CURRENT MISSION

I'm a nomad who moves cities & changes jobs a lot. I'm on a mission to meet interesting people from all over the world. I am a writer, teacher and FREEKULTURE activist, which means I love people who create things, share & improve the world.

ABOUT ME

I was born in Tasmania, Australia.
I grew up in Hawaii, with a couple of sidetrips to California and Texas.
I went to school in Australia, and have lived all over - from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Townsville.
I am a longtime tech journalist, turned web writer, editor and publisher. I have also taught at university.
Now I work in social innovation. I feel very lucky to be able to work with smart people to try to make the world better.

PHILOSOPHY

FREEKULTURE. It's all summed up in this quote by John Dobson - open source astronomer: "To me, it's not so much how big your telescope is, or how accurate your optics are, or how beautiful the pictures are you can take with it; it's how many people in this vast world less privileged than you have had a chance to see through your telescope and understand this universe."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am here on the recommendation of a friend who had some great experiences couchsurfing in Europe over summer. I'm planning to move back to Melbourne soon, and when I'm settled I'd like to host more visitors to Australia.
I'm hoping to stay with people in Wellington when I visit next month.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Usually I just have friends come and stay on my couch. Because I recently moved from a big city (Melbourne) to a smaller city (Adelaide) I made sure to buy a comfortable sofa bed so my friends would come and stay. :)
I had some really great couch surfers while I was living in Adelaide in 2011.

Interests

The internet, especially the Web, citizen journalism and blogging. I love Twitter.
Sustainable living - my bicycle, local & sustainable produce.

• writing
• technology
• blogging
• scuba diving
• astronomy
• communications
• teaching
• journalism
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen.
American indie cinema of the early 1990s. Pulp Fiction.
Possession by AS Byatt and the novels of Neal Stephenson.
Sci fi movies, especially those with robots.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The Chateau de Bagnols - a restored 12th century stone farmhouse in France was the most gorgeous place I've ever stayed.
I've also gone hot air ballooning over Melbourne, and scuba diving in Hawaii. I've seen Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting, and I once petted a lion cub.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach people about blogging using WordPress software - either beginner how -to -blog, or more advanced stuff about using WordPress or how to write professional quality content online.
I can also teach people about how to use Twitter & other social media either for their personal use or their organisation.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Italy, Netherlands, Thailand, United Arab Emirates

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United Kingdom, United States

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