"There are two seasons in Toronto, Winter and Construction"
Welcome to my very humble home page. Here, you'll learn a little about me, my background, interests, and maybe, just maybe, a glimpse of my future plans...
All About Me...
Who am I, and why do I dare publish a Web page with flagrant disregard for the bandwidth crisis?
Allow me to introduce myself...
My name is Noel D'Souza, and from everything "they" tell me, I'm a Computer Engineer.
I attended St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary school in Scarborough (part of Toronto), then went on to St. Michael's College School (no, not the choir school - a mistake you would never make if you ever heard me try to sing), and finally the University of Waterloo for my BASc undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering.
I also had the pleasure to attend the Shad Valley technology and entrepreneurship summer program in July 1991, and subsequently worked at Canadian Pacific in the Computers and Communications department. I've lost track of a lot of the good friends I made during that hectic month at Shad, but I intend to remedy that... starting NOW!
During my time at Waterloo, I had the opportunity to work with many high tech companies, including The BCB Technology Group (now BCB Voice Systems Inc), IBM Canada Ltd, Symantec Corp - Delrina Group, and JetForm Corp. Thumbs up to all of them for giving me a shot in the high-tech industry, and now that I've graduated... hey, don't all fight over me at once! ;)
Although I've studied more than most people would ever want to know about both the hardware and software aspects of computer systems, I've chosen to specialize in the software side of things, and look forward to the next 40 years or so of designing, implementing, and (joy) debugging software systems. Then, I will probably die.
My specialty is (surprise, surprise!) Object-Oriented development in Win32 (i.e. the latest flavours of Windows), primarily in C and C++.
What Am I Up to Nowadays?
This has been much more of a moving target than I originally hoped! Though the Powers That Be say that tourism in Toronto is down drastically, I've been touring new areas of north-eastern Toronto virtually every year now... on my commute to a different employer, that is. Wow, is the tech industry ever in a shambles here!
Let's see... currently I work at ACNielsen Canada, in Markham, Ontario, just a few minutes north of home (yes, that is critically important!). ACNielsen is THE leading market research and insights provider for manufacturers and retailers. This is definitely a different kind of company from any of my previous employers, and I'm hoping one that will offer me a place to park my ever expanding rump for years to come. It's been around for over 60 years, so I'm hopeful!
My last employer was Opencola Ltd., where we were creating some WICKED collaborative search and peer-to-peer file sharing/transfer software. Unfortunately, it met a spectacular end, while I was away on vacation no less. (That's the second time!)
Previously, I worked at TrueSpectra Inc. on some very cool dynamic image server technology, as well as at Symantec Corp., where I was part of the WinFax PRO team, then moved on to Mobile Essentials development. Wanna see a sample of my work? Drop by your local computer store and look for the yellow boxes!
So What Else Do I Do?
I'm an avid PC gamer, and love getting hold of the coolest 3D shooter and real-time strategy games. My love for the latest and greatest hardware and software has had to take a back seat to some minor practical constraints, namely time and money, although I have been known to indulge from time to time.
Here are a few of my more recent favourites, which probably should be yours too:
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
I also enjoy sport fishing, and try to get out to the lakes, rivers, and streams as often as I can. I've only been out in a boat on a couple of occasions... usually, I fish from shore or along a river bank. When I get a chance, I'll post a few pics of the ones that didn't get away! For now, take a look at a few shots from my 1997camping trip.
I've recently taken to weight training to shake off those years of sluggishness sitting at a computer. With a bit of perseverence, soon I'll be a lean, mean... programming machine? Something to look forward to...
I'm a big Science Fiction / Fantasy fan, and follow some of the more popular "television phenomena" of today. These include:
Check out my collection of pics from my favourite Sci-Fi shows and movies!
Note: I take no credit for the pictures that appear within. I've placed them on the following pages only to allow others to enjoy them as well. Many thanks to the artists and companies that created them and made them available to the public. Keep it up!
Don't worry, there'll be more to come as I get them!
Links
Here are some home pages belonging to friends and colleagues of mine... check'em out!
times. Go figure.
