Chris Lexmond - Technology Entrepreneur
I am an Atlanta based software engineering leader and entrepreneur with over 7 years of experience in a wide variety of web technologies and services including, but by no means limited to Ruby, PHP, SQL and NoSQL databases, Javascript frameworks, Amazon Web Services and Heroku. I'm at home architecting complex applications involving providing and consuming API's, dealing with OAuth and building rich interactive, client-side applications.
In addition to the work I've done for prominent companies like Warner Brothers, Simmons, the Cartoon Network and the Atlanta Falcons, I spend a lot of my time exploring new technologies and building things. I have a passion for learning and I am always seeking a challenge.
Skills / Technologies
- API Architecture (OAuth, Widgets, Cross-domain)
- DevOps & SysAdmin (Vagrant, Chef, AWS, Heroku)
- Languages (Ruby, PHP, Javascript, Python)
- Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, AWS RDS)
- Memory Stores (Memcached, Redis, AWS Elasticache)
- HTML5 (WebSockets, Canvas, PostMessage)
- CSS3 (Animate, Shadows, etc.)
- Ruby Frameworks (Ruby on Rails)
- Javascript Frameworks (Node.js, Backbone.js, Ember.js)
- PHP Frameworks (Zend, Lithium, Symfony, Drupal, Joomla, Wordpress)
In addition to these skills, I am constantly picking up new technologies to learn, experiment with, and expand my expertise.
ApartmentList Reviews
Summary
ApartmentList is a multi-family property meta-search engine and as part of their acquisition of RentAdvisor I was responsible for re-building the reviews & ratings component to seamlessly integrate with ApartmentList's data pipeline and user interface. I was able to utilize a services oriented architecture (SOA) to allow for a rapid integration which required minimal changes on the ApartmentList core side.
Site:
Apartmentlist
Related Technologies
- Ruby on Rails
- OAuth2 Client & Server
- PostgreSQL
- Backbone.js / Chaplin.js
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Reddit Discussions
Summary
Reddit Discussions is a proof-of-concept application demonstrating how Reddit's OAuth enabled API can be used to embed an iframe widget into third-party sites whose articles are linked to Reddit. The relevant discussions would be pulled in and the comments displayed inline on the page similar to Disqus or Livefyre. Commenting and voting are allowed via an OAuth login flow. The application is developed with an API / client architecture utilizing Ruby on Rails and Backbone.js.
Site:
Reddit Discussions
Related Technologies
- Ruby on Rails
- Backbone.js
- OAuth via Reddit API
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Atlanta Development Map
Summary
I have always had a significant interest in the development patterns in cities in general and specifically Atlanta (I do live here after all). So, I set out to build a map of real estate and transit development in Atlanta. It gave me the chance to play around with Google Maps API and some more with Backbone.js.
Related Technologies
- Backbone.js
- Google Maps API
- geoxml3
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RentAdvisor
Summary
RentAdvisor is a reputation management company for apartment management companies. RentAdvisor solicits reviews directly from residents and provides tools for tracking and communication with the review authors. I was responsible for building and maintaining the API and a variety of embedable widgets to support our clients in addition to managing the development of a new survey platform and our cloud-based AWS infrastructure.
Related Technologies
- Backbone.js
- Ruby on Rails
- Amazon Web Services (EC2, S3, SES, Glacier)
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Dimespring
Summary
Dimespring is a personal finance site incorporating a social element to drive engagement. It was built on the Drupal CMS to allow content providers to easily publish new content and utilizes Amazon's suite of hosting products for scaling. I was able to develop a custom Amazon CloudFront module for Drupal that allows editorial staff to quickly and easily clear stale content from cache.
Site:
Dimespring
Related Technologies
- Drupal
- MySQL
- Amazon CloudFront
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Sharecare
Summary
Sharecare is a question and answer site focused on healthcare. Backed by Dr. Oz and Jeff Arnold, it is considered the successor to WebMD and utilizes scale-able technologies such as MongoDB, Memcached, Apache Solr, and Nginx to support traffic on a scale similar to Reddit and other popular social networks.
Site:
Sharecare
Related Technologies
- MongoDB
- Zend Framework
- Apache Solr
- Memcached
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Kickin' It Banner Ads
Summary
Kickin' It is a TV series for kids released by Disney. I developed three different size Flash banners for their advertising push during the initial series launch and it's first month on air. A content delivery network was integrated and utilized to deliver five streaming trailers and add to the interactivity of the ads.
Related Technologies
- Flash
- Actionscript 3
- CDN API integration
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Simmons S.O.A.R.
Summary
The SITE Online Access Resource was developed for Simmons' research and development division to organize their catalog of machine part drawings and to allow their manufacturing division to easily access appropriate drawings when repairs were required. I developed this system in PHP and utilized a MySQL database for data storage related to machine parts, user access, and user accounts. A user-friendly interface was designed and implemented in XHTML/CSS and Javascript. Additionally, batch processing programs were developed to automate the process of importing recently changed or added files into the data storage system.
Related Technologies
- PHP
- mySQL
- Javascript
- Windows batch programming
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Zoinkify Yourself!
Summary
Zoinkify Yourself! is a Flash application, integrated with Facebook, that allows Scooby-Doo fans to crop their face into a variety of short Scooby-Doo episodes. This project was on a very short 2 week deadline and required the collaboration of a variety of different firms. I was responsible for the backend devlopment and Facebook integration and was able to make use of my Actionscript 3 and Javascript knowledge to help the client deliver this project on time.
Related Technologies
- ActionScript 3 (Flash)
- Javascript - for Facebook integration
- PHP - for storage of images and video
- mySQL
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Firebreather Banner Ad
Summary
Firebreather is an animated movie released by the Cartoon Network. They were in need of a Flash banner ad capable of user intereaction and expansion. I was able to use my Flash and Actionscript expertise to deliver the project within a few days and according to a specification that called for a specific file size and loading time.
Related Technologies
- Flash
- Actionscript 3
- Javascript
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Chris Lexmond Design
Summary
I started Chris Lexmond Design shortly after I graduated from Georgia Tech as I had received several requests from friends and family to design and develop websites for them. Since I was employed full-time as an engineer, I focused the site towards small businesses and projects that would be manageable for me to work on during nights and weekends.
Related Technologies
- HTML / CSS - tableless design
- PHP - used in the potential client contact form
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Scintella Solutions
Summary
Scintella Solutions is in the business of developing scheduling software for small businesses and callcenters. The site was designed to quickly call attention to the products and their descriptions as well as to allow easy access to support, purchasing, and customer service. The purchasing section makes use of cURL to tie into the merchant account system to allow for automated credit card transactions similar to Magento and other eCommerce suites.
Related Technologies
- HTML / CSS - tableless design
- PHP - making use of the cURL extension
- Integration of open source trouble ticket system for support
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ShiftMatch
Summary
ShiftMatch is an online employee scheduling system designed for small and medium size businesses, specifically restaurants. I was responsible for the user interface, as well as the front-end and database design. The application uses PHP extensively including various graphing and image creation plugins to display labor supply and demand data.
Related Technologies
- PHP - including several extensions
- mySQL
- HTML / CSS - tableless design
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Gentry Test Prep
Summary
Gentry Test Prep was designed for a LSAT prep tutor and went through two renditions over a period of three years. The site was designed with ease of navigation in mind and makes use of a tableless layout. A contact form was also created using PHP to forward to the owner's e-mail.
Related Technologies
- HTML / CSS - tableless design
- PHP - e-mail contact form
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Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates
Summary
In developing a website for a local defense attorney’s office, I designed the page layout, the company logo, implemented a PHP contact form, used Google Maps API to add interactivity to the directions page, and handled the online promotion and marketing of the site. Additionally, I created a Flash banner for the top of the homepage.
Related Technologies
- PHP - contact form
- HTML / CSS
- Flash
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SeatMatch
Summary
SeatMatch is an application developed by Scintella Solutions to automatically assign seats to agents. It also optimizes for space by utilizing hot seating / desk sharing. The application makes heavy use of AJAX and a PHP/mySQL back-end to provide a smoother experience requiring fewer page refreshes. This is an important feature for an applicaion requiring a significant amount of data entry on behalf of the user.
Site:
SeatMatch - Call Center Seating Optimization
Related Technologies
- PHP / mySQL
- Javascript / AJAX
- XHTML / CSS
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