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nDash Writer Profile for Elissa Gilbert

Headline

Freelance writer specializing in information technology and travel

About Me

From Writing Code to Writing Words My mother was an English teacher and loved puns, so wordplay has been part of my life as long as I can remember. I loved both reading and writing, but when I discovered science fiction my interests shifted to technology. I received my undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Cornell University and an M.S. in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I put my skills to use as a software developer and project manager for a defense consulting firm, a major telecommunications company, and one of the largest financial institutions in the United States, building, supporting, and managing a variety of web, server-side, and fat-client applications using Unix, Java, .Net, SQL, and other technologies. I never stopped playing with words during my programming years. I wrote short stories and scripts in my spare time, collecting rejection slips and some published credits along the way. Today, as a freelance writer, I focus on delivering documents that communicate my clients’ messages. My real-world experience building and supporting applications allows me to write on information technology subjects with genuine authority. I frequently write about Big Data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and information security for companies that range from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. My technical writing includes white papers, case studies, blog posts, and company profiles. A life-long resident of New York City, I often write about my hometown as well as other destinations. My travel writing includes service and destination articles, blog posts, and hotel and attraction descriptions; I have a special interest in group tours. I've written blog posts for Marriott and currently write the social media posts for several hotels around the country.

Industries I Write About

Technology

Health & Wellness

My Writing Samples

Predictive Analytics Route Planning Algorithm at UPS Followed a Long Path to Success

The traveling salesman problem has been known as a tough problem to solve since it was first discussed in the 19th century. Multiply it by 55,000 routes, more than 100 stops on each, add in additional constraints like time commitments, and it goes beyond being tough to becoming seriously challenging. But, there’s a big payoff in solving tough problems, and that’s why UPS developed ORION (On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation). This award-winning predictive analytics route planning algorithm combines map data with package details and customer priorities to create efficient routes that save UPS significant money, keep customers happy, and make the planet a little greener, too.

http://www.dataversity.net/predictive-analytics-route-planning-algorithm-ups-followed-long-path-success/

http://www.dataversity.net/future-internet-things-industrial-cloud-drives-change/

Remember when your computer just sat on your desk, with its only connection a cable to your printer? It was when computers got connected together on the Internet, and when Wi-Fi made those connections available everywhere, that the computers changed the way business was conducted in offices and how people interacted with each other. For consumers, the rise of the Internet of Things has now changed how people interact with the physical world. Industrial computers, the dedicated computers that control industrial processes and assembly lines in manufacturing plants, are mostly still like the computers that sat on your desk and worked alone. That’s changing with the rise of the Industrial Cloud and especially the Industrial Internet of Things. Eventually equipment will be connected to the Internet out of the box. But it’s not that connection alone that will transform manufacturing industries. You need both the control systems and advanced analytics software that can interpret data when it’s sent up to an industrial cloud. That’s the perspective Rich Carpenter, a Technology Strategist at GE Digital, recently shared with DATAVERSITY®. Carpenter has insight into these changes that comes from spending his career working in industrial automation at GE, where his responsibilities span both hardware and software.

http://www.dataversity.net/future-internet-things-industrial-cloud-drives-change/

Memories of Flavors at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks

Food and family, joy, love, can’t be separated. We crave our favorite foods because we crave those feelings. The flavors and feelings don’t last long after the meal ends, but they’re preserved in the recipes written down in cookbooks. I’ve learned from grocery stores that prime shelf space is at eye level, but when I walk into Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, a cozy store in the East Village, it’s a book on the bottom shelf that catches my eye. There’s no mistaking the red and white checked cover; that book was on a shelf in my mother’s kitchen and I used to page through it while she cooked dinner from a recipe she knew by heart. Memories of food and family of joy, of love rush through my head as I wait for Bonnie to finish a phone conversation.

https://fullaccessnyc.com/2016/04/28/memories-of-flavors-at-bonnie-slotnick-cookbooks/

American Distilleries

You’ll never truly understand America until you understand its drinking habits. Alcohol has been part of American history almost from the beginning, from the Whiskey Rebellion through Prohibition and Repeal. And although wine and beer are plenty popular here, it’s our history of distilling unique spirits that adds so much character to the American bar. Visiting distilleries around the country is a lively way to learn about our national culture and history. Here are five such sites that welcome groups for tours and tastings.

http://grouptravelleader.com/articles/american-distilleries/

Pikazo Uses Artificial Intelligence to Turn Pics into Masterpieces

Many children are natural-born artists, creating crayon masterpieces that their parents hang on their refrigerators. As they become adults they often lose the freedom to express themselves in art. When a coworker says she’s spending the weekend painting, most people assume she’s painting her house. That innate talent is something artificial intelligence (AI) designers built into the Pikazo app, which allows mobile phone shutterbugs to fuse their photos with masterpiece patterns to create unique pieces of digital art.

http://iq.intel.com/pikazo-uses-artificial-intelligence-turn-pics-masterpieces/

Biking in the Big City

Bicycle tours bring travelers closer to their surroundings than looking out a bus window allows. And with more cities adding bike lanes and bike-share programs, including biking as part of a city tour is easier than ever. Some hotels even offer free bikes to guests. Electric-assist bikes let travelers who aren’t in the best shape travel on two wheels. You can also look for a bike with more than two wheels. You can also look for a bike with more than two wheels; party bikes let groups of a dozen or more pedal their way together. If you include biking as part of your tour, make sure you know the local rules, such as whether riding on the sidewalk is allowed and whether helmets are required. Be prepared with locks to secure your bikes when you stop. In the busiest cities, riding in traffic can be overwhelming for out-of-town visitors, even on streets with bike lanes, so stick to quieter streets or trails designed for bikes and pedestrians. Here’s a look at biking options in some East Coast cities your bus is likely to visit.

http://leisuregrouptravel.com/biking-big-city/

Does Whale Snot Hold the Secret to Ocean Health?

Scientists equipped with drones and sophisticated AI programs are learning about whales, oceans and even human health.

https://iq.intel.com/whale-snot-hold-secret-ocean-health/

Experience

Freelance writer

Freelance writer for a variety of online and print markets. Develop blog posts, web pages, articles, case studies, white papers, social media posts, and other written material.

Company: Self employed

I worked there from 9/2014 until now

Applications Development Senior Manager

Manage software development projects.

Company: Citigroup

I worked there from 10/1995 until 6/2014

Content I Write