A little about me...


FAQ




Who are you and what is this site?

MiguelMorenoMy name is Miguel Moreno and am the author of this web site. This site is my personal site where I will post anything I see that may be of interest to anyone.

Most of the times it will be related to Web & Software development, other times I will post about anything that I think is worth sharing with anyone interested.

I am also posting a variety of experiments. These come from chaleneges that I have eventually overcome and find worth sharing, or simply curious combinations of technologies that I have not found anywhere else.


FAQ




Why are you doing this?

It started out with the need of having a site to display some work I had done, while looking for a job. Then I added the blog as a way of sharing interesting links, news and information and it has grown out of control into what you are currently looking at.

Besides that, it is not a bad idea having an online portfolio when you work in software development (or any other industry in my opinion). I think it shows your potential client or employer your skills, quality of your work and overall initiative.


FAQ




What are your skills?

Knowledge I am a Microsoft.NET software developer with a somewhat functional right brain. That means a programmer at heart with a rare blend of creative capabilities, enabling me to write software and also make it user friendly, attractive and intuitive to the end user.

My experience includes .NET Web and Windows applications, business applications and enterprise systems integrations, API programming, rapid prototyping, consequent development, and am quite comfortable with graphics and corresponding tools.

I am currently working with software products that automate business processes, manage documents electronically and provide efficient information delivery. Of course, these enterprise solutions have to, 99% of the time, be integrated with existing technologies and solutions: that is what I do.

In regards to other, more social, skills: I am friendly and an excellent team player. In fact, I do not enjoy working without being part of a team with a common goal. In a team, you share your knowledge and learn from other team members; it is what makes a team and the product it produces successful. It makes a project fun... If you are not having fun, that means you are actually working... and that, I prefer not to do. People see me "working" all the time and ask me why I do it....the simple answer is because I am passionate about it. I enjoy the challenge and satisfaction of the discovery of the solution.

At all my previous jobs I have ever had, I have left friends behind, not former colleages, and with many of those friends I am still regularly in touch with, to share knowledge or simply see how they are doing.

I am not going to post my resume here, but here are another few keypoints: I am in always exploring new technologies; if there is something new out, I want to know how it works. I also give a lot of importance to the presentation and looks of anything; whether it is a product, a manual or the code itself...it has to be tidy, organized, clean and presentable to make a good impression; it is half the battle. I am not particularily obsessed about this, but will spend a good amount of time and effort to make sure it looks and works as good as it can be.


FAQ




What made you get into software development?

Commodore64 The year was 1982 when on a cold, Dutch winter (I was living in Holland at the time) day my parents surprised me with my first computer and at age 11, I was the proud owner of a Commodore 64 with a tape drive, a floppy drive (the size of a shoe box) and a color monitor. Wooohoooo! Did I mention it was a COLOR monitor? Yes, I was probably the coolest kid on the block those days. Since then, others followed: I subsequently owned a 286, 386, 486 dx2, etc.

I went to college and studied a few years Computer Science but at 19 years old, there were too many girls to look at and too many parties to attend to and eventually (and inevitably) dropped out.

I knew my parents were not going to be happy about this, so I decided to enter the Merchant Marine Academy and please my father, following his carreer. This is a military academy, so I was straightened out by my superiors and graduated with honours. I then ended up at sea for 5 years, travelling around the world several times.

My passion for computer science remained. I would write onboard maintenance planning applications in Access, write programs in Visual Basic and anything else I could get my hands on.

After a few years at sea, I decided to trade my compass and sextant for a keyboard and a mouse. I got married, moved ashore and have since then been involved in anything from designing simple web sites, teaching software to developing complex, multi-tier, web applications and desktop software.

I am considering finishing my CS career and enroll this fall.


FAQ




Where you are from?

EuropeNow, that is a bit complicated. My mother is from Venezuela, father is from Spain (Barcelona) and they have travelled most of their lives. I was born in South America, but as the son of a spanjard, I am also citizen of Spain.

However, at just a couple of years of age, my parents moved to Holland and I spent over a decade of my life in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. We subsequently moved to genova, Italy and Rio de janeiro, Brazil where we spend another few years. (yep, I hold three passports).

Add to that, 5 years at sea and about 9 in the US and you will realize that I am really a citizen without a country.

When asked, I usually say I am from Spain (spain) to keep it short and simple. And although I have never technically lived in Spain, I feel far more identified with the European (EU) culture than with any other culture, having lived there pretty much my entire childhood and over half of my life.

I think it is just a matter of time, before i find myself moving there again...


FAQ




Can you work in the US?

Yes. I am an US Citizen and can therefore work in the US for any employer.


FAQ




What do you do in your free time?

What kind of question is that? What every other nerd does, of course..... write computer code or update my web site.


FAQ




Are you currently working?

I am currently working for Captaris (NASDAQ:CAPA). Captaris, Inc. is a provider of computer products that automate document-centric business processes. Its solutions provide interoperability between documents and business applications and technology platforms. The Company develops products and services for document capture, intelligent document recognition and classification, routing, workflow, document management and document delivery.

Its product line-up includes the brand names RightFax, FaxPress, Captaris Workflow, Alchemy, Single Click Entry, DOKuStar and RecoStar.


FAQ




Are you currently available then?

I am currently available for smaller .NET software consulting opportunities, such as:

  • Personal web sites
  • Company web sites
  • Custom code development


FAQ




What about Flash development then?

Flash MX No, thank you. Sorry, it has been more than 6 years since I touched anything that was Flash related and don't see myself going back there.

I proudly started with Macromedia Flash 3 and ended with Flash MX 2004. After many projects and loyally and singlehandedly running the only South Florida Macromedia User Group for several years, I lost my interest...

...especially since soon afterwards, Macromedia was acquired by Adobe. That was it for me...


FAQ




Do you speak other languages?

Languages Yes, I speak 4 languages. I am fully fluent in English, Spanish, Dutch and Italian.

In addition, growing up in Europe you can't help but become familiar with other languages. Besides, it is mandatory in school... just another great feature we have in Europe. ;)

However, I can certainly find my way around in German, Portuguese and French.


FAQ




I'd like to contact you; what is your email?

You can reach me at: me[at]miguelmoreno[dot]net