In late 2006 I left Ireland (via the UK) and moved to Switzerland to run the legal affairs of Free Software Foundation Europe, a non-profit organisation that promotes freedom in technology. My job includes all sorts of fun; networking, public speeches, negotiation, legal issue resolution and generally building cooperation between diverse parties.
The legal project I run has been a big success. FSFE now facilitates the largest Free Software legal network in the world and all types of interesting initiatives are under way. Well, interesting is a relative term. It depends on what you are interested in. However, if you love processes, contractual language and management science, then what we do rocks.
Switzerland has also been an interesting place to live. My house is in a peaceful suburb 12km from the centre of Zurich and on fine evenings it’s a nice walk home from the office alongside the Sihl river. The office itself is beside the main train station and is a short stroll from the old town or nearby parks. Switzerland is easily one of the most comfortable and beautiful places to reside in Europe.
Working to make a big project and a bigger network grow has taken a lot my time and energy. However, I have had the good fortune to experience a whirl of locations, languages and interesting foods. [1] I will place photos and detailed stories on this site shortly, though as a teaser let me say that I’ve created wonderful memories of Germany, Italy, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Romania, Brazil and the USA as part of my travel.
[1] I think the most interesting food experience was finding out that the nice tofu in Romania was actually pig fat. Note to self: in future ask “what is this?” before biting.