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Medicine Wheel

David William Dacres Shaver

Boulder, CO
(303) 351-4239
IT@COMPUTACOR.COM
COMPUTACOR.COM
0 Years Experience
0 Million+ Units Shipped
0 Languages & Platforms
0 Countries Visited

About Me

As a pioneering software architect with 30+ years of experience developing foundational, industry-changing solutions. I have specialized in AI research, parallel processing, and low-level optimization, with a proven track record of architecting complex systems from the ground up. My career has been defined by creating innovative technologies that have shaped the software development landscape.

Custom Development Available In

Decades of hands-on engineering across diverse technology domains. Whether you need a custom AI pipeline, high-performance systems code, or a full-stack web application — I deliver production-ready solutions.

AI / ML & LLM Integration

Custom AI Solutions

End-to-end AI system design: LLM fine-tuning, RAG pipelines, agentic workflows, and production deployment — including legal document handling and search.

OpenAI / GPT Claude Gemini DeepSeek GLM USearch LangChain Agentic AI RAG Pipelines Neural Networks Python

LLM fine-tuning and development with OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek, GLM, and other frontier models. Building retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines with USearch and LangChain for semantic search over large document corpora — including legal document handling, associated document + email search, and SCOTUS-related research. Agentic AI orchestration, neural network training, and applied AI research. Senior AI project (ORAMA) dates to CU Boulder coursework.

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Full-Stack Web Development

Web Applications

Responsive, interactive web applications and APIs — from front-end experiences to back-end services and deployment.

JavaScript HTML5 / CSS3 REST APIs Node.js Python SQL CGI / Server-Side E-Commerce Apache REST APIs

Architected one of the first web-based e-commerce shopping cart systems (XTSource) at AstroByte, including order entry, product fulfillment, distributor handling, and protected support areas. Created BeyondPress, the first WYSIWYG web authoring tool for professional publishers. Decades of HTTP, FTP, SMTP, DNS, and server management experience.

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Systems & Performance Engineering

Low-Level Optimization

High-performance systems software: device drivers, OS-level code, copy protection, and hand-optimized assembly routines.

C / C++ Assembly (6502/68k/PPC/x86) System Architecture API Design Device Drivers Embedded / Firmware Concurrent Programming Network Engineering

Developed scripting systems, network communications, floating palette management, trap patching, and copy protection for QuarkXPress (3M+ installed base). Built real-time 3D engines with hand-optimized assembly texture mapping achieving 1695 fps on consumer hardware. Systems-level experience across Mac OS (Classic through OS X), Linux, Windows, and embedded platforms.

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GPU & Parallel Computing

High-Performance Compute

Parallel processing solutions from GPU kernel development to custom hybrid compute server design and construction.

CUDA OpenCL OpenMP Parallel Processing GPU Server Design HPC

Designed and built specialized hybrid GPU compute servers using consumer components, predating mainstream GPU computing adoption. CU Boulder coursework in massively parallel processing. Experience with CUDA, OpenCL, and OpenMP across NVIDIA and AMD platforms.

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Data & Database Engineering

Data Solutions

Database design, administration, and web-integrated data systems from schema to production.

SQL MariaDB Redis Database Design DBA Data Modeling Web + SQL Integration Custom DBMS

Built custom database systems from the ground up, starting with CP/M-based multi-listing real estate databases. Designed and managed SQL databases for e-commerce systems (XTSource) with order processing, user registration, product fulfillment, and distributor management. Experience with database administration, data modeling, and bespoke DBMS development.

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Programming Languages

Multi-Language Expert

Fluent across decades of programming paradigms — from assembly to modern scripting, with rapid adaptability to new environments.

C / C++ / OpenMP (decades) Python Assembly JavaScript / Node Pascal SQL Lisp / Scheme Objective-C PostScript OpenCL / CUDA Fortran

Primary: C/C++ with decades of production experience. Assembly across 6502, 68K, PowerPC, and x86 architectures. Secondary languages include Lisp/Scheme (AI work), SQL, Objective-C, OpenCL/CUDA for GPU computing, and Fortran. Comfortable picking up new languages and environments quickly — adaptation to unfamiliar stacks can be rapid and productive.

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Featured Projects

GPU-Accelerated Computing Servers

COMPUTACOR

Designed and constructed specialized hybrid compute servers leveraging consumer-grade GPUs for parallel processing, predating mainstream GPU computing adoption. Custom hardware and software integration for CUDA/OpenCL workloads.

CUDA OpenCL Parallel Computing Hardware Design
3D World Engine

3D World Engine

AstroByte

Real-time 3D game engine featuring hand-optimized assembly texture mapping and depth shading. Delivered a version to Apple for shipment with OpenDoc distributions.

C++ Assembly 3D Graphics
Solitaire Antics

Solitaire Antics

Software Forge

Macintosh version of popular solitaire game with enhanced graphics and gameplay features.

C Assembly Gaming

ORAMA AI Expert System

University of Colorado

AI-driven expert system for operating room anesthesiology assistance — an "Operating Room Anaesthesiology Operating Assistant" built with an AI/Expert System approach and custom UI, demonstrating practical AI application in medicine.

AI/ML Lisp Expert Systems
QuarkXPress Window Management

QuarkXPress Window Management

Quark, Inc.

Window and palette layering control, individual selection, automatic rearrangement.

C Mac OS
QuarkXPress Blends

QuarkXPress Color Blends System

Quark, Inc.

Allowed for printing of bicolor blends in background of image boxes in QuarkXPress (spiral blends also developed, but release was suppressed).

C Mac OS PostScript
QuarkXPress Trapping System

QuarkXPress Color Overlap / Trapping + UI

Quark, Inc.

Advanced color overlap and trapping system with sophisticated user interface for professional publishing.

C++ UI/UX Graphics
QuarkXPress Scripting System

QuarkXPress Scripting System (OSA)

Quark, Inc.

Designed and architected the core scripting system for QuarkXPress, supporting Apple's Open Scripting Architecture (OSA). Enabled automation and extension via AppleScript, JavaScript, Ruby, Perl, and other OSA-compatible languages. The standalone scripting code comprised nearly 20% of the product object size.

C AppleScript OSA API Design
Student Profiling Program

Student Grade Tracking System

Moebius Computer Consulting

Student Grade Tracking, Competency and Report System.

BASIC Assembly Language

Professional Experience

1999 – Present
Owner / Principal Engineer / AI Researcher
COMPUTACOR, Boulder, CO

Directing R&D in applied AI, including neural network training, LLM fine-tuning, and agentic AI system development. Research in parallel processing, AI, and advanced computing solutions for various applications including legal document handling, R.A.G./search of associated documents and emails, and SCOTUS-related research. Architecture and construction of custom hybrid-GPU compute servers for high-performance processing. Full-stack development, systems administration, and database management across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.

1994 – 1999
Founder / Owner / Principal Engineer
AstroByte, Denver, CO

Co-founded and led engineering for a pioneering software company that developed "BeyondPress," first WYSIWYG web authoring tool for professional publishers. Architected and implemented a web-based e-commerce system and developed a real-time 3D game engine.

1990 – 1998
Software Engineer / Founder
Software Forge
Overlaps w/ Quark

Originated and developed Macintosh version of "Intermission" screen saver engine, creating first cross-platform screen saver package using C and hand-optimized assembly language.

1987 – 1994
Senior Software Engineer
Quark, Inc., Denver, CO
Overlaps w/ Software Forge

Architected and led development of comprehensive scripting system for QuarkXPress, enabling automation and extension via languages such as AppleScript, JavaScript, Ruby, and Perl. Developed high-performance system components and complex user interfaces.

1980 – 1987
Consultant / Founder
Moebius Computer Consulting, Golden, CO

Custom software development for commercial, academic, and PhD candidate research clients. Developed low-level system utilities in 6502 Assembly including a WYSIWYG Sector Editor and award-winning whole-disk compression. Created custom database systems for real estate multi-listings and educational testing.

Education & Academic Projects

B.S.C.S.E. — Computer Science & Engineering

University of Colorado, Denver & Boulder
Focus, plus Graduate Coursework, in Massively Parallel Processing & Artificial Intelligence

Key Courses: Artificial Intelligence, (Massively) Parallel Processing, Compiler Design, Numerical Analysis, Probability & Statistics, Linear Algebra, Calculus I-III.

Senior AI Project: ORAMA (Operating Room Anaesthesiology Operating Assistant) - Developed a functional AI-driven "Expert System" designed to assist anesthesiologists in the operating room.

Awards & Recognition

2nd Place
5-State Programming Competition

Achieved second place as a solo competitor in a 5-state programming challenge sponsored by University of Denver, designed for teams of up to three.

1st Place
Industrial Arts Fair

Awarded first place for a novel, high-performance whole-disk compression utility written entirely in 6502 Assembly.