Editor: Well lookie here – we have our first Mother-Son duo both profiled as Tech Stars! Wait to go!

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m the owner of CapeCoder, a custom software consultancy; a blog writer; co-leader of the Cape Cod .NET User Group; the founder of the now defunct Cape Technology Workshop; a former HR consultant and Board member of the New England Employee Benefits Council; and above all else, a grandmother of three, the oldest of whom just turned 13.

What services/products do you offer?

I code in both C# and Java and have been writing web-based, database-driven business applications for some years.  The main objectives are either to automate previously manual processes, or to support the customer’s sales and marketing efforts.  I partner with other developers and designers on large projects.  Recently, I landed a contract to develop an application for the iPhone, and am pretty jazzed about that.

Who/where is your audience?

Anyone whose checks don’t bounce.  I’ve done work for medium to large companies, non-profits, community organizations – you name it.  I have a soft spot for fellow entrepreneurs.

What is the website?

http://www.capecoder.com

Well-Funded or Bootstrapped?

You didn’t get in on the IPO?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  10 years?

At age 62, I have the modest ambition to simply be breathing in 5 or 10 years.

Where were you born – where do you live now?

Boston, to a single mother who relinquished me at birth and went on to have four more kids.  A friend of mine who did adoption searches found my original birth certificate even before the recent change in open records law in Mass., and through her research, I met a half-sister and half-brother.

Anyone who’s interested in adoption is welcome to contact me, it’s a subject that affects many families but that most people don’t understand very well, even if they’ve been part of the triad (adoptee, birth parent, adoptive parent).

Currently, I live in Mashpee, a square peg in a round neighborhood of married couples and young families.  I wish there were a technology park for developers, like loft spaces for artists.

PC or Mac?

Both, actually.  My son Peter Cohen, who was a featured Tech Star earlier this year, is a Senior Editor for Macworld, so I have respect for both camps.  And I really like and have used a lot of the open source technologies.  It’s all 1’s and 0’s and it’s all good.

I get quite impatient with technology wars; I was once booted out of a job because I’d complained about the director’s uncool flaming of Microsoft on a regular basis.  Who knows, maybe some day I’ll be in the same position for defending the Mac, although that’s hard to imagine.

Where did you go to school?

UMass/Boston.  I took a lot of courses in Biology and Theoretical Ecology but eventually majored in Math; many of our classes were in the Combat Zone.  Ours was the first class to graduate from the Columbia Point campus, before it started falling apart.

What Social Networks are you on?

This may be heretical, but I don’t like the UI’s of most social networking sites.

For example, I have a LinkedIn account but haven’t really used it.

One reason is that I find LinkedIn’s user authentication process to be ridiculous: if you’re invited to join via different email accounts, which most of us have, there isn’t an intuitive way to (ironically) link them.  At least, there wasn’t the last time I looked.  So, you end up with a bunch of separate accounts, which pretty much defeats the purpose.

Greatest invention ever?

Have you ever had to use a privy?  Indoor plumbing.

Person you believe has contributed most to the world of technology?

The unnamed Mayan or Indian mathematician who invented the 0.

Where have you traveled in your life?

The best trip was to Vancouver Island, BC.

I’ve been to Washington state, Oregon, California, New Mexico and spent time in Virginia, Maryland and the DC area.  Have vacationed in Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont.  Been through Connecticut on the Amtrak to Manhattan.  Got to visit New Orleans earlier this year and rode on one of its famous street cars.

Why set up shop on Cape Cod?

My son, daughter-in-law and their kids moved to the Cape over ten years ago.  There are some interesting, bright, neat people here.  I like the quality of the light and the high level of enthusiasm for natural history and the outdoors.

5 Websites you go to every day?

Google
realclearpolitics.com
news.yahoo.com
wunderground.com
capecodtoday.com

What’s on your iPod right now?

I don’t own an iPod or any other kind of MP3 player, totally out of parsimony.  I get my music from the audio streams, KJAZZ and Jazz88 These cover the West and East Coast music scenes, respectively, and several of the hosts are entertaining in their own right.

What is on your desktop/screensaver right now?

Just shortcuts.

You are on a deserted island – do you bring a laptop or book?

A book, the collected work of Wallace Stevens.

Phone call or text message?

Phone.

Feel free to tell us anything else….?

Have you talked with any school-aged kids these days?  Have you heard the complaint du jour, “It’s not faaiirrr”?

Life isn’t fair.  Learn to run uphill.

Thanks for your time, Marcia!