What’s your name, position, goal in life?
Erik Smith, Programmer. My goal in life is to program, live comfortably, retire in the mountains to ski, bike, and golf until my body wont let me anymore… then ill code.

If you could define yourself as Beats Per Minute, what number would you be?
I’d probably be a shade above the average of ~70. I consider myself fairly even keeled. However, since I grew up outside of NYC, where everything moves a mile a minute, I constantly have to tell myself to slow it down.

What is the worst thing you’ve ever done and gotten away with?
I’m not past the statute of limitations yet.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Learning the mountain of technologies in front of me.

What’s your favorite thing about Colorado so far?
Where do I start? The mountains, the view, the skiing, the hiking, Boulder and Denver being 20 minutes from me, the biking, the people, the weather, and the lack of humidity. 95 degrees here feels like 80 degrees back east! Did I mention the mountains?

What’s the best part about your job? The worst?
The best part of my job is the relaxed atmosphere. So much different than what I am used to. A great change of pace. The worst so far has to be route 36!

Sweet or salty?
Salty.

Would you rather be mechanically induced to scream at the top of your lungs for an hour or have your eyes glued shut for a day?
Eyes glued shut. I have a very hard time sleeping for extended periods of time, so if my eyes were taped shut, that just might help me along…

If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?
I would have probably not accepted my first job out of college as a non-technical job. It set me back a few years getting to where I want to be in my career. Hindsight is 20/20?

What’s your favorite meal of the day?
This is an easy one. I love to cook so it hands down has to be dinner. Plus, its the only meal where I have time to make something. I recently bought a new grill so now I’m enjoying it even more.

Describe your biggest achievement.
Ask me in 30 years…

If you could be any animal, what would you be?
I would have to say a Grizzly bear. What other animal can run 30 mph, scare the hell out of everything and everyone, stuff itself for 3 months each year while sleeping for the next 6?

Tell us about yourself. Why did you want to be a front end developer at Imulus?
Casey Patrick O'Hara. Yes, I'm Irish. I'm originally from New Hampshire, so I'm culturally predisposed to using New England jargon, not paying sales tax or wearing a seat belt, and Tom Brady fandom. For reasons I'm still not sure of, when I graduated high school I decided to move to the frozen, wind-swept plains of Ohio to go to school. In December I graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in Visual Communication Technology. During my academic novitiate, I fell in love with web design and development. I've slowly moved away from design and now I focus more on the programming side of things.

Finding Imulus was pure kismet. I interviewed with Bruce and Taylor a few months before I graduated and we totally hit it off. It seemed like a perfect fit doing exactly what I love. I knew I wanted to live in Colorado, so the move was a no-brainer.

Your nickname is "The Prototype." How did you come about this nickname?
At my first Imulus team meeting, George polled the room "Who is our best JavaScript programmer?" I patiently waited for someone else to answer, but I couldn't keep my love affair a secret; I involuntarily shouted "I kick ass." Apparently they didn't know how much I love JavaScript when I was hired, and it quickly became a joke I probably won't live down any time soon.

If Javascript was a woman, what would she look like? Don't be afraid to get a little PG-13.
Courtney Love. Battered, sloppy, and drunk enough to be dangerous. If you look past the puke on her dress, it’s easy to see a few gems in there. Once in a while she will spit in your face, but you know she didn’t mean it because deep down she’s probably a nice person.

What about your job do you like the most?
I like that Imulus moves so fast. At times it can be equally exciting and terrifying, but it’s rewarding to work on a team of super-smart, super-talented people with an “Okay, build it” philosophy because it affords us the freedom to explore and experiment with new technologies. Research and learning are not only encouraged but required. This means our workflow and development processes are constantly evolving and never stagnate.

Least?
We’re often so busy building awesome stuff that it can be hard to find time to just stop and reflect on how awesome what we’re building actually is. Does that make sense?

Do you live free or die?
Yes.

Would you rather be a pirate or a dinosaur?
Definitely a pirate. As a pirate, it's professionally acceptable to get drunk and steal things every day. Plus, I've always wanted a cannon.

What do you like best about Colorado?
I've been here for a few months now and I'm still blown away by the landscape. I love driving up into the mountains aimlessly without a map or cell signal. I totally get off on that. The tech scene and entrepreneurial culture in Denver (and Boulder) is awesome. The weather and people are nice too. I still haven't been to Casa Bonita.

If you could have a dinner with anyone in the world or throughout history, who would you dine with?
I'd love to go out drinking with Charlie Sheen. Just once.

Describe the color blue to a blind person.
I fell for this trick once, except I was trying to describe what a square looks like. Before I got past explaining what a right angle is, I realized that my new blind friend had a saddle on his safety dog. I got too distracted imagining him riding the dog around his house that I never finished describing the square.

1. We are extremely lucky to work in the industry we do. By having everything online, it’s just silly to not be able to work from home. When you have a group of trusted individuals who get their stuff done and are accountable for it, it is such a nice benefit to work from home. I find it funny with micromanagers in a big corporation who think working from home is an excuse to slack off. If that’s the case, you’re clearly not doing something right. But, micromanaging rants can be saved for another blog post.
2. When 2 of the 9 people in your office have swine flu, you can avoid them. Plus, you don’t actually have to take sick days. It’s so nice to stay home when you’re not feeling well, but still be able to get your work done and not cut into your vacation or personal time.
3. Fresh air and change of scenery. Everyone can use that.
4. It tests communication skills. Are we working in the most collaborative way? Does the weakness show more when we’re out of the office? If so, what do we do to solve the problem?
5. Nooners. Kidding. I swear.
6. It helps put work life vs. personal life in perspective. Some things that tend to stress me out when I’m in the office just aren’t that big of a deal and aren’t worth adding the extra years to my life. It’s good to get that periodic reality check.
7. Pajamas. Enough said. Well, not really. You also don’t have to put makeup on or do your hair…until George surprises you with a video chat. Course, it’s worse when he does that during #5. Ah, kidding again. Really.
8. For some reason, I feel like I can take a step back and become more strategic. I have the time to look at the big picture, our process, client goals, etc. I’m not sure why, but I do. Maybe it’s because I get to dodge phone calls for a day, and really focus on some of my own goals.
9. Healthier lunches. I LOVE going out to lunch with my colleagues. It provides a much-needed break in the day, and is a great time to talk about our shenanigans outside of work. However, with that comes lunches that are much larger and much higher in calories. I know, I know. With some discipline I’d be better when at work, but where’s the fun in that!?! At least when I’m home, I have a damn good reason for staying home to eat.
10. Everyone’s super duper excited to see you when you get back. It’s just one big love fest. Seriously.

What did I miss? What are you favorite things about working from home?

If Imulus were a person, what would its personality be?
They would be someone who constantly tries to excel and push to better themselves. A person who would be a professional but also not have a bug up their ass. They would be so excited about their work, they find it hard to fall asleep at times.

Star Wars or Star Trek?
During my childhood years, it was all about Wookies, lightsabers, and X-Wing fighters. At 5 years old, my Dad and I soldered LED’s all over my Millennium Falcon. Although, as I got into high school and my love for science grew, I started watching Star Trek:TNG and also got hooked on the movies with the original cast. It’s amazing my brain has enough room for programming languages, OOP concepts, and database schemas with all the obscure, nerdy knowledge in there. KAHHHNNNN!!!

What is your most embarrassing story?
Blowing myself up. During my early part of college, my friend and I were filming a scene for a computer game we were making. I had strapped a home-made black powder charge to my chest to simulate a gun shot. We had put a little too much powder in the charge and after depressing the button to ignite it, a fireball the size of a beach ball fired from my chest. I wasn’t on fire but I went against everything I was taught by running around, arms flailing, trying to find water to dump on me. After the fiasco was done, my chest and neck looked like they had a bad sun burn. Thankfully, my Mom was there to comfort the wounds and the ego. The most embarrassing part is the video still exists out there. Somewhere.

If money were no object, what would you do with your life?
I would try to build a house. I know a little bit about most aspects in house construction but it would be nice having the money and time to figure it all out. Another area I would like to dabble in is creating independent computer games. Like game development, I’m ecstatic to be in a field where so many talented people can come together to produce a product from the idea phase to seeing it fully functional on screen. Or I can combine the two and build an old school arcade cabinet and then sleep on a hammock at the beach all day long.

What do you do for fun?
Listen to dirty talk radio with my headphones on causing my co-workers to look at me weird as I’m laughing out loud. Recently, I have found a love for cooking. My wife helped me discover that the art of cooking is really the science of chemistry. Someday, during some free time, I need to watch the dozens of Good Eats episodes saved on my TiVo.

Favorite Programmer joke?
“Keyboard not found. Press ‘F1′ to RESUME.”

Bonus joke. Warning… its very dirty:
4920736177206d79206769726c667269656e6420666f6f6c696e672061726f756e6420776
9746820616e6f74686572206775792e204920616c6d6f73742066656c6c206f66662074
6865206c6164646572206a65726b696e67206f66662e

What does curiosity smell like?
Smells like victory. Humanity has grown because we are, by nature, curious. We have made some pretty amazing discoveries because we were curious. I feel curiosity is how we learn where we are, where we’re going, and why we’re here. Answering 2 out of the 3 is a good average.

What made you decide to co-found a company?
My father was a big entrepreneur and I inherited that particular gene. Since late high school, I’ve started three businesses. Third time is a charm. When you start a company, you have to know your weaknesses and you need people to complement your strengths. My two previous businesses did not have the diverse talent needed to be successful. Given the opportunity to work with two of the most talented and well-rounded people I’ve met was a no brainer.

In one word for each, describe the 3 owners.
I have one word for all three:
Passionatededicatedinspirational (that’s a word right? I’m using it in Scrabble.)

What are you afraid of?
I’m afraid of losing a finger. It’s a little selfish I know, but I feel my productivity would suffer dramatically. When I code, I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts and it is second nature for me to use all my fingers for production. It would take awhile to re-train my body and mind to get back to the speed before an accident like that. That is why I never go bowling; those ball returns are dangerous!

If there was one place in the world you could travel, where would it be?
Tokyo, Japan. I would love to learn Japanese and visit Tokyo one day. Being a huge gadget man, what better place to visit!? It’s a country I find amazing with its culture and society constantly trying to better themselves. It seems like a beautiful place where architecture blends both ancient and modern ideas.

If you could sit in a bathtub full of something, what would you chose?
I first thought a bathtub full of money, but I’m sure the Secret Service would arrest me for mutilation of national bank obligations. My second option would be a bathtub full of foam. I imagine I would feel like I was floating and that experience would be very relaxing. My bad attempt at weightlessness.

What is your favorite/least favorite part of your job?
The thing I most look forward to is coming to our building and working on cool applications formed from the heads of some very talented people. I love thinking of smart yet simple ways to solve problems. It gets my blood pumping to find a solution and to write an elegant, reusable method for a project. My least favorite part of the job is the random bug. No matter how hard you try to reproduce it, it never shows it’s ugly head until you’ve THOUGHT the bug was annihilated. Then, out of no where, the bug is glowing on the screen, laughing in your dumb face, mocking you the whole time.

What’s your favorite movie?
Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Great sci-fi story with, (back then), state-of-the-art effects. What more could you ask for!

If you were a font, what font would you be? (Yes, this one is for the designers entertainment only. I realize you hate me for this.)
Fixedsys: Simple, down to the point, old fashion, and even funny to some.

I’ve been in this industry since ‘94, but acting in a client facing capacity since ‘99. During that time I’ve always noticed that there is a seasonal frequency to the number of RFPs, RFQs, referrals and new business opportunities. Typically, it goes like this. January is slow, Feb thru May is the busiest time of the year. Followed by a bit of a lull during the Summer, but then it picks up again in September and starts chilling out around Thanksgiving. Then the last minute stuff is rushed before the holidays coming along.

Thus far, this year is no different (I just jinxed us). The work is still coming in and after talking with several industry colleagues, they are saying the same thing. Our industry “seems” to be somewhat resistant to recessions due in-part to several factors:

• Cutbacks usually first trim off marketing & creative type jobs; however that work is usually then outsourced to agencies and web firms.
• The smart companies go after market share. These are the companies who’ve set themselves up to take advantage of rough economic times and they pounce on the chance to out maneuver the competition to eat up market share.
• Slow economies force businesses to re-evaluate who they are and what they want to be. At times, this causes them to focus on revamping their public image… ie website.

I’d be interested to know if any other agencies around the country are feeling the same way?