I Am Programmer, Hear Me Roar!
I Am Programmer, Hear Me Roar! I'm John Metta, a programmer, a hydrologist, an anthropologist, and an all around friendly guy (except when I have to program in Visual Basic… <shudder>… it just makes my inside bits go all wonky! Like when eating sauerkraut)

I Like Doing Stuff!

…like programming stuff!
I've been programming for 20+ years. No, really! I really dig on programming tools that let you deal with complex data sets without the usual hangover. I especially like linking databases & web apps. You know you need to get that data on the web… you know it! Call me, we'll do lunch!
…and data stuff!
Did I mention that I love data? And I don't mean just because it tastes good on eggs in the morning! I also dig on analyzing it. Time-series data is especially yummy. I've worked with Oregon DEQ, The Forest Service, and The Army Corps of Engineers doing everything from hydro-ecological modeling to socio-economics. Does your head hurt dealing with it all? I know, I know, it's gonna be okay.

If you're into the old skool, you can download my resume. I'm thinking about making a brochure and something like a portfolio myself, but some people like resumes more. They're… clean.

Look! You too can read stupid, overly analytical and dubiously accurate articles about stuff I like!!

Miscellany »

I’ve got an interesting question that I have no answers to yet:
How can I protect Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) development while working as a contract programmer?
Specifically, how can I promote the development of small libraries like Ruby Gems and make sure that it is both understood, accepted, and most of all legal?
Using Free Stuff, Is It “Take” Only?
I’m not talking about stealing intellectual property from a client and throwing a GPL on it, of course. But there’s an interesting responsibility that I feel when I program. It comes …