About me

Contact me at popaionut at gmail dot com

Short, with bullets, that’s how I like it:

• I was born in 1980 (all my other colleagues were created in ’79, so I was a little late). My real name is Ionut Popa Alexandru, but John Pope sounds a lot better in english.
• First career choices I thought about were painter (I went to arts school a few years for that), veterinary surgeon, civil engineer (architecture seemed too creative for me at that time) and finally IT-ist.
• I’ve got accepted without too much stress at Computer Science Class in Bucharest, Computers section, la creme de la creme in Polytechnic University (I was sure I’m getting accepted because the preliminary exam was pretty easy and I preferred to pay more attention to easier exercises than fail in Cybernetics or Civil Engineering).
• I got my first job in final College year even if I wasn’t that eager to work (It was my second job interview, the first one accepted me but I wasn’t that willing to work over time without getting paid for that). So, my first job was hardware editor at IT magazine XtremPC. I have many good memories from there and also some not so good ones, but I won’t get into details.
• In 2005 I had the chance to work for netBridge, build my own team and run an IT website, made accordingly to my specs. After a bit too many months of planning and programming we’ve launched the beta version of HIT.ro, a site which lacked too many functions.
• 25 iulie 2006 – I’m launching my own weblog, in Romanian, Ionutpopa.ro. Among reasons: it was cool then to have a blog (now is mandatory), there weren’t too many weblogs about IT&C (I’m not counting people in Internet business, which started the trend) and last but not least I might get something good from that.
• 16 august 2006 - Last day at the job I’ve thought I will stay at least a few years. I guess not everything goes as planned in life…
• 25 iunie 2007 – We’ve launched go4it.ro, the website I was working with my team for almost 9 months. I’m project manager here but from time to time I write various materials.

My Work

Hardware Editor XtremPC

• I’ve worked at XtremPC almost three years (nov 2002 – oct 2006), where I was a key member of the small hardware team
• I’ve attended a few shows at CeBIT Hanovra and Computex Taipei
• I’ve left to search new opportunities. I’ve found them…

Websites I’ve done:

1. Masinitun.go.ro – not online anymore, it had two versions and used PHP with MySQL. Design for the latest version wasn’t too bad – see here
2. Aldoilearazboi.go.ro – also not online, was a website about WW2, my history passion. My first website with Javascript and Flash (some tank tracks that moved a little). I’ve uploaded the website here because it’s small enough (not completely functional but you can get an idea). Both Aldoilearazboi and Masinitun had an INTRO page, but I guess I wasn’t too experienced then
3. Hardway.ro – not online anymore in it’s first form. It was a hardware website, in english, which used PHP Nuke CMS. It had a peak of around 400 visitors in a sunny Sunday, after heavily promoting it on DC++
4. Gadgetroad.com – Gadgets website made with my friend Mike. We’ve sort of abandoned it a few months ago but we’re planning a comeback.
5. Thefunnyjunks.com – a funny stuffs website, also made with Mike. Funny but not so economically feasible, that was the main reason of abandoning it.
6. Provideo.ro - I’ve worked together with my colleagues at MPI to build Provideo.ro, an online shop for movie DVDs and music CDs
7. CinemaPRO.ro – after many months of work it’s online. CinemaPRO.ro is the online version of the romanian cinema.
8. Cool-Wallpapers – a small site with high quality wallpapers.
9. Black Friday Sales – a site with nice deals targeted on Black Friday shopping day
10. HMultiplex.ro – a website for the Romanian cinemas Hollywood Multiplex Bucharest and Oradea

Websites I’ve worked for

1. HIT.ro – hardware website, still online and going well. It remained in BETA stage, where it was when I’ve left NetBridge

Websites I still work for:

1. MPI – go4it.ro, gadgets, lifestyle, technology. We’re showing you what’s cool and interesting, things we used to use every day or we’re trying to get used to.

If you read this weblog you have to know that it isn’t related in any way to my employee. Those are my own thoughts and only mine. If you still want to read it go on, but remember what I said earlier. Oh, and if you post stupid comments they will be erased…