Currently the hot world, but I am seeing a blurring of lines and convergence from the
other areas of my past. Traditional software applications, developed
in C, Pascal, or with tools like PowerBuilder or Galaxy are now
starting out as web applications. Not only is software finally
maturing on the web, but hardware vendors are recognizing the value of a
connected product. From TiVo's and Replay's digital VCR's to a refrigerator that
reports to the Maytag service center a lack of coolant,
or from consumer current electronic MP3 digital audio players to
PDA's, there is blurring line between the growth in on-line products
and the hardware producers. Just wait till your car. home and PDA's start
talking to each other (see Embedded Systems below...).
My experience with desktop and server software design dates back to my Master's Degree days
when, as an Industrial Engineering major, you are not given any credit for creating
software, but only for testing a hypothesis with human subjects. That usually means you
have to write a piece of software or build some hardware to test the hypothesis. At least
that is the path I took, along with many of my peers. This led to jobs with Apple, Virginia
Tech and then Bellcore.
I think this is my first love. Growing up with gizmos and gadgets
(yes, I still have my Lego's) I gained an appreciation for design.
Early on I thought that I wanted to design car's... Why is it my 1995 car,
after 100 years of car manufacturing,
doesn't have the window up and down buttons side by side
(i.e., the left button for the
left window and the right button for the right window?)
Who figured it would be better to place them one
behind the other in a "row"! Go figure. I then went on to wanting
to work on military and space systems with the input from my Rockwell
designer uncle (I still regret throwing out my Heat Shield tile from the
Space Shuttle - how could I!). I have built tanks,
fire control systems, a Formula One style race car, and a missile defense system (testbed).
All was very exciting work.Now, consumer net-products will take the center stage in the design wars. I can't wait till the Smart Home talks to the Smart Car, and tells you - when you get in the car in the morning a status report of your home (i.e., The kitchen lights are ok (OK, you say to yourself because your husband is home), the dishwasher is running, the temp. is set to 71 degrees and the VCR is set to record Ophrah - and you say to yourself, Oops I forget to start the laundry machine!). It is coming and I hope never to be on the sidelines.
Being in the multimedia field for many years has allowed me to do some interesting creative
work, like webcasting the WWW conference from France and doing a video-wall presentation with the astronauts
of Space Station. I have worked with digital video since around 1989 and love to give public presentations,
lectures, and demonstrations. Although not a visual designer
(and having a real love for those who are - Kevin Mullet, Darrel Sano, etc...), I
am still called on to do some visual design work. Thus, I sometimes wind up doing marketing
brochures and such. I do better leading the design effort and thus getting the most out of a design professional on the team.
Graphic and visual design (sans functional design) is fun work, but best left to the professionals. ;->
Of course, I love to talk about design and engineering. Never short with words in front of an audience, I have
found one of my talents is to translate the technical world for the non-technical. I guess
that I why I like to lecture, give training sessions and do design and architecture work for fun and profit!