Congratulations to Dusty Reynolds, 2015 Innovator of they Year, and the RaceNote Team!
RaceNote #Winning
Congratulations to RaceNote and "Technologist of the Year" Kevin Berry - we're lucky to work with such great people!
Optimizing Caching to Deliver Quality UX at Flickr
Our own John Troxel has co-authored a nice piece on some of his work at Flickr. If speed matters for your user experience (hint: it should), it is well worth the read.
Introducing Brian Nelson
Next up, meet developer Brian Nelson.
Brian and Kristin at a 2015 Family Reunion.
Hometown:
I grew up on the family farm outside of Westboro, MO. I now live in downtown Omaha, NE.
Peace and quiet on the Family Farm.
Family:
I have been married to Kristin (who treats me better than I deserve) for almost 2 years and we live with our cat Samee (who is the real boss of the condo).
My education in a nutshell:
I have a BS in Mathematics from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and an MS in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska.
My experience in a nutshell:
Out of college I started work at a large interactive telecommunications company moving from application development to systems integration and finally the systems development departments. I took some time off from the corporate world to join a startup in Austin, TX, but when that ultimately shut down I returned to Omaha. Since then I’ve created software for a diverse set of industries – manufacturing, banking, insurance and travel to name a few.
I’ve created software in all levels of the stack – from linux kernel drivers to web and mobile applications. My current focus is on Rails and Angular based web applications and native iOS and Android mobile applications.
A difficult work environment.
Accomplishment I'm most proud of:
One of my previous coworkers referred to me as the person that he had learned the most from in his career. When I think of the people that filled that role for me, I am just blown away by the compliment.
Favorite thing to do (Forefront Labs-related):
Pulling discrete pieces of technology together to provide a robust and comprehensive solution for our clients. Experiencing the satisfaction of all the pieces clicking into place as a project progresses is amazing.
Favorite team:
College football – Cornhuskers
NFL – Chiefs
MLB – Royals
If you visited me I would take you to:
The Drover – a great steakhouse here in Omaha, with a unique atmosphere.
Minnesota - A good day on the lake.
Philosophy:
For the past few months I have been trying to follow the philosophy of mindfulness - which is "the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment."
Hawaii, North Shore view from house.
In the next year, I'm looking forward to:
The new challenges that we’ll be able to solve for our clients and the contributions that we can make to the tech community as we go.
Introducing Ryan Cooper
We're kicking off the Forefront Labs blog by introducing you to the team. First up: Ryan Cooper.
Hometown:
I grew up in Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado. I currently live in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Family:
Patti and Ryan at a Broncos game.
I am lucky to be engaged to Patti Vannoy. We have one cat, Big Orange or “Biggie,” who may or may not control all aspects of the household. My parents, siblings, and the majority of my extended family live in Colorado.
My education in a nutshell:
I have an undergraduate degree in Business, with a minor in Biochemistry, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. I also have a J.D., with distinction, from the University of Nebraska College of Law.
My experience in a nutshell:
My professional experience ranges from managing golf facilities, to advising federal judges, to founding and growing tech companies. I love challenges and solving problems.
Favorite thing to do (Forefront Labs-related):
I love helping clients get to the heart of the problems they face and collaborating to provide a solution.
Favorite thing to do (downtime):
Travel and eat great food. Sometimes I get to golf too.
Favorite team:
Denver Broncos
If you visited me I would take you to:
A Husker football game, dinner at The Oven, and drinks at The Other Room.
Philosophy:
Surround yourself with people who are smarter, or better at something, than you.
Accomplishment I'm most proud of:
Yet to be determined.