Stephen Gildea

I live, work, and dance in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, area.

Computers

Beware of the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.   -Donald Knuth

I work for Akamai, developing distributed network-control software.

I used to work for Vanu, Inc., a start-up in Kendall Square, Cambridge, that uses Software Radio to build cellular telephone networks.

Previously, I worked for Network Subscriptions, Inc., another start-up in Cambridge that offers bundles of subscription-based on-line content for less money than buying all the subscriptions individually.

I consulted for Oxy Systems, and implemented their web site.  I also implemented the original version of the phling! web site for them, including the back-end processing of accounts and software downloading.  The current version is maintained by someone else.

I used to maintain MH-E, an Emacs interface to the MH mail system.

I was a member of the technical staff at the X Consortium for five years, until June 1996, developing X Window System technology.

I run Debian GNU/Linux on my Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D laptop. I learned how to replace the hard disk drive in it. I run Ubuntu on my Fujitsu LifeBook P8010. I've started building my own Linux kernel for it.

Dance

The best things happen when you're dancing.   -Irving Berlin

My major hobby for many years has been modern, Western square dancing.  I am an active member of Tech Squares, the MIT square and round dance club.  I have contributed to the Sd program, a square dance caller's helper.  I like singing calls and keep a list of some classic singers with particularly difficult or well-known figures.

I joined the MIT Ballroom Dance Team in May 1997 and was in my first ballroom competition in November 1997.  See DanceNet for a (swing-dance centric) overview of the Boston dance scene.

Sailing

There is nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.   -The Water Rat

I like to sail, a trait I inherited from my mother and her father.  In June 1995 I sailed to Bermuda.

Humor

See my separate page of humor links.

Opinions

How to Vote

Word Processors: Stupid and Inefficient - Why markup is superior to WYSIWYG for most typesetting tasks.  (But see Revisiting WYSIWYG paradigms for authoring LaTeX for an overview of systems adding some WYSIWYG to markup editors.)

Links

Visit Stephen's home page for a long catalog of documents I find interesting.

The HTML Validation Service, from the World Wide Web Consortium.  This web page passes; does yours?

A lovely, interactive demo of brower abilities using PNG partial transparency and Javascript.


Up to Gildea family main page.
My email address should be guessable to any non-spammer.
Time-stamp: "20 November 2009"