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benjaminquirk.com

I am a senior level developer specializing in C# and the .NET framework. I'm well versed in common programming languages tailored to web and software development.

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ABOUT

I've been writing code for over 15 years and strive to develop cutting edge interactive applications that help people accomplish their tasks and goals more effectively.

I was homeschooled for most of my high school years, so this provided me the time to develop a passion for coding.

My interest was sparked in the early web days when a <marquee> and a guest book were still cool to have.

Since then I continued to develop and expand my skills in many ways, progressing from client side coding, to server side coding, then to application and network programming.

I decided to attend college and pursue software development and earned a degree majoring in Software Applications Programming. I learned core concepts of data optimization and the science behind computer processing and can apply these techniques to the web, mobile, and desktop environments.


SPECIALTIES

My specialties are a subset of all of my skills. They are what I most excel at, what I strive to do and have been honing for years. My speciaties can be broken into two main categories; back end and front end. Below are my most commonly used skills and how frequently they're needed.

Back End

ASP.NET / C# / .NET Framework
Development in PHP / LAMP environments
Develop / maintain custom toolkits
Building consumable Web Services
Custom Content Management Systems
API and SDK Integration

Front End

Responsive HTML/CSS coding
HTML5 / CSS3
Integrate web services using JavaScript
Implement and create JavaScript frameworks and extensions
JSON / XML Data Structures
Fluent with Adobe Creative Suite

PROGRAMMING STYLE

I view programming as an artform and form of expression and strive to write the best code for every situation. I strive to make my code as robust and reusable as possible, while regularly optimizing and improving the look, feel, usability, and performance. My sites don't get hacked because I've refined my code over the years and have deployed it to portable libraries which act as a base for future projects, giving them the added security they need.

I have experience in developing on both linux and windows environments, managing web sites on shared hosts and dedicated servers. I manage my own server farm containing many websites on both windows and linux platforms.

I also have experience building applications in non-web environments using .NET and Java to build utilities that do various things from file manipulation, network communication between a client and server, and have begun to dabble in iOS and Android native app development.


SKILLS

Here are my skills and the things I'm best at.

OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING

OOP is one of the most important concepts in programming large scale applications. It is essential in almost all languages and provides much more robust, readable code. I use this concept in all languages I use which helps to enforce business rules and ensure the application runs as efficiently as possible.

DATA STORAGE

With large applications comes a lot of data. As the application grows, so does the data, which requires the codebase to be efficient in handling this data. When designing databases I use the normalization process to reduce the amount of redundancy as much as possible. When done right, this can make or break your application, making it extremely fast and responsive.

BACK END DEVELOPMENT

Back end development is a broad term that encompases server side programming and performs functionality behind the scenes that is not directly seen by the user. This can include transmitting data between servers, storing data in the database and/or file system, and performing other server related tasks.

ADAPTING TO NEW TECHNOLOGY

The technology word is ever changing and evolving faster each year. It is important to keep up with these changes in order to stay ahead of the competition and provide cutting edge features. I've witnessed the web evolve from plain HTML to HTML5 and because I remain current with the new technology as it is released, I am able to be part of the first to implement it into the web.

SERVER SETUP AND CONFIGURATION

A crucial part of building large scale web applications is ensuring they can run in the hosting environment available to the application. Because of this, I am well versed in creating and configuring both Windows and Linux environments to fully run web sites. This includes installing software and configuring the different parts of the server including the firewall, web server, database server, FTP server, mail server, DNS, and configuring the needed virtual hosts and security layers.

FRONT END DEVELOPMENT

Front end development encompases the visual aspects of a web application including the layout and user interface.


The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

PORTFOLIO

A handful of my recent work.

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THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS

Project Overview

This was my second time building the front end for the website. It is fully responsive while maintaining their existing database and existing homebrew CMS. Original codebase was in Visual Basic and required C# so the framework was developed from the ground up while not interfering with their existing intranet systems.
C#, .NET4, SQL, Google APIs, Responsive

Key Highlights:

Fully responsive HTML viewable from mobile to desktop. Videos are served using HTML5 video technologies when available, but have support for older browsers

The database was very un-organized, so performance was a great concern. Since I was unable to optimize the database I developed a caching mechanism unique to the site to cache the most commonly retrieved data.

Developed a custom eMagazine module that allowed an administrator to upload a PDF document, and create high resultion images from it's pages and add an entry to the website for interactive viewing.

Built an area where grantees can register, then post information and articles with commenting ability and custom "follow" email registration lists

Integrated Google API's to enable video uploads to be added to the public youtube channel when uploaded via the front end or the Content Management System

Developed custom JavaScript elements throughout the site rather than use plugins

Homepage
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DORIS DUKE'S SHANGRI LA

Project Overview:

Shangri La was the second site I developed for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Their family of websites are managed using the EPiServer CMS platform, and required an upgrade to the latest version. There were many complex areas of the website that are being served from different servers in different parts of the country, so it was a challenge to pull it all together.
C#, .NET4, SQL, EPiServer CMS, JSON

Key Highlights:

Developed a custom JavaScript slider which serves custom animations between full screen slide types and single square slides

Developed a custom JavaScript timeline which serves the CMS content in a linear fashion

Integrated eMuseum database which existed in a TomCat server using JSON to display museum items, images, and media

Built custom JavaScript search and filtering mechanism to filter results

Created view switching mechanism in list view to toggle between three different views each showing different levels of data

Homepage Timeline Islamic Art Collection
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ExCELLE

Project Overview

The Exceptional Coaching for Early Language and Literacy – enhanced (ExCELL-e) program is a tool designed to help teachers better teach their students by taking interactive teaching modules and then interacting with assessments and peer interaction.
C#, .NET4, SQL, JSON, Web Services, Responsive

Key Highlights

I developed every line of code in the family of applications and was able to develop a centralized framework that is shared between all websites running on the server.

Developed a Content Management System based on the needs of the site. This included a user administration system with 5 different levels of permissions. With admin rights you are able to create or modify almost any area of the site, including the modules, quizzes, and other content.

The front end is tailored to two different user types; Coaches and Teachers depending on who is logged in.

The site contains many interactive elements allowing users to send messages with videos demonstrating the techniques in their training.

The module area of the site displays videos, and interactive quizzes at the end of each section.

As they progress, disucssion forums are unlocked allowing the users to discuss the section they were using.

Progress Monitoring Tool

Developed a tablet web application linked to the ExCELLe site and userbase allowing teachers to log in and give assessments.

Teachers can create classrooms, create students, assign students to classrooms, and create assessments

Once assessments are built, they can be given to students

Utilized JSON and tablet local storage to create a cache so teachers can give assessments offline. When the tablet recognizes internet is available, the data is seamlessly streamed to the server

Various reporting areas and filters to show results of assessments

Homepage
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ROSCOE'S RECYCLE ROOM

Project Overview:

Roscoe was created to educate kids on the importance and benefit of recycling all types of materials.
C#, .NET4, JavaScript, Flash, Web Services

Key Highlights:

Developed custom Content Management System which manages all aspects of the website including content, SEO, games, and member registration

Built registration and login forms to allow users to join the site and track their scores

Participated in flash game development

Created API for flash games to communicate with the site database to track scores for each user

Developed leaderboard and award system for reaching certain milestones in each game. These awards can be changed in the CMS at any time for easy updating

Created a user submission area encouraging kids to submit their recycling stories

Homepage
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PNC IDEAS

Project Overview

PNC Ideas is a site that serves videos and webinars along with other documents on various international financial topics.
VB, .NET2, JavaScript

Key Features

A business requirement was for the client to update the website regularly, however due to another business requirement we were forced to deliver static files without any server interaction. I built the site using .NET and SQL Server, and created a script in the CMS that performs a screen scrape on all the pages in the database. The program then converted links into static links, built HTML files of all the pages, compiled a change log of files that changed since the last update, and compiled the changes into a zip file that automatically downloads.

Homepage
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PITTSBURGH ZOMBIE OUTBREAK

Project Overview

This site was designed as an information and ticketing hub for a halloween paintball attraction. It allows customers to reserve and purchase tickets from the site.
C#, .NET4, SQL, JavaScript, Web Services, Responsive, Payment Gateway, SSL

Key Features

Customers were able to view available dates and times and purchase tickets in advance

Tickets were generated with QR codes for quick check in times

Seamlessly integrated payment gateway so customers could pay using credit card or their paypal account

Created back end reporting system used on site for ticketing check ins

Built mobile web application to scan the tickets and admit entry to the attraction

Developed back end reservation system for on site walk in reservations

Setup and configured all aspects of server and hosting including SSL, DNS, and email communication

Homepage

FAVORITE THINGS

I don't just sit on a computer and write code, although it may seem like it.

CAR TUNING
DRUMS
BASS GUITAR
WILDLIFE
ESPRESSO
CATS
MOTORCYCLES
GAMING
BMX RIDING
PROGRAMMING

CONTACT

Get in touch with me