Branden Schwartz Code Whisperer
Branden Schwartz is a Missouri native who joined episode49 in the fall of 2005.
His previous experience includes work for a benefits consulting firm and a human
resources software company where he worked in classic VB and ASP as well as .NET
and SQL Server, with duties ranging from technical support and development to on-site
implementation and training. Thanks in large part to this diversity of duties, he
had the opportunity to work with such organizations as Wellpoint, Avon, and DHL
in the same year that his travels took him to Times Square and both the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans for the first time. He received his undergraduate education at
Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa and holds a graduate degree from Regis University.
Branden married his wife Nicole in 2000 and has since acquired five cats and a number
of video game consoles, which compete for his free time along with open source programming
projects, community theatre, volunteering, films, and numerous piles of books that
he believes are plotting to take over his house. He enjoys the occasional road trip
and stands alone as the only member of the team who refuses to eat sushi.
Favorite books?
Almost too many to list, but vying for the top spots are The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels by Douglas Adams, the Belgariad and Mallorean series by David Eddings, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, and anything at all by Tolkien, Robert Aspirin, and Mercedes Lackey.
Favorite bands?
Rush, Gaelic Storm, Carbon Leaf, The Fray, Deep Forest, Moxy Fruvous, The Smiths, Weird Al Yankovic, and occasional Europop depending on my mood.
Favorite films?
all of the Lord of the Rings, original Star Wars, and Back to the Futures, The Matrix, Harvey, Keeping the Faith, anything by Kevin Smith