Sam Dalton
Web engineer. Cat person. Brews beer. Kiwi in SF.
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Repositories
- A Scope & Engine based, clean, powerful, customizable and sophisticated paginator for Rails 31 watcher / Pushed Jul 25, 11
- A Backbone.js, jQuery Mobile, PhoneGap iPhone app that was built simply to evaluate the technologies for use in developing iPhone applications.1 fork / 23 watchers / Pushed Apr 03, 11
- A bare bones, no frills, quick and dirty url shortner running on Rails 2/3 and MongoDB5 watchers / Pushed Mar 12, 11
- Give your JS App some Backbone with Models, Views, Collections, and Events/ Pushed Oct 28, 10
- Light wrapper for Paypal's Adaptive Payment API1 fork / 1 watcher / Pushed Jun 24, 10
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Tweets
- RT @NerdWallet: Welcome to #NerdChats! We're excited to have @turbotax & other experts join us today to chat about last-minute tax tips. Le…
- RT @NerdWallet: Seen us on📺 lately? We've been nominated for @TheDrum's Creative Work of the Week! Check it out & vote here: https://t.co/…
- I just voted to see how companies like @NerdWallet are redesigning the world of finance at #SXSW 2017. Vote here: https://t.co/uCKgV4iWbw
- Should you tap your 401(k) to pay off debt? Here's what our #retirement specialist @arioshea says: https://t.co/Cxb6z0x96h #ArielleAnswers
- RT @NerdWallet: Exciting news: the @aboutlife team has officially joined NerdWallet! https://t.co/sOgwob7MfB #NerdLife https://t.co/z2PFlLh…
- NerdWallet acquires AboutLife to expand into retirement planning services https://t.co/4rfP0gKVtT via @VentureBeat
- RT @RobGarciaSJ: Beer brewing aficionados rejoice: best options for summer brews + recipes https://t.co/jk7HYm7ndh by @spdalton
- aboutLife Introduces The First Big-Data-Driven Retirement Age Predictor And Recommendation Engine https://t.co/eRtjyHKMbO via @YahooFinance
- RT @aboutlifeco: Today is a #SuperTuesday @aboutlifeco Launching #BigData + #Advisors to Help People #retire Earlier, Richer or Both https:…
- RT @aboutlifeco: #InternationalWomensDay Let's Close The #retirement Gap Between Men & Women https://t.co/YvuJwK31fm @aboutlifeco https://t…
- 4 days until I shave head/beard for Childhood Cancer Research. Please doante what you can https://t.co/oJcu4Gn30C
- RT @aboutlifeco: Have an Important #Retirement Question? Our Pro @CarlosADiasJr Will Give You an Answer @aboutlifeco. Free! #financialplann…
- Flight of the Conchords didn't sell out just now, they were already on StubHub from presales.What cheating bastards you are @ticketmaster
- RT @Mr_Madness: All The Best Justin RyanScott @leangrowthguy Do well in LA👍 Good catch-up! @spdalton @leancto @simonyoung Missed ya! https:…
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Info
- Staff Engineer at NerdWalletInformation Technology and Services | San Francisco Bay Area, USSummary
Having worked in the web development industry for the last 10+ years, I have built up and honed a wide set of skills. From front-end design in HTML, CSS and Javascript, to backend services in a multitude of environments. My first taste of web development was in PHP, switching next to Ruby on Rails and currently working in the world of Node and React. Along the way I have enjoyed learning new technologies such as ElasticSearch and RabbitMQ and seeing many of them through to run in production environments.
In addition to web development, I was part of the early wave of iOS development. Having created a number of iPhone and iPad applications, I consider this to be a useful skill to have even though the development environments and languages have changed dramatically since last working in the space.
Specialties:
Web design - HTML/CSS/JS, Photoshop
Web development - Node, React, Ruby on Rails, PHP, anything else required
Systems: ElasticSearch, Redis, *SQL, DevOps on UNIX
Japanese - 少しだけ。
Lateral thinking - Project Euler, logic problems and conundrums
Music - Encyclopedic knowledge of numerous band histories and discographies (60s, 70s, mostly)
Brewing - Mostly IPAs, but experimenting with many other stylesExperience- May 2016 - PresentStaff Engineer / NerdWallet
- Mar 2015 - May 2016Senior Software Engineer / aboutLife
Product design and development of core application; backend systems such as search (ElasticSearch) and email generation & delivery; funnel optimization and A/B testing; systems administration.
- May 2011 - Mar 2015Software Engineer / Quid
My role at Quid has been fluid and broad; the highlights include automated data collection via web scraping, design, implementation and management of internal data analysis tools, document storage, search and schema design to support Quid’s primary product offering, and development and design of a complex web application for data visualization using WebGL which is now Quid's flagship product. Alongside the technical challenges of the job, I actively contribute to fostering the positive culture at Quid by developing the company mascot, and organizing events such as Quid’s community service program, Quid Cares.
- Nov 2010 - Apr 2011CTO / Shopt Ltd
Shopt was a spinoff company from Vital Link, that aimed to capitalise on the technology that had been development and market it to a more commercial audience. My role was to further develop the application and turn it into a sellable SaaS product. I also helped to provide direction for the company, and its business decisions.
- Jan 2005 - Apr 2011Self Employed / Freelance Web Developer
From a young age, I have been actively developing and designing websites and web applications. A large proportion of this work was carried out part time during secondary and tertiary education, however since finishing university, this has become a full-time endeavour. A sample of some of the applications built are:
· Hotel booking service for the snow covered Mt. Ruapehu in New Zealand· CMS for local Bridge clubs to manage their tournaments and scores
· Foreign-language tutoring with comprehensive booking and text alert service
· A non-profit social network designed to encourage people to quit smoking, Kick.It
· A location based voucher administration tool with mobile browser interface
The first three projects were built with PHP and MySQL, and the second two with
Ruby on Rails. The location based service made use of the Google Maps Javascript
API, and the services of SimpleGeo for location based calculations. Facebook
Connect and OAuth were used in the development of Kick.it to provide social
integration.Freelance iOS Developer
The rapid rise of Apple's iOS platform has provided me with an opportunity to carve
a niche in New Zealand as a freelance iOS developer. Since beginning this
enterprise, I have come to enjoy and excel in the development, and have been
engaged in interesting and stimulating projects. Two of these include streaming
music for a radio station and a student timetable and staff directory application for
the University of Auckland. This work was carried out both part time during tertiary
study, and full time since completing university. - 2008 - Mar 2011Web & Mobile Developer / Intuto NZ Ltd
Intuto NZ is company that provides e-learning solutions to both academic
institutions and commercial businesses. Their .NET based LMS and content
authoring tools are world class, being used by Cambridge University in England. My
work with Intuto included developing improvements to the interface of their content
authoring tool, as well as develop custom iOS applications for learning English
vocabulary, IELTS test preparation, and a generic application that students could
use to purchase and download interactive courses on any course produced by their
authoring tool. This work was carried out as part of an 800 hour practical work
component of my engineering course. - Apr 2010 - Feb 2011Chief Technical Officer / Vital Link Group Ltd
Product development, IT strategies, server administration, business direction, R&D
- Apr 2010 - Feb 2011Co-Founder / Vital Gifts Ltd
Education-
2008 - 2010University of AucklandBE(Hons) in Software Engineering
Activities: Engineering Revue Executive Team 2010 Software Engineering Students Association
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Interests:Music, technology, web design, web development, web standards, cooking, guitar, computer gaming, brewing, board games, movies, reading.
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Recent Tracks
- Aku Raukura by Patea Maori Club
- Bursting Through by Bic Runga
- Fast Times in Tahoe by Elemeno P
- Sway by Bic Runga
- Trippin' In The Basement by Night Gaunts
- Nil By Mouth by Blindspott
- Buck It Up by Goodshirt
- Bliss by Th' Dudes
- Brother (feat. Gin Wigmore) by Smashproof
- Whaling by DD Smash
- Blue Smoke by Pixie Williams
- Verona by Elemeno P
- Love Letter by Katchafire
- Transmission by I Am Giant
- The Letter by Midnight Youth
- Weather With You by Crowded House
- Clav dub by Rhombus
- Forever Tuesday Morning by The Mockers
- Venus by The Feelers
- Blackbird by Fat Freddy's Drop
- April Sun In Cuba by Dragon
- Loyal - Live by Tim Finn, Bic Runga, Dave Dobbyn
- Alright by Tadpole
- Slice of Heaven by Dave Dobbyn
- Turn It Around by The Black Seeds
- Fiji Baby by Goodshirt
- Ten Tonne Skeleton by Royal Blood
- Careless by Royal Blood
- Loose Change by Royal Blood
- Little Monster by Royal Blood
- Blood Hands by Royal Blood
- You Can Be So Cruel by Royal Blood
- Figure It Out by Royal Blood
- Come on Over by Royal Blood
- Out of the Black by Royal Blood
- Get Up Off Our Knees by The Housemartins
- Girl Afraid (2008 Remastered Version) by The Smiths
- Special K by Placebo
- Get Higher by Black Grape
- Still Ill - 2011 Remastered Version by The Smiths
- The Headmaster Ritual (2008 Remastered Version) by The Smiths
- Stand By Me by Oasis
- Town Called Malice by The Jam
- Some Might Say - Remastered by Oasis
- Slight Return by The Bluetones
- If You Don't Want Me To Destroy You by Super Furry Animals
- Leave Them All Behind by Ride
Pearl JamThe BeatlesPink FloydNeil YoungFoo FightersLed ZeppelinBob DylanSimon & GarfunkelNOFXCat StevensRadioheadPixiesRed Hot Chili PeppersThe DoorsArctic MonkeysNirvanaFunkadelicBlack SabbathCreedence Clearwater RevivalTom Petty and The HeartbreakersThe WhoThe Rolling StonesJimi HendrixSupertrampDave Matthews BandThe Allman Brothers BandQueens of the Stone AgeOzzy OsbourneAlice in ChainsThe SmithsBeckGreensky BluegrassLeonard CohenThe Black KeysLegião UrbanaDire StraitsGrateful DeadThe Mountain GoatsJohann Sebastian BachQueenThe Smashing PumpkinsJames BlakeThe DecemberistsFrank TurnerJethro TullFleetwood MacToolSoundgardenRodriguezRage Against the Machine
