My wife and I spent about two years, hammers in hand, building the home that we now live in.
It was a lot of hard work, but it was also a lot of fun and was well worth it in the long run.
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David E. Powell |
Hello, my name is David Powell. I was a Senior I/T Services Specialist with the IBM corporation until I retired from them in October of 2010. I live in a rural area just south of Nashville, Tennessee.
In the past, a carefully composed, typewritten resume was the implement of choice for those looking for
work. Nowadays however, especially in the computer industry, a handsomely crafted Web page will go a long way
towards letting potential clients know who you are and what you can do for them.
Hopefully, that is what this page will accomplish for me. I have designed this page to read more like
a good magazine article than a dry list of endeavors and accomplishments or a flashy bandwidth-guzzling advertising site.
I want to give you enough information about
my abilities, experience, and personality
to allow you to "get to know me" just a little before
deciding whether or not to sign a contract for my services. Please
let me know if it does not accomplish this goal.
You may notice that my stint at Bridgestone/Firestone did not end when I retired from IBM. Apparently they were pleased with my performance; they continued contracting my services for another 3-1/2 years as an outside contractor.
| Date | Location | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-1983 | Nashville, TN | Customer Engineer | Responsible for maintaining and repairing large mainframe computers and their peripheral devices, mostly in the bank environment. Worked on 3145 and 3033 mainframes, 14xx printers, 1419 and 3890 check processors, and IBM Automated Teller Machines. |
| 1983-1987 | Boca Raton, FL | Programmer | Worked in the RAS (Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability) department of IBM's new product development lab in Boca Raton. Responsible for developing and maintaining portions of the BIOS and diagnostics programs for the IBM PC/XT, PC AT, and several versions of the PS/2. Some of the diagnostic programs I developed are still in use today. All programming was done in assembly language. |
| 1987-1991 | Nashville, TN | Systems Engineer | Assisted IBM customers with their software. By all measures, this was a sales position, but I was also able to work as an interface between the customer and the IBM software support center, which allowed me to maintain the technical slant to my job that I so desperately desire to keep. The first year or so I focused primarily on large systems software, but was slowly able to migrate to the personal computer level after that. I worked in the Customer Center for about 18 months during this time, functioning as a systems programmer for the mainframe demonstration system. |
| 1991-1996 | Smyrna, TN | Services Specialist | Participated in the design, planning, implementation, execution, and maintenance of a custom inventory management system for use in the stamping plant at Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corp. This was a multiplatform system that assisted in the scheduling and tracking of the parts produced in the stamping plant. The project went from conception to completion in just under two years; I remained as the sole IBM contractor responsible for providing maintenance and enhancements after that. All of the programming was done on the OS/2 platform in "C" and REXX. |
| Aug. 1997-Feb. 1998 | Chattanooga, TN | Advisory Services Specialist | Developed and implemented the Web presence for Covenant Transport Corp., a major company in the trucking industry. The Web site was built on the IBM AS/400 platform, integrating both legacy and new programs to build a useful Web site. |
| Feb. 1998-Feb. 1999 | Lavergne, TN | Senior Services Specialist | Helped develop and implement a Web site for Speedserve.com, an online retailer of books, games, and videos. This group of online stores was built on the IBM system/390 mainframe platform, taking advantage of the power of OS/390, UNIX Open Edition, Net.Commerce, Net.Data, DB2, and Lotus Domino Go Web Server. I participated in the general engineering of the site until the company was purchased by Buy.com in November of 1998, at which time I became responsible for the design and implementation of the site's search engine for books, games, and videos. I developed the search engine in C-language DB2 stored procedures, with Net.Data macros for the front end processing. |
| March 1999-Sept. 1999 | Kansas City, MO. | Senior Services Specialist | Helped develop and implement a Web site for Helzberg Diamonds, a manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of fine jewelry. Developed under Net.Commerce on an IBM RS-6000 running AIX, this site is unusual in that it eschews the "product list" format of most retail sites and instead mimics their paper catalog. The site artwork was created by a professional art firm and some of the graphics are breathtaking. |
| Sept. 1999 - February 2014 | Nashville, TN | Senior Services Specialist | Helped design and implement several aspects of a B2B site for Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., a manufacturer of many types of vehicle tires and rubber products. This was a particularly interesting project in that it allowed me to play at several levels, including Java applications, servlets, JSP, and CSS. |
I am proficient using Windows, UNIX, AIX, and Linux operating systems.
I have in-depth knowledge of the major communications protocols, including TCP/IP, Ethernet, http(s), and others. I have installed many local area networks, including one linking eight of the computers in my home. I serve as my own ISP, with my own web server, mail domain and various other internet services.
I have a good understanding of all aspects and protocols of the Internet, including the World Wide Web, telnet, FTP, SMTP, POP, web services, Enterprise Java Beans, etc. I can create entire functional Web sites that include animation, Java applets, JavaScript (including AJAX), and custom CGI, Server Side Includes, and Java servlet/JSP programming.
I have a good working knowledge of electronics, and have designed and built circuits employing dedicated microcontrollers. I have written code for these microcontrollers in assembly language, even hand-assembling the programs into machine code in some cases. I built my first computer from scratch back in 1977, utilizing an RCA CDP1802 microprocessor. I enjoy creating machine-to-computer links for automation projects. I am an extra class amateur radio operator.
I can write technical documents in an easy-to-understand manner, and have a good command of the English
language. I am a stickler for accuracy and take great pride in my written work.
I studied music at Middle Tennessee State University for a while, but an automobile accident put an abrupt end to that. I wasn't hurt, thank goodness, but my car was pretty much scrap metal after that, and traveling from Nashville to Murfreesboro daily without a car was out of the question.
From there I went to work and marriage, and quickly discovered the value of a college education (or, more accurately, the handicap of not having one). Since I had always been interested in the field of electronics, I enrolled in the Electronic Engineering Technology program at Nashville State Community College (back when it was known as Nashville State Technical Institute) in the fall of 1977. I graduated "with highest honors" (4.0 G.P.A.) and landed my first technical job at IBM in June of 1979.
My education since college has been strictly technology-related in the field of computers. Most of it has been of the formal lecture-and-lab type, but I also have taken many self-study courses and attended many seminars. Of course, in this industry you have to learn constantly to keep from getting left behind.
I have had two technical articles published in national magazines. The first, published in the November 1988 issue of Radio-Electronics, described a simple BASIC program that helps calculate the geometry of inductors, which are electronic components made from coils of wire. The second was a construction article in Nuts & Volts magazine (June 1995) describing an electromechanical, microprocessor-based grandfather clock.
My wife and I spent about two years, hammers in hand, building the home that we now live in.
It was a lot of hard work, but it was also a lot of fun and was well worth it in the long run.
I hold extra class amateur radio license
KA4KNG,
which allows me to talk to other amateurs around the world.
My Interests and Hobbies |
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