Learn About Toronto Web Design Company SmoothWebLife Inc

A web developer / designer story

I’m Ryan and that little guy in the picture is me… from the early 80’s.

My short story explains how this little tree-climbing kid from Jamaica, who made his own toys, turned into the most reliable web developer you’ll always want to work with.

Let’s go to Jamaica and learn how I made my own toys →

The car, the truck and the juice box

Welcome to Jamaica (in the 80’s) where we made our own toys.

Around the age of 4 or 5 my cousin, Carl showed me how to make my own car and truck out of an empty juice box, 4 circular seeds for wheels and two sticks for axles. Oh, and a string to pull it!

Not all kids were interested in making their own toys but they loved playing with them. My fascination with how things work was already fully developed.

I blame cousin Carl. He started it.

Cousin Carl showed me how to play with technology →

The manual record player & singing door

When I wasn’t climbing my grandfather’s fruit trees, I was messing around with technology with my cousin. He showed me how to play a record with a piece of paper folded into a cone, with a pin at the end and a thimble to rotate the record on. The music would play through the opening of the cone-shaped paper.

The next thing he showed me was a bit more complicated. He could make music play when you close the door and stop when you open it. That would be an excellent trick for mom!

The trick is to cut one of the speaker or power wires and place tin foil around them then put it on opposite hinges of the door. So, when it closes the tin foil makes contact, completes the circuit and the music plays.

For a 5-year-old this was the coolest thing ever. Still is!

Bye cousin Carl and Hello Canada! →

7th Birthday Gift

Canada, I’m here!… what’s that white stuff on the ground and why is it so cold?

My grandmother came to Canada before I was born and every year she would send me a gift… except for my 7th birthday!!!

A week after not receiving any presents from “Mama” my mother told me we were going to live with her in Canada.

It was exciting because it was abroad, with all the stories/pictures and the toys Mama sent me. I couldn’t wait to see her.

What I didn’t know about Canada was the access to all the technology I could play with! →

An 8 year old with a VCR

It was my second year in Canada and I was about 8 or so. I found an old VCR and I always wanted to open one up. I almost tried once but my mom caught me and gave me the old Jamaican discipline (leather belt).

So, when I found this old VCR my eyes lit up and had to grab my tools and pop this bad boy open.

I saw the motors spin and take in the tape, the head plays it, rewind, fast-forward… I saw how everything worked.

Now it was time to smash it! (I was 8.. what!?)

Everything has a price and I paid it happily… kinda →

The scar that never healed

See that scar on my knee, gross right? Here’s what happened, I gathered up some friends and went outside to smash the VCR I had just figured out how it worked.

It was just about totalled and I had the bright idea of putting it on the broken part of the gravel and jumping on it to help to finish it off. I was right… but then the way it broke, I slipped and tore my knee.

16 stitches, which tore again because I thought I could walk properly after a few days.

This scar definitely reminds me of my dedication to technology and figuring things out. I wear it with pride and as a daily reminder that I love what I do.

Keep in mind, I haven’t even played with the computer yet →

Kid in a candy (computer) store

My love for computers and the web started at the local computer/video game store, Computer Edge.

I would go there on my way home after school every day. So, much that the owners and clerks knew who I was. When I was there to rent video games, I would watch them work on the computer and of course, ask questions.

They were kind enough to indulge an inquisitive child almost every day. They have sold the business but now and again I see the guy that taught me computers. I am so grateful to him.

Now I build my own computer and still building my own toys →

30+ years of passion

30+ years later I am still as passionate about technology as I was at 5 years living in Jamaica building my own toys and figuring stuff out.

I’ve built my own digital signage product that is being used by government and retail across Canada and parts of the US.

I build custom websites and applications that have advanced features and capabilities to help you automate and manage your business.

If you’d like to work with this kid from Jamaica now living in Toronto, Canada that is backed by a team of industry professionals of writers, marketers and social media experts.

Contact me here!