A lot of the technical stuff I’ve written is floating around on the web, rather than being on this site:

• SSL: I wrote the origional Setting up your own SSL Certificate Authority for the BincIMAP wiki. It is basically a fat-free version of the SSL Certificate HOWTO from The Linux Documentation Project.

I’ve written quite a few pages for the CLUG Wiki, here are some:

• DVD: After a CLUG talk, I wrote a howto for Ripping DVDs with mencoder.
• DVD: Swaying to popular demand, I followed that with my view of the DVD compatibility nightmare.
• Sysadmin: My guide to using logcheck.
• Debian: Discovering make-kpkg was one of my more important Debian finds. My take on it’s use.
• Sysadmin: Dead hard disks getting you down? They have been getting me down ;-) The solution: smartmontools.
• Sysadmin: Forgotton how to talk text protocols? I forget IMAP every now and then, thus my page of text-protocol reminders.
• Internet: All those useful sites you forget about.
• Sysadmin: I’ve had it with floppy disks! BIOS flashing with CD-RWs.

No geek’s homepage would we complete without a list of his computers :-)

Vivaldi

Beethoven

Liszt

Mahler

Ixia

Schubert & Berlioz

Telemann

Salieri

N800

iRiver

The graveyard

The graveyard is where I dig around when a machine dies / is needed. It contains a couple of decent PIIIs, and a Pentium 200 that has stood the test of time - at the prime of its life it was host to a 1TiB disk array :-)

Should you want to do such a thing, here are some ways to do it. Email is the most reliable way to get me, although I might read it in a few days time. I regularly have a Pidgin open for Jabber.

Profile:

A self-taught Programmer and System Administrator, with BSc (Hons). Motivated, with first-class analytical, design and problem solving skills. Active in the FOSS community, and self-employed from the last two years of my schooling until present.

Details:

Education:

1991—2000: Michael Oak Waldorf Primary & High School.

2001—2003: Constantia Waldorf High School. Matriculated with Distinction: A in English HG, Mathematics HG, Physical Science HG, History HG, and Computer Studies HG.

2005—2007: BSc (Cape Town) Information Technology —- Computer Engineering —- Computer Science & Electrical Engineering. Awarded Dean’s Merit List (2006)

2008: BSc (Hons) (Cape Town) Information Technology. Class Medal.

Certifications:

LPIC-2 Linux Professional Institute Certified Level Two (January 2004 Level 1, March 2005 Level 2)

Professional Experience:

2002—Present: Hybrid Computer Solutions — Partner

I founded Hybrid Computer Solutions with two friends (one of whom has since dropped out). We take on small jobs, from Custom Computer Retail and Support through System Administration to Contract Programming. My expertise is with Linux System administration, and integration.

2004—Present: GetReel Digital Services (& Mustard London) — Network Administrator

I set up and maintain GetReel’s network and wrote web software for them. Most of he work was on contract for Mustard London. Work included the usual pile of servers as well as a Web-based showreel system, and lots of work with digital video.

2004—Present: Various Volunteer Activities

• I mantain the Linux Enthusiast Group’s FTP mirror and infrastructure at UCT.
• I helped the Shuttleworth Foundation out with installing donated computer networks in disadvantaged schools. (TuxLabs)

2004: Chimney Corners Summer Camp — Photography Instructor

For the (northern-hemisphere) summer, I worked at Chimney Corners camp teaching 8—14 year olds Black and White photography.

2004: Arup — IT Intern

I worked for several months in Arup on a variety of projects from desk side support to server maintainance to system configuration to documentation. I supervised the reconditioning of all machines that came past my desk.

Interests & Research:

Computer Related:

FOSS: I am a strong believer in Free / Open Source Software, and I maintain all my projects as FOSS, under GPL-Compatible licences.

I am the chairman of and system administrator for the Western Cape GNU/Linux User Group (CLUG), meeting weekly, and I have presented technical talks to the members. I co-maintain the CLUG servers and Freedom Toaster. The server is the South African mirror for many FOSS projcts including Debian and NetBSD.

South Africa offers many opportunities to use and spread FOSS —- I do my best to spread it.

Geek Community:

I’m involved in (and help organise) local “ Geek Community” events, such as GeekDinner, BarCamp, and *Camp.

Scalability:

My BSc(Hons) thesis involved creating a massively scalable monitoring system.

Other:

Outdoors: I am an ex-Scout, and enjoy hiking, mountain climbing, rock climbing and camping.

Photography:

Black & White 35mm, mainly.

Reading

References:

Available on request

Personal Preferences:

Qualifications:

• BSc IT (Computer Engineering: Computer Science + Electrical Engineering) Cape Town 2007
• BSc Hons in IT (1st class, class medal) Cape Town 2008
• Linux Professional Institute Level 2

Languages I’m experienced with:

• Bash: above average
• CSS: average
• C: average - used at university
• C++: average - used at university
• Java: used for several small projects, been taught it too many times
• Javascript: below average
• LaTeX: average - my preferred writing tool
• PHP: used for several small & medium projects
• Python: preferred, and used for several small & medium projects