Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 17:58:52 +0100
From: Shane Kerr <shane@ripe.net>
To:  staff@ripe.net
Subject: Farewell to staff

Dear colleagues,

As you all probably know, I am leaving the RIPE NCC.

I've been here since July 2000. When I arrived, the company still had a
bit of buzz left over from the earlier times, when everybody came to do
great things for the Internet. It was kind of exciting, but also clear
that things were heading in a new, more normal direction. I've been glad
to be around for these changes; we still do good things, even without
the buzz!

I was a little different then:





With hard work I eventually saved up enough to buy a razor:





(This is before I ended up in the hospital.)

I learned to dance, and experimented with colour at some point:







Which the Scots didn't approve of:



Leading to the boring me now:







The company has changed a little, and I even more. And not just the
hair! If you asked me 6 years ago if I wanted to be a manager, I would
have said "no thanks!" It's been very interesting, but last year I came
to the realisation that while management is rewarding, what I really
love to do is write software. I did doing it for 15 years, and honestly
I miss it.

I decided to try to find a job that excites my inner geek. And I found
one! I'm going to be coding BIND, DHCP, NTP, and so on at ISC. It's hard
to imagine a better job for an old network hacker like me. ISC is going
to let me work from home, so I get to stay in Amsterdam, a city I have
grown to love. This means I will be around, and lonely too, so don't
forget me if you need somebody to drink with.  ;) 

5.5 years is a long time, and I've seen a lot of people come and go in
that time. It had to be me eventually! I've had some great colleages,
some better friends, and it really has been a joy working with you all.

My last day will be Wednesday, 28 February. Yes, there will be a
farewell borrel. I think this will be on Friday, 3 March; Angela will
give more details.

--
Shane