AlexBLEASDALE Work

I used the world leading MarkLogic XML Server v4.1 to create a prototype for a fully functional ticket/issue system, allowing for multiple users and projects.

The project was built using XQuery and the Eclipse XQDT Tools Plugin and was completed over a period of 3 days.

It demonstrates several of the features of MarkLogic including user and role management, document search and XML document workflows. It also uses XSLTForms for ticket creation.

Additionally, jQuery was used to enhance usability in certain key areas: table sorting and pagination, tooltips and search term highlighting.

For this project, I used git and the Eclipse eGit plugin to manage my code changes.

I am not an iPhone owner, nor am I a (paying) member of Apple's Developer Community, so this application can only be demonstrated in Apple's emulator.

I set myself a challenge over three days to build an Objective-C iPhone application and learn something about both the iPhone's SDK and XCode.

The Application is a fully functional Flickr RSS Viewer; based on two lists of given "tags", it makes an outgoing request to a flickr most interesting RSS Feed randomly choosing one tag from each list to "GET" XML for 10 images. It parses the XML response and loads a 'carousel' of 10 images, displaying both image and title in a semi-transparent overlay. Before the tenth image is displayed, it makes a request for the next 10, using another two tags (at random) from a given list. The application adjusts the view depending on the phone's orientation (portrait / landscape) and uses animation to fade the transitions between each image.

I've used the popular Wordpress CMS for several small sites and in different ways depending on requirements.

I made several feature updates to the OLSON brandlab website, including a theme refresh and the addition of a Calendar view and Twitter integration.

I built Asset Pharma UK using Wordpress to enable the easy management of page content and new job specs as and when they arrive.

I worked closely with Kevin Wideman for WidemanTV and in addition to jQuery for the site "feel", some custom PHP code to enable him to easily update his portfolio, we used Wordpress to power his News section on the left-hand side of the site.

I worked on some small development projects for Country Inns and Suites.

This particular project also used Java extensively and was for a multilingual form (English and French), jQuery based form validation and server based form validation and an administrative section offering various campaign statistics.

This content is likely to go offline when the promotion closes in 2010

I worked closely with a small team working on a complete redesign/relaunch of the OLSON website.

Tasks involved extensive Java development designing the site CMS, writing all back-end web services and a significant amount of JSF code for the view layer. I was also involved with continual development and maintenance on this site.

I worked closely with a small team working on a complete redesign/relaunch of the Bauer website.

Tasks involved extensive Java development designing the site CMS, writing all back-end web services and working with other developers and QA to refine those services for the site launch and continual development.

From August 2008 I started work at OLSON as a Senior Developer.

My first task was to work with a small team on a complete redesign and relaunch of the lee.com website.

Tasks involved PHP coding for the initial site prototype, xhtml, css, creating a build process and site optimisation, Google Maps integration, Javascript development using the dojo framework.

From January 2007 - August 2008 I was a full-time employee of the Minnesota Department of Revenue.

I have been working in a small team who are finding new ways for Counties within the State of Minnesota to exchange information more easily.

My duties have involved maintaining a Metadata Registry, several XML Schemas, a collaboration server (built with Plone 3) and primarily the development of a system to manage property tax information - all based on Java and XML technologies (XForms, XSLT and XQuery and eXist - a Native XML Database).

On an ad-hoc basis, I've been working with My Commerce, developing online stores for some of their clients.

Sites I have worked on include The 50th Grammy Awards, The 2007 American Music Awards, the 2008 Rock on the Range Official Store, the Treehouse Collective Store and Skylla. I also worked on Sugar paper, developing a flash-based product slideshow for the home page and a javascript based calculator for printing wedding invites, which is linked to from this page.

All of these sites have been developed using the popular open source osCommerce platform.

From September 2005 until January 2007, I was the "New Media Developer" for the BBC Weather site. The weather site currently gets over 30 million unique users per week, making it one of the most popular of the BBCs many websites.

I worked with the Senior New Media Developer who primarily worked on all of the back-end work on the site (mostly working on scripts using Perl).

My duties involved all client side development work (involving writing semantic xhtml, css, JavaScript, apache xssi, some Flash actionscript, xslt) and a considerable amount of mainenance work including managing the xml feeds for Digital television platforms.

Worked with Lean Mean Fighting Machine for their client, the Greater London Authority

The brief was to build a microsite to accompany a comprehensive advertising campaign in March 2006 entitled 'Know what you're getting into'. The site's purpose was to raise awareness of a service now called Cab wise, a service allowing people to hail licenced (legal) taxis in London by sending an SMS containing the word 'home' to 60835

My duties involved all client side development work for the Microsite (xhtml and css).

From September 2004 until September 2005, I worked as a Client-Side Developer for The Programme Information Pages (PIPs) project. The project arose as part of a redesign for the networks (Radio 3 and Radio 4) and partly through a request from Radio 3 to enable more information to be made more easily available online.

Due to the specificity (and the range) of the output of the networks, PIPs was developed to help enable a user to easily obtain detailed information regarding a show that has just been broadcast.

My duties involved the Client-Side Development work on both the Radio 3 and Radio 4 page templates. The pages for the individual programmes were populated using a series of XSLT templates, along with xhtml and css code. The system also has an extensive Content Management System, which I built page templates for.

From July to September 2004, I worked as a Client-Side Developer for Homepage team.

My duties involved the Client-Side Development work on the homepage (bbc.co.uk) and additional work on some of the regional sections, the Where I Live area of the site.

Although I was not involved in the overall development of the home page redesign in the spring of 2004, I was responsible for making routine updates and changes to the page on an ad-hoc basis.

From April to June 2004, I worked as a Client-Side Developer for the BBC Four redesign.

This involved a systematic re-ordering of the site and a re-arrangement of some of the major pages and page templates. I was responsible for all Client side work (html and css) and for some of the templates for the dynamic sections of the site.

Sections of the site have since undergone a 'design refresh' in 2007.

From April 2003 to April 2004, I worked as a Client-Side Developer for the relaunch of the Volkswagen UK website.

This involved the launch of the new site and the addition of several completely new sections including a Used Cars eCommerce section and a comprehensive Fleet management section.

I was responsible for all Client side work (html, javascript and css) and for the coding of many of the templates for the dynamic sections of the site.

My duties also involved routine maintenance of the site and development work on several of their microsites and marketing materials.

From September 2002 to April 2003, I worked as a web assistant for BBC Radio and Music.

This involved the launch of the BBC7 website (to coincide with the launch of the BBC7 digital radio station) and day-to-day web development on sections of the Radio 4 website.

I was responsible for Client side work (html, javascript and css) and for the coding of many of the page layout templates for the BBC 7 website when it originally launched.