Steve Hansen Smythe

work phone: (236) 508-5480

email: hansensmythe @ gmail.com

My career path has been a battle between my need to express my creative side as a musician, composer, and actor, and my need to support my family. Ideally those two requirements would meet in a single career, but until that happens I'm happy to be a developer during the day, and a performer in my spare time. Writing code exercises the same neural nets as composition: just using different hardware and notation, and satisfying a different set of users.

Employment History

AppDirect. (Before it was purchased by AppDirect, it was AppCarousel, formerly WMode): Java/Node.js programmer; 7 November 2005 - present

Built Node.js and Java modules used by apps in luxury vehicles for JLR, for displays operated by TP Vision, and for payment solutions operated by Verifone.
Going further back in time, I built a tool to enable mass uploads of ringtone applications to RIM, was part of the Brandstore development team for Rogers, Alltel, Cricket, BASE, and Public Mobile (and still maintain this system for BASE), implemented Unica's NetInsight web analytics package for various mobile service providers, and built a search engine for wireless products using Lucene.

CriticalControl Solutions Inc. (formerly 'WNS Emergent', and before that 'Datap'): Java programmer and Crystal Reports developer; 14 August 2000 - 4 November 2005

Used Java to create products related to pipeline monitoring, and Crystal Reports to interact with a database to produce reports.

Transcription Express: Visual Basic and WordPerfect programmer; part-time ad hoc contract work, 2000 - 2005

I originally created a hospital transcription program using Corel WordPerfect, but was asked at the end of 2001 to rebuild the functionality using MS Word instead. It uses two MS Access database files, one for document tracking, and one for product definition. This flexibility allows the user to define new reports, add physicians, and customize output, including exporting files in Cquence format. Transcriptionists can also interact with a secure web page to cut and paste blocks of information about patients directly into the program.

City of Calgary Temporary Employment Services Agency: database designer, software tester, clerk; July 1992 - September 1999

For the Centralized Analysis Unit of Calgary Police Service, I created a relational database in Paradox to track prostitution in the city, and populated the database from arrest files.
For Occupational Health, Engineering & Environmental Services, I created a database in MS Access to track corporate medical intervention strategy case by case, in order to assess cost effectiveness, and populated the database with recent data. I also created a custom Windows help file of nearly one hundred pages with the application.
For Engineering and Environmental Services, Waterworks Division, I researched and tested half a dozen demonstration versions of training administration software, and made purchasing recommendations to the Department.
For Human Resources, I acted as Senior Benefits Control Administrator for three months. I coordinated data from eight Benefits Clerks, paid monthly HR bills, and created various reports. I also used the terminal emulation software to increase efficiency of data input.
Various other clerical positions in Waterworks, Streets, and Sewer departments.

Hansen Smythe Studio (co-owner): music teacher; September 1992 - December 1999

Drake Network Systems: office administrator; April 1990 - February 1991

Canadian Naval Reserve: HMCS Tecumseh and various other vessels; November 1981 - July 1990

I served as a navigation officer trainee, Assistant Divisional Officer, Course Training Officer, Divisional Officer, Deck Officer, Navigating Officer, Personnel Administration Officer, and Executive Officer, in Calgary at HMCS Tecumseh (part-time during the winter) and aboard various ships on Atlantic and Pacific coasts (full-time during the summer).
My last full-time posting was Executive Officer of the smallest Canadian commissioned ship in the Atlantic, HMCS Fort Steele, which had five officers and a crew of eighteen.
I also served as a member and as president of various audit boards. Upon transferring to the Supplementary Holding Reserve, my rank was Lieutenant (N). I was surprised to find my photo on the cover of Sentinelle magazine (the magazine of the Canadian Forces) in the summer of 1988 (I'm on the left), the summer when the navy finally allowed women to be navigation officers.

Alberta Government Services: computer operator; May - August 1980

Volunteer Experience/Memberships

Starry Starry Skies: sang and acted as Rupert Giles in Once More, With Feeling: An Unlicensed Buffie The Vampyre Slayer Parody (October 2019).
Morpheus Theatre: sang, danced, and acted as Dick Deadeye in HMS Pinafore (May 2018), Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe (April 2017, for which I was nominated for a CAT Award), George Grossmith in Sullivan and Gilbert (April 2016), and Abanazer the Sorcerer in Aladdin (December 2012).
Workshop Theatre: played Basil Fawlty in An Evening at Fawlty Towers (September 2013) (for which I won a Willie Award for Best Actor, and was nominated for a CAT Award), Another Evening at Fawlty Towers (November 2014), and Yet Another Evening at Fawlty Towers (January 2017). Played Mr. March in Little Women (October 2016).
Capuccino Musical Theatre: sang, danced, and acted in The Drowsy Chaperone (2013)
Storybook Theatre: acted in Jack and the Beanstalk (1991), The Dancing Donkey (1993), Frog and Toad (2006), Harriet's Hallowe'en Candy (2008), and Annie (2010). Was co-music director of The Lost Land (1995) and music director of The Velveteen Beaver (2008) and The Princess and the Pea (2011), for which I also wrote the score, and for Bumbles' Big Christmas Adventure (2011).
Westmount Charter School Music Association: Webmaster 2010 - 2014
Calgary Carshare (formerly Calgary Alternative Transportation Co-operative)
Calgary Space Frontier Society: co-founding member, Secretary 1998
Calgary Community Network Association: HTML committee 1998-1999
North American Guild of Change Ringers: representative for Calgary 1990-2000
Quickdraw Animation Society: Secretary, 1993-1994
Calgary L5 Society: founder, President 1983-1986
National Space Society or its predecessors: member, 1982-2003
Mensa Canada: member, 1980-1983

Education

Digital Audio Certificate, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
February 2015

Bachelor of Music, University of Calgary
Major in Composition, minor in Piano Performance, May 1994

Diploma in Object Oriented Programming, University of Calgary
Instruction in object oriented analysis, design, and construction, October 2000

Diploma in Radio Production, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Major in Production, minor in On-Air, June 1989

Bridge Watchkeeping Ticket, Canadian Naval Reserve
This permitted me to act as the Captain's representative on the bridge of various naval vessels - August 1986

Current technical knowledge

Languages: JavaScript, including Node.js; Java
Database: MySQL; MongoDB; Oracle
IDEs: IntelliJ IDEA; Eclipse
Operating Systems: Mac OS; UNIX-compliant e.g. Solaris; Windows

References are available upon request.

This document revised 1 July 2023.