Creating user assistance including paper and online documents, online help, wizards, and coaches.

Programming including DLLs and other support programs for online help, user interface simulation, authorable wizards and coaches, software installation, and Web deployment.

Developing for the Web including the Shadow Mountain Tech Web site.

Developing for Microsoft Office in both Word Basic and VBA, including file conversion, a multi-file publication manager for Word, and jump analysis for WinHelp projects.

Illustrating technical documents.

Speaking two languages (English and Japanese).

I am currently working for Xilinx in Boulder, Colorado, as a Staff Technical Writer. My latest projects include updating documentation for their product line and automating the conversion of RTF files created for WinHelp using RoboHelp to properly tagged Framemaker files that can be compiled for use on the PC and Unix workstations using Bristol HyperHelp.

I have been contracting for the HP Home Imaging Division (digital photography) since its inception in 1995, designing and creating their online help systems. I have also done projects for the HP Greeley Hard Copy Division (Scanners) and for the Colorado Personal Storage Solutions division (CD-Writer) in the past few years. My latest projects for HP include DLLs that are being shipped with HP products and an authorable troubleshooting wizard for the CD-Writer Plus family of products. Past projects include award-winning documentation and online help, user interface simulations, and a Visual Basic based coach for the PrecisionScan Pro software.

I was a technician, national field service manager, and documentation manager for Strand Lighting, which makes computer-based lighting control systems and dimmers for Theatre and Television (Los Angeles, London, and Kirkaldy). I still outsource some Strand Lighting user documents, working with engineers in Los Angeles and Kirkaldy. Work for strand has included online help and hardcopy user and technical manuals, including illustrations and custom keycap fonts.

I worked on documentation for the Customer Insight Company, HP Loveland Instrument Division, and others while contracting for Technical Communications Services between 1989 and 1990. When TCS closed in 1990 I continued working for these clients as Shadow Mountain Tech.

I implemented a proprietary Visual Basic database application for Riteline Systems (called Process Based Management System) for tracking projects based on current process status. This program used CodeBasic for the database interface, and R&R Report Writer and Calendar Creator for output.

Because of previous experience, I understand what technical personnel and end users need. I also understand electronics and programming, and can communicate with programmers and engineers to find out how your products work and how they can best be explained to your users.

American School in Japan, Tokyo, Japan: high school.

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH: 1 year of undergraduate architecture, 1 year of undergraduate theatre.

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI: Bachelor of Arts in Technical Theater

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN: Master of Arts in Technical Theater with thesis in theatre sound design.

Auxiliary Studies throughout college equivalent to a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

Editing & Layout: Microsoft Word, Framemaker, Dreamweaver, Homesite

Online help: Microsoft Help Workshop, HTML Help Workshop, Doc-to-Help, RoboHelp, Help QA

Graphics: CorelDraw, PhotoPaint, Fireworks, Paint Brush Pro, AutoCAD LT, Microangelo, Hijaak

Publishing & Presentation: Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat 4.0

Programming: Visual Basic, Word Basic, VBA, Visual C++, JavaScript, Wise InstallMaster, Catalyst Socket Tools, Mabry Internet Pack

Online: OzWin, Outlook, CuteFTP

Data: Excel, Quickbooks, TurboTax, SourceSafe, Microsoft Project

Utilities: Norton Systemworks, Colorado Backup II, Windows Backup, Atomic Clock, Adobe Type Manager, Ghost, Partition Magic, WinZip

Operating Systems: Windows 98se, Windows NT, Windows Me, Unix

1994 STC Rocky Mountain Chapter Technical Publications Competition Excellence award for Installing HP ScanJet IIp and ScanJet IIcx Scanners.

1999 STC Rocky Mountain Chapter Distinguished award and International Excellence award for HP S20 Photo Scanner Online Help.

Computer Publishing Society membership list manager 1992-1994

Society for Technical Communications, online help judge Feb. 2000

Boulder Writer's Alliance member since 1997

HATT (Help Authoring Tools and Techniques) list moderator since July 2000

Programming For Help at the WinWriters conference Feb. 1998, Feb. 1999.

Helping Shape UI Content at the WinWriters conference Feb. 1998.

Connecting Help to Visual Basic at the Help-University conference Nov. 1999.

Creating an Author Friendly Wizard at the Help-U conference Nov. 1999.

Online Help—the Choices for the October meeting of the Society for Technical Communications Rocky Mountain Chapter.

Download presentation notes

Examples of work done for clients are available upon request.

In addition to projects for clients I have published various works related to user assistance, most of which are available on the Shadow Mountain Tech Web site.

Help Authoring References

Using WinHelp 4.0 under Win32s Originally published in WinHelp Journal.

I am currently maintaining the WinHelp 4.0 Unofficial Bug and Anomaly List.

Download a reference

Help Programming References

Programmers' Reference to WinHelp (With Paul O'Rear) A reference created in WinHelp for programmers that need to connect their programs to WinHelp or create DLLs to extend the functionality of WinHelp.

Context Sensitive Help Concepts white paper.

Connecting WinHelp to Visual Basic Programs white paper originally published on the eHelp Web site.

Connecting HTML Help to Visual Basic Programs white paper.

Connecting WinHelp to C++/MFC Programs white paper.

Connecting HTML Help to C++/MFC Programs white paper.

Extra Tab for WinHelp 4.0 Help Topics Dialog Box gives programmers a template DLL for creating an extra tab in the Help Topics Dialog Box of a WinHelp 4.0 Help project.

WinHelp Embedded Window Button Demo is a help file and DLL that together show what you can do with embedded windows in WinHelp to create controls such as check boxes, option buttons, and lists. Source for the Help file and DLL that make up this demo is also available as an example template for programmers.

Download a reference

Utilities

Help Link Tester lets you test context sensitive links for WinHelp or HTML Help without the application.

Window Tracker lets you track the handle and class of the current foreground window. Includes a crosshair so you can also get information on a targeted window.

Expandable TOC for WinHelp 3.1 duplicates the Contents tab of the WinHelp 4.0 Help Topics dialog box in WinHelp 3.1.

Download a utility