I am a software developer based in Brighton, UK. I’ve lived in and around Brighton for pretty much all my life, bar a few months here and there whilst travelling around other countries. It’s a great place to live and work, you’ve got the sea at your doorstep, great atmosphere of tolerance and open mindedness, good bars and clubs and a very strong geek community. It is from being part of this geek community that I have been able to find the confidence and information that I needed to embark on this venture, giving me the encourangement to follow my dreams and to take pride in my geekiness. Brighton is somewhere where Geek is Good, and that means I belong.

My background is as an applications Java programmer, although I am currently working as a C# .NET Web developer. I made this move as I wanted to learn new skills and broaden my horizons. It also means that I get to work close to where I live rather than commute to London, which enables me time and energy at the end of the day to persue other interests, including robotics.

If you want to know why I’m building robots, my first blog entry will fulfil that criteria. If you want to see the photos from robots I’m building, they are available on flickr. I’m writing this blog because when I started getting involved in this, I found very few women out there who are publicly into it and also very few blogs that were from a beginners perspective. I am hoping to find other girls who are interested in the same things as me, and maybe give some beginners the confidence to get started. If you’re interested in what I’m doing or want to get in touch you can email me or follow me on twitter

My other interests are not limited to robotics. I am currently also teaching myself basic physics, with an aim to working up to the more complex stuff like quantum mechanics, cosmology and astrophysics, which is where my interests in the subject lie. However, not having touched the subject since I was 15 doing my GCSE’s, I am having to start from the beginning, as I know I will not understand the more complex stuff without understanding all that came before.

I am an avid scuba diver, although after many years of braving the cold of UK waters, have this year decided to become a fair weather diver only. I am therefore hanging up my drysuit and saving up to go diving abroad. This unfortunately means that I go from diving 30 times a year, to diving 12 times, and all in the space of one week, but I believe it worth it to no longer having to call thawing out after a cold dive ‘part of the experience’.

I am also part of the geek ’scene’ here in Brighton. Groups and events that I actively participate in or attend include Brighton Girl Geeks, £5 App, Geek Wine Thing and Cafe Scientifique.