{"id":3,"date":"2006-10-18T20:58:37","date_gmt":"2006-10-18T19:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.0.2\/blog\/?page_id=3"},"modified":"2025-11-09T10:49:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T10:49:33","slug":"mework","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/mework\/","title":{"rendered":"Me@work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tomfotherby.com\/Images\/Journal\/PPHLogo.gif?resize=384%2C37&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"37\" \/> <strong>(Nov 2008-now)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I joined <a href=\"http:\/\/www.peopleperhour.com\">PeoplePerHour<\/a> right at the start, creating the website, building the functionality and influencing the general concept of a &#8220;<em>Freelancer Marketplace<\/em>&#8220;. I progressed from implementing new features as a Developer to keeping the system running smoothly as a Reliability Engineer to where I am now, CTO, overseeing the Tech as a whole.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tomfotherby.com\/Images\/amadeus_Logo.gif?resize=170%2C61&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"170\" height=\"61\" \/> <strong>(Sep 2002-May 2008)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since April 2005 I have worked in the Weight and Balance section of the Amadeus Flight Management team developing a new departure control system for airlines. I work on a C++ application that runs on Linux machines and is backed by an Oracle database.<\/p>\n<p>I started my career maintaining a 30 year old collection of 2800 programs called <acronym title=\"Flight Information and Control of Operations\">FICO<\/acronym> that helps <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ba.com\">British Airways<\/a> operate their fleet of aircraft all around the world. It was a legacy system running on a huge mainframe. It might have been old and fiddly but it had many users around the world and performed at a colossal speed. FICO holds detailed records on all BA aircraft and flight crew, amongst other things it can be used to track aircraft, edit flight plans and book take-off time slots.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tomfotherby.com\/Images\/arsdigita_Logo.gif?resize=109%2C100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"109\" height=\"100\" \/><strong>(2001)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I couldn&#8217;t imagine a better place to spend six months doing work experience. <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ArsDigita_Corporation\">Arsdigita<\/a> was where my enthusiasm for programming came alive. There was a mix of smart people and fresh working environment that seemed to inspire me. I learnt how to program for the web and how to script in Tcl and Perl. I caught the Linux bug, started having arguments about why Emacs is better than Vi, started to touch-type. We worked flexi-time in casual clothes, got free diet coke and a head massage on Fridays. We even tried <a class=\"outside\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Extreme_programming\">extreme programming<\/a> on one of the projects.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately the dot com bubble burst and ArsDigita went bust soon after I left. At least I got to meet <a href=\"http:\/\/philip.greenspun.com\">philip Greenspun<\/a> (but unfortunately not Alex). We all went to diner in a Turkish restaurant one evening.<\/p>\n<h2>Part-time University Jobs<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>IC Union (<em>Sept 2000 &#8211; April 2001:<\/em>)<br \/>\nI did part time bar work one evening a week for cocktail night.<\/li>\n<li>Shiplake College Maintenance team (<em>July 2000 &#8211; Sept 2000<\/em>)<br \/>\nI spent 10 weeks in the summer doing maintenance jobs and groundsmen duties.<\/li>\n<li>IC Sports Centre (<em>Jan 1998 &#8211; Sept 2000:<\/em>)<br \/>\nI worked as a part time pool guard for nearly two years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Imperial College (1998-2002)<\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tomfotherby.com\/Images\/ICshield.gif?resize=105%2C113&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"105\" height=\"113\" border=\"0\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Doing a MEng in Computing at IC was a challenging four years and I&#8217;ve never worked so hard. I managed to come out of it with a 2:1.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Apart from lectures, tutorials and exams:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I spent the first year learning various tricks from the university circus skills club and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecircusspace.co.uk\">circus space<\/a>. I earned money working as a life guard at the IC Sports centre which meant I got free gym and swimming pool access for the next three years. I also met Kix in my fresher year. In the summer holidays I organised a expedition to India and Nepal with a school friend.<\/li>\n<li>I spent the entire second year Rowing which included 2 trips to Italy and becoming the &#8220;best&#8221; Novice eight in the country (i.e. we won the Novice category of the main Winter event called &#8220;The Head of the River&#8221;). In the summer holidays I spent 10 weeks doing maintenance jobs at a local school.<\/li>\n<li>After the third year Group Project, I left Uni for half a year to do a work placement at <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ArsDigita_Corporation\">ArsDigita<\/a>. I also worked in the IC Student Union making cocktails on Thursday evenings.<\/li>\n<li>I spent the forth year doing my Individual Project on road-traffic simulation (<a title=\"Toms University Individual Project\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/Websites\/VISSIM\/index.html\">VISSIM<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The Oratory School (1993-1998)<\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tomfotherby.com\/Images\/oratoryCrest.png?resize=123%2C115&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"123\" height=\"115\" \/><\/td>\n<td>I liked school very much, heck, even the food was good. There was so much to do and so many people to have a laugh with. School was a time when work was the brainless activity of just doing what the teachers said.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Apart from 12 GCSE&#8217;s and 4 A-level&#8217;s:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I rowed for 4 years with most success in a J16 four with Chris Hitchens, James Macadden, Phil Pointer and Gervase George (cox). We got a few pots and medals and got to go on a tour in Ireland.<\/li>\n<li>I spent a lot of time doing pottery. I had my own set of keys to the pottery room where I could escape from the academic side of work. I jointly received the final year art prize. The biggest regret of my life was not taking any pictures of the 5 major art pieces that I created.<\/li>\n<li>I got to the rank of Flight Sergeant in the RAF cadet force where I clocked up about 20 hours flying experience and completed &#8220;Initial Glider Training&#8221;. I got to fly in various military aircraft but failed to become a pilot, however I still ended up working in the airline industry.<\/li>\n<li>I learned to sail for a year with Laurence Norah.<\/li>\n<li>I was a st-John house prefect where I had the difficult task of putting 80 teenagers to bed and the even harder task of waking them back up.<\/li>\n<li>The summer after school was amazing. I spent half of it with a friend on an uninhabited island in the Seychelles and other other half inter-railing round Europe with three other friends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The Oratory Preparatory School (1988-1993)<\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"no-border alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.tomfotherby.com\/Images\/oratoryPrepLogo.png?resize=105%2C106&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"105\" height=\"106\" \/><\/td>\n<td>I have extremely fond memories of the OPS. I enjoyed school so much that I was a border, even though my parents only lived ten minutes from the school.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li>I finished with 7 A&#8217;s and 3 B&#8217;s in my Common Entrance exams.<\/li>\n<li>I was deputy head boy in the final year.<\/li>\n<li>I did so much pottery that I applied for (and achieved) an art scholarship towards my next school.<\/li>\n<li>The only sport that I really enjoyed was cross-country running (but I wasn&#8217;t much good).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Highlands (1984-1988)<\/h2>\n<p>I have no memory of any of the school lessons but can remember going on nature-walks, the egg-and-spoon and 3-legged race at sports day, playing hockey on the green across the road, setting pretend traps during play-time and going home with friends after school. I used to skate-board with Johny Burt, dig for dinosaur bones with Charles Greenwood and go camping with Alex Stow. The Head-mistress had the fearsome name of &#8220;Mrs Brewer&#8221;, we all sat at tables in the dining room and she used to make us eat everything that was provided. Sausage pie used to make me sick.<\/p>\n<h2>New Farm Playgroup (1983-1984)<\/h2>\n<p>I still have memories of the toddler group I used to call &#8220;Duck school&#8221; because it was near a pond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Nov 2008-now) I joined PeoplePerHour right at the start, creating the website, building the functionality and influencing the general concept of a &#8220;Freelancer Marketplace&#8220;. I progressed from implementing new features as a Developer to keeping the system running smoothly as a Reliability Engineer to where I am now, CTO, overseeing the Tech as a whole. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3\/revisions\/2375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomfotherby.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}