I am a freelance website developer based in Dublin 15, Ireland.
I have a passion for effective and usable websites. You could say that I am a bit nerdy, but I try to keep it reasonably hidden.
I have solid ethical values – I am not out for a quick buck. I really enjoy working with the Internet (did I mention that I am a bit nerdy?). I am more likely to go the ‘extra mile’ than scrimp. Under sell, over deliver!
The Non-Technical Side
I am a family man, with two boys, and I am active in the community (Vice Chairperson of Dublin 15 Community Council, on committees of Riverwood Residents Association and Carpenterstown Educate Together startup group, and I pick up litter).
I keep fit with running (5k parkruns are my preferred race distance) and cycling (no racing, just commuting).
Technical History
I have been programming since the late 1980s, before I even had a computer! Yes, that is a bit nerdy (I wrote programs on paper and typed them into the demo computers in Easons and Tomorrow’s World in the city centre).
I taught myself BASIC from a magazine series (“The Home Computer Course” — the ‘as seen on TV’ type). I then learned Pascal and C in college.
Out in the real world I taught myself Windows programming (and localisation/internationalisation) while writing the installer for Norton Commander for Windows. I convinced the team to add an easter egg to the product.
The next language was Bourne shell scripting to automate some daily tasks, then perl, then CGI (because in 1998 it was ‘cool’ to have scripts and services on the web), then PHP. I have dabbled in C++ but rarely used it. I extended my knowledge of localisation and internationalisation with a course on it.
You are probably more interested in the Services I provide and examples of my work.
Spotting Bad Spelling and Bad Grammar
I grew up always doubting my spelling ability. It turns out that I wasn’t so bad. Now I can spot bad spelling and grammar in other people’s work from a mile away. On this site you can read some articles highlighting such bad spelling or grammar. These articles are my high horse where I can highlight examples of these errors and also examples of business and local authority laziness.