Posted by
Hannah Jung
on
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Roy Paterson can be credited for making our Eclipse integration as
great as it is. He's also a very fun guy, usually being one of the
masterminds behind the crazy antics around the office. When you hear
laughter in our cave, you can bet Roy's there. Whether he's juggling
with a wacky hat, or helping a customer with Code Collaborator, he's a
blast to have around!
What is your "Job Title"?
I think today I'll call myself "Lead Client Developer and Bear Suit Model"
Describe a typical day for you at the office.
I pick up Will at our carpool meetup at Barton Springs and then drive
to work. While my computer is starting up I fill my "Alien Crossing"
mug with water and fold the latest creation from my daily origami
tear-off calendar. I divide my day between writing new features,
fixing bugs, and helping customers. When I need a break I juggle a
bit. On slow days other hijinks ensue. Finally I switch my monitors
off and go home!
Where were you and what did you do before Smart Bear?
I graduated from school from the University of Texas at Austin, and
then worked for IBM for 5 long years.
How did you come to Smart Bear?
After years of job dissatisfaction and months of vacillating, I got
fed up with IBM and decided to look for another job. I found Smart
Bear within a week of searching Craigslist. Turns out you can find
all sorts of things on Craigslist...
What is your favorite thing about Smart Bear?
I love how close I am to our customers, and how quickly we turn around
fixes and feature requests. If there is a bug or a feature request I
get to hear it, and then I get to implement it and see it benefit our
customer very quickly. I love the fun atmosphere, coupled with a
successful company that solves a real need.
Any interesting stories during your time at Smart Bear?
In my job interview I promised that if hired I would juggle in the
bear suit at tradeshows. It turns out that I can't juggle in it
(can't see out of both eye-holes at the same time), but I love wearing
the bear costume. It's really fun to show up as a ridiculous cartoon
character at dull tradeshows and rattle everybody up.
The best part is people assume I'm just some teenager we paid a couple
bucks to wear a costume, not one of the lead developers of the
product. Once I start talking to them and get technical they do a
double-take and exclaim "Wow, you *are* a smart bear!"
What are some of your favorite websites?
I read Austinist, XKCD, and Gizmodo. "There, I fixed it" is also great.
What are your favorite activities? Hobbies?
I've been sailing and juggling for many years. I'm very active in
Austin's local juggling community, and I travel and teach at juggling
festivals all over the US and in Europe.
Favorite music bands?
I'm an uncultured savage that doesn't like music.
Favorite spots in Austin?
My favorite spot is Barton Springs pool in the summer. I've spent many
a summer afternoon juggling and relaxing under the pecan trees, and
then taking a breath-taking dip in the cold water.