Registered on Appropedia on 26 June 2006.
I'm very involved in editing development-related topics on Wikipedia.
I'm also an enthusiastic cook, and have started recording my recipes. I see cooking as being related to:
- sustainability - especially vegetarian cooking;
- health - healthy food is important, but it has to taste great so that people will cook and eat it.
- financial security - making good food from basic resources; and
- quality of life - which needs no justification.
Currently focusing on:
- Low cost computer: this is an Appropedia project by nature, but I wanted to invite computer enthusiasts (e.g. MiniLinux programmers) to contribute, without the hurdle of registration. So I've placed it in my Wikipedia userspace.
Main interests
I'm a water and sanitation engineer by training; however I'm interested in broader appropriate technology, development & sustainability issues, and edit on this range of topics in Wikipedia.
What I do
I will soon be leaving Australia, on a one-way ticket. First stop Indonesia, followed by East Timor, Thailand and India (details yet to be worked out).
As I travel, I look forward to contacting development, environmental and permaculture organisations, and assisting where I can. I expect to be learning more than assisting though, and I certainly don't present myself as a foreign expert. My main way of contributing to development will be through developing Wikipedia and Appropedia.
Looking for work
I will also be looking for work at some point (probably 2007), so if you know of suitable openings in the development world, please let me know. As long it doesn't involve managing a project (deadlines and such) or lots of paperwork. My strengths are to do with language, communication & facilitation, as well as a knowledge of appropriate technology, and openness to what suitable in the specific context, rather than having fixed ideas. (Link to my CV/Resumé coming soon).
I'm also open to doing volunteer work. For example, I might get a job in a city teaching English, with at least 2 days off per week to work on the project. And of course, I will continue with my wiki contributions whenever I have a spare moment.