Benjamin Kahn
119 Whites Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
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Profile
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Experienced computer programmer with
success in both the public and private sector.
Functional experience includes educational software,
multi-user 3D environments, groupware applications, and
database design.
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Objective
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To solve problems creatively through software. (Research and Development)
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Job Experience
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October 2000 - Present | Novell (was Ximian Inc.) (was Helix Code, Inc.)
(http://www.ximian.com)
- Positions held
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Lead Researcher for the desktop Product Design Team
Project Manager
Business Development
Head of Technical Support
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1995 - October 2000 | CyberSites, Inc.
(http://www.cybersites.com/)
- Positions held
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Head of Research and Development
Head Programmer -- web division
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- Joined the Open Source Jabber Instant Messaging Project
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Wrote PAM authentication module for Jabber.
Conceived and managed the creation of ODBC module for Jabber.
Extended the HTTP interface to Jabber to help make it a fully usable for web sites.
Wrote an Open Source PHP API to the HTTP interface.
Integrated Jabber into an existing web site to give instant messaging, chat, and presence which is compatible with all other Instant Messaging systems including AOL's.
- Instant Messaging system compatible with the IETF's IMPP working group's initial recommendation
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Designed, wrote, implemented rock solid stable, threaded, multi-platform, distributed instant message/chat system.
Wrote PHP APIs to this chat system.
Wrote RAGE APIs to this chat system.
Wrote Python APIs to this chat system.
Started downloadable client for this chat system.
Integrated chat/IM system into a developing web site which is being used today.
- Database work
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Using the Object Store database maintained a database modification server which allowed changes from a web site.
Discarded old database modification server and wrote my own which served as a database connectivity kit for the RAGE programming language.
Evaluated available databases and chose Informix based on features, availability, and ease of working with the company.
Helped port the object database schema to a relational schema for the Informix database.
Took the Apache web server and used that to create a new database connection kit for the RAGE programming language.
- The RAGE programming language
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Conceived, designed, implemented, and maintained a web programming language starting in the days before Perl's web CGI functions which was used for many years by CyberSites, Inc. to write such advanced web site features as: Automatic publishing system, BBS, Instant Messaging, Individual homepages, and Private Messages.
Started work on a complete reference and users guide for this language.
Trained people in the use of this development tool.
Coded many web applications in the RAGE language including a web page editor, templated web pages, global web site configuration changes, and a web game called S.P.Q.R.
Designed and coded a subset of RAGE called RAVE which can be found in a book titled Web Developer.Com Guide to Creating 3d Worlds.
Actively working toward getting RAGE Open Sourced.
- Development Support Work
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Helped design, and implemented company development system including CVS repository, Emacs based coding environment including custom code colorization routines written in eLISP, a bonsai code tracker, an LXR code cross reference tool, automatic code management and review system, and an advanced web based database query and discovery tool, and a code staging system which allowed for better testing.
Started work on integrating CVS and database schema management. (As changes are made to SQL files, they are compiled into the database automatically.)
Wrote CVS code management scripts which allowed CVS branching to working seamlessly and without trouble.
Maintained Linux workstations used to keep development working smoothly.
- S.P.Q.R. work
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S.P.Q.R. is an online game which was originally hosted at Time Warner's Pathfinder during it's heyday. This award winning web game eventually spawned a CD game of the same name published by GT Interactive.
Wrote the RAGE engine upon which all online chapters of this award winning game is based on.
Designed user interface for game redesign for online chapter 3.
Wrote online chapters 2 and 3.
- PHP work
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Extended PHP's Fast Template so that it supported Caching.
- Sysadmin work
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Managed UNIX web/ email/ ftp server (Linux, SGI Irix)
Managed Object Store Database
Monitored web site health
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1995 - 1996 | Globalearn
(http://www.globalearn.org/other/bsne.html)
- Was the main engineer, programmer, and HTML coder on the Black Sea
Nations Expedition. This included custom cgi's, protocol development,
and page design. (This archived site is different than it once appeared.)
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Mar - Nov 1995 | Gateway Coalition
(http://www.ece.sc.edu/gateway/)
- Managed the web pages for this multi-university organization.
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1995 - 1996 | Gateway Labs
(http://www.seas.columbia.edu/gateway/)
- Teaching Assistant (TA) for the Freshman class. (Web programming,
Presentation software, and 3D CAD modeling.)
- Lab Consultant. (Answering questions and helping people in the
lab.)
- Webmaster (Designing and publishing the web site dealing with the
Lab)
- Co-system-administrator Account Creation, Software Installation, system
maintenance
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Summers of 1994, 1995 | LEAP
(http://www.leap.yale.edu/)
- Summer 1994: Aid to the head of the computer center. (Teaching, buying
components, repair, network admin., and course design.)
- Summer 1995: Head of Technicals. (System Administrator for Linux box,
MACs, and IBMs. Web designer. Software consultant, T1, etc.)
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1990 - 1995 | AD2000
(http://www.ad2000.com/ad2000/)
- Assembly and Shipping (preparing holograms for world-wide shipment.)
- Computer Consultant/Programmer (Keep all company computers running
smoothly. Also, software advisement, and authoring for company use.)
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1989 - 1995 | The Eli Whitney Museum
(http://www.eliwhitney.org/)
- Head of Computer Exhibits (design and upkeep of computer related projects.)
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Consulting
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May 1997 - Present | CBS Radio
(http://www.cbsradio.com/)
- Custom job posting software for available jobs
- Semi-automatic authoring system
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Summer 1993 | Shawmut Bank
- Freelance Programmer (Wrote a program which would help the bank manage
their databases more efficiently.)
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1992 - 1994 | New Haven School System
- Wrote class scheduling software which assigned classes to students.
- Helped manage computer lab.
- Started the Lunchtime Computer Club.
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1992 - 1995 | Classroom Consulting
- Worked with teachers to integrate computers in the classroom. (see awards)
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Summer 1993 | Choate
- Wrote software used to teach geometry at this high school.
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Private Consulting
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1996 - Present | Columbia University Professors
- General system management tasks.
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Core Skills
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- Languages
- C, C++, LISP, Java, Python, PHP, Perl, BASIC, BASH, TCSH, RAGE, SQL
- Platforms
- UNIX, Linux
- Databases
- Informix, MySQL
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Open Source Work
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Jabber, RPM Explorer, Gnome, PHP Cached Fast Template, Mailcheck (no online source found)
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Honors/Awards
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Awarded because of work at CyberSites, Inc.
- Magellan 3-star site
- PC Magazine Top 100 Web Sites
- 1996 New Media Invision Award Finalist
- LightSpeed Media: Tomorrow's Site of the Day
School Awards
- Grant to use computers to help teach evolution and literature in a single
class.
- UNH Book Award.
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Education
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- College Education
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- High School
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High School in the Community, New Haven, CT
High Honors
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