Company Info at Crimson Star Software

Background Information for Crimson Star Software

My name is Crimson Star. If you were to run a search on my name using any of the popular Internet search engines, you might conclude from the results that I am a flower, or a race horse, or a race dog, or a mining company! Well, I am not. I am a computer consultant, and I have darn well been around longer than any plant, mineral or animal that uses my name.

I have also been around computers longer than most people. My father was the deputy comptroller at Wright-Patterson AFB, in Dayton, Ohio, during the mid-50's, and ran their data processing center, which was considered the largest in the world at the time. He was always taking me in to see the latest developments, like the magnetic drum storage device that would one day replace the tape drive for data storage!

Eventually, I took my first computer course at American River Junior College, in Sacramento, California, in early 1965. Later that year I started full-time studies at the Northrop Institute of Technology, in Inglewood, California. I studied rocket engineering on-and-off for the next two years. I had already started my own company, Star Space Systems, and was publishing a monthly magazine devoted to student-experimental rocketry. At about this time, I bought out the Missile Research Company and began manufacturing and selling their liquid bipropellant rockets.

In 1970, I studied FORTRAN programming at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), and the following year developed a rocket trajectory analysis program for the Air Force of Chile, who were already using my liquid bipropellant rockets to train their technicians.

Shortly after, the demand for that type of service dried up. I attended BCIT for a year to study business programming, but it was pretty boring to me back then. What does an ex-rocket engineer do? Well, I got a job as an engineering technician at the TRIUMF Cyclotron, located on the campus of the University of British Columbia. I stayed there for over eight years, only touching a computer on rare occasions.

As I got older, my idea of excitement changed. I returned to BCIT and graduated "Magna Cum Laude" in 1987, from the "Computer Systems, Information Systems Option." Studies at the Vancouver Community College led to a certificate in "Local Area Network Administration" and additional studies led to certification as an "Accounting Technologist" by the Society of Management Accountants of BC. Since I was on a roll, I also studied educational psychology at Simon Fraser University, and took additional engineering and business management courses from the Open Learning University of BC.

After graduating from BCIT, I worked for the computer consulting firm of Maves, Perianna and Associates. At first I was a technical writer and created a software manual for them using an old Mac SE. After that, I worked as a junior programmer on an EDI project for MAI mini-computers. About a year later, I moved on to Platon Consulting, where I worked as a programmer/analyst and looked after several dozen manufacturing, warehousing and transportation companies.

After about another year, I started Crimson Star Software. My focus was still on custom programming for corporate clients in the manufacturing sector. In 1995, I realized that the Internet was starting to "wake-up" to the needs of the business community and I began developing web sites for business professionals.

In September, 1997, I moved from Vancouver to Jasper, Alberta. I continued to support my loyal clients and friends in Vancouver, my new friends and clients in the US, and my even newer clients in Jasper National Park.

As always, computer technology changes rapidly. In 1999, I upgraded my skills by passing the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) examinations, the most highly-regarded in the industry.

In June, 2001, I moved to the Edmonton suburb of St. Albert, in order to take on the job of "Technical Webmaster" for the Government of Alberta (whatever that means). I continue to support my existing clients, but my limited free time dictates if or when I can accept new clients.

What more can I say? Would you really care that I studied art at the Art Institute in Dayton, Ohio for four years? Would you really care that I was a "cub reporter" for the Dayton Daily News in 1960? Would you really care that I was an honors graduate of several power engineering courses at Fort Belvoir? Would you really care that I served as a personal management specialist for the U.S Army Security Agency in Vietnam? Would you really care that I studied TIG welding at the old Pacific Vocational Institute? Heck no, nobody really cares about those things. I won't even mention them.