code monkey • developer • designer
web • flash • mobile • iphone
Type: iPhone App
The Pick-Six app is an iPhone app that was developed for Love the Action, LLC. The is a promotional game app, that allows a business to setup a promotion, or “league” as we call it, over a certain period of time. The user will add these leagues to their account and then participate in each. Each day 6 games are downloaded to their league and they have to choose who wins or loses based on the pointspread. If they get all six games correct, they are entered into the contest to win the grand prize.
The App itself was written in Objective-C in Apple’s XCode. The app communicates through to a server through an API that was also developed. GET requests are made by the app while the API, created in PHP, passes back JSON strings, with the appropriate information.
Languages: Objective-C • JSON • PHP • MySQL
Type: iPad App
The SquarePool App is an app is another app that was developer for Love the Action, LLC. This app allows businesses to run SquarePool promotions on loaction. A SquarePool is a board made up of 100 squares. Once the board has filled up and is locked out, the numbers 0-9 appear in a random order, at the top and left of screen. These numbers represent the last digit of the score for the home and away team. If the score is 14-7, then follow the 4 and 7 for the appropriate teams and you’ll find your winner.
Users can follow using the Web App, Mobile App, or even on Facebook. Businesses can setup games within their establishment, in only a few minutes, and multiple iPad’s can be used to add Squares to the board at the same time.
The App itself was written in Objective-C in Apple’s XCode. The App communicates through to a server through an API that was also developed. GET requests are made by the app while the API, created in PHP, passes back JSON strings, with the appropriate information.
Languages: Objective-C • JSON • PHP • MySQL
Type: Mobile Site
This is a Mobile site built for Barstool Sports. The focus was on WebKit because it made up 90% of all mobile traffic that was hitting the site. Therefore, I focused on using HTML5 and CSS3 wherever possible. It still runs through the WordPress structure, but the URL flags it to use the mobile makeup rather than web makeup.
Because the content of the site is very image heavy, I focused on making the structure of incredibly light weight. I minimized the amount of images, and compacted all of the the CSS and Javascript into their own individual files.
Languages: HTML5 • CSS3 • Javascript • JQuery • WordPress
Type: WordPress Site
Although Barstool Sports is “simply” a WordPress site, it’s a large, high traffic, WordPress site. Barstool pulls in close to 50 Million page views a month, is load balanced over 10 servers, has an ad server, as well as, a database server. It utilizes a Varnish caching system, and a content delivery network. And everyday, we add more to it and it grows.
Along with the design and the front-end development of the site, I have created several custom plugins using PHP, that add a lot of unique functionality.
The main site is an aggregator for all of the other “city sites” that have been launched.
Barstool U is a site that is completely on it’s own and is also being pulled into the aggregated main site through the WordPress system.
Languages: PHP • MySQL • CSS • Javascript • JQuery • Wordpress • Multiple Custom Plugins
Type: Web App
Visual Tweets is a small web app that accesses the Twitter API and allows you to filter out tweets using a specific keyword. You have the ability to moderate the tweets that are displayed through the intuitive user interface, and you can display them in full screen on a TV, computer, or by using a projector.
Visual Tweets was the result of a challenge I posed for myself one weekend, when my girlfriend was sick, and I was stuck in the house taking care of her. The challenge was to see if I could actually build this app by Monday morning. I forbid myself from using flash, and instead focused on utilizing JQuery and CSS3.
Languages: PHP • MySQL • CSS • Javascript • JQuery • Twitter API
Type: Web App
Love the Action is a web app that allows users to setup different types of pools and promotions. The basic user can win prizes, and set up their own pools to raise money for fundraisers and charities. That’s right dads, no more selling gift wrap at Christmas. It also allows businesses to promote products and gain exposure, in a fun and entertaining way, based around sports.
Love the Action is one of my personal sites…my playground…my everything. This is a full custom application utilizing a Framework that I developed. It is hosted in the Amazon Cloud, and is under full source control, has it’s own API that multiple iPhone, iPad, and Facebook Apps utilize.
It’s huge, it’s fun, and I love it.
Languages: PHP • MySQL • HTML5 • CSS3 • Javascript • JQuery • SVN • AWS • JSON • Custom
For years I have said I breathe, eat, drink, and dream in code. I like to talk about design, development, mobile, servers, technology, and social media. I believe in sharing this knowledge by identifying the opportunities that the internet can provide for any type of business, whether it be large or small.
Barstool Sports (www.barstoolsports.com): I have successfully tackled architecting the server environment, design, and development of large scale sites with excess of over 50 Million page hits a month.
With over 10 years of self taught development experience and a Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, my goal is to create a enhanced user experience through simplicity and useability, while maintaining a visual uniqueness that stands out.
Technology is meant to improve efficiency by making things less repetitive. While I support open standards, tools and services that simplify processes and automate tasks, I am not afraid to come up with custom solutions that fit the needs of what I am working on.
With mobile phone sales surpassing computer sales this year, and growing at an exponential rate, the mobile web market is no longer a luxury but a necessity. I aim to create an even better user experience while developing fast, enriching, mobile applications for users on all mobile platforms.
With the introduction of the App Store and my never ending need to learn new languages, I took it upon myself to begin developing Apps for the iPhone and iPad, that worked seamlessly, with the Web applications I had developed up to that point. Now, with several under my belt, I can easily say that I have seamlessly integrate native mobile apps experience with the complexities of the web.
I came out of Endicott College in 2001 holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communications. After graduation, I quickly began pounding the pavement of Boston and its suburbs for a graphic design job opportunity. However, due to the abundance of unemployed designers with years of experience that had fallen victim to the Web 1.0 bubble burst and the plethora of eager graduates also out searching, I settled for a sales position at one of Apple’s retail stores to pay the bills as life in the “real world” began.
While quickly learning everything I could about Apple, I began teaching myself back-end web development and database management. This led to front end design and dynamic web based applications. Language after language was added to my arsenal and my skills became vast. My portfolio includes a number of websites, blogs, shopping carts, small social networks, Facebook applications, and computer based training programs, mobile apps, and native iPhone and iPad Apps.
I became a key cog at D&D Marketing several years back when asked to work on a couple of different sites for their clients. Since day one, the partners of D&D and I have worked hand in hand on many successful projects and have started a company together, LTA Software Partners.
Currently, I live, breathe, and dream writing code and consider myself lucky to work in a field that is truly more like a hobby. When I finally pull myself out of my desk chair, I usually fall into a bar stool somewhere in DC, enjoying a pint, watching the game, and hopefully caught up in a good conversation which will lead to that next big project or idea.
So, after I got my EC2 instance first setup, I wanted to know how the heck to manage the Wordpress theme I have on it. As a developer, the only real way I knew of getting files onto a web server is by using FTP or SFTP. Up to this point, I was using the .pem file to get connected and manage my server, so [...]
Ready to talk? Email’s the best way to get a hold of me and I’d love to talk to you! Just fill out my fancy form and I’ll email you as soon as possible.
me[at]designmenace[dot]com
703.879.1929
@sublet
http://about.me/sublet
