern day blacksmith, someone who is skilled at their craft, but continues to learn and evolve with technology's pace.

I currently work with several languages and several platforms. I use Clojure/Java to develop applications that target both Linux and Windows. I have been a contributor to the EnClojure project, the NetBeans IDE for Clojure. I do most of my development in Emacs with a paredit/slime/swank stack, and I am finding that lately I am doing more and more of my editing in Emacs. I also do a lot of work with Microsoft technologies, using C#/C++. I have dabbled with OS X development using Objective-C/C++. I have worked on database driven applications, distributed communications software, front-end javascript components, middle-tier business logic, etc, and the list goes on.

I work with a small development team, using an agile/paired-programming model. We are always juggling several project between us (some with very different technologies). Efficient time and task management is crucial. Knowledge transfer and mentoring is a requirement. Our pace is fast, our timeline is short, and our deadlines are hard (some of which are immutable). We adapt to each set of project requirements utilizing SCRUM/Sprints.

Being on a small team usually means getting your hands dirty with almost every aspect of a project lifecycle. I have had infrastructure responsibilities... I have set up git/svn/mercurial source code repositories, several different bug tracking systems, Hudson build machine configurations, Maven repositories, etc. I have configured local machines, local virtual machines, and have worked with the Amazon AWS stack.

So why am I writing a blog? To see where it takes me. To se what I can learn from publishing my own daily trials. To force me fo focus my thoughts and ideas. Much of what I do ends up in my own documentation, documentation for the client. But a lot of what I do never makes it into writing, and remains in my head, only to emerge again at some distant point in the future when a similar problem arises. So bear with me as I get started on this, and I hope some of what I write will help. Thank you.

Frank Failla