John B P Melesky
Contact
1530 W Superior, Apt 3R
Chicago, Il 60622
773-398-3479
email contact
 
Synopsis
Skilled, experienced Developer looking for new problems, challenges, and environments
 
Experience
Principal. Independent Consultant, March 2007-present.
Full life-cycle project development, both solo and with existing teams.
  • Work in machine learning, including
    • textual analysis
    • statistical natural language processing
    • automated document classification
  • Work in rapid web application development, including
  • Work in consultation for software architecture
  • Work in consultation for development management
  • Professional instruction in Perl, Javascript
Skills include: Ruby, Python, Perl, Javascript, Haskell, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Bayesian classifiers, support vector machines, UML, Django, Rails

Technology Manager. LiveText, April 2006-March 2007.
Responsible for taking a long-time startup-mode company into a more operational and sustainable routine.
  • Successfully scoped and delivered two major releases.
  • Created estimation and project status standards.
  • Provided technology leadership towards both the department and the company as a whole.
  • Built a new technology team.
Skills include: Team building, small team management, department advocacy. Technical skills include: Perl, mod_perl, MySQL.

Software Architect. Performics/DoubleClick, July 2004-February 2006.
Responsible for expansion, stability and scalability of a large (approaching 500k lines), web-based application.
  • Reimplemented, from database to front-end, entire reporting infrastructure to deal with increased usage and expectations of usability. Performance rivaled that of our custom-built data warehouse.
  • Created four-year development plan to align product scale with business expectations of growth.
  • Coordinated software design among separate development groups to reduce or eliminate conflicting work, and to ensure design consistency across the greater application.
Skills include: Perl, Java, UML, MySQL, DB2, many others.

Senior Perl Developer. Performics, Inc., August 2000-July 2004.
Responsible for maintenance and expansion of a large, web-based application.
  • Designed and implemented multi-tiered, multi-parent inheritance schemes.
  • Designed and implemented frameworks for online and offline processing, and the tools to keep them in synch.
  • Designed frameworks for complex fee agreement structures, per extensive interviews with accounting and account management.
  • Single-handedly maintained legacy application during protracted rewrite period.
Skills include: Perl, Apache, Java, UML, MySQL, DB2.

Lead Developer. Smallflower.com, October 1999-August 2000.
One-man tech department at a small internet startup.
  • Rewrote all site functions in two calendar weeks in order to prepare site for post-Thanksgiving rush.
  • Implemented substantial internal applications to aid in customer service, order fulfillment, etc.
  • Responsible for ongoing site maintenance, including security and scalability issues.
  • Ensured application would remain viable for years after my departure. It was finally rewritten in late 2006.
Skills include: Perl, Apache, PostgreSQL, Linux.

Lead Developer, Search & Directory Group. Tripod/Lycos, August 1998-September 1999.
Responsible for design, implementation, and maintenance of member directory and classification tools.
  • Furthered integration of member search with Lycos search tools.
  • Designed and implemented new "associative" directory system.
  • Built tools for taxonomists to manipulate categorizations of member sites.
Skills include: Perl, Java, C, Javascript, Informix.

Research and Development Intern. Tripod/Lycos, April-August 1998.
  • Designed and implemented several data-gathering web spiders for the purpose of determining abstract makeup of Tripod member pages.
  • Creation of several tools to be used for site evaluation and maintenance.
Skills include: Perl, Informix.

Programmer. Policy Analysis, Inc., September 1996-August 1997.
  • Designed and implemented interactive models of financial and quality-of-life simulations, for use by pharmaceuticals companies in external presentations.
  • Created framework for generating further interactive models with minimal programmer involvement.
Skills include: Visual Basic.

Research Assistant. Williams College, June-August 1995.
  • Programmed data filters and conversion programs to prepare datapod files for entry into an Oracle database.
Skills include: Perl, awk, Oracle.

 
Education
Williams College, Williamstown, Ma. 1994-1998.
Candidate for B.A. in Computer Science. Relevant course work includes Data Structures and Advanced Programming, Computer Architecture, Operating Systems.
 
Programming Skills
Languages include
Rapid-development:
Perl, Python, Ruby, Visual Basic, Cold Fusion
Compiled:
C family (C, C++, Objective C, C#), Java, Pascal
Small or Esoteric:
Javascript, Assembler (680x0, x86, 6502), Scheme, Haskell, OCaml
Platforms include: FreeBSD, Linux, Solaris, and other Unix flavors, MacOS (X and prior), Windows 9x, NT, 2000
Other experience includes: UML, Apache, lighttpd, Samba, PostgreSQL, SSL, mod_perl, fastcgi, SCGO, HTML::Mason, Myghty, Django, Rails, DB2, Informix, Oracle, MySQL, Qmail, many others