Some of you know already, some of you don't, some of you won't care. Anyway, I have some news.

UPDATE: My visa was approved, so it's official. I'm going :-)

I officially parted company with Fudge on the 25th March 2010, after ~5 years' service. There are lots of reasons, most of which I'll be keeping to myself. To over-simplify, my general outlook has changed, and Fudge doesn't give me what I need anymore.

I joined Fudge as it's sole developer about 5 years ago (becoming a partner a year later). Along with everyone there (see list below), I helped build Fudge and grow it into something pretty cool. We had a rediculous amount of fun, and learnt loads from each other. I've been lucky enough to work with some of the smartest people I've ever met.

Obviously leaving is a sad thing, and being one of the owners, not the simplest of matters, but it's the right time for me to move on.

So...

I'm selling my house, most of my posessions (with the exclusion of my bikes) and moving to New York.

I'll be working with Area 17 in NYC and Paris. I've known most of the people there for a few years now. They're a lovely bunch.

I went out to NYC in January and spent some time with everyone at A17 to see if I'd fit in. They couldn't have made me feel more welcome. They have an awesome office dog called Simon. He pretty much sealed the deal.

If all goes to plan, I'll be leaving the country at the beginning of October this year. In the meantime, I'll be working for A17, from the UK (and Paris for a while in the summer).

I'll be working on a few *side projects* too, so look out for that.

Thanks to...

It wouldn't be right if I didn't thank the people I've worked with at Fudge. Over the past few years, they've done some brilliant work, and regularly made me laugh so hard, I've been in physical pain. In alpabetical order (in an attempt to avoid any unintended offence):

• Robin Arnold
• Gavin Bates
• Andrew Birley
• Sophie Bradshaw
• Christian Brown
• Mike Byrne 
• Andrew Eccles
• David Eccles
• Matt Hall
• George King *watch out for this one*
• Chris Loftus
• Jim Neath
• Ben Taylor
• Laura Thomas

So, good luck to everyone above. Some are still with Fudge, others have moved on.

And some special mentions go to...

Mike Byrne—For being perpetually upbeat, no matter what.
Ben Taylor—For making the last year loads of fun. We were quite a team.
Christian Brown & Gavin Bates—For tolerating my "opinions" on design all these years.
Matt Hall & Jim Neath—Incredible developers who've saved my life on many occasions.
Dave and Andy—For making all of this as painless as possible. 

Extra thanks to George, Andrew and Kemp at Area 17 for all their help and advice. See you soon.

And, thanks to Shivers for putting up with *a lot* over the past few months.