Resume of Chris van Rensburg (a.k.a. Tom Kidding)
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Key Strengths

• excellent problem solver, with the uncanny ability to find workarounds to some of the most apparently insurmountable obstacles
• good communication skills, able to clearly communicate goals, requirements, problems, progress, etc.
• balanced disposition, able to both avoid and resolve conflict situations
• well-rounded, jack-of-all-trades and master of some. Experience in a variety of different tasks has given me a healthy respect and appreciation for the various strengths of different individuals making up teams.
• quick to learn and self-motivated, as evidenced by the many self-taught skills that I've acquired over the years, including painting, graphic design, music composition, digital audio production, etc.
• dry and wacky sense of humor, possessing also a particularly unhealthy obsession with The Simpsons

For a more in-depth discussion of my key strengths, consult my detailed resume at...

http://www.tomkidding.com/to/?detailed-resume-strengths

Skills

• Software Engineering & Systems Design
• Technical Documentation, Patent Writing, and Creative Writing
• Web Content & Interactive Media Development
• Graphic Design & Illustration
• Personnel Management & Project Management
• Music Composition, Digital Audio Production & Sound Design
• Training, Education, and Public Speaking

For a more in-depth discussion of my skill set, consult my detailed resume at...

http://www.tomkidding.com/to/?detailed-resume-skills

Programming & Markup Languages

• Programming Languages
  • JavaScript - 8+ years
    • AJAX - under 1 year
    • iframe-based RPC - 3+ years
    • JSON - 6+ years (since before the buzzword existed)
    • W3C DOM, DHTML - 6+ years
  • Perl & CGI, Mod Perl, Image Magick - 7+ years
  • Java (familiarity) - 2+ years
  • Pascal, Fortran, Forth, Basic (languages that got me started)
• Templating Languages
  • ASP (both VBScript & JScript) - under 1 year
  • Template Toolkit (with Perl) - 2+ years
• Markup Languages
  • HTML - 9+ years
  • WML, XHTML-MP, cHTML (compact HTML) - ~2 years
  • CSS1, CSS2 & CSSP - 5+ years
  • XML - 3+ years

Applications Experience

• Web Servers (and add-ons)
  • Apache
  • Twiki
• Database & Spreadsheet
  • MySQL
  • others - FileMaker Pro, Microsoft Excel, Borland Paradox
• Source Control
  • Perforce - 5+ years
  • Subversion (TortoiseSVN) - under 1 year
  • VSS (Visual Source Safe) - ~1 year
  • CVS (Concurrent Versions System) - ~1 year
• Other Tools
  • Bug Tracking: Bugzilla, trac
  • Project Management: Twiki w/ XP Tracking Plug-in
  • Utilities: Beyond Compare, TreeSize Professional
• Graphic Design & Illustration
  • Adobe Photoshop - 8+ years
  • SmartDraw (vector-based illustration & diagramming) - ~3 years
• HTML, Text Editors, and Internet
  • text editors - jEdit (Java-based), BBEdit, Dana
  • WYSIWYG HTML editors - Macromedia Dreamweaver, NetObjects Fusion
  • FTP - CuteFTP, Fetch, FileZilla
• Music & Audio
  • Cakewalk
  • Sonic Foundry SoundForge
  • Sonic Foundry CD Architect
  • Apple Sound Studio
  • Creative Labs Vienna (SoundFont editor)
• Utilities & Miscellaneous
  • MeetingMaker (scheduling software)
  • Shoreline VOIP client
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
• Platforms
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Mac OS X
  • Linux

Work History

• 2005-present: Zazzle - Leading development on the heavily object-oriented JavaScript framework for the DHTML-based client-side interface of Zazzle's product design tools, including UI implementation using DHTML / JavaScript / W3C DOM / iframe-based RPC and AJAX. Collaborating with a team on defining user experience and information architecture.

• 2002-2004: Pulse Entertainment - application architecture design (client-side), client application to server application interface design, JavaScript programming, UI design, UI implementation using DHTML / JavaScript / W3C DOM, JavaScript API design (Pulse Player abstraction layer), graphic design, server application layer development (Perl, MySQL)

• 1996-2001: Headspace, Inc / Beatnik, Inc. - API design, software design & programming, technical documentation, patent writing, marketing copy writing, graphic design, digital audio production, personnel management, training & public speaking, Web site maintenance, database design (using FileMaker)

• 1995-1996: Freelance Music Production - music composition, arranging, production, audio engineering, synthesizer and effects processor programming

• 1994-1995: SIGMA (Songwriters' International Guild and Musicians' Association) - database design and programming (using Paradox), forms design, poster and promotional flyer design, office administration

• 1993-1994: Private Project - developed an innovative software-based system for sound synthesis

• 1992-1993: Victoria & Alfred Waterfront - assisted with public relations and event coordination

• 1990-1992: Gibraltar Construction - design of suspended ceilings and skimmed cretestone ceilings, project planning and management, building materials management, construction team supervision

• 1989 Jan-Jul: Harry Goemans Nursery - sales, inventory control, plant propagation, plant maintenance (pruning, feeding, pest control), landscaping, staff supervision, greenhouse construction

• 1988 Aug-Oct: Pride Pools - pool layout design, landscape planning, artistic impressions (perspectives), structural schematics

• 1988 Jan-Dec: Ferndale Nursery - sales, inventory control, plant propagation, plant maintenance (pruning, feeding, pest control)

For a more in-depth discussion of my work history, consult my detailed resume at...

http://www.tomkidding.com/to/?detailed-resume-work

Education

• Cape Technikon - Horticulture Diploma (Soil Science, Entomology, Ecology, Landscaping, Botany, etc.)
• U.C.T. (University of Cape Town) - BSc Computer Science
• SACHS (South African College High School) - studied Computer Science as an extracurricular activity and won the school's Computer Studies prize for two consecutive years
• self-taught - the many other skills that I have developed over the years (such as music composition, painting, graphic art, etc.) are self-taught or learned in the industry

Online Portfolios

For extensive online portfolios of my work, consult my detailed resume at...

http://www.tomkidding.com/to/?detailed-resume-portfolios

References

References available upon request.

In the Media

Consult my detailed resume at...

http://www.tomkidding.com/to/?detailed-resume-media