New Hire: Welcome Phil!

1. Welcome to the team Phil! Can you tell us a little about what you do at Armor Games?

I am a Senior Web Developer, working with the web development team adding functionality to the website and fix issues as they pop up so people can enjoy the games 🙂

2. When did you realize web programming was the right path for you?

I actually stumbled into it.  After doing IT administration for a decade, I realized I wanted to write software and fix bugs, not just report bugs while installing software and hardware — so I went back to school and earned a second BS and then a MS in Information and Computer Sciences from UC Irvine.  Unless I wanted to move out of the area after I finished my degrees, the main jobs hiring in the area for people with my skill set were web development jobs.  I’ve been doing web development almost exclusively ever since.

3. What are you currently working on at Armor Games?

My main project has been the Armatars project working closely with James Lee (see his Q&A from April 29); he builds the front-end and I link up the back-end.

4. Are there any websites in the past you have worked on that you would like to share?

I’ve worked on two publicly-available commercial business printing sites:

– OvernightPrints and

– BudgetPrint

On a rare occasion I blog at http://tipsfromphil.blogspot.com/ and http://onecask.blogspot.com/ .

5. What blogs do you like reading most online?

– Anthony Bourdain and

– Joel on Software

I’m also an avid reader of the DrudgeReport and Twitter’s BreakingNews channel

6. When you are not busy at the office, what are some things you do for fun?

– Reading (Ben Mezrich, Dan Brown, winemaking books, other current fiction, and I’ve been yearning for a Harry Potter type of series for a few years now),

– Watching TV (Big Bang Theory, In Wine Country, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Outsourced, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family),

– Listening to the radio (Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, Bill Handel, The Splendid Table, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me)

-Listening to music (Pandora, Last.FM, YouTube),

– Sailing,

– Chess,

– Smoking fish and meats,

– Cooking, and

– Wine-tasting

Then there are the podcasts:

I’m a daily listener to C|Net’s Buzz Out Loud podcast, and when time permits, I like to listen to:

– Renaissance Festival Podcast,

– This Week In Startups, and

– 3 Wine Guys.

7. What is your favorite flash game to play?

I’m addicted to Sugar, Sugar

8. Your desk is set up in a way that you stand up while working. Is there a secret to this way of work?

Yes.

Oh you wanted me to explain the secret? 🙂

There is a type of software development framework called Scrum where a daily stand-up meeting is held around 2 PM for about 15 minutes.  Why 2 PM daily?  Because that’s usually the time of day the blood sugar runs low after eating lunch and standing up keeps the energy flowing.  It works for me for the entire day; I only sit when reading or in meetings.

On top of that, ever since I started working standing during grad school, the aches and pains that I used to get in my head, shoulders, neck, and back are gone.  Standing up forces me to maintain better posture.