So what makes me tick?  I believe that the website of every individual or company mirrors their personality.  The organization reflects their style, the colors reflect their outlook, and their synergy (a “business” word that essentially means how everything comes together or sum of the parts) is closely related to their level of success.  However its the content that makes or breaks a website, and very few people take full advantage of their online presentations.  This is my attempt of making the most of this medium. 

If you’re reading this, most likely this is your first impression of the site and possibly of me.  It’s hard for me to describe how much work goes into creating it.  There have been three versions of this site at three different points in my life, and each site was created in a unique way:

Version 1 – Pure HTML and Images – This 1997 site was an expression of color and energy.  It was a way to demonstrate that I knew how to hand code and that I understood the basic principals of design – KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).  I used a basic caricature of myself that was created during a high school event… a theme I’ve maintained through all my personal websites.  I also used it for campus elections and for broadcasting major events in my life. 

Version 2 – HTML, Perl, and Javascript – This was a site I created right before I left for the US Peace Corps in 2001.  It was pretentious, however, it represented my need to reflect on my accomplishments and to leave a marker behind in case something happened to me overseas.  I chose black and white as the primary colors because they are neutral and safe (plus I wasn’t sure on a color scheme!).  The tools I used to create this site are Microsoft’s FrontPage 2000 for WYSIWYG Editing, Adobe Photoshop 6.0 for Images, Adobe ImageReady 3.0 for Image Maps, and JGSoft’s excellent EditPad Pro.  The caricature was created by an artist named Erica Missey, who is part of a larger network of caricaturists known as the Nose.  Although I knew dynamic web languages such as Cold Fusion and ASP, I ensured the site was static so that it would be easier to maintain.  This was a contradiction to the reasons why people choose dynamic languages for websites, and I discovered that soon enough.  After being an awesome resource for pictures and information during my Peace Corps time, I stopped updating it in 2003.  It would not have any more updates till Version 3.

Version 3 – WordPress, Gallery2, PHP/MySQL, XHTML, and CSS – This site was created during a time of huge transition for me.  I was working at a consulting company and I had not had time to update/create a personal web page in years.  I decided to take six months off to consider my future and decided that I should have my own blog.  After dozens of failed attempts to build my own (due to time) in previous years, I adopted WordPress so that I wouldn’t start from scratch.  Adding Gallery2 to handle pics and my own PHP code, I put this site together.  I wish I hadn’t waited this long.  My own talented sister is the caricature artist this time.

Feel free to contact me if you need any web development help.  It’s easier than it has ever been before!