In the past I found cell phones to be more an intrusion than a convenience, and only reluctantly got a crappy Nokia model in 2008, which I rarely carried unless I had some compelling reason to do so. However in 2009 I discovered Apple's iPhone, which seems more akin to a Star Trek tricorder and communicator than a cell phone. I think the iPhone is fundamentally a true "personal computer" -- My now obsolescent 3G model has a 2.1 MIPS processor, 128 MByte of RAM (a thousand times more than the first Mac) and 16 GByte of storage, plus there's the Internet connectivity, microphone, three-axis accelerometer, GPS and 480x320 pixel touch enabled screen -- I think it's the single most amazing piece of technology I've ever owned (yes, more than my iPad, which lacks a camera and phone)...
Going back a bit, I graduated in 1985 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) with a double major, earning a B.S. degree in Computer Science and a B.S. degree in Philosophy. I've primarily made my living since then as a Computer Programmer and Software Architect. I was very interested in Artificial Intelligence, and did research in that area (as well as some government proposals) at my first job for Grumman Aircraft Systems from 1985 through 1988. I then moved to Boston to take a job with Index Technology (later Intersolv) where I was a Project Leader on the Index VT, a platform independent windowing system and WYSIWYG graphics programming environment. In 1991, I joined a startup called Open Data Corporation which made a visual, object-oriented front end to relational databases. In 1995 I began a five year stint as a contract Systems Architect working on the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet.
In 2000 I joined another startup called Life FX, that made digital human beings for Internet email (FaceMail) and CRM applications. We also developed technology that Ray Kurzweil demonstrated as his Ramona female alter ego at the 2001 TED Conference. I subsequently returned to consulting, and then founded a business selling specialty products to particular niche markets on the web. These included a particular type of glass urn called a Resting Orb.
In 2006 I joined WebEx as Chief Software Architect for the WebOffice online collaboration suite, a C# and XSLT .NET-based “Software as a Service” product with 325,000 users. In 2007 WebEx was acquired by Cisco Systems, and I began to work as an Architect on the Connect project, designing and writing AJAX, JavaScript and Java code on a platform for developing collaborative Web 2.0 applications.
I am currently working on mobile device applications that will enhance people's ability to create and interact with music. Version 2.0 of my WMFO app is available for free from the iTunes App Store. More ambitiously I am working on a commercial app called Jam With It! which will allow people to remix music on their iPads, with perhaps later a more compact version for the smaller screen sizes of the iPhone or iPod Touch.
Here's my profile on LinkedIn.