About

I’m a ex-Microsoftie working on my Masters in UX / Human Factors at San Jose University.  I’m looking for new job opportunities that include UX / Usability, Agile (XP), and technical Program/Product Management.

Short Version
Check out my 700 foot jump from the tallest building in the southern hemisphere of the world (Auckland, New Zealand) to promote open source at Microsoft.

Long Version

I love software. Even better, I love explaining how software works. I was fortunate to discover blogging as an outlet for this  passion back in 2003, and I was even featured in Business Week  for corporate blogging.

I love making software better. Community is great for helping people be successful with the current product, but user experience is great for helping people be successful before the product even comes out.  Now that’s something special.

I’ve been in the professional software world now for 10 years, and I had some incredible opportunities

  • Made it possible for blind developers to use Visual Studio (2002, 2003, 2005)
  • Drove the UI Consistency testing effort for the entire Visual Studio product
  • Formalized a legal framework for Microsoft developers to release source code under an open source license (yeah, think about that if you dare)
  • Launched 3 of the first 7 open source projects for Microsoft on CodePlex.com
  • Create a “Visual Studio Tip of the Day” series on my blog that became quite popular, leading to two books.
  • Created a scholarship fund for Hurricane Katrina survivors of my hometown to go to college
  • Ran CodePlex.com, Microsoft’s open source project hosting site. Best story hands-down: I went to Amsterdam for a conference and got a custom-branded CodePlex beer bottle made from the Heineken plant, because CodePlex is free as in beer ;-)
  • Had Bill Gates give me feedback on a technical paper I wrote on intellectual property during his last ThinkWeek before retiring from Microsoft
  • Spoke around the world on Visual Studio and CodePlex. Greatest highlight: Speaking at the TechEd Australia Keynote in front of 2500 people. Holding a koala (which is not a bear) at the Australia Zoo a few days later is a close second.

Outside of work, I’m an athlete. I need to be in constant motion. I’m a Nidan (2nd degree) in Shotokan Karate. I’ve gotten bit by the triathlon bug. Why oh why didn’t I discover Tri teams years ago. And, I also used to be a professional clown in high school, but that’s another story for another time. I still like to twist balloons and juggle.

My life-long dream is to be a 97-year old weightlifter, so I can be featured on the local news.