Ian Morris Nieves      

Computer Scientist | Software Engineer | Entrepreneur

imnieves@gmail.com | San Francisco, California

Visual Portfolio: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~inieves


I am a technology innovator with 10 years of software development experience and 5 years of professional experience developing commercial and open source software. My hands-on technical experience spans mining the Wikipedia database, advanced computer network security, innovative 3D construction, pioneering educational learning systems, and novel mobile web applications. I have skills in information architecture, system usability, algorithm implementation, multi-threaded interactivity, low-latency responsiveness, fault-tolerance, and network communication, with applications generally towards interactive applications.
I seek the opportunity to innovate and be a key contributor in a startup like environment, working with other talented individuals in a mission critical team. I enjoy both right and left brain challenges, and I look forward to leveraging my background computer science and economics to learn and lead.


Professional Experience


Dyscotheque Inc., California Co-Founder (Mar '08-Present)

Dyscotheque is a software company I founded with partner Andy Bayowski to build mobile social search software for allowing people to quickly make new friends. We targeted the iPhone ecosystem, leveraged innovative user interface concepts, and developed novel intellectual property based on datamining Wikipedia to determine which people would make optimal friends. Our vision changed over time, thus we developed several concepts to the level of prototype, including mobile personal cards, mobile event flyers, mobile fashion eCommerce, and mobile picture rating. We were self funded.
  • Built Wikipedia data mining API from scratch with Core Java, mining millions of articles for similarity within seconds on first pass, within milliseconds on subsequent passes
  • Built two iPhone webapps from scratch with HTML, CSS, Javascript, Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP. Made heavy use of graphics and object oriented Javascript for highly interactive experience.
  • Drove ideation from zero to paper concept to working prototypes to user testing
  • Provisionally patented a way to mine Wikipedia to determine similarity of people's interests
  • Assembled team: partner, advisors including creative, legal, technical, finance, general
  • Created high level marketing strategy, engineering plan, sales projections, funding strategy
  • Pitched to investors, entrepreneurs, advisors, general public
  • Used: Wikipedia, Core Java, HTML, CSS, Javascript, Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP


Untangle Inc., California Lead Experience Designer & Founding Partner (Jan '04-Sept '07)

Untangle is an open source software company founded with the vision of easy-to-use, comprehensive, low-cost computer network security for SMB. I came onboard as #5, then became an investing partner and technical advisor, then led development of all product user interfaces. Untangle is now the leading open source network security gateway with over 500,000 downloads and millions of protected computers. Untangle was venture backed by CMEA Ventures and Rustic Canyon Ventures, has raised >$20M, has had 50 employees maximum, and competes with Watchguard, SonicWall, Symantec, Cisco, etc. I left due to health complications.
  • Built all user interfaces for product including virtual rack for configuration (Core Java, Java Swing), system installer (Core Java, Java Swing), system reporting (HTML,CSS,PDF,JFreeReport)
  • Produced and maintained >500k lines of code over 7 development cycles
  • Key contributor within core team of 5, focusing on user interface, championing simplicity, minimalism in the face of complex product requirements.
  • Patented, designed, implemented virtual rack user interface in Core Java and Java Swing, becoming half the company's critical IP. This included interface code and elements shared across 18 individual security modules to unify configuration of anti-virus, anti-spam, firewall, router, VPN, report generation, etc.
  • Focused on clean multi-threading, low-latency responsiveness, fault-tolerance under failure, efficient RMI based client/server communication, visual appeal, usability, simplicity
  • Developed and implemented proposals for improvement of user's online store experience and improvement of overall user experience, to help convert more users to paying customers
  • Designed identity package including logo with tagline, letterhead, quickstart guides, CD packaging, and countless visual icons, to give the company a competitive and professional look
  • Used: Core Java, Java Swing, JFreeReport, HTML, CSS, PDF, ant, make
  • http://www.untangle.com


Lego Systems A/S, LegoDigital, Denmark Assistant-to-Producer by Contract (Jan '03-Nov '03)

Lego is one of the most recognizable toy brands in the world, focusing on plastic building block toys. After I was discovered by Lego for my research on 3D building block connectivity algorithms, I was invited to work with a producer on their advanced 3D digital construction system "Digital Designer" which was a Lego-based CAD system for young children. I assisted in various technical and non-technical ways, and ultimately left due to national visa related restrictions.

  • Designed and coded an experimental interactive 3D user interface (OpenGL, C++) for evaluating the correctness of their proprietary 3D connectivity algorithms, which would determine if/how blocks should be connected in three dimensions. This is a computationally challenging algorithm. Could load blocks generated by AutoCAD in the .LXF format.
  • Helped develop specification for how the user should interact with the software, focusing on the kinds of tools, modes, buttons, etc., especially the primary icon palette
  • Observed software in use by young children, noting comments for integration into revisions
  • Helped implement an image asset caching scheme to reduce the download time of web pages from lego.com, leveraging ASP
  • Used: OpenGL, C++, ASP
  • http://ldd.lego.com


Blue Pumpkin Software Inc., California User Interface Developer by Contract (Sept '02-Mar '03)

Blue Pumpkin is a software company focused on developing a suite of tools for measuring and optimizing the performance and quality of service of telephone call centers. Their flagship product was relatively mature and was being sold to large corporations but was in need of a super-modern look and feel, usability improvements, and a few minor technical features.

  • Used visual mockups as input to develop graphics and code (Core Java, Java Swing) for a new look and feel and layout of components within dialogs and main screens
  • Re-skinned the flagship application to take advantage of new look and feel
  • Modified several dialogs to improve user experience, and added several new dialogs
  • Implemented algorithms in the user interface's primary spreadsheet to help compute key metrics in call center performance such as average wait time, average satisfaction, etc.
  • Used: Core Java, Java Swing

CMU Advanced Telepresence Lab, Pittsburgh Developer by Contract (Fall '01-Spring '02)

The Advanced Telepresence Lab is a research group within Carnegie Mellon University which focuses on developing next generation interactive 3D software for public school science education. The primary goal was to develop software for real-time exploration of Mars, based on NASA datasets. I joined this group upon finishing my undergraduate studies, but before continuing on to my masters work. I was asked to help improve the software for use in real-world public school settings, where it was failing.

  • Implemented "Surface Simplification Using Quadric Error Metrics", developed at CMU, to substantially reduce complexity of NASA 3D geometry datasets while still retaining visual fidelity (Core Java) http://mgarland.org/files/papers/quadrics.pdf
  • Drastically improved visual frame rates (Java3D) from unusable to highly interactive, by optimizing scene graph layout and compilation level
  • Significantly reduced 3D model load times by leveraging pre-compiled binary formats (Core Java, Java3D)
  • Used: Core Java, Java3D, advanced geometry simplification algorithm
  • http://www.eventscope.org

Apple Computer, California Developer Intern (Summer '99)

Apple is the most recognizable brand in the world, and builds personal computers, software, and consumer media electronics. I was hired as a summer intern.

  • Experimented with a new library designed for compatibility between OS9 and OSX
  • Wrote a program to read out critical system information about various storage devices (CDROM, Hard Disk, etc) attached to the computer, such as ATA/IDE devices and SCSI
  • Used: C, Objective C
  • http://www.apple.com


Skills & Interests


Engineering: Objective C, Core Java, Java Swing, Java3D, Wikipedia, OpenGL, C, svn, ant

Web: Linux (Debian/Ubuntu), PHP, MySQL, Apache, HTML/XHTML, CSS, Javascript, Firebug

Design: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop


Patents, Awards, Leadership


Author, 2008 United States Patent (US-2008-001 0606-A 1)

Titled: “Graphic User Interface Device and Method for Security Application Rack". My first invention which revolutionized the computer security user interface and was part of the IP core of Untangle, Inc.

  • Allows the user to manipulate many virtual network servers (anti-spam, anti-spyware, firewall, etc.) within a unified, consistent, virtual network rack interface
  • Allows a virtual server to be independently configured and to be inserted or removed from the rack
  • Achieved product simplicity, scalability, customizability and was a key factor in success
  • http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/inieves/downloads/IanMorrisNievesPatent_20080010606.pdf


Winner, 2007 LinuxWorld “Best Security Solution” for Untangle Network Security Gateway

Untangle, Inc. was voted "winner" by a panel of independent judges and industry experts in recognition of product innovation and solutions in open computing.

  • Designed and developed the user interface (virtual rack), which significantly lowered the learning curve for deploying multiple aspects of network security and monitoring their effectiveness via reports
  • http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services/4544106-1.html


Founding President, 2001 Carnegie Mellon Student College (StuCo)

As a legacy to Carnegie Mellon, I developed a college program which allows students with domain expertise to develop their own courses which can then be taken by other students for official credit. StuCo has helped increase the diversity of courses offered by CMU by letting the students themselves teach bleeding-edge courses.

  • StuCo is now highly respected, has a high standard of course quality, has its own college course number (98-xxx)
  • Cited by US News & World Report as a major organization within CMU
  • Hundreds of courses to be developed, with thousands of students having enrolled in those courses.
  • http://www.cmu.edu/stuco

Education


Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute

M.S. Software Engineering (2005)

Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science

B.S. Double Major in Economics and Computer Science, with College Honors (2001)

Notable Coursework

Software Architectures, Software Process Definition, Software Process Management, Operating Systems, Database Systems, Fault Tolerant Systems, System Level Programming, Machine Learning, Theory of Formal Computation, Computer Algorithms, Engineering Statistics, Internet Economics, Econometrics, Antitrust Theory