Jeff, Age 16
Location: CT, USA

My Place
Foremost, it seemed that experience was a crucial aspect in my contribution. The combination of my background as a 1998 ThinkQuest semi-finalist and as a worker involved in the development of a corporate web site presence fused together to offer a unique viewpoint and creative mind for precisely the form of technical prowess that ThinkQuest demands. This experience enabled me to keep a vivid picture of the project despite the long hours meeting online and the sometimes tense moments through e-mail. Being able to rely on the creative minds of my partners for content while focusing consistently on navigation and keeping the end result in sight proved to be not only efficient, but to be a challenge that expanded my mind. In doing this I brought a concept even more vital to the forefront. Something gone unnoticed till this moment, towards the end of our project's completion. As our creativity was drawn from us, and we struggled with the technicalities and the order, I feel that I helped bring something more unique -- a crucial optimism that a project like this thrives upon.

My Self
Before I begin, I'd like to take this opportunity to cordially thank you for visiting our web site. Countless hours of hard work were spent on these pages, and this small page is set aside for you to find out more about me. My name is Jeff, and I am a ThinkQuest veteran, so to speak. I am 16 years old, and a senior at Windsor High School in Windsor, Connecticut, in the USA.

I have been using computers since 1989 when we got our first 80286. In the years that followed I became fluent in DOS, then Windows 3.11. Soon I had a brand new PC and got to experience all the glory of Windows 95. The Amiga platform was something I learned about 4 summers ago, while I was taking classes at a local TV station. We used the Amiga for video effects and titling, when I decided to learn it for use in producing my own videos. My newest computer is running Windows 98 and LINUX (no debates in the main forum, k?), and I have it networked to my older computer.

Some of my most recent works on the computer include my National History Day entry "Louis Armstrong - Migratory Musician," the 1998 ThinkQuest project's "The Global Relations of the Many Nations," and working at LIMRA International designing web pages. As president of the Computer Club at Windsor High, I am constantly working on the web site-in-progress for the computer club, and a personal home on the web in conjunction with two of my best friends. In all of these projects, as well as others that I did not mention, I did all the graphical work, as well as all of the programming work myself.

For my ThinkQuest 98 project I was approached by two seniors asking for my programming assistance. Before I knew it, Jim Kalinowski, Chris Bunk, and I were a team, working on the project we also called The Global Relations of the Many Nations. We ranked at the semi-finalist level but never progressed. Hopefully this year's reincarnation of the old web site will fare better.

During the summer of '98 I attended courses at the University of Connecticut in relational database access through the internet. Working with grad-student Marshall Rosenstein and three other teenagers we ran through the entire process of creating a website. To begin with we purchased the domain name through Internic. Then we bought web space from a provider and began work on the site. Using Visual InterDev, FrontPage 98, Access, IIS4 and other software we crafted the website and planned a go-live date. The entire process took less than three weeks, and the majority of that time was spent linking the complex relational database to the site, using Active Server Pages. In the time at UCONN I became more familiar with using NT as a web development platform, and became more comfortable using graphics.

I have worked at LIMRA International since the end of 1998 under the direction of Ken DaCunha and Marty Plona. My work there consists of translating newsletters from paper to HTML, and more recently, working on the new website, set to go-live August 31st. Between these two deadlines I sure have been up to my neck in work :-)

Besides being interested in technology I like playing tennis, road biking, playing jazz on the saxophone, clarinet, and flute, participating in youth group activities. I am also president of the History Club at Windsor High, and president of a local Synogogue Youth Group. But, as you can see, I'm very into computers, programming and graphics, and I am looking forward to majoring in 'Management Information Systems' in college. I hope, if I am accepted, this program can expand my horizons, teach me new things, and prepare me for bigger and better projects.
Well, I guess that's just about all for now, so if you have any questions, feel free to contact me! I am not, by any means, a great photographer, but I do have a bunch of photos that tell the story of my life rather well. They include photos from school, USY, of my friends, on vacation... everywhere.

Thanks again for stopping by!