Résumé: Ben Ranker

ben@lateralfricative.net

pgp key: 7616846C

678.524.2422 cell

POBOX 856

Clarkston, GA 30021

USA

Programming Languages

python, java, c, c++, shell: expert

javascript, perl, php, scheme, clisp, ocaml, others: exposure

Network Protocols

http, tcp, dns, udp, icmp, ip, ethernet: expert

igmp, ldap, smtp, ssl/tls, scores of others: strong experience

Web Technologies

html, xml (including namespaces), xhtml, css, rest, json, rdf, xslt, rss, atom, unicode: expert

microformats, rdfa, grddl, sparql, xsl-fo, others: strong experience

Development Platforms

linux (debian), vi, django: expert

other linux and unix, eclipse, windows, ms dev studio: strong experience

et cetera

agile methodologies, design patterns, object oriented design, unit testing, code reviews, grid/cloud computing, metadata, social networking, relational databases, post-relational storage models, digital repositories, apache, web services, pki, code generation, multi-platform development, library development, build systems, software version control, system administration, network cabling, internationalization, character sets, foreign languages, recreational linguistics, et cetera ad nauseam

Emory University Libraries

Software Engineer, Sr.

May 2009-present

develop and maintain software and systems for the high-profile “Salman Rushdie papers” digital collection, repositing and exposing data from the donor’s computers, from his mid-90s Mac to today.
develop and maintain python/django software for general digital repository access and exposure, used across several library systems
participate in continuous improvement of systems team development practices

IBM

Software Engineer, WebAhead team, CIO’s office — remote

June 2008-April 2009

develop and maintain java software for continuously crawling ~16k web feeds, analyzing the data, and preparing it for web redistribution
administer hadoop-based compute cluster
develop and maintain java web app (ui and restful data apis) exploring innovative ways to share feed data in a social web context
develop fledgling python/django web app (ui and restful data apis) enabling IBMers to ask and answer questions about IBM resources and policies, exploring innovative ways to leverage social networking and other web principles

Software Engineer, ISS X-Force PAM signature team

2006-Sept. 2008

develop and maintain c/c++ Protocol Analysis Module (PAM), the analysis library at the heart of all IBM ISS’s network traffic analysis products.
analyze new information security threats, updating PAM to protect customer networks
develop and maintain multi-architecture build system to coordinate monthly software release to customers
apply xhtml, rdf, sparql, xslt, xsl-fo, and other web technologies to collect data from internal systems and generate valuable development reports from diverse, hard-to-access, and sometimes inconsistent departmental data

Reflex Security, Inc.

Software Engineer

2005-2006

develop and maintain high-speed linux/c inline network traffic analyzer
design and develop framework to leverage rapid development of python unit tests for c code
design and develop system leveraging xslt and python to generate source code in python, c, and java for a cross-language data marshalling library
update and maintain build system for multi-architecture software development and release

SecureWorks, Inc.

Software Engineer

2001-2005

develop and maintain high-speed linux/c/c++ inline network traffic analyzer
develop and maintain web, lcd, and cli uis in perl, c, c++, and shell for network security appliance
develop and maintain build system to support multi-language software packaging and release
plan, install, and maintain dev/testing lab for network security devices from the ground up, including racking, wiring, flexible ip routing, automated network boot-loading of full test networks, etc.
route kvm over cat5 infrastructure for fun and profit; ask me how if you’ve read this far

Radiant Systems

Senior Support Engineer

1999-2001

provide phone support for proprietary ticketing, vending, and support software in client movie theaters
provide a high level of service through high-volume ticket sales and nightly account close, all with limited third-shift development support
troubleshoot problems with databases, phyiscal and logical network infrastructure, peripherals, and user error
act as a mentor to junior team members, helping through difficult technical and customer relations problems

Sykes Enterprises, Inc.