Mobile app development is my primary interest right now. I favor Swift and it's protocol based approach to architecture. On the Android side, I'm very interested in working with Kotlin.
My interest in Swift includes using it on the server side, and also writing desktop apps for OSX.
As far as web work, I'd like to work with a good modern tool chain,
either one that I'm strong in already, like Swift, Java, or Ruby on Rails, with a fair amount of Javascript, or else
one that I'd like to learn more about such as React/Redux, Unity, Phoenix/Elixir, or any functional programming language.
Employment History
Consultant, Sole Proprietor / Eric Ford Consulting
1996 - Current
I run a consulting company, mostly as sole proprietor, though I have hired subcontractors and also built and led teams.
As a consultant, I have gathered requirements from non-technical clients and produced wireframes, mockups, design documents, and finished software.
I have built and published mobile apps and worked with mobile app teams. I've worked with a wide variety of development tools, and built software for companies such
as Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard, Arthur Andersen, and Autodesk. I've built many database backed websites and written applications for Macintosh and Windows, as well
as cross-platform Java apps and applets.
I've built apps and applications for individual clients, small to medium businesses, and for enterprise corporations. I've worked by myself, built and led small teams,
and also worked as an individual contributor on enterprise teams.
I'm currently working on an iPhone app I'm calling Music Box.
Test Tool Developer / Apple Computer
1986 - 1996
Wrote tools for QA for Macintosh and Apple II: Sound, Music, Speech, and OS Toolkits. Led teams, mentored junior programmers, wrote and reviewed technical documentation.
Wrote and presented demos for the Worldwide Developers Conference for speech recognition and speech synthesis.
Implemented two FORTH interpreters, one in C, the other in 65816 Assembler.
Various Programming Jobs
1980 - 1986
Wrote code for computer games for the Commodore-64 in Basic, FORTH, and 6502 Assembler
Mobile App Development
Swift
iTar: 2019
A MIDI musical instrument with hardware
- What is it?: A guitar with an embedded iPad/iOS app
- Client: Starr Labs
- Tools: Swift 5, Objective-C, Xcode 10, iOS 12
- Status: Muse version in use by the band Muse. (you can see it about 1 minute in)
Jamulator: 2018 - present
A MIDI musical instrument
- What is it?: A MIDI instrument for iPhone
- Client: Side Project
- Tools: Swift 4, Xcode 10, iOS 12
- Status: Version 1 in the iOS App Store
- Status: Version 2, coming to the app store will have the following new features: In-app purchase, graphic sequencer, share/overdub with friends, sampler
DaDeBo: 2018
Maintenance coding on a Chinese Craigslist app
- What is it?: A real estate and social app for Chinese people
- Client: Big Earth Media
- Tools: Swift, Javascript iOS 12
- Status: In the iOS App tore
Gibulator: 2018
A Multi-lingual gibberish generator
- What is it?: An app that speaks gibberish in many languages
- Client: Side Project
- Tools: Swift 4, Xcode 10, iOS 11
- Status: Working prototype
Argyle Keyboard: 2015 - 2017
- What is it?: A Jazz oriented iPad instrument
- Client: Roy Pertchik
- Tools: Swift 3.2, Xcode 9 beta, iOS 11
- Status: in the iOS App Store
Argyle Keyboard, named for it's hexagonal pattern reminiscent of argyle socks, provides a unique and dynamic musical instrument experience. It is especially suited to jazz in several ways. Based on chord theory popularized by Barry Harris, the keyboard is designed for pivoting around diminished chord and scales. Without going into too much detail, diminished chords are commonly substituted for dominant 7th chords, and are especially suited to moving between these dominants because they are the same harmonic distance from related dominants.
Argyle Keyboard is designed with a wealth of controls that change the notes available for playing while masking out notes that are undesirable.
As a song moves through a chord progression you use these controls to change the available notes on the keyboard. It's as if an autoharp and a pedal steel guitar had a child who was really into jazz ;)
- Note that Roy made this video, without having mastered the recording technology ;)
Objective-C
Canvas: 2017-2018
- What is it?: A mnobile client that streams video upstream and downstream, allowing annotation, freehand drawing, and chat.
- Client: InFocus - app maintenance
- Tools: Objective-C, Test Flight
- Status: In the iOS App Store
Exit Strategy: 2015
My code, my design
- What is it?: A chess-like game where pieces can be wounded as well as captured. Version 2 of Wound Chess (below).
- Client: Eric Ford Consulting (me)
- Tools: Objective-C, but rewriting now in Swift
- Status: Worling prototype
Icebreaker: 2015
My Android next to my iPhone. The Icebreaker app is showing their locations in the building on a floor plan.
- What is it?: A flirting app for indoor venues. Bluetooth beacons are installed, and the Indoo.rs SDK is used to locate mobile devices inside the venue.
- Client: Forever Ventures
- Tools: Objective-C, Parse API (for push notifications), Facebook API, Ruby on Rails (for a backend webservice)
- Status: Proof of Concept
Dream Globally: 2010
- Dream app for recording and sharing dreams
- Partner: Timely Tech, Inc.
- Tools: Objective-C
- Status: Delivered
Android Java
Canvas: 2017-2018
- What is it?: A mnobile client that streams video upstream and downstream, allowing annotation freehand drawing and chat.
- Client: InFocus - app maintenance
- Tools: Java
- Status: In the Google Play Store
Syndeca Android SDK: 2016
- Tools: Java
- Status: In use in existing apps
Exit Strategy: 2015
The Android implementation. See description above under Objective-C
Icebreaker: 2015
The Android implementation. See description above under Objective-C
Corona Labs & Lua
Dunk'N'Dash, Whitehouse Run: 2015 - 2016
- What is it?: A comic political chase game where candidates chase chests of money and get dunked if they lose
- Client: Miles Metal Media
- Tools: Corona Labs & Lua
- Status: In both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store
RubyMotion
Wound Chess: 2013
iPad Version
- What is it?: A chess-like game where pieces can be wounded as well as captured.
- Client: Eric Ford Consulting (me)
- Tools: RubyMotion
- Status: Removed from iOS App Store and the Mac App Store, will be replaced by Exit Strategy (above)
Macintosh Version
Web App Development
Ruby on Rails
Shangrilaw: 2016
- What is it?: A contract management system for law offices
- Client: Debbie Rosenbaum
- Tools: Ruby on Rails, Heroku, Google Drive, Box, Salesforce, Docusing, Ecosign, Hellosign
- Status: Proof of Concept
Vaksman Law Office Automation: 2014
- What is it?: A contract management system for law offices
- Client: Vaksman Law
- Tools: Ruby on Rails, Heroku, Smart Sheets, PDF generation, incoming and outgoing email automation
- Status: Delivered
Practice Exams: 2007 - 2016
- Certification Exam Simulator for social workers
- Client: Berkeley Training Associates
- Tools: Rails 3.2, Devise, Active Admin, jQuery, Heroku, Engine Yard
- Status: requires purchase
- Test Instructions: Click a product in the list on the left, then take a Sample Exam
- URL: http://mybtaexams.com
Post Tests: 2012 - 2013
- Continuing education exams for social workers
- Client: Berkeley Training Associates
- Tools: Rails 3.2, Devise, Active Admin, jQuery
- Status: requires purchase
Grant Applications: 2012 - 2013
- Application processing for mental health grants
- Client: Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services
- Tools: Rails 3.1, Devise, jQuery
- Status: Application period over, No new signups until next year
Dream Globally: 2010 - 2012
- Dream website integrated with iOS app for recording and sharing dreams
- Client: Timely Tech, Inc.
- Tools: Rails 3.0, Devise, jQuery, mbContainer, Objective-C, Google Maps API
- Status: Delivered
Wellness FX: 2010
- Health website for blood testing and suppliment tracking
- Client: Wellness FX, Inc.
- Tools: Rails 3.0, Devise, jQuery
- Status: Delivered
Family Shopping, Cooking, Health Web App : 2008 - 2010
- Led a team in implementing web app with extensive features
- Client: Live It Smarter
- Tools: Rails, YUI Tools, EngineYard
- Status: Seeking Funding, restricted access
- URL: Private
Jazz Buddy: 2012 - 2013
- Jazz repertoire study and jam session tune recommendation engine
- Client: My own side project
- Tools: Rails 3.2, Devise, Active Admin, jQuery, Youtube API
- Status: Prototype
Good Meets: 2010
- A group dating website
- Client: A side project with a partner
- Tools: Rails jQuery, Facebook API
- Status: Prototype
- Worked through tutorials in the book Programming Phoenix
- Worked through tutorials in the Beta vesion of the book Functional Web Development with Elixir, OTP, and Phoenix
- Working through tutorials in the book Programming Elixir
- Worked through tutorials in the book Metaprogramming Elixir
- Took Pragmatic Studio's Elixir Course
- Deployed Hello Phoenix to Heroku
Writing: Cheatsheets, Tutorials, and Blogs
Cheatsheets
Git commands
Create a remote repo from a local repo
First create it on github with no readme, then
git remote add origin https://github.com/brazford/crazytalk.git
Clone a repo from github, then view all branches, then create a local branch tracking a remote one (a different branch from the one you cloned which is usually master)
git clone git@github.com:OWNER/repo-mame
git branch -a
git checkout branch-name
Throw away uncomitted changes:
git reset --hard HEAD
Delete local and remote branch git push --delete
git branch -d
Using Google AdMob to put a Banner Ad in an iOS App: 2018
Create or log into a Google account
Sign up for AdMob at https://admob.google.com/home/
Ad an App (you need this to be already registered in iTunes Connect to be sure the name is actually available)
Add an Ad Unit
Note the AppID and the AdUnitID for use in your app's code
Create iOS app in XCode
Make sure Cocoapods in installed
Create a Podfile
target 'appname' do
pod 'Google-Mobile-Ads-SDK'
end
on the command line, cd to project, pod install
put import GoogleMobileAds in AppDelegate
in didFinishLaunching, GADMobileAds.configure(withApplicationID: "YOUR_ADMOB_APP_ID")
Develop using Google's test ad ID: ca-app-pub-3940256099942544/2934735716
Set up payment info. Note that Safari didn't work for me, but Chrome did.
Note: I encoutered a bug where Ads displayed in views controlled by a UITabBarController failed to hide if I set a starting index (other than the default of zero) in viewDidLoad(). Very puzzling! I moved that line to viewDidAppear() and the problem went away.
Codeship
Overview of Functional Programming: 2017
- Part 1 of a three part blog series about making the transition to functional programming
- Client: Codeship
- Tools: Elm, Ruby, Objective-C, Swift Overview of Functional Programming
Advantages of Functional Programming: 2017
- Part 2 of a three part blog series about making the transition to functional programming
- Client: Codeship
- Tools: Elm, Ruby, Objective-C, Swift Advantages of Functional Programming
Enterprise
Internationalization of CA Agile Central: 2016 - 2017
Worked on a team of subcontractors for Lingoport, Inc. modifying the database, Java code, and Javascript code to play well with internationalization.
- What is it?: A platform for managing agile software development
- Client: Computer Associates, Subcontracted through Lingoport, Inc.
- Tools: Java, Spring Framework, IntelliJ, Oracle, Javascript
- Status: unreleased feature set
- Nurse Retention Survey: Satisfaction Works, MS Access, Java/Spring
- Practice Exams: BTA, MS Access
- Claims Database: HP, MS Access
- Medical Database: Medlog, MS Access
- Worldwide Financial Planning: Sun Microsystems, Essbase, Lotus 1-2-3
Projects Involving Hardware
Arduino Battery Charger: 2016 - Present
My code, my dad's hardware design: I built the breadboard
- What is it?: A microcontroller driven battery charger for prolonging battery life
- Client: Inspirations (me and my dad)
- Tools: Arduino C, electronics assembly
- Status: In development
RealTouch: 2005 - 2007
- What is it?: Haptic hardware synchronized with streaming video
- Client: AEBN
- Tools: C#, Microsoft Video Tools, Flash Streaming Server, C++, Director/Lingo, Flash/Actionscript
I needed to be able to send and receive commands from a HID/USB device and transmit them over a data channel that was synchronized with streaming video.
In order to write extensive code for a command scripting language in C#, I wrote some glue in C++ to create a Macromedia Director/Lingo plugin that would
fire up the .NET runtime and execute C# code. The director app(s) had to be embedded in Flash and accessed via Actionscript. Once the proof of concept
was sold to AEBN, I re-implemented all of this using Microsoft streaming technology.
Fun & Games
Smart Dog: 2003
- What is it?: Carnigie Mellon speech recognizer recognizes dog bark patterns from a wireless mic on your dog's collar, user assigns English which is spoken using text-to-speech
- Client: Prime Focus
- Tools: VB, custom Active X
I had a lot of fun writing the code for the waveform displays. The curved one in the upper right monitored the microphone in real-time.
Kid's Chess Club: 2008
My friend Jeff Mallett assigned me the task of coming up with names and images for kids to use as avatars in an online chess club. I came up with some good ones like Alfredo Spaghetti, and
Unidentifiable Sludge.
Chessclub.com Maintenance: 2006
More work from Jeff Mallett. Chessclub.com is the most serious online chess site. They had acquired code for a downloadable chess app with different strengths and styles of AI.
I did some C++ maintenance and testing on this code base.
Treasure Chess: 2002
My own invention. Written in Java. 4 player chess with hidden levels, tools and weapons the pieces can carry and utilize. 4 levels, stairs, teleporters.
Bingo & Keno: 1999
- What is it?: Multiplayer online games
- Client: Big Prizes
- Tools: Java, middleware
I was hired as a firefighter to prove that the very expensive middleware package was buggy. It was, and Big Prizes got a refund.
Many Games: 1997
- What is it?: My friend Jeff hired me to implement numerous game prototypes
- Client: Zillions of Games
- Tools: Java, C++, VB
- Games of Chance
- Reversi
- Board Game Viewer
Minesweeper: 1995
I got frustrated that there was no undo (yes, sometimes my finger actually slipped), so I implemented Minesweeper for the Mac using the FORTH interpreter I had written.
One of the most fun algorithms to code is the one that clears adjacent squares.
Project Space Station: 1982
- What is it?: A shoot-em up for the Commodore-64
- Client: Human Engineered Software
- Tools: FORTH, 6502 Assmebler
Composed music and sound effects for an outer space game.
Apple Computer, Inc.
Speech Synthesis and Recognition: 1991 - 1996
Test tools, demos, and automation for Macintosh and Apple IIGS
- Wrote a FORTH interpreter (in C) and implemented full OS support and cooperative multitasking
- Wrote test suites for speech recognition and speech synthesis
- Reviewed and edited technical documentation
- Trained and mentored other engineers
- Chose names for voices and created sample text for them to speak
Hollywood Heads: 1992
- What is it?: The first Speech Recognition demo at the Apple Wordwide Developers Conference
- Wrote the app
- Wrote the script
- Did the artwork and animation
- Presented at the 1992 WWDC
- Tools: FORTH (implmented by me in C), Speech Recognition Toolbox, Speech Synthesis Toolbox
Sound and Music: 1986 - 1991
Test tools, demos, and automation for Apple IIGS
- Wrote a FORTH interpreter (in 65816 assembler) and implemented full OS support and cooperative multitasking
- Wrote test suites for sound, synthesizer, sequencer, MIDI tools, and audio compression and expansion
- Reviewed and edited technical documentation for the entire IIGS OS Manual (similar to Inside Mac)
- Trained and mentored other engineers
Bio
Born and raised in Silicon Valley, son of an inventor and an English professor, I’ve run Eric Ford Consulting since leaving Apple in 1996. I worked at Apple for ten years,
exactly when John Scully was CEO. So I missed out on Steve Jobs on both ends.
I am a life-long musician, but I've never wanted to make that my career. I own a wide variety of musical instruments which I play with a wide variety of skill levels.
And still I would like more. Learning how to play bagpipes and sitar are both on my bucket list.
I am a student of chess history, and I also enjoy games derived from chess (known as chess variants).
I've taken on a multi-year project of playing through all of the games of all of the world chess champions.
I live in Petaluma California with Louise, my girlfriend of many years, and her 17 year old son Chris, who is also a multi-instrumentalist. He's one of my best friends.
I grew up in Palo Alto, and I still have many friends in the area. I went to an alternative high school, and I have very little college education, prefering to learn
things on my own.
I read fiction quite a bit.
I have dabbled in spirituality. My orientation could be loosely described as a synthesis of sufism and buddhism.
- What is it?: A chess-like game where pieces can be wounded as well as captured. Version 2 of Wound Chess (below).
- Dream website integrated with iOS app for recording and sharing dreams
- Health website for blood testing and suppliment tracking
- Led a team in implementing web app with extensive features
- A group dating website
- What is it?: A microcontroller driven battery charger for prolonging battery life
- Reversi
- Board Game Viewer
