CURRENT MISSION

Knowledge should be free!

ABOUT ME

I laugh, I relax, I go downtown, I drink, I party. Work hard, play hard, right?

On a more specific note, I graduated in 2008 from the University of Texas at Austin in Chemical Engineering. I spent the summer in Europe (with one surf!). When I got back to the States, I moved to Houston, TX, to start work for an emissions testing firm. After that, I moved to New York City to work for Fitocracy.com, then online fitness game.

PHILOSOPHY

I am a huge advocate for open-source things (software, hardware, government, etc.). I love looking into how things work and helping improve them. I guess that's why I'm an engineer!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I surfed one couch with my two boy scout friends when we went to Europe. It was a great experience! I came back wanting to get more involved with the community. So I started hosting people in Houston. Unfortunately, I don't have enough extra space to host in NYC.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first couchsurfing experience was in Switzerland with a nice lady and her son. I was touring Europe with two of my scout friends (we went to 11 countries in 30 days!). Fjola (user:flyingwitch) was very kind, and her son Loris was very fun! We cooked them some Mexican tacos (ingredients were tough to find in Switzerland!).

Anyway, my first experience laid to rest any doubts I had about the integrity of the community. These are genuinely good people looking to help each other and have new experiences. Since then, I've hosted many people, and they've all been very friendly.

Interests

Hashing, Sailing, Backpacking, Ubuntu Linux, Scouting, Transparency!

• fish
• culture
• fitness
• partying
• drinking
• fishing
• backpacking
• sailing
• engineering
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Pixar movies (Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E, etc.), Kurosawa movies, P.T.Anderson movies

Books: Ender's Game book series

Music: Postal Service, Decemberists, Regina Spektor, Matt Costa, The 88, Ben Folds, Flaming Lips

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The Yellowstone Grand Canyon view from the lower falls on the North Rim trail is possibly the best view I've ever seen. Amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would love to share my experience in Texas. I love the state, even though it doesn't have the best reputation. I will heartily agree on most grievances, and I'm an advocate of trying to fix the problems. But my culture comes from Texas, and I would gladly share it with y'all.

I would like to learn about other cultures. The source of other's pride or connection to where they are from. It's fascinating to listen to how someone associates their culture with their land.

Aside from cultural sharing, I am very oriented. I know my location very well. The first thing I do in any new place is get the layout and a general feel for direction and mood. Then I try to get myself lost! My boy scout training really comes in handy! I would gladly share any knowledge of the city or state (where to go, what to do, etc.) with you.

Also, I'm very handy. As an engineer, I can usually look at something that's broken or needs repair and perceive a way to fix it. But I'm not a free repair man. I like the philosophy: give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. Any knowledge I have, I'll share. After all, knowledge should be free!

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