I have taught technology courses (networking, programming) at Trios College in Ontario for 13 years now (the picture below is from an Exchange Server class).  I don’t teach too many courses anymore because my official title is “Dean of Technology” and I focus most of my energies now on improving/upgrading our programs including Network Engineer (our Information Technology, or IT program), Web Developer and Video Game Design & Development, as well as building exciting opportunities for our students, communicating program information to others in the college, meeting with employers and internship hosts, etc.

Most of the courses that I’ve taught in the past are part of our Network Engineer (IT) program.  Since certification has been a hiring benchmark in IT for well over a decade, most o these courses are certification-focused.  As a result, I have obtained many certifications in that time.  I don't think certification will be the deciding factor on my resume anymore but I still write them (it’s part of the job I guess you could say ;-).  Following is a list of some of the certifications that I have:

    •    Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+)

    •    Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)

    •    Master Certified Novell Instructor (MCNI)

    •    SCO Authorized Instructor

    •    Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist - SQL 2005/2008, Exchange 2007, Vista, Active Directory, Server 2008

    •    Microsoft Certified IT Professional - Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 Administrator

    •    Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) - NT4/Windows2000/Windows2003

    •    Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) - Windows2000/Windows2003

    •    Master Certified Novell Expert (MCNE) - Netware 3.12/4.11/5/5.1/6/6.5

    •    SCO Master ACE (Advanced Certified Engineer) - UnixWare & OpenServer

    •    Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)

    •    LPI (Linux Professional Institute) Certified

    •    Linux+ Certified

    •    Java 2 Developer Certified

    •    Sun Solaris Systems Administrator Certified

    •    Sun Solaris Network Administrator Certified

    •    HP-UX Certified

    •    A+ Certified

    •    Net+ Certified

    •    IT Project+ Certified

    •    Server+ Certified

    •    Security+ Certified

    •    CIW Certified Server Administrator

    •    Cisco CCNA Certified

    •    Apple Certified Help Desk Specialist (ACHDS)

    •    Apple Certified Desktop Technician (ACDT)

    •    Apple Certified Portable Technician (ACPT)

    •    BlackBerry Certified Support Specialist (BCSS)

    •    BlackBerry Certified Server Support Specialist (BCSSS)

    •    BlackBerry Certified System Administrator (BCSA)

I also have a few university degrees (the University of Waterloo was my second home for a long time), but few companies care about degrees today......they mainly want certification.  Although most certifications today require that the candidate have a solid grasp of the related topics, many certifications are still non-practicum-based can can be passed by people who don’t have a reasonable level of skill in the topic.  As a result, the following Dilbert cartoon may be realistic in a few situations:

I’ve also taught many programming courses as well in the past both in the college and for our corporate division (usually at specific companies such as AECL, LCBO, Mackenzie Financial, Homewood Sanitarium, and more) including:

   •    C

   •    C++

   •    Java

   •    C#

   •    VB and VB.NET

   •    ASP.NET

   •    Flash & ActionScript

   •    PERL & Shell scripting

   •    Parallelization techniques

   •    FORTRAN

Although Microsoft has many programming-related certifications that help in the job market, certification isn’t as key for programming technologies - demonstrated skills are, including a portfolio of what programs you have developed.

Video game programming has been my focus for the past several months (I really like it), and I’ve been developing many of the new courses we have introduced into our Video Game Design & Development program.  Personally, I really like developing with XNA Game Studio for the XBox and Windows Phone 7 (in C#).  Unity3D is quite nice too - although most people use Javascript with it, I prefer to use Boo (a port of Python).  

Alongside teaching, I do some work outside of school hours for various organizations and individuals.  Since my time is limited, I typically provide my services for specialized situations where my skill set is best placed.  In the past, I have performed anything from helping end users with their programs to complex tasks such as network setup, database clustering, administrative scripting (PERL, Shell, Applescript), program creation (C, C++, JAVA, PHP, Python, FORTRAN) and data recovery (which is tricky and difficult). Remember.....I am certified....and have the cape to match.

I also have a circle of friends in science and engineering (my university background is largely in science).  Since I am fairly gifted in regression analysis, MPI clustering, and computer science project modeling, I am almost always involved in science/engineering research projects at various universities in southern Ontario. 

Perhaps one of my more “famous” achievements is the authoring of several textbooks for Course Technology/Cengage (Boston) and Wiley/Microsoft (Indianapolis).  My textbooks include:

    •    Guide to Linux+ (ISBN: 0-619-13004-0) Out of print - 2nd Edition Available.

    •    Guide to UNIX Administration (ISBN: 0-619-13041-5)

    •    Linux+ In Depth (ISBN: 1-59200-062-2).

    •    Guide to Managing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network (ISBN: 0-619-12029-0).

    •    Guide to Linux+ - 2nd Edition (ISBN: 0-619-21621-2).

    •    Linux+ In Depth 2005 (ISBN: 1-59200-728-7).

    •    Novell's Guide to CompTIA's Linux+ (Course 3060) (ISBN: 1-4188-3730-X).

    •    SUSE Linux Administration (Course 3037) (ISBN: 1-4188-3731-8).

    •    SUSE Linux Advanced Administration (Course 3038) (ISBN: 1-4188-3732-6).

    •    Microsoft Windows Vista Guide (ISBN: 1-4188-3757-1).

    •    SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration (ISBN: 1-4283-2227-2).

    •    SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Security (ISBN: 1-4283-2223-X).

    •    Microsoft Official Academic Course (MOAC): Exchange Server 2007 Exam 70-236 (ISBN: 978-0-470-31227-8).

    •    Guide to Linux+ - 3rd Edition (ISBN: 978-1-418-83721-1).

    •    SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 Administration (ISBN: 978-1-111-54003-6).

I have also contributed to many other books written by other authors including:

    •    Advanced Guide to Linux Networking and Security (ISBN: 1-4188-3539-0) by Ed Sawicki - 2005

    •    70-290: MCSE Guide to Managing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment, Enhanced

                        (ISBN: 0-619-21752-9) by Brian McCann, Dan DiNicolo - 2005

   •    70-293: MCSE Guide to Planning a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network, Enhanced

                        (ISBN: 0-619-21754-5) by Brian McCann, Byron Wright - 2005

   •    Microsoft Official Academic Course (MOAC): Windows Vista Configuration (ISBN: 978-0-470-06958-5)

In addition to writing textbooks, I am an avid reader (of anything but textbooks).  However, I prefer to read on eBook devices, most notably the Amazon Kindle (which is the best eBook reader out there today for pure reading).  As a result, my personal Facebook page is www.facebook.com/kindleworm.  Another reason that I read on the Kindle is because I’ve spent a good portion of this past year researching the feasibility of using Kindle DX tablets instead of textbooks in our programs at the college (imagine carrying all of your textbooks on a pencil-thin tablet) - the picture below is from the kickoff of the pilot we launched for this in September (the students got the new black Kindle DXs which are even better than the one shown in this picture).

 

Parenting is one personal aspect that I do not see emphasized too often in biographies.  It requires skill, patience, and continuous learning.  You become a different person after you raise a child (in a good way). 

I am a happily divorced proud father of one.  I’ve pretty much raised my daughter since she was 5 years old on my own - and yes - I made school lunches, did lots of laundry, built backyard forts and cleaned the house after having a ton of kids over. 

My daughter is much older now as you can tell from the picture to the left, but  we still do lots of stuff together in what little free time we have - we swim, hike, canoe, camp, read, shop, watch movies and visit the Ontario Science Centre (to which we are contributing members). 

Right now, most of our time is used up by our new puppy - my daughter has wanted a puppy most of her life, but until she settled into high school and understood the responsibility of taking care of a pet, I always said no.  This year, I said yes, and we now have a nice big cute raging ball of fur and teeth that loves to steal socks and play fetch. 

The poster on the right was made by our Marketing Director as a surprise during a funny presentation at a past company meeting.  I honestly don’t think I look anything like Shrek - for example, does Shrek wear glasses?  I rest my case....

Yes, I play an instrument.  Actually, I play several.  My main instrument is the piano (for which I received an ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music when I was a teenager), but I also love to play the double bass (or Kontrabass), the violin, and the bagpipes.  The main difference between the double bass and the violin is that the double bass burns longer.   

When I was a teenager, I gave piano lessons to hundreds of students at George H. Jenner Piano Studios in Cambridge (I guess you could say it was “hands-on” training).  George was an amazing person - he was blind and only had two fingers on each hand, but he could make Liberace sound bad (ironically, George used to tune Liberace’s pianos when he performed in Canada).

In addition, I love to integrate my music with my computing.  I was a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) nut in the 1980s when I was growing up - I was always playing with MIDI sequencers and keyboards.  My first MIDI keyboard was a white Hohner PSK-75 and my first MIDI sequencer was a Brother MDI-30 (which stored songs on 3.5” floppy disks!).  Music technology has come a long way since then.  My daughter can do everything I did plus lots more using an M-Audio keyboard connected via USB to her Mac running Garageband.

My educational background is in science, and I enjoyed my university years tremendously (I wish I could re-live them forever).  Science started my passion for knowledge (most scientists are expert mathematicians, statisticians and computer programmers).  It has taught me how to think, question, and formulate concepts....a skill that I use daily and that will last for life.  One of my mentors who demonstrates a passion for science is Dr. Peter Chieh, who hired me as a TA for his nuclear chemistry course (and other work such as courseware editing and web development).  When I look back on my educational career, I realize that the casual academic chats that we had regularly in his office were instrumental in shaping my passion for science and computing.

I like to keep up with the latest developments in science & technology (the Internet makes this possible!) as well as visit science exhibits and presentations (usually held regularly at local universities).  In addition, my daughter and I are members of the Ontario Science Centre (a great place to expand your mind).

Like most who pursue scientific knowledge, I am an atheist.  Religion and science do not mix (although there are those who would disagree).   When I asked Peter (who reminds me of Richard Dawkins) how he dealt with the separation of religion and science, he told me of a long debate he had with a religious colleague of his surrounding the topic of religion and science.  At the end of the debate, they both disagreed on many levels but one - they both agreed that “religion serves a purpose.”  I do agree that religion can serve a useful purpose in society, but I also think that it is a dangerous meme that leads to war, strife, confusion, and the suppression of free thinking.  Basically, my religious views parallel those of the famous Richard Dawkins (read his books!) and the late great George Carlin - here is one of my favorite quotes from George Carlin on the subject of religion:

You know who I pray to? Joe Pesci. Joe Pesci. Two reasons; first of all, I think he's a good actor. Okay. To me, that counts. Second; he looks like a guy who can get things done. Joe Pesci doesn't fuck around. In fact, Joe Pesci came through on a couple of things that God was having trouble with. For years I asked God to do something about my noisy neighbor with the barking dog. Joe Pesci straightened that cock-sucker out with one visit.

I dialed Bulletin Board Systems (BBSes) as a kid to pirate software and information - I did phone phreaking, and I always used my computer in a storm just in case some awesome chick came to life as a result of lightning striking my computer (hey it worked in the movie “Weird Science”).  I made computer programs for fun (one of the earliest programs I remember writing counted by 1000 until it reached a Googol - the largest recorded number).  I was a Commodork.

And I sported an afro once as shown in the picture to the right.  You can’t tell in the picture, but I’m also wearing a binary watch and a sterling silver Apple Computer ring.

I am always reading geeky stuff like 2600, SysAdmin, MacTech, and LinuxJournal, and I frequent geek websites such as boingboing.net, thinkgeek.com and geekculture.com. 

Although most of my books have been on Linux and I largely teach Windows Server 2008, my preferred operating systems at home are Linux and UNIX.  My favorite Linux distributions are Fedora and Gentoo.  My favorite UNIX flavors are IRIX, Solaris, BSD, and Mac OS X.

For those who know how to interpret it, here is my geek code:

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GIT/CS/ED/M/S/TW d+ s:++:++ a C++++ ULBAVHISC++++ P++ L+++ E W+++ N++ o+ K++ w+++

O M++ V PS+++ PE++ Y++ PGP++ t+ 5+ X R* tv-- b+ DI+++ D+++ G+++ e++++ h r- y++*

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