The short answer to this question is that I promised Helen, Karen, Karien and Wendy that I would.

The longer answer is that since September 1st, I am a Fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation, which is probably the coolest thing that has ever happened to me.

The Shuttleworth Foundation is based in South Africa. It’s the brainchild of Mark Shuttleworth, an African entrepreneur and cosmonaut most commonly associated with the open-source community behind Ubuntu. To quote its website:

The Foundation is at its core an experiment in open philanthropy and uses alternative funding methodologies, new technologies and collaborative ways of working.

So now I’m part of an experiment. Which is great, because I love experiments! And one aspect of this experiment is an emphasis on openness in everything the Foundation does, which includes all Fellows blogging about their work.

Oh, and I should explain about the mysterious ladies to whom I’ve promised this blog. They constitute the small, dynamic team that is running the experiment. And I have signed a contract with the Foundation stipulating that I will blog about my Fellowship.

So that is why I blog!

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