Thanks for coming to my home page. I have run www.brie.com
since its inception. Until recently, I worked at WorldCom in Sacramento.
I am currently serching for a full time job doing programming / development
preferably in a Linux / Unix environment.
I also do consulting on the side when time permits.
Since I often use this page as a supplement to my resume, I'll expand
on perhaps the ideal job.
My ideal job would be one that involved the use of the internet,
Linux/Unix system architecture, and database storage. I
think the perfect compliment to the World Wide Web
would be a world wide navigation system. You would look on the web
to get information about a location and your world wide navigation
system would guide you there. The reality of this concept is already
functioning in place. It is called GPS
and it will guide you to anyplace in the world within a block,
much closer depending upon your equipment, or whether you are
US military.
Let me create a scenario of the product I would like to create.
I grew up in the Napa Valley where there are between two to three
hundred wineries (keeps changing). Many are located along the
heavily traveled Highway 29. Others are hidden in secluded areas,
which are difficult to find. With my proposed pre trip planning
guide you would peruse different wineries and attractions featuring
photos of each location, similar to my Brie Business Directory,
but on a wider scale. You see a winery
hidden in a secluded area off the
Silverado Trail.
A former rancher who has a love for wine and has converted
his barn to a winery runs it. Turn of the century Chinese laborers
dug the cave in the hill which he restored its use as a cellar.
You think that would be a unique place to visit, so you check
it and the itinerary builder shows the winery location on the
map. You use the search function to find other wineries in the
area. You find another winery, which features a tram. The photo
shows a spectacular view over vineyards and a glider soaring
overhead. You check it off. Eventually you have four wineries
in your itinerary basket.
You go to the preview map showing the wineries locations.
You click on the map for a starting point. The itinerary builder
creates a route from your starting point to the wineries. You
decide to change your agenda, so the third winery is now second.
You hook your handheld Garmin
GPS III to your computer and you download your route.
You debark from your plane at the SFO airport. You get your
rental Chevrolet
Prizm and you place your GPS on the dash. You select the
'goto' button and you choose the Bed
and Breakfast Inn you are staying for that night. The GPS
shows you where you are on the map, and an arrow points the direction
to go to get to your destination. It shows your speed and distance
to destination. It also indicates when to turn. You arrive exactly
at the Bed and Breakfast.
The following day you depart on your tour of the Napa Valley
with your GPS mounted to the dash. You arrive at the secluded
winery. The wine maker entertains your ears with stories of wine
making and that of the valley as you sample his selection. You
discover you spent more time than expected, so you with your
Garmin GPS III select 'goto'
to your third destination. It guides your there. Your day has
ended and you are ready to go back to the Bed and Breakfast Inn
for some relaxation. You select 'goto' on the Garmin and it guides
you there.
Sound like science fiction? The technology for this is here
and I have worked with virtually all of it.
Photos on the web are easily created from Kodak
Photo CD's, my method of choice, or scanned,
or digital
camera (still inferior to your basic 35mm case with even
a standard 50mm lens). The itinerary builder can be made using
a database server such as mSQL,
mySQL, Oracle,
etc. The interface to the database
is best done with PERL. Maps
for the guide can be made using the map server from the Census
Bureau's Tiger Map Server, ESRI's
Internet map server, or USGS
maps. ESRI also offers Arcview. GNU software available is
Grass
which works on UNIX.
Or perhaps subcontracting with Mapquest.
The handheld GPS navigation device is the Garmin III. I had one
for a short period and it was outstanding. My impression from
the sci.geo.satellite-nav
Usenet newsgroup and personal experience indicates Garmin holds
a strong lead in the personal GPS navigation field. I read that
they will introduce later this year an elaborate unit for cars.
I am looking for a company that would make this their goal
or is already working towards this as their goal. Please contact me if you have a position related
to this, so we can make this scenario reality.
