Brad Bollenbach

Synopsis

Simplicity lights my fire. I enjoy building things that make people happy. I am user-focussed, test-driven, web-based, pragmatic, and have a zeal to ship.

I met my wife on a Twitter dating site. That I built. Needless to say, I'm a big fan of scratching your own itch.

I love travelling. I have a German passport but don't speak German. I'm fluent in French. I'm a voracious reader. I love OS X. From age 14 to 18, I focussed relentlessly on becoming the next Bobby Fischer. These days, I am fascinated by Go. I write the 30 sleeps blog. I feel most alive when I am building.

Experience

Self-Employed, Sydney, Australia January 2010 to Present
Ruby on Rails / JavaScript Developer

• Built the Ruby on Rails backend of a Flex-driven internet radio station, WMN.fm.
• Responsibilities evolved into creating a Rails-based CMS (starting with the typus gem, then customizing it) to upload new content, manage the station playlist, create artists, venues, events, etc.
• Taught myself the Nokia WRT API, and lead the development of the WMN mobile app for the Nokia N8 which, in combination with a contract from Adobe/Nokia, is a key point of funding for the project as a whole. Built much of the Rails API backend for this, and all of the jQuery/HTML/CSS front end.
• Also worked as a backend developer and integrator at Pushkart, an app that lets you translate your social media influence into deals on products and services from participating merchants. Implemented (and heavily RSpec'd) a multi-step wizard to allow merchants to create advertising campaigns and set rules on how users qualify for their deals.

Founder PlentyOfTweeps.com, Vancouver, British Columbia August 2009 to January 2010
UI Designer / Lead Developer

• Created a Twitter dating site to scratch a personal itch.
• Focus is on simplicity, usability, and leveraging the Twitter activity stream to provide an authentic window into someone's life.
• Took full responsibility for the design and implementation of the user experience (using HTML, CSS, and jQuery), and for writing a great deal of the underlying Rails code.
• Featured in various local press including the Georgia Straight, the Vancouver Courier and the Techvibes blog. Also caught the eye of Twitter Lead Developer Alex Payne and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.
• Recently mentioned on CNN and Mashable.

Self-Employed, Montreal, Quebec March 2007 to May 2009
Web Application Developer

• Worked with a team of developers in Europe and North America to implement a Ruby on Rails based CMS for the AT&T Williams F1 racing team.
• Became the sole maintainer (soul maintainer?) of PrayAbout.com, a Digg-like spiritual community also built with Ruby on Rails. Implemented payment processing using PayPal. Later designed an Ajax UI and functional prototype for the mobile phone billing option, a successful experiment which is now a live payment method in the site.
• Built the backend of Praize'n'raze, a Rails-driven Facebook application that combines Yellow-Page-style business listings with popularity rankings, social context, and location awareness to make it easy to find useful stuff near you. Wrote a Ruby library to speak to the Yellow Book REST API, which now plays a key role in monetizing US-based search results.
• Ongoing personal side project 30sleeps.com, a blog and web application whose goal is to give people the tools and inspiration to change their lives, using 30-day challenges as a vehicle for growth. Featured on the 37signals blog as an example of their agile development philosophy, Getting Real.
• Strong emphasis on agile development techniques including rigorous automated testing, rapid develop/deploy cycles, and continuous integration.

Canonical, Montreal, Quebec September 2004 to October 2006
Lead Developer

• Designed and developed Malone, the official bug tracker of the Ubuntu Linux distribution. Malone has the unique ability to share the same bug report across multiple Linux distributions and upstream projects. Implemented web, email, and XML-RPC interfaces.
• Participated in development sprints in Spain, South Africa, Brazil, Australia, Canada, the UK, France, and Lithuania. Activities included discussion of upcoming features, drafting, reviewing, and approving specifications, and presentations on Malone.
• Proactively addressed usability issues through frequent communication with the Ubuntu development team and collaboration with our UI specialist. Conducted user testing sessions using the think-aloud protocol.
• Technologies used included Python, sqlobject, Zope 3, and PostgreSQL.

Self-Employed, Montreal, Quebec March 2004 to September 2004
Web Application Developer

• Provided custom Plone-based solutions for clients in the US and Europe, including the National Postdoctoral Association, Columbia River PUD (intranet), and Enfold Systems.
• Implemented XSLT rendering support for the Silva CMS.
• Designed and developed an Opportunity Tracking and Management System (OTMS) written in Perl.
• Co-developed a week-long introductory Plone course with Plone guru and author Andy McKay.
• Delivered Plone training to a major US telecom and a medical research group in Quebec City.
• Wrote an introduction to Plone for O'Reilly's Python DevCenter.

XSOLI, Quebec City, Quebec March 2003 to March 2004
Web Application Developer

• Developed a credit card payment processing system for a Quebec-based web hosting company. Tools included Python, sqlobject, PostgreSQL, and Webware.
• Inherited a large Perl-based affiliate tracking system. Maintained close contact with a development team in India to smooth the transition.

Manitoba Department of Justice, Winnipeg, Manitoba October 2000 to June 2002
Systems Developer

• Co-designed and developed the Rota Court Scheduling System; the application used to schedule court activities such as trials, motions, and case conferences for the Court of Queen's Bench.
• Co-designed and maintained a 60-table, 300 stored procedure Sybase database for the Rota system with the aid of the Erwin database modelling tool.
• Participated in group-directed sessions to enhance the usability and functionality of the Rota system.
• Presented a demo of the pre-release Rota application to the Chief and Associate Chief Justices.

Maxim Software Systems, Winnipeg, Manitoba August 2000 to October 2000
Application Developer and Database Administrator

• Developed and provided maintenance for internal application used to manage customer data and produce sales reports.
• Provided maintenance for telemarketing software written in Visual Basic.
• Administrated a SQL Server database consisting of customer data and the results of telemarketer research.
• Contributed bugfixes to MaxiDENT Dental Management application.

Education

Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba

• Computer Analyst/Programmer (Diploma)
• Completed course work with A+ average (4.45 GPA)
• Graduated August, 2000
• Recipient of CIPS Award for Excellence in Academics, April 2000