Host

Follow Robbie's Microblog:  [Twitter] [Identi.ca]

Facebook:  [Fan Page]

Appears in Chat Room as:  RobbieF

Web Site:  [robbieferguson.net]

Robbie Ferguson is a technologist from Barrie, Ontario.

Founding his first full-time business at the age of seventeen, Robbie has been working with computer hardware, software, and general technology in a professional capacity all of his adult life.

Robbie's media experience stems from radio.  He began his work in FM radio at the age of fifteen, writing and producing a weekly radio broadcast for a small FM station in Huntsville, Ontario.  After a few radio and DJ jobs, he was hired as a full-time on-air personality at a much larger station, where he worked for more than three years before leaving to pursue his career in technology. 

Robbie believes in providing outstanding service to his clients, and Category5 is an extension of his vision to be able to provide professional-level, personalized support to those who need it.  No matter who you are or where you're from, Robbie makes himself available for live q&a each week through this unique, interactive medium.

Robbie has been married since 2001, and he and his wife Bekah have two young children; Natalia (2005) and Zech (2007).

Robbie's first "computer" was a pre-PC; a Commodore Vic 20.  Robbie got this system when he was four years old, and by the age of five was coding software in the integrated BASIC language.  Robbie later began working on XT systems, which had a 4.77 MHz processor, and later the PS/2 from IBM, which carried a screaming 8 MHz processor.

The PS/2 was Robbie's first PC build experience.  Constantly swapping in and out peripherals such as Adlib sound cards, Robbie became familiar with many of the inner workings of the PC.

At the age of fifteen, with a number of years of hardware and software experience under his belt, Robbie was hired to maintain the computers at a retail store.  During this time, he dealt with the onslaught of the early computer virii such as NATAS, and other BSV's.

Then, at seventeen, his full-time business was formed.  He was registered with the Canadian government as "The Computer Guy", and trained customers twice (or three times) his age how to use computers.

Apprenticeship, field education, and experience have brought Robbie to where he is today.

From 2002 thru 2009, Robbie ran Prodigy Digital Solutions; a successful IT solutions company.  In 2009, he closed down his company when a local IT firm hired him on as the head of their web development department.  Now, Robbie's professional focus is on advanced PHP development, as well as hosting Category5 Technology TV each week.

Dislikes:  impatient people, stores that allow people to play lottery tickets like a casino while you wait in line, customers who pay late, running out of hard drive space, dishwashers that won't clean your dishes properly unless you pre-wash them, audio anomalies, back-splashing coffee pots, the way dempsters pre-sliced bagels are actually only sliced about 2/3 the way.

Would Like to Meet:  Colm Wilkinson

Goofy Facts:  As a late-teen, Robbie played Frederic in the Pirates of Penzance, and the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, both for opera house musicals in Gravenhurst, Ontario.  Robbie met his wife on ICQ instant messenger.  Robbie runs a number of companies, one of which is a publishing company to print and distribute novels which his wife has written.  Robbie used to have hair.  As a teen, Robbie lived in foster care.  Robbie moved to Barrie to work in radio, but had to work as a grill-chef for about a year before finally getting hired as a radio DJ.  Robbie left radio largely due to the fact that his web development company was taking too much of his time when a boom in clients occured after he mentioned it on the air.  Robbie started Category5.TV to help friends and local clients--the global boom was completely unexpected, yet welcome.

Co-Host

Hillary Rumball is a class act, and a class clown, all in one.

Hillary joined the Category5 Team in January 2010.

Hillary was once an advice columnist for her highschool newspaper. She has completed various promotional videos along with her sister and business partner.  These videos promote a variety of efforts from Canadian Motorcycle Training Services, Motocamp, the Bob Rumball Camp of the Deaf, Barrie Free Methodist Church, as well as wedding and birthday memoires.

Hillary has tapped into a few areas of media prior to joining the Category5.TV team.  She has written articles for local newspapers, and has been published in MXP Magazine. She has been featured on an episode of GoRiding TV, and was a model in a Dove Self-Esteem Campaign in 2007 as well as for Hannah's Makeup Artistry. Hillary has big plans to become a YouTube phenomenon in some capacity or another.

Hillary enjoys being involved with Category5 TV not only because of the free tech support (thanks Robbie!), but she also welcomes the chance to learn and interact with people all over the good ol' world wide web. Hillary feels it important to me to be a part of something "bigger than herself".  She finds pleasure in helping others, and appreciates the opportunity Category5 TV presents to do just that.

Hillary is a jack of all trades... but master of none. She has a keen interest in music, and plays the saxophone. Coming from a musical family, Hillary loves to jam and "rock out" when she can. She enjoys water sports—such as knee boarding and wakeboarding—and secretly wants to put on a water rigata, while sporting a sequin swim cap and holding a flare. She loves going to concerts, and loves photography and video production. Some of her best friends and her have created a secret alter-ego webshow featured on YouTube. Considering her brother and sister her best friends, Hillary claims they do alot of nonsense together.

Hillary has had a great deal of experience with Adobe Premiere editing software, as well as Photoshop. Not only being able to edit, she also loves to tell the story, and shoots videos in her spare time for fun. In addition to having a high degree of fluency in Microsoft Word, Publisher, and Excel (the joys of being a student), she also claims to love "Paint", and can't understand who wouldn't.

Hillary is a full-time student, who is nearly completed her BA in psychology. During the summer, she serves as the Program Coordinator for a camp for deaf individuals. As such, she is fluent in American Sign Language. In addition to this, Hillary works as a Deafblind Intervenor, assisting individuals with their activities of daily living in the group home setting. She loves working with children and special needs adults. She also works with students at a college as a Learning Skills Assistant and Peer Tutor. She also feels it important to volunteer and be active in the community. She does so by being a youth leader at her church, participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, helping out with Battle of the Bands competitions, and the Youth at Risk Diversion Program.

Likes:  contests, catch phrases, tacos, music (Hawk Nelson is my favourite band, EVER! Well, that plus my dad's rockin' band from the 80s), YouTube,The Office, Flight of the Conchords, reading, the Bible, Crash Bandicoot and Princess Peach, renovating, SUMMER!, wakeboarding.

Dislikes:  onions, the man (he's always bringing us down), snow down your back when playing outside, wet socks because of winter slush at your front door, rude dudes, interupted internet service (I could name names, but I don't think I will), professors who don't use spell check on exams, fake school, her brother putting her in armbars, kneelocks, and rear-naked chokes—consequently she dislikes UFC!

News Anchor

Christy joined the Category5.TV team in January 2009.  One year later she moved into the News Anchor role to assist with the expansion of Category5.TV.

Christy's early television experience took place on a TVO talk show. As a teen, her debut came from being part of a panel of teenagers commenting about how parents are failures. She has since performed with a variety of musical groups, spanning a variety of genres. Christy's stage appearance usually sees her playing guitar and singing, although in one particular show, she switched with every band member (including the drummer). She has been a stand-in for both of the Street Legal main female actors and appeared in a couple non-descript commercials and films. She is also happy to have been in a cameo shot in the feature film, Left Behind II. She has appeared on CBC news and CKVR (now "A Channel". She has acted in a number of stage plays and musicals, including holding a lead role in Four Tickets to Christmas. She directed an innovative new play reading entitled "Fire Red Blood" in 2008 at South Simcoe Theatre, which she claims was an excellent experience for a rookie director.

While she claims most of the technospeak on Category5 Technology TV flies far over her head, Christy occasionally catches really important information. She claims one of the reasons she loves the show so much is how "Robbie seems to know the answer to every question and seems to recall and know every piece of equipment and software people ask about". She has been demanding a new "stump-the-chump" segment.

Christy has lived as a single mother for a number of years. She supports and works with a rescue horse [re]named 'Romeo'. She has a beautiful Frisbee-catching Border Collie, a Collie/Lab cross and a rescue cat who eats fish and has extra long, sharp claws despite what the people said who needed a home for her.

Christy has a strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, having used it for both business and personal use for much of her career. Despite being the daughter of a (late) brilliant electronics technician, she has no idea what is inside those big, mysterious desktop computer box ...besides a fan. She only knows about the fan because when one failed, her computer blew up.

Christy spent five years as the News Director and anchor for the Barrie radio station, LIFE 100.3. She currently writes and provides photography for a number of publications and runs her own business, Burton Communications, which has sadly been feeling the effects of the recession. She is an animal health technician and has worked with animals both at Toronto Zoo (then Metro Zoo) and she spent a summer many years ago working at Marineland and Game Farm in Niagara Falls, performing a show riding and doing tricks with the Killer Whale, Kandu.

Likes: growing things, eating juicy-hot king crab, drinking canada dry ginger ale, listening to good ol' rock music (like norman greenbaum's spirit in the sky), hugging smart and faithful dogs, horses, and people who care, and living in the grace of God.

Dislikes: trickling showers, spiders that drop down off threads from the ceiling when you're concentrating on the computer screen, having to get up to get a fresh cup of coffee after having drown the dangling spider in your mug.

Videographer

This Humber College grad has a graphic arts background, creating ad layouts, packaging design, brochures and equipment operating manuals.

John is delighted to be a part of the Category5 tv “because I get a coffee ... and sometimes a cookie.” Truth is, he really likes the company on the set and a chance to get behind a camera.

This father of one reports he is happily attached to a wonderful woman. His beautiful son has some major challenges (vision and speech impaired). This young adult son spends quite a bit of time in Collingwood by Georgian Bay working on building skills when he’s not trotting around town with his doting Dad.

John is an avid historian who enjoys reading, all things nautical (including nautical history), studying maps and geography, and being on the water. He’s looking for a great sail boat for a great price ;)

Being more of a mechanic/builder kind of guy, computer use for John is mostly limited to personal communication. He is quickly expanding his computer know-how being a captive audience behind a camera on the Category5 TV set.

John incredibly survived a catastrophic industrial accident in 2008, and is only now getting back on his feet. A massive bolt of electricity blasted out of an industrial electrical panel, grazing by him and setting his upper body on fire. He remained in a coma for several weeks, and amazed both doctors and family by surviving—and healing quickly thanks due, he says, to God answering unfailing prayer from friends and family around the world, and also thanks to great care. Nothing like Alice’s homemade chicken soup, he says with a smile.

Likes:  books, older movies, boats, travel, classic rock, and spending time with his son, and God and His son.

Dislikes:  cottage cheese, whiny songs, whiny people, electrical panels that are making snapping sounds.

Goofy Facts:  Toronto-born John spent a lot of time in Holland starting as a young boy because his Mother has never been able to decide if she preferred Canada or Holland. John can speak fluent Dutch. His old friends call him ‘Norton’.

Creativity Director / Co-Host Fill-In

Follow Bekah's Microblog:  [Twitter] [Identi.ca]

Appears in Chat Room as:  Bekah

Bekah is an author and stay-at-home mom from Ontario, Canada.  She married Robbie Ferguson on October 20th, 2001, and they have two young children:  Natalia (2005) and Zecheriah (2007).

As the co-founder of Robbie's band, soulcleansed, Bekah has performed a handful of concerts, and had some on-air experience with radio interviews for the band.

Bekah loves to write.  She has successfully written and self-published two full-length novels, and is currently in the process of editing her third. While Bekah is currently self-published, she is actively seeking an agent and ultimately a publisher for her work.

Her first novel, "The Starfish" is in both the Barrie Public Library and Bracebridge Public Libary, and "Weeping Willow" is in both the Bracebridge and Port Carling libraries.  Bekah is hopeful to release her third novel, "A White Rose" early 2009.

A number of years ago, Robbie installed Linux on Bekah's laptop, and she has never turned back.

Likes:  Orange Pekoe on tap, chocolate,chocolate and more chocolate, writing, reading, counselling, local mission work, health and nutrition.

Goofy Facts:   Bekah met Robbie perchance on ICQ (an old instant messenger application that was popular long before MSN).  After a month of chatting, they started talking on the phone and decided to meet in person.  At the time, Robbie was a DJ at a local radio station, which gave him authenticity; otherwise, she never would have been so inclined to go out and meet a stranger from the Internet.  It was love at first sight.  Really, it was.  They got married exactly one year later, to the weekend.

Co-Host

Tali joined the Category5 team in June of 2010, following her 5th birthday.

Loves:  Daddy, Mommy, Baby Zech, Winston.

Likes:  Yodi, all the beautiful flowers, my new little TV, my new pencils, my envelopes, cards, spongebob chair.

Dislikes:  being alone, the dark, spookie stories, ghosts, dinosaurs.

Would Like to Meet: Aunt Rachel.

Goofy Facts:  I make silly faces, and that's funny.  Daddy was funny when he put that underwear on his head, when he thought it was a hat.  When baby Zech laughs at me when I act silly, it is funny.  And that's everything.

Editor, The Meat

Appears in Chat Room as:  Stickman

After stumbling upon Category5.tv, it took only that first episode for Dave to see that Robbie was doing something different; one-on-one tech help and chat for regular folks in a genuine, 'non-leet' fashion. Dave has also become fond of the growing Category5.tv community which gathers in the irc channel. He recognizes Robbie's huge commitment in doing the show for us and hopes his contribution eases Robbie's burden so that he can keep focus on the increasing quality and content of the show.

Along with playing with computers, Dave likes to pick up his guitar occasionally and rile the neighbors. He also has a keyboard and bass guitar and claims that he will eventually do some mixing with audacity. No one has seen anything come of that, though.

Dave is repairing a boat and would like to have it done this summer to possibly get back into doing some fishing, if not just floating around enjoying what's left of God's earth.

Dave began his hands on with computers as a teen, helping his Dad write and modify (but mostly play) games on Dad's Commodore64. Although, that prowess has since escaped Dave, as he can barely write an error free shell script today.

Dave bought his first 'computer', a Compaq Presario 720, in the mid 90s. Never having played with an IBM clone, he was quite impressed with the Windows 3.1 GUI and couldn't wait to do the free upgrade to the innovative Windows 95. A little later on, in timing with Microsoft's announcement of the impending cessation of support for Windows 98, Dave was experimenting with an alternative to high dollar, short support cycle operating systems in a beast called Slackware Linux (what the heck, it was free). Never having spent another penny for an OS, Dave has migrated from Slackware to Gentoo and now Debian as his main Linux operating systems.

Since the Compaq, Dave has been building his computers primarily from recycled pieces and parts. Thus, he is behind the times in hardware technology but is still very happy with a GA-8i875 as his mythtv box as well as his various Frankenstein boxes.

Dave's craft was welding and fabrication but, due to medical / physical setbacks, is now a crew transport driver for a railroad.

Dislikes:  Commercials, cheaters, bandwidth restrictions, litter, monopolies, nuts in brownies, greed, fake ice cream, advertisements, wind, big brother government, in-your-face marketing.