Resumé: Chris Petersen

COMPUTER SKILLS

• Software Development:

  Advanced knowledge of Perl (15 years), PHP (8 years), UNIX shell scripting (10 years), Javascript (8 years). Basic Java (2 years) and Ruby/Rails (1 year), and reading knowledge of Python, C, and C++. Experience working with data exchange formats like XML, SOAP, and JSON via AJAX, XMLRPC, and REST.

• Web Design:

  Expert level HTML, CSS, and Javascript (including AJAX/JSON), including semantic markup, as well as a great deal of experience with SEO (search engine optimization) and web-based user interface design. Extremely comfortable working within MVC template frameworks like Rails, and administering Apache web servers.

• Database design:

  Considerable knowledge of design, administration, and performance tuning of MySQL. Also experienced at designing databases and tuning queries for PostgreSQL and SQLite.

• Linux system administration:

  I have administered Linux servers personally and professionally since 2000. Aside from the software listed above, I also have experience managing Email, DNS, Samba, Xen, and many other Linux services and server applications.

• Operating Systems:

  Linux (primarily Red Hat/Fedora/CentOS), MacOS, Windows 98/2k/XP/Vista.

• Digital multimedia:

  Graphics (Gimp, Adobe Photoshop, and studio photography), audio/video codecs (see my open source contributions below), and web-based media delivery.
• Expert knowledge of RTFM and STFW.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

• Design Technical Lead / Senior Software Design Engineer: Marchex.

  Seattle, WA, 9/01/08 to present
  • Senior developer and acting lead for the Marchex Call Analytics (formerly Voicestar) tactical team, responsible for maintaining antiquated Perl, Mason, and Javascript and updating it to work with improvements to the supporting PostgreSQL, Asterisk, and Redis architecture.
  • Primary Engineer on Marchex's Ruby-based Reputation Management product. Duties include working closely with product managers and UI designers, as well as re-architecting the existing beta application to scale to an estimated 200,000 daily users after its public launch.
  • Technical Lead, overseeing development of PHP-, Perl-, and Java-based websites like Yellow.com and other directory sites operated by Marchex.
  • Technical Lead for the Marchex Business Profiles Pages team, which was a major contributor to Marchex's winning of the 2009 Search Engine Watch "Best SEM Technology Platform for SMBs" award.
  • Help design and implement web-based tools and sites for Marchex's Publishing department.
  • Lead team of web developers to design and implement company-wide standards for HTML and CSS design, and SEO best practices.
  • Manage teams of 3-4 other developers.

• Chief Operations Officer / Lead Developer: Schedules Direct.

  Seattle, WA, 7/07 to present (part time)
  • Founding board member of nonprofit corporation that provides TV listings data to users of Open Source and free software, along with education about Free and Open Source software.
  • Resigned from the board of directors in January of 2008 to take up the position of Chief Operations Officer.
  • Designed, implemented and maintain schedulesdirect.org website, using PHP, Perl, SOAP, CSS and Javascript technologies.
  • Currently designing a large-scale redundant content distribution system to distribute TV listings data to members' approved software applications.
  • Coordinate and oversee work of other developers on the website and related services.
  • Oversee day to day business and financial operations.

• Senior Software Developer: iFLOOR.

  Tukwila, WA, 12/01/07 to 8/31/08
  • Perl, HTML and PostgreSQL developer on iFLOOR.com's custom ERP software and e-commerce website.
  • Upgrade legacy CVS revision control system to Subversion (SVN) and train others in its proper usage.
  • Development lead, "second chair" project manager, and SEO architect on redesigned iFLOOR.com website (June 2008).
  • Configure Bricolage content publishing system, and train users in some of its more advanced template features.
  • Replace antiquated True Spectra image manipulation/delivery system with tools based on ImageMagick and the Google Maps API. You can see a demo/tutorial about the zoom functionality here.
  • Integrate Power Reviews product review system.

• Lead Developer / Webmaster / Manager: Silicon Mechanics.

  Bothell, WA, 11/01/02 through 11/30/07
  • Design, implement, maintain and oversee development for a customized PHP- and MySQL-based solution for SiMech's business/ERP/CRM process. Aspects include pre-sale quotes, e-commerce and over-the-phone sales, support incident and RMA tracking, project and inventory management, customer management, and shipment invoicing and tracking.
  • Hire, train and manage a team developers and testers to assist with development and accommodate company growth from 11/02 employee count of 8 to 100+ employees by the time I left.
  • Set up and administer Apache and replicated MySQL servers.
  • Design the majority of graphics, HTML, CSS, Javascript, and other "look/feel" aspects of the siliconmechanics.com website as it looked from early 2004 until March of 2008 (though many of my user interface elements are still in place today).
  • Administer email, DNS and firewall servers (currently as backup administrator after passing duties off to full-time SysAdmin in 8/06).
  • Photograph systems and other products, and perform any necessary digital post-processing (slowly transitioned these duties to product manager and graphic designer in 2006 and 2007)
  • Help with system and rack integration when needed.
  • 3/05, promoted from Developer/Webmaster to Sr. Developer upon hiring my first assistant developer.

• Programmer: VersusLaw, Inc.

  Redmond, WA, 11/01 to 11/02
  • Designed and wrote Perl-based web robots designed for extracting legal information from various websites, including building a modular framework to facilitate creation of future robots.
  • Designed and implemented several modifications for the versuslaw.com search engine.

• Chief Programmer: Web Eye Technologies.

  Seattle, WA, 8/96 to 5/02
  • Designed and developed an online shopping cart program using SQL and Perl DBI.
  • Expanded this program into a complete web-based website-design tool and content management system (CMS), designed to return the power of website creation to the hands of the small businesses and e-commerce users who own the sites, without requiring any special web-design knowledge on their part.

OPEN SOURCE DEVELOPMENT

• Project Maintainer: MythWeb

  Seattle, WA, 6/03 to present
  • Open Source (GPL) web interface to MythTV, a popular DVR (Digital Video Recorder) application suite. Written in a combination of PHP, Perl and Javascript.
  • MythWeb has received rave reviews from LinuxJournal, LinuxTag and thousands of users around the world.
  • Mentored a student to enhance MythWeb as part of Google's 2006 Summer of Code.

• Project Maintainer: nuvexport

  Seattle, WA, 6/03 to present
  • Open Source (GPL) program that interacts with MythTV, allowing its users to export recorded TV shows to a variety of more portable video formats. Written in Perl.
  • Mentored a student as part of Google's 2006 Summer of Code to convert nuvexport into a C++ application natively integrated with the core video processing libraries used by MythTV. Unfortunately, this student dropped out before submitting any useful work.

EDUCATION

The University of Chicago

, Chicago, IL
Master of Arts in the Social Sciences
Emphasis on South Asian Anthropology
Graduated: August, 2001 (GPA: 3.40)

Whitman College

, Walla Walla, WA
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
Minors: Psychology and Religion
Graduated: May, 1999

OTHER SKILLS

• Languages:

  • Near fluency in conversational Spanish.
  • Basic German.

• Photography:

  • General photographic skills, both technical and artistic
  • Studio photography for inanimate objects (product shots, primarily of computer equipment).
  • Extensive experience in digital photography and digital photo reconstruction.
  • Archeological record keeping (pit and artifact documentation), and museum artifact photography.
  • Publication: Diario de Avisos: Nov. 18, 1999, p. 29 (Newspaper: Canary Islands, Spain).

INTERESTS

• Linux

  : I have used Linux for a long time. I am also a contributor to the Fedora Project and serve on the board of the Seattle GNU Linux Conference.

• Open Source Software

  : I am a firm believer in the value of Free Software, and am actively involved in several open source projects. You can see my major contributions listed above.

• Akili Dada

  : I serve on the advisory council of this nonprofit organization dedicated to providing high-school scholarships to young women in Kenya.

• Brewing

  : I'm fascinated by all things fermented, and dabble with cider, mead, belgian style beers, and the occasional homemade cheese.

• Medieval Reenactment

  : I have participated with the Society for Creative Anachronism (an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study and reenactment of the middle ages) and other experimental archeology groups on and off since 1995, mostly as an excuse to go camping with good friends.

ARCHEOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE

• Piramides de Güímar

  : November, 1999.
  • 3 weeks of digging on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain).
  • Directed by Dr. Thor Heyerdahl.
  • Surveyed pyramids for map-making, worked as dig photographer, and spent some time digging and sifting.

• Khirbet Cana

  : July and August, 1998.
  • 5 weeks of digging in Israel with the University of Puget Sound.
  • Detailed daily lectures on archeology, early Galilean culture and Biblical scholarship.
  • Archeological tours led by local experts to many of the ruins in and around the Galilee.