With productive work
on the Commodore including BASIC programs that crunched numbers to print out some 75 pages
of compressed data on flying an airplane point-to-point with time, distance, tracks and
fuel consumptions, more computing power (and speed!) was in order and some satisfaction
was found in the 2 MHz Commodore 128 and Commodore 128D.
From there,
progression was evident through the Amiga 1000, a Tandy PC laptop, and ultimately to the
Macintosh Powerbook - which served as a workhorse through a parade of meetings and hotel
stays for the ten years following its purchase.
The Macintosh not only
served to provide the usual Office suites, but was also the vehicle with which a
newsletter and multiple useful graphic documents were created and published. The Macintosh
also made possible Jim's first internet connection, and started his long affiliation with
the World Wide Web.
When the 25-year
career as an airline pilot came to an end, Jim went on to complete a Diploma in
Programming and Systems Analysis at the Institute for Computer Studies Willowdale/Toronto
in 1996, and from there began working as a freelance web designer and learning his craft
on the job. He joined IMAT in Toronto, where he learned many useful inside tips about web
design, the industry and how it works.
The company itself was
started in 1997, along with the domain name and company registration.
Since then, Jim has
joined forces in a partnership with an elder care professional in Boston to provide
on-line services to caregivers and services to various associated elder care
professionals. He has also worked through several instances of companies abandoning their
web design firms due to exorbitant fees and doing equivalent work for a fraction of that
expense.
Despite Jim's many
skills and areas of expertise, there are areas where he is not proficient or prefers to
have another professional do a better job - such as databases with confidential
information that are located on the internet. In these cases he has sought out, contracted
and worked with appropriate professionals to provide the necessary level of service to his
clients.
Jim enjoys helping his
clients, and frequently provides them with sound advice on computer-related matters not
necessarily within the scope of a webmaster.
He is also involved in
helping several communities with his multiple Discussion Forums and Employment Boards
where people may post their resumes and employee vacancies without charge. Add in several
Caribbean genealogy resources and a continuing intense interest in aviation, and you will
have to agree that he is giving much more than he is receiving!
