Mark Pospesel’s weblog.
Nine years ago today, I moved to Switzerland (for the second time). So what has happened over the past 12 months? In short, a lot . (Previous posts after one , three , four , five , six , seven , and eight years in Switzerland.) The Past Year Last Fall shortly after I wrote the previous year's summary post , my son moved to the UK to start his first year of university and my wife and I finally…
Happy Swiss National Day! I hiked up to Alp Sura for the view and then attended the local 1. August brunch in the village square with music provided by a five-member Swiss folk group. Tomorrow there's a concert followed by lunch (the finale of a 5-day summer fest) that I will also attend.
Naturalization in Switzerland is a lengthy and complicated process with differing requirements at the municipal, cantonal, and federal levels. First and foremost one becomes a citizen of one's community, then of one's canton, and finally of the country. As of January of this year I have lived in Switzerland for ten years total, which is a requirement for naturalization at the federal level. I had…
I am not a Swiss citizen, but I have had my permanent residency for a couple years now. As such I am not allowed to vote in cantonal or federal elections. Imagine my surprise a few weeks ago after my recent move when I received a ballot to vote in local elections. The canton of Graubünden allows each municipality to decide independently whether to allow permanent residents to vote in local…
This 2022 set is a modern remake of the venerable original Galaxy Explorer from 1979. This set was a pure joy to build: all printed parts (no stickers), clever build techniques, fun and interesting details, etc. It is clear that the designer had a real appreciation for the source material. The result is a beautiful large spaceship with many fun features. The revised cockpit with its beautiful…
No, it's just, I, you know, I just think - right now I have one key and everything I own is in the car, and I just... I like that, you know? I mean, I just, if I get an apartment, that two keys, if I... get a job, you know, I might have to open or close, that's more keys, you know, buy some stuff, I'm afraid it's gonna get ripped off, or something, and I get more keys, and I just, I, you know, I…
I finished building this set last weekend after a few weeks of occasional building. This set is an homage to the Forestmen subtheme of LEGO Castle sets of the late 1980's. I appreciate that the designer kept the iconic black tree trunks. The zipline between the two towers is a fun touch. The bridge detaches so that the two castles can be separated and displayed independently. The whole build was…
I think we all knew GitHub was doomed as soon as Microsoft acquired it. I've been gradually migrating away from Big Tech and U.S.-based digital services, but I hesitated to wean myself off of GitHub out of laziness and inertia. The recent policy change to have your repo's train Copilot unless opted out and then Copilot injecting ads into PR's provided the impetus I needed to finally take the leap.…
The way of life is wonderful: it is by abandonment. — Ralph Waldo Emerson A lot has happened since I last posted on this blog. To wit: My son started his university studies abroad. I separated from my long-term partner. I moved to the Alps. Putting the Remote in Remote Work I have been working full-time remote since 2002. One advantage of remote work is that one can theoretically work from…
Eight years ago today we moved to Switzerland. Once again it's time to take stock and reflect on the previous year. (Previous posts after one , three , four , five , six , and seven years in Switzerland.) The Past Year Work I continue to enjoy working remotely for PassiveLogic. I've transitioned from working on iOS to writing cross-platform (non-UI) frameworks in Swift. I've traveled once to Salt…