If anyone can hold the title of Programming Pundit, it's James Rodgers. In addition to a repertoire of development knowledge, James is also a walking encyclopedia of trivia knowledge, covering everything from obscure movie titles to foreign culinary terms to word-play puzzles. Trust us, we've tried him (and his patience) out more than once.
Here's his responses to quick-fire questions:
Why did you want to be a developer?
The challenges. I knew I could never work in a job where it was the same thing every day; I looked for jobs where, while the work was the same, the daily challenges varied. Factory work would have made me postal in a week; development and the challenges and variety of work that go with it keep me sane...sort of.
Were there any other subjects or career paths you considered?
I was always interested in a military career, and I even served in the reserves for three years, but circumstances and family commitments forced me to give it up.
What got you into computers and technology in the first place?
I need more out of life than I was getting. I had a new baby and I wasn’t going to make it without a career change so I went back to school. I had been good with computers in high school and so I gave it a try; turned out to be a good idea.
How did you come to work at Radii?
I have known David Yoshida for about 20 years, he said they were hiring a developer; I applied and got the job.
What do you like best about your job?
The variety of work and the need to continuously learn more about tech; you might think after x number of years you know everything, in reality you still know nothing more than you did yesterday, you just apply it better.
What's your routine when you first get to work?
On a good day, say hi, get a coffee. On a bad day, get a bigger coffee, and then say hi.
What's one problem you are best at solving for your clients?
There is never only one problem.
Any accomplishments you're proud of?
The latest project completed.
What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a web developer?
You went school, you got the books, you took the courses and you have graduated; now you are ready to learn.
What's one thing you've always wanted to do?
Jump out of a plane (with a parachute). I was not airborne when I served but I would have liked to have earned my wings.
What's your favourite way to spend a weekend?
With my kids.
Coffee, tea or water?
Coffee before noon, and lots of it. After noon water, and lots of it.
Chrome, Firefox, IE or Opera?
Firefox.
Most useful dev tool/app?
Firebug add-on.
Favourite movie?
If I had to pick one it wouldn’t be possible. In no particular order, Blade Runner, Alien/Aliens, The Ox-Bow Incident, Lawrence of Arabia, Full Metal Jacket, Serenity, Lord of the Rings, Absolute Power, and Unforgiven.
What's your hobbies?
I paint 28 milimetre models, when I have the time and motivation.
Any pet peeves?
If it is before 11:30 and the coffee pot is empty...MAKE A NEW POT! And "empty" means the next person can't pour a full cup and then some.
Play any sports?
I used to play hockey, until I took a slash to the knee. I used to roller blade, but wiped out and broke a lot of bones in my arm, so that ended that, played hockey until one game I shattered my knee (Tibial Plateau), as a result almost everything is out.
Favourite code editor?
Used to like the CF 5 code editor, now I use Dreamweaver.
That's it for this edition of Eye on Radii! Coming up will be an interview with one of our resident development gurus, Zhibin Huang. In the meantime, take a look at Our Work and check out which projects our James has worked on.
