CURRENT MISSION

Teach Ancient Greek and Latin to anyone who would learn; Revolutionize library information systems

ABOUT ME

For fun and profit, I read, study, teach dead languages, tame computers, and nurture volunteer groups.

I work for the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia around the world.

I studied Classics at TAU (graduate level).
I have also taught classical Greek at TAU.

I am the founding general editor of Project Ben-Yehuda, bringing public domain Hebrew texts online.

I'm an atheist. I refuse to serve as an IDF reservist in the Occupied Territories.

PHILOSOPHY

I'm a rational materialist atheist. Science, sober politics, and rational cooperation are humankind's hope.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I mostly try to have "coffee or drinks" with local CSers when I travel, generally having paid accommodation. I did, however, once make an excellent friend on CS when I surfed his couch.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

April 2009: Surfed in Berlin, Germany.
April 2010: Surfed in Berlin, Germany.
November 2010: Coffee in Pisa, Italy.
October 2011: Beers at the CS meetup in Würzburg, Germany.

Interests

art, autodidacticism, beauty, books, bookshops, brilliance, cats, cheese, classical music, classics, conversation, copyright reform, deipnosophists, democracy, drama, education, emergent phenomena, english, english wit, etymology, excellence, foreign languages, free knowledge, free culture, future of mankind, german, gifted education, grammar, greek, greek history, greek literature, hebrew, hebrew literature, history, homer, humanism, intertextuality, jazz, language, language acquisition, latin, learning, library studies, literacy, literary translation, literature, live theater, moose, music, mythology, philosophy, plays, poetry, politics, procrastination, public domain, public policy, reading, role playing games, russian, self-improvement, serendipity, squash, teaching, tetrapyloctomy, the western canon, theater, thinkers, thinking, translation, translators, trivium, wikipedia, wit, words, writing, yiddish

• cats
• arts
• culture
• humanities
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• theater
• beauty
• concerts
• education
• cooking
• cheese
• beer
• coffee
• drinking
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• classical music
• jazz
• hiking
• atheism
• racquetball
• teaching
• etymology
• history
• languages
• public policy
• science
• volunteering
• squash

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: classic/progressive rock, jazz, guitar blues, classical music

Movies: most genres, except action and horror (those bore me). I enjoy the great auteurs' movies, but appreciate a well-made comedy too.

Books: Omnivorous. Some favorite authors: Kishon, Kleist, Borges, Waltari, Wilde, Stoppard, Homer, Eco, Lem, Jerome, Nabokov, Dickens, Styron, Smiley, DeWitt, Bialik, Spark, Lodge, Russo.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I started a small volunteer project and watched it become, as in the story about the "stone soup", a fantastic success, involving hundreds of volunteers, praised by thousands., and bringing value and joy to tens of thousands of people around the world.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you all about Wikipedia: how to make the best use of it, how to edit it, and how it all works.

I can teach languages: classical Greek and Latin, biblical and modern Hebrew, and English.

I can teach some computer skills, from basic information gathering and research skills to high-level programming.

I can teach literature, e.g. poetry appreciation, narrative analysis.

I love learning, and am naturally quite curious. I particularly love to learn the meaning or story behind every name, of person, place, or thing. :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

When I CouchSurf, I am genuinely interested in meeting people and spending some time together, not just a free bed. However, I'm flexible: I'm happy to interact as much or as little with my host, according to their preference and availability. I recognize that while I may be on vacation, you may not be... :)

In terms of things to do together: I'm happy to share cultural events (museums, concerts, etc.) or nature (local travel, hiking, or just a leisurely stroll with conversation).

In terms of things I bring with me: reading my references would give you some idea. Mostly stories and perspectives from all the interesting people I've met, and the many different circles I've been part of, in my life. I can also teach some things (see above), and I can cook a selection of dishes that is narrow, but tasty and guaranteed to work. :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, United States

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