I have lived in Central Indiana most of my life, and since 1991, the Southside of Indianapolis. I have a variety of interests outside of computers that include religious studies, travel, music, theater, knitting, sewing, baking, and gardening. I have had a wide variation of work experience ranging from service jobs to education. I finally settled on the technology industry when I determined computers provided the constant learning experience I crave.
For several years, I funded my interests and stayed true to my desire to raise my children and be active in their activities by operating an orthodontic lab out of my home. During that time, I developed the Exhaustive Guide to 1 Hour Orthodontic Study Models (or The Guide to Unholy Study Models), which is a step-by-step guide on how to take the perfect impression, pour flawless models, trim models in less than 4 minutes, and complete the entire process in about 1 hour, which reduced the process by more than half the “normal” time of 3 hours per model. I also developed a system for manually tracing and measuring lateral cephalometric radiographs that saved about 5 minutes off the standard time and increased accuracy. Until digital and computer-aided tracing became widespread, and virtual study models became popular, I spent several weeks a year training office staff around the country in my time saving methods. Due to the extraordinary quality of my work, my models have been used to present orthodontic case studies all around the world.
In 1992, my husband bought a computer for the family and that is when I discovered my true passion and calling. When we brought it home and unboxed it, I promptly took it apart. After four days I had it back together, software all reinstalled, with an added modem. That is how I learned about COMM Ports and IRQ settings. One month later the family added a second phone line for Prodigy/AOL/Compuserve/NVN online services where I got my first taste of online communities and online research. Within 2 months I had added more RAM, a sound card, and a CD-ROM. In early 1993 I started fixing and upgrading my friend’s computers, and building computers. I coined the name “Amy’s Answers” after a friend commented about me being able to answer all her computer questions. In 1995 I networked my home computers with thin coax cable, and volunteered my services to a couple of small Not-for-Profit organizations to gain more experience.
I was one of IQuest’s first non-commercial Internet customers in 1994. 1994 is also when I coded my first HTML web page, complete with BLINK . In 1995, I started the first international discussion list for knitting machine enthusiasts, which I hosted and administrated on a LISTSERV in my home until August of 2010 when two grandkids and their daddy came to live with me full time and I felt I needed to put my energy there. I have had some sort of dedicated internet connection since 1996 starting with a 33K then 56k, and finally 144k; upgraded to dual ISDN; then DSL (had 2 lines). In 2010 I switched to cable and am happy since we have almost 20 devices connected at any time.
I created Amy’s Answers, LLC in 1997 and continued to serve a variety of businesses, including manufacturing, dental, accounting, and not-for-profit entities. I felt a need for more business background to complement my computer and networking skills, so I decided to return to school full time in 2005 to earn a degree in Business Information Systems. After finishing in September 2008 and receiving a BS degree with honors in May 2009, I wanted to pursue full-time employment, but the crash and the grandkids brought me back to my roots and part time work consulting for small business.
While raising my children, I called myself a “professional volunteer.” I volunteered in the school, taught sewing and knitting to students, was active in PTA and PTO, and served on various educational committees. I was also active in the Libertarian Party, running for several offices and hosted the Indianapolis chapter’s website. I have also campaigned for several local candidates. From 1993-2002 I served on the Board of Directors of my homeowner association when it was self-managed. During that time I served as Secretary and President and was involved in leading and empowering a number of volunteer committees. Now I can be found behind the scenes at Southport Presbyterian Church where I create and run the various media presentations for the contemporary services.