C. Sparks
About Me Summary
Hello! My name is C. Sparks and I’m a retired computer scientist with a rich 40-year career dedicated to solving complex business challenges. Although I’ve stepped back from full-time work, my passion for demystifying technology and its implications remains unwavering.
Today, I focus on helping my community grasp intricate technical issues and explore viable solutions.
e.g. see my latest AI project here: Project 2025 Summary.
Through my efforts, I aim to “Simplify Complexity,” breaking down tough concepts into understandable pieces and fostering practical approaches to societal challenges.
Personal Info
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NameC. Sparks
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e-mailcrs@wisr.net
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AddressStanton, Ca. USA
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Phoneavailable upon request
Résumé
This is a partial résumé. To request a full résumé please use the Contact form.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
| I have extensive experience in Software Product Development and Information Technology projects. I have 20+ years experience in web related technologies including work at major consulting firms and leading Internet companies. I have designed and deployed advanced web based projects using both proprietary and open-source technologies, including: Portals, Content Management Systems, Real-Time Security Analyzers, CRM, e-Commerce and Rich-Media projects. I hold multiple U.S. Patents issued in the computer software field. My educational background includes a BS in Computer Science and graduate studies in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Business Management. and Communication Arts. |
INTRODUCTIONI am a results oriented leader who is able to foster cooperation and communication among diverse groups to achieve goals on-time and within budget. Key abilities include strategic planning, advanced technology development and deployment, production system operations, market initiatives, development of intellectual properties and licensing. I have extensive experience in managing complex projects from “Concept-to-Market”, including: developing initial product specification, budgeting, Design Team formation and tasking, full life-cycle development including production QA procedures, manufacturing, software product deployment, marketing support, customer service procedures, design of product educational material, order fulfillment, warranty center procedures including client security and monitoring systems. I have worked with many organizations designing complex systems, including:, Kaiser Hospitals, Dallas Cowboys, Fox, Pioneer Electronics, Warner Brothers, Wherehouse Music, BofA and Conseco (banking), 8e6 Technologies (security), Cummins Engines, ARCO (Oil), Anaconda Copper, Sigma-Aldrich, One Market Data (Wall Street), Olympic Steel, US Forestry Dept., Wisconsin Power & Light, Lab of Pathology (Seattle), Bourns, UCLA (Medical School), Data General, Grumman Aircraft, several US Federal Government departments, Local & County Governments, Police Departments, non-profit organizations, Foreign Governments and for-profit companies in Europe, the Middle East and Asia/Oceania. |
WORK EXPERIENCE
To see my Work Experience please request my full résumé by using the Contact form.
PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL SKILLS
| Expert understanding of a broad range of Computer Technologies including: |
| Internet Technologies: HTML5/CSS3, e-Commerce and Shopping Cart technologies, FTP, Email Servers and Auto Responders, CRM (Sugar/vTiger), CMS (WordPress/Joomla/Drupal), BI & Big Data analytics, Audio/Video (MP3, mpeg4), AJAX, XML and JSON, AI/Machine-Learning, IoT, Cloud Computing including AWS, Google Kubernetes, and more. |
| Visualization Technologies: D3.js, wpDataTables, Tableau |
| Frameworks:, AngularJS, Node.js, Cordova (PhoneGap), Knime, TensorFlow |
| Computer Languages: C/C++, Golang (Google Go), Java, JavaScript, Perl/CGI, PHP, Python, and more. |
| Flow-Based Programming: Ab Initio, Node-Red, Knime, Scratch |
| DevOps: Ansible, AWS CloudFormation, cPanel, JuJu, Jenkins (CI) |
| Operating Systems: Windows, UNIX/LINUX: many flavors including: Red Hat, CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian |
| Queuing Systems: IBM-MQ-series, RabbitMQ |
| Database Systems: DynamoDB, MySQL/Percona, MSsql, Oracle, MongoDB, NoSQL, Redis; DreamFactory |
| Security: PGP (GPG), SSL, VPN’s, HIPAA implementations |
| Business Logic – Middleware: IBM WebSphere, Microsoft .NET and J2EE systems |
| Software Tools (CASE): UML, ERWIN, Regression Testing & QA, Statistical Analysis, Web Based Test & Stress tools, Version Control Systems: GitLab (Git) w/Bug-Tracking |
| IoT Design: MTTQ, embedded microprocessor and IoT system design, peripheral design, high speed inter & intra device communication, wireless RF, NFC & Infra-red communications. |
| Hardware Design: Digital circuit design, test equipment design, Fault Tolerant systems |
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To request a full résumé please use the Contact form.
Laws Of Software Development
One surefire way to sound really really smart is to invoke a law or principle named after some long dead guy (an alive guy is acceptable too, but lacks slightly in smart points). This realization struck me the other day while I was reading a blog post that made a reference to Postel’s law. Immediately […]
Size Comparison of the Universe
From the Planck scale to the cosmic scale, the Size Comparison of the Universe will show you just how large our universe is! This is an update to my previous size comparison video published last year in 2017. Song source(s) (In order): 1. Mattia Cupelli: Epic Powerful Emotional Music | The Phoenix (Download and Royalty […]
A Brief Totally Accurate History Of Programming Languages
Every programmer has strong opinions on what are the best programming languages. In fact, these opinions are so deeply felt that they could easily be misinterpreted as religious in nature. But what is the history and evolution of these ideas and events. What follows is a list of key milestones and noteworthy people in the […]
Visual introduction to the Fourier Transform
One of my more difficult electrical engineering courses in college was on signals and communications. I remember there being an emphasis on Fourier Transforms. I also remember being lost a lot. I wish the demos were more visual like this video. This is an animated introduction to the Fourier Transform, winding graphs around circles created […]
Thomas Aquinas Against Your Digital-Age Anxiety
Arecent study found that “more Americans [are] suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression” than ever recorded. An article in Psychology Today described this increased anxiety as contributing to the fact that “between 1999 and 2014, the suicide rate increased [by] 24 percent.” Nistsu Abebe attempted to diagnose “America’s New ‘Anxiety’ Disorder” in a recent article for the New York Times Magazine. […]
Sorting Algorithms Visualized
If you have every taken any Computer Science or programming classes chances are high that you had to study and code several different types of sorting algorithms. Click below to see a fascinating Imgur page that provides visualizations of a bunch of the more popular sorting algorithms. Click here to see the sorting visualizations.
The History Of Intel CPUs (slideshow)
Intel Begins with The 4004 Picture 1 of 36 The first microprocessor sold by Intel was the four-bit 4004 in 1971. It was designed to work in conjunction with three other microchips, the 4001 ROM, 4002 RAM and the 4003 Shift Register. Whereas the 4004 itself performed calculations, those other components were critical to making the […]
Divorce and Occupation (interactive plot)
Some jobs tend towards higher divorce rates. Some towards lower. As people are marrying later and staying single longer, divorce continues to be common in the United States. It’s not the mythical “half of marriages end in divorce” common, but the percentages are up there. Divorce rates vary a lot by group though. Rates are higher for the […]
World’s largest instrument resides in a cave (video)
The world’s largest instrument exists deep inside the Luray Caverns in the Appalachian Mountains, and it’s 400 million years in the making, Scientific American reports. It’s called the Great Stalacpipe Organ, but it’s unlike a typical organ, which forces air through pipes to create music — this instrument rhythmically strikes the cave’s stalactites to create […]
Conway’s Law
Conway’s law is an adage named after computer programmer Melvin Conway, who introduced the idea in 1967;[1] it was first dubbed Conway’s law by participants at the 1968 National Symposium on Modular Programming.[2] It states that organizations which design systems … are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these […]
Aha! Study examines people as they are struck by sudden insight
Everybody loves those rare “aha moments” where you suddenly and unexpectedly solve a difficult problem or understand something that had previously perplexed you. But until now, researchers had not had a good way to study how people actually experienced what is called “epiphany learning.” In new research, scientists at The Ohio State University used eye-tracking […]
Loopy
In a world filled with ever-more-complex technological, sociological, ecological, political & economic systems… a tool to make interactive simulations may not be that much help. But it can certainly try. Loopy is a System Simulation and Visualization building routine by Nicky Case. Play with simulations here.
How Does Bitcoin Work? (video)
We have all heard of Bitcoin. This video gives a more technical explanation of how Bitcoin works. Want more? Check out my new in-depth course on the latest in Bitcoin, Blockchain, and a survey of the most exciting projects coming out (Ethereum, etc): https://app.pluralsight.com/library/c… Lots of demos on how to buy, send, store (hardware, paper wallet). […]
Pioneering chip extends sensors’ battery life (video)
A low-cost chip that enables batteries in sensors to last longer, in some cases by over ten times, has been developed by engineers from the University of Bristol. Dr Bernard Stark and colleagues in the Bristol Electrical Energy Management Research Group based in the Merchant Venturers School of Engineering, have developed a voltage detector chip […]
The Map of Mathematics (video)
The entire field of mathematics summarised in a single map! This shows how pure mathematics and applied mathematics relate to each other and all of the sub-topics they are made from. If you would like to buy a poster of this map, they are available here: http://www.redbubble.com/people/domin… I have also made a version available for […]
Everything you need to know about beer, in one chart (infographic)
There are dozens upon dozens of different styles of beer out there, from pale ales to stouts to bocks — and those are just a few. Being that there are so many styles, and so many exceptions to the rules, it’s incredibly difficult (not to mention time-consuming) to get to know them all, but knowing […]
GE’s wants you to do some science with Labracadabra
If you’re looking for something to occupy your teen’s time, you could do worse than GE’s Labracadabra. These are a family of mind-expanding science sets which start at the allowance-friendly price of $29.99. At launch, there are six on offer, and they all demonstrate an important scientific concept, like exothermic reactions and sound waves. And yes. […]
Traces of the Sun (video)
Explanation: This year the December Solstice is today, December 21, at 10:44 UT, the first day of winter in the north and summer in the south. To celebrate, watch this amazing timelapse video tracing the Sun’s apparent movement over an entire year from Hungary. During the year, a fixed video camera captured an image every […]
Google’s AI created its own universal ‘language’
The technology used in Google Translate can identify hidden material between languages to create what’s known as interlingua. Google has previously taught its artificial intelligence to play games, and it’s even capable of creating its own encryption. Now, its language translation tool has used machine learning to create a ‘language’ all of its own. In […]
9 Mobile App Trends for 2017 (infographic)
Apps are not just built for smartphones anymore. They are needed for homes, cars and commerce. In 2017, there is a huge entrepreneurs and consumers. It’s creating many opportunities for innovation. What’s in store mobile app trends for 2017? 2017 will be the year of small businesses developing mobile apps Location-based services continue to rise. […]
First Post
Hello everyone! This is the first post on my new WordPress blog. The thoughts and articles that will be posted here will mostly be related to topics in the computer/web field, with occasional articles off-topic that I find interesting. CRSTo contact me, please fill out the form below.