Author

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Shell Scripting Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach

Apress, 2005

448 pages

A collection of more than 200 POSIX-compliant shell scripts and functions covering everything from date manipulation to POP3 mail filtering and retrieval.

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Pro Bash Programming: Scripting the GNU/Linux Shell

Apress, 2009

My second book is a programming course using the bash shell as the programming language. It begins with the traditional first program, "Hello, World!", and progresses to complex scripting such as screen painting and function and cursor key entry.

Chess and teaching résumé

Rating
  • Chess Federation of Canada: 1994 (high of 2033)

Tournament Experience
  • 1972 to present, many CFC-rated tournaments (Canadian Open, Toronto Open, Ontario Open, Toronto International, etc.)
  • 1966 to 1975, City championships, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (winner 1974)
  • 1966, British Columbia high school championships (one of two representing my school)
  • 1961 to 1962, Interschool team tournaments

Chess Teaching
  • 1997 to present, Private tutoring, adults and children
  • 2001 to 2003, Instructor, USA Chess Inc.'s Chess Camps
  • 1995 to 1999, Classroom teaching in schools, Grades 1 to 8
  • 1972 to 1976, Private adult tutoring
  • 1972, Adult evening course at Cambrian College, Sudbury
  • 1962 to 1966, Frequently acted as tutor in school clubs

Other Teaching
  • 1996 to present, User support and training, Toronto Free-Net, including help desk by phone and e-mail
  • 1990 to present, Software and Operating System training consultant
  • 1988 to 1990, Etobicoke Board of Education night school: (3 to 6 classes a week) Intro. to Computers, Intro. to MS-DOS, Advanced MS-DOS, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and BASIC programming

Crossword construction

1997 to present: The Toronto Sun
Compose weekly cryptic crossword for the Saturday paper.
1989 to present: Good Times
Compose cryptic crossword 11 times a year for magazine. Since 1990, I have been setting a regular crossword as well as a cryptic, both using the same grid, but with different answers.
1979 to 1993: University of Toronto Graduate.
Composed cryptic crossword 5 times a year for the alumni magazine.
1979 to 1981: Grad Post, University of Toronto
Composed cryptic crossword every 2 weeks for the graduate students' newspaper.
1980: Games and its subsidiary Four Star Puzzler
Composed a cryptic crossword for each of the 2 publications. The Games magazine puzzle was reprinted in Games Magazine's World of Cryptic Crosswords in 1992.
1986 to 1992: The Financial Post Moneywise Magazine
Composed monthly cryptic crossword.
1990 to 1991: TVOntario Signal.
Composed monthly cryptic crossword for the program guide, featuring material related to TVOntario's programming.

Computers

1997 to present: Toronto Free-Net Inc.,
Volunteer, variously as co-chair of the Information Resources Committee, Volunteer Co-Ordinator, Executive Director. Have written many administrative and user programs, including menu system for telnet/ssh users, and a new registration system and user database.
1988 to present: Computer consultant/programmer.
Software support, troubleshooting and programming for various systems, including MS-DOS, Windows, Amiga, UNIX (System V, SunOS, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Linux). Currently, I only work with Unix systems.
1990 to 1998: System Administrator, Children's Aid Society Foundation. (1 to 2 days per week)
Ensure smooth running of UNIX System V, R3.2 with up to 12 users; install software; diagnose and solve problems; training; wrote grants management database system, many shell scripts
1991 to 1995: Contract programmer, Molson Breweries (3 days/week)
Writing applications and macros for personnel department in Lotus 1-2-3, Excel 4.0 and 5.0, WordPerfect 5.1 and Microsoft Word. Major applications included organizational chart generator; succession planning chart generator; salary planning and bonus analysis
1986 to 1990: Computer teacher, Etobicoke Board of Education (3 to 6 classes/week)
Taught adult night school courses: Intro. to Computers, Intro. to MS-DOS, Advanced MS-DOS, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and BASIC programming
1984 to 1986: TPUG Magazine
Wrote articles related to Commodore computers (64, Vic-20, PET, Amiga), including programs, tutorials and software reviews. Wrote software to enable transmission of magazine to typesetter by modem with minimal intervention required by typesetter.
1977 to 1988: University of Toronto Bulletin (staff newspaper) and Alumni Magazine
Supervised computerization of typesetting equipment, writers, and integration of the two systems. (In conjunction with my position as graphic artist in charge of production of the 2 publications)