Rob's Technology Experience

It all started in the late seventies. I left high school (too boring) and took a year off to travel, then returned to Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1980. In the first year I began courses in Electronics Technology, then I switched to Computer Technology in the second year.

Just prior to starting college, I wanted to increase my grade point average, so I took classes in university level math, English, physics and chemistry. I placed second in the school's book award prizes for exemplary students.

Once I finished 2 years of college in Winnipeg, I moved to Vancouver, BC., where I was told there would be lots more opportunities. Vancouver was a big hippie town in the mid eighties. Not much work for computer technicians yet, so I ended up driving taxi.

Not satisfied with merely driving around looking for money - I decided to start my own company. My first company didn't do very well. I had one client and about $2,500 to edit some video footage into a respectable presentation. That got me started in the video production industry.

I trained with a local video production professional and soon started my second company in 1992. The new company, Interface Video Productions, offered video production services for casting actors. Casting is the process of auditioning actors. My job was to videotape each actor as they audition. At the end of each day I would edit the selected candidates onto a 'selects' videotape, which goes to the producers, directors, casting directors and eventually the paying clients. They review the videotapes and choose actors to work with.

Still, my desire and schooling is for computers, not video production. So, I started developing computer systems and software for producers and directors to review actors. The company was successful in creating, "Interface Telecasting ON-LINE". IT ON-LINE was a talent database system that stored and displayed actors' photos (head shots), resumes, voice demos and video demos on touch screen kiosks, the Internet and CD-ROMs. The actor database grew to about 250 members, was on-line for about ten months and was instrumental in getting work for dozens of actors in Vancouver.

My next development to review actors was a system I called "Interface Telecasting ON-LINE Live". IT ON-LINE Live" was a real time video-conference service to audition actors remotely. With this new service, producers, directors, casting directors and clients could review actors in Vancouver while still in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, etc. with 'Live' or real time interaction. The plan was to grow the actor database in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto etc. and offer the video-conference services to audition actors from any of these cities, in real time. This service never got past the development stages.

The company reached its peak in May of 1998 with revenues in excess of $127,000. There were two of us working full time with a few contractors helping out now and again. The competition moved to town and the business started it's decline. Revenues were foolishly spent on programming and computers in the hopes that the new technology systems would give us the edge over the competition. We should have opened more audition studios. But, we made our decision and stuck by it. By the middle of the year 2001, the company was bankrupt.

At this time my parents, who had recently retired, both became disabled. I was considering my options when I realized that even though my business went bankrupt, I truely enjoyed serving people. I wasn't much of a businessman, but the clients were always satisfied or very pleased with my services. That's how I discovered my love for serving people. It's not money or business that interests me, but making people happy.

Realizing this, I decided my parents need my services more that anyone else in my life. To take care of them means moving from Vancouver (after 23 years) to Salmon Arm, BC - otherwise known as God's country. In October of 2001, I arrived in Salmon Arm. Within a week I found a house to rent and in two weeks I found a job. Then, I found a few clients who needed my computer services and I also started creating web sites for local companies in my spare time.

I lost that first job and suddenly had lots more time to fix computers and build web pages, so I started bidding on contracts on the Internet. That wasn't very successful. Just over a year later, I started my current job as graphics designer for a window & door company in Salmon Arm. Yippeeee, I'm back into computers, graphics and now 3D modeling too.

As of March 2006, I don't know what the future holds, but I know it's about to change - a lot. The boss wants to retire, so he's looking to sell the company. I may or may not have a job with the new owners. My landlord is selling his house and we have to move, so I will soon have a new home address. Now that I'm in my mid forties, health has become a concern. I need reading glasses. My doctor told me I'm pre-diabetic, so I had to change my lifestyle or start taking expensive and addictive pills. I developed a hernia, so I'm working to reduce that without surgery.

Now, I'm pleased to be able to work on my weblog - something I wanted to do for several years. If I don't get laid off, I'll continue making 3D windows & doors for a while.

Still my desire is for computers and technology. So, next I want to assemble a cluster of computers to function as one super-computer. Then I'll sell computer time to various companies or projects that require super computing power. I hope it works out.

I also have an account with Linked IN, a colleagues and leads exchange web site. Click the link below to:

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