(last updated - 2024/05/11)
Dennis Towne
4701 Monterey Oaks Blvd #326
Austin, TX 78749
Tel: 716-462-8270
email: soda@xirr.com
Work Experience
Aug 15 - Current; Google, Inc.
Site Reliability Engineer - ML Serving, Google Ads, Google Play
Duties/experience:
- Member of the company-wide emergency response team Tech IRT
- Maintain Python/Piccolo configs for ML Serving
- Support launch of Gemini AI models
- Responsible for backend stability in Bard AI launch
- Design and implementation of load shedding and scaling for ML Serving
- Responsible for browser spam SRE engagement
- Team tech lead for Ads Trust and Safety
- Help keep Android Play running
- SRE Service owner for Play Games
- C++ and Java backend maintenance work
- Build tooling and infrastructure for Android and ML backend services
- Developer education and teaching for SRE-EDU
Apr 03 - Apr 15; Vocal Technologies
Associate - electrical engineer/ lead programmer
Languages - C, various DSP assembly languages
Duties/experience:
- Linux development - ARM/MIPS/x86 device drivers, application
layer, boot scripts, debugging, etc.
- SIP protocol stack implementation
- Cryptography - create specification for patient unique identifiers
for Maryland State Health Care Commission (MHCC)
- Design and implement AES/CCM cryptography subsystem as Linux
device driver for ad-hoc mesh network packet radio
- Implement MIL STD 16/32 kbps CVSD vocoder from specification
- Develop signal processing library for medical artery elasticity
measurement device
- TI and ADI Blackfin DSP hardware bringup
- ADI, TI, ARM, Microchip, and other DSP programming
- Subband-based AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) development
- G168 echo cancellation algorithm development
- Implement software encoder/decoder for (16x11)^2 turbo product code
using extended Hamming subcodes
- Data modulation maintenance and porting, V.21, V.23, V.22,
V.32, V.34, V.90 and related data protocol schemes
- Fax protocol and pump maintenance, V.27, V.29, V.17, V.33,
V.34HD, T.30, T.31, T.32, T.4, T.6, and more
- ILBC floating point to fixed point conversion
- Voice coder performance optimization
- PSTN FXO/FXS hardware design and bringup
- Narrow band FM/FSK modulation/demodulation for RF links
- RF hardware design (400 and 800 MHz range)
- ATA hardware and software development
Jan 95 - Current; Dentinmud Internet Services
Owner - privately held company
Languages - C/C++
Duties/experience:
- Design, create and maintain multi-server MMO codebase in C/C++
- Develop and maintain cross platform libraries for Win32,
MacOSX, and Linux
- Creation and maintenance of cross platform GUI client
- Responsible for web site, content additions, online servers
- Manage backups, upgrades, and security fixes on servers
- Design new additions and content
- Improve accessibility for visually impaired users
- Manage staff of ~20 volunteer builders
Jun 97 - Sep 02; IBM, eServer division
Software engineer for iSeries OS/400 operating system.
Languages - C/C++, PPC assembly, PL/MP
Duties/experience:
- Design, add, and debug core operating system routines including
interrupt handlers, process management, synchronization
primitives, and low level statistics collection
- Implementation of hardware multithreading support
- Use DEV/2000 RCS as part of a strict defect process
- Performance and systems analysis of OS/400 workloads
Apr 96 - Apr 97; Geography Department at Utah State University
Lead programmer for Mojave Georeferenced Bibliography Database.
Languages - C/C++
Duties/experience:
- Design and build a georeferenced database for research data, along
with parsers for adding new entries and an HTML interface for access
to the database. The majority of this project was written in GNU
C++, and was ported to a number of operating systems, including AIX,
ULTRIX, Linux, SunOs/Solaris, and Windows 95.
May 94 - Sep 95; Utilities Department at University of Alaska Fairbanks
Full time temporary assistant to site electrical engineer
Duties/Experience:
- Experience with Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controllers, wiring
and installation of Square D 'PowerLogic' networking system. Was
responsible for setup and programming of Square D circuit monitors
and maintaining/upgrading network. Extensive work on General Electric
switchgear and 10 MW steam turbine. Troubleshooting of ground faults,
static excitation system, and control/metering circuits.
Dec 93 - Jan 94; Professor Leroy Hulsey
Assembly language programmer
Languages - x86 Assembly
Duties/Experience:
- Write, test and debug assembly language library for use with Lahey
Fortran. Routines included interfacing with HardLock security devices
attached to printer ports, interrupt handling, disk I/O, writing
mouse routines, and direct screen buffer access. Was responsible for
final packaging of a product, and security on said product. Help
facilitate upgrade of software to run under Windows 95.
Miscellaneous Skills
Extensive experience with C and C++
Experience with other languages, including a number of assembly
languages and scripting languages such as Perl, PHP, and Bash
Algorithm optimization
Signal processing, including telephony, voice, and data modulations
Cryptographic system design and implementation
Hardware bringup of new custom boards
RF hardware bringup/troubleshooting/analysis
Algorithm implementation using fixed point math
Creation of cross platform, end user GUI applications using WxWidgets
Unix/Linux system administration
Unix network and systems programming
Education
Spring 1997; Utah State University
BS in electrical engineering, computer emphasis. Minors in math,
physics, and computer science.