DavidMerrill

How does it work? Can I make it work better? I've been driven by those questions for as long as I can remember. I can't just use something or follow rote instructions. I want to know how it works and how to use or do it better. And once I know that, I want to MAKE it work — maybe differently, maybe even better.

I was born the same year the transistor was invented, so I grew up in a world with few home computers. But once I started working with computers — phototypesetting systems in the 1970s, dedicated word processors and desktop PCs in the 1980s, networked PCs and database interfaces in the 1990s — I was hooked. And because computers can't do anything without programming, I learned what I could about microprocessors and assembly language, and started looking for projects that could be done with computers and programming.

Since 1998 I've been the computer person in an 8-person office. I webmaster on two Linux servers and do a lot with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Acrobat (and I'm learning Blender). I've been developing in Perl since about 2000, but only certain parts of the language have been needed in my projects. Some basic elements have escaped me thus far, and I'd like to learn (1) what they are and (2) more about them. I recently learned basic OO development in Flash.