Ultimate Ben Boyle!
You can find me on:
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Ben Boyle lives here! (blog) -
UI design set on Flickr -
bboyle on github -
Ben Boyle on LinkedIn -
bboyle on codepen -
Ben Boyle on Stack Overflow -
Ben Boyle on facebook -
Flickr - spiii's photostream -
benjamins.boyle on instagram -
bboyle on twitter -
spiii on Steam -
bboyle on GoG.com -
bboyle1108’s YouTube channel -
Vimeo (animation studies) -
Sketchfab (models, rigs) -
benboyle on ArtStation -
Drawlloween 2015 -
30 Day SciFi Drawing Challenge -
100 drawing challenge -
SoundCloud (learning bass)
Web developer
I have been a web developer since 1998 when I began working for Squirrel Internet building websites for local businesses in Brisbane, Australia.
Interesting links
- Benjamin S. Boyle, Multimedia developer (resume, PDF)
- Helping people make websites
- Sample commit: HTML5 validation polyfill: polyfill does not work in google earth internal browser
Open source contributions
I have made modest contributions to open source projects.
Dad
There is an offline Ben, he's a husband and a dad. Couldn't be prouder of my family!
Gamer
Late at night when all my tasks are done I like to sneak in gaming. Escaping to another world, games bring together my love of media, interaction and good story. I have a particular fondness for huge sandbox playgrounds (Witcher 3, GTA IV, Zelda series), compelling storytelling (Telltale, Life is Strange) or good ol' fashioned fun and mayhem: Borderlands, Team Fortress, Smash Bros and Left 4 Dead. I'm not sure what category to put it in, but I can't put down Fire Emblem: Awakening either, and I love the quick fix and social nods in Streetpass on the 3DS.
Mentor
I have been a FEWD mentor (front-end web development) with Thinkful since July 2013. Working with inspiring students is amazing. Each week we catch up 1-on-1 in a video hangout to review code, answer questions and generally talk about the industry, staying inspired and turning the frustration of debugging into success!
Unofficially I have been a mentor, lead or helpful peer to my colleagues throughout my career. Even in school I was helping fellow students as a tutor.
Animator
My dream in high school was to become an animator. I started studying that at the Queensland College of Art in 1994, but was sidetracked by computers and a growing interest in programming. I completed studies in Multimedia instead.
One night in 2014 I finished chapter 2 of Telltale Game's The Walking Dead. The closing credits song (In the Pines) was brilliant, and a search for the music lead me to this discovery: an online animation school called Animation Mentor. I enrolled to learn Maya later that month and wow—what an amazing place!
Student work reel
Universal design advocate
“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”
— Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web (source)
Great quote. I am an advocate of universal design: making products that work for everyone. Different people with different needs at different times. Utility, usability and accessibility.
As a 'web developer' I have worn many hats: including interaction designer, UI (user-interface) developer, quality assurance (WCAG, internal style) etc. I have always been passionate about good design and helping people. 'Universal design advocate' is my way of saying it's not just something I do—it's something I believe in.
Fan of gadgets
I love gadgets! At the moment I particularly like my surface pro 3 (love sketching on it!), beasty desktop PC. I've tried a few different phones, starting with the P800 in 2003. The iPhone was the device I wanted and these days my trusty Nexus 5 keeps me organised. Favourite app? Music player!
Fan of sunshine
Love sunshine. Despite being a computer fanatic (I love the creative power a PC brings), I love fresh air and sunshine! Unfortunately lots of programming jobs are in flurouscent-lit air-conditioned rooms—ugh!!
"Sunshine" refers to all the fun things in life: laughing, playing, jumping, spinning, eating cake, cooking BBQs, walking, the smell of thunder, watching how the wind blows trees… It's life!