Download CV_G - Crosbie Fitch

Software Engineer
Crosbie Fitch
Skill Set
A generalist with an extensive C++ background currently developing data-driven PHP front-end
web applications and C# trading system back-ends on a Windows IIS/.NET platform with
MySQL and MSSQL databases.
Toolset: MS Visual Studio, C++ & C# on Windows & Web/IIS/.NET
C#: 6 years, OOP, generics, SOAP web services, MS SQL
C++: 12 years, OOP, multithreading, templates, STL, COM/ATL, MFC
PHP: 4 years, OOP, Pear, MySQL, Smarty
3D: BRender, Cineon, 3DS Max, Maya, Renderware, Q/Qube
OS: Primarily MS Windows, with some experience of SGI Irix, Sony PS2, & others
Current Work
Digital Productions (e-commerce)
Apr 2006 – Ongoing 2010
Research & Development of Scalable Multiparty Commissioning Mechanisms
Digital Productions is the umbrella/website documenting my entrepreneurial ventures to
develop a business based on providing solutions to the problem of exchanging intellectual
work for money, rather than for the exploitation of an increasingly ineffective monopoly viz
copyright. I also discuss many of the issues and problems arising from the misapplication of
copyright to the Internet and people’s cultural intercourse in the information age.
1p2U (PHP, MySQL, MediaWiki CMS, Contingency Market)
20091p2U is both a demonstrator of the Contingency Market and of a means of enabling
bloggers to exchange the production of their articles for the sponsorship money of their
more interested readers.
The site is introduced at http://1p2u.com
1p2U is written as a PHP extension to the MediaWiki CMS, and communicates with the
Contingency Market web service via a PHP API to its SOAP interface. Thus the readers’
sponsorship deals contingent upon publication of each subsequent article (in an RSS feed)
are registered and processed by the Contingency Market, with the 1p2U website just
providing a simple user interface.
The Contingency Market (C#.NET, SOAP, MS SQL, PHP, MySQL,
MediaWiki CMS)
2008Having become convinced by QuidMusic that contingent funding, being a dimensionally
correct exchange of work for money, was the future revenue mechanism for intellectual
work (replacing the sale/licensing of copyright), I set about producing The Contingency
Market. This is a generic back-end that supports all variations in this field, thus able to
support the Digital Art Auction and QuidMusic.
Internal documentation of C# API is at: http://contingencymarket.com/help
This was exposed as a SOAP .NET web service developed in C# backing onto MS SQL.
SOAP API listed at: http://contingencymarket.com/api/Service.asmx
A PHP/MySQL client API was also developed and demonstrated as an extension to the
MediaWiki CMS. Documented at:
http://contingencymarket.com/index.php?title=Web_Service
QuidMusic (PHP, Smarty, Pear, MySQL)
2007The objective with QuidMusic was to present a very simple proposition: that a musician’s
fans would pledge to pay them a pound upon the release of their next single (as a
downloadable recording).
The prototype of this website is currently live at http://quidmusic.com
The prototype achieved its objective of convincing me this model was viable, even though I
realised it would not be at this price point, at least not until the mechanism had become far
more popular and recognisable. It is today becoming known as ‘crowdfunding’ and
‘micropatronage’.
Rather than use a CMS, I built QuidMusic on top of the PHP Pear libraries, the Smarty
templating engine, and the MySQL database.
Digital Art Auction (Xoops CMS, PHP, MySQL)
2006I had formulated and invented The Digital Art Auction in 2001 (resulting from theorising
revenue mechanisms for web-scale virtual environments in 2000) as a means of
democratically determining the market retail price of a digitally reproducible artwork and
effecting the exchange of the work for the money of those offering its price – thus making
file-sharing free distribution and a promotional benefit, rather than a price competitor.
In this indefinitely long auction, designed for unreleased works that are trivially reproducible at zero cost (recordings, software, drug
formulas), bidders openly submit their maximum bids (which may be adjusted or withdrawn at any time). The seller may review the bids
and close with a price of their choosing at any time — the successful bidders that pay this price are those whose bid meets or exceeds it,
and these are the only bidders who receive a copy of the item.
An exposition is at: http://digitalartauction.com/history/essay.htm
In 2006 I developed a prototype website as a PHP/MySQL based extension to the Xoops
CMS (after finding the Python based Zope CMS to be unsuitable). I put development of this
on hold when I realised something much simpler would be necessary to build a market (no
vendors without customers, no customers without vendors).
Previous Work
RebosInc (online games)
Sep 2005 – Mar 2006
Software Engineer
Various work involved in production of online ‘virtual football manager’ game. C
programming of football narrative generator, storage and retrieval system. Creation of an
application specific scripting language using Flex and Bison. Overhauling the respective
website, translating tables-based layout into CSS determined layout, marking up HTML
content more appropriately. Also utilising MySQL, Smarty, PHP, HTML, etc.
Some work making minor adjustments to a payments gateway, ASP.NET based site with
C#.
Restyling of phpBB into CSS, non-tables based layout. Customised session/user
management to hook in to host site.
BetLink (betting)
Sep 2004 – Mar 2005
Software Engineer
Production of software for the betting and bookmaking industry. Wrapping of MFC DLLs in
.NET.
Specification, implementation, testing and successful demonstration of MS SQL based
wagering engine coded using C#.
Use of NDoc to facilitate code documentation.
Qube Software (3D graphics/games)
May 2001 – Mar 2003
Senior Software Engineer
Programming of the camera controller for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets LEGO Creator", also to become part of the Q SDK.
This camera could be bound to any object in the scene, had a set of predefined behaviours
(orbiting, follow-cam, free-cam, etc.), customisable control input, targeting (ability to follow
position, orientation, scale or target), following (automatic travel and navigation toward of
target), collision handling (avoiding obstacles, wall/ground sliding), occlusion handling
(move-in through obstacle towards target), smooth transitions (smooth re-orientation and
target re-acquisition in spite of dynamic behaviour of both camera and target). Camera
constraint, collision, occlusion and control systems all made customisable (via QCOM).
Option for smooth and automatic navigation from arbitrary starting position (scene insertion
point) until proper position obtained.
Designed and specified QCDL, a connectivity description language (utilising XML with
DTD). This permits a description of how any 3D objects can be joined together and formed
into simple or complex assemblies. It utilised the concept of connectors (simple point
elements added to 3D objects) that contain various kinds of compatibility information. Sets
of connectors can be utilised to specify how two objects must orient with respect to one
another in order to be considered as connected. This system permits user assisted scenery
construction, as well as intangible attachments, e.g. placement of sounds or particle systems
on objects.
Worked on a Max exporter to the Q engine.
Computer Artworks (3D networked games)
Oct 2000 – Mar 2001
Technical Lead
Joined to design and lead the implementation of a networked games engine for a new spinoff, massive multiplayer games company. Discovered upon arrival that no funding had yet
been obtained. Worked both on producing the business plan for this company in order to
help it obtain funding as well as demonstrate the technical feasibility of the networked
games engine's design.
Ended up creating the vision and strategy for this new online venture, and made this the
basis for the initial draft of the business plan. Worked on a revenue analysis of the various
proposals within the plan. Helped refine the vision, business plan and revenue analysis as
the team expanded.
Much research included assessment of various development models and their relative
commercial strengths in creating or exploiting new technologies (proprietary R&D, Open
Source, licensing), evaluation of numerous marketing strategies required to
create/popularise the product's market (online/offline advertising, viral marketing, etc.), and
exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of different revenue models (online vs. offline
sales, micro-transactions, auctions, etc.).
Also researched the state of the art in terms of massive multiplayer games and their
technology, with particular attention to their scalability.
Unfortunately the funding process stalled.
Acclaim Studios (3D console games)
Apr 2000 – Sep 2000
Head of Tools & Technologies
Joined to head up Tools and Technologies department (once Acclaim had moved to their
new Mortlake offices). Initially placed as Senior Software Engineer with the Ferrari team
given their needs for coding assistance were greatest. Started work on a C++ memory and
resource management system. Once that was operational started on a general diagnostics
system. Played a large part in establishing coding standards and project organisation
standards (Visual SourceSafe). Then began development of cross-platform libraries to
contain core components typically required in games. Acclaim’s financial difficulties put a
halt all projects apart from the Ferrari racing game. With this greater focus, worked on a
data import/export system to get game information from Max into the Ferrari game (Sony
Playstation PS2). Thus an object oriented ‘game database’, optimised for fast loading at runtime, was being used successfully just as the Ferrari project was terminated.
Have also used the RenderWare libraries to implement level-of-detail for the cars and
written helper and exporter plug-ins for Max.
Pepper’s Ghost Productions (3D networked games, 3D animation)
May 1997 – Mar 2000
Senior Software Engineer
Joined to implement a networked games engine, but unfortunately, the company abandoned
games development within a couple of months. Managed to at least get support to produce a
couple of papers that were published at the VSMM '99 conference.
Subsequently worked on an asset management system for digital animation production.
Then moved on to writing C++ plug-ins for 3DS Max.
Designed a rules based scenery construction plug-in for Max (using steering behaviours).
Cinesite (3D movie special effects)
Sep 1996 – May 1997
Senior Software R&D Engineer
Design and programming of 3D rendering infrastructure for Kodak's Cineon (movie
compositing software used for post-production special effects). This had the task of holding
and interpreting a high level 3D scene description, and then farming this out to one or more
low level rendering services, then coordinating the 3D output into Cineon’s 2D image
processing pipeline.
Other Cineon plug-ins.
Designed the architecture for a camera tracking and match-move system.
Argonaut Technologies (3D graphics)
Apr 1995 – Sep 1996
Software R&D Engineer
Design and programming of C++ API to the BRender 3D rendering engine.
Wrote the BRender technical reference manual.
Designed a games development system, which was proposed as a project to various
potential partners, but despite favourable response, did not get funded.
Moved over to ASL and joined the Archaios team. Developed a high level scripting
language as a replacement to the low level one in use at the time.
Extra-Curricular Work
Oct 2007 – Ongoing 2010
IT Administrator
Remote administration & maintenance of Windows 2003 SBS server for Motionmex with
occasional IT support.
Education
BSc: Engineering/Computer Science (5 terms)
A levels: Maths A, Further Maths B, Physics E
Personal Details
Name: Crosbie Fitch
Location: Headcorn, Ashford, Kent, UK
Address: Swift’s Green House, Swift’s Green, Smarden, Ashford, TN27 8PQ
Telephone: 01622 892494
E-mail: [email protected]
Interests: Snowboarding, IP Law, Cycling