Hi, my name is Josh! I hope to use CS to deeply understand the unique experiences and lives of people across the world

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have been thinking a lot about the question "Why do I travel?" (a great book on this topic: The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton, founder of the School of Life)

Sometimes, it is to pursue the natural beauty of the world and reset my mind.

Other times it is for adventure, to explore places that I have never seen and might never see again.

As for Couchsurfing, I am here to learn more about people from across the world under a tight knit, conversational setting. The Internet has provides us with the ability to connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime. We can read about cultures and see pictures of homes, but nothing compares to sitting across the table, sharing a bottle of wine, and engaging in art of conversation.

Interests

Currently I am a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor studying Industrial Engineering and Computer Science. Specifically, my interest lies in technology policy and personal relationships to technical advances. While technology innovation has been increasing at a remarkable speed, I don't think that government regulation, social norms, and current education systems have truly prepared us to properly handle the digital age. There needs to be widespread reform and alternative thinking to challenge the power of Google, keep our children away from screens, and help humans understand the algorithms that dictate our lives

Besides being a "digital justice warrior", I am deeply interested in building living communities. For the past 2 years, I have lived in a cooperative housing community of 23 people. It has been one the best experiences of my life. I see a future in cooperative living that can balance the rising cost of housing across cities and the growing curse of social isolation.

Beyond this, I place a major focus on sustainability. With decreasing natural resources and a world in need of sustainable systems, there is more of a need than ever for better transportation methods, more efficient irrigation, and widespread food distribution systems.

• music festivals
• dining
• technology
• coding
• guitar
• computer science
• engineering
• boardgames
• digital justice

Music, Movies, and Books

My interests in these categories have a wide range. For music, I can tell you that I have a massive music festival addiction. My musical tastes go from Arcade Fire to Flying Lotus to Modest Mouse to Pretty Lights. I am always open to hear to music and genres. Here are some of my all time favorites:

Arcade Fire, Rolling Stones, Manu Chao, LCD Soundsystem, Michael Jackson, Portishead, Blink 182, Daft Punk, Stevie Wonder, Radiohead, Disclosure, Jungle, Creedence Clearwater Revival, RHCP, Oasis, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Griz, Gramatik, Flume, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and many more

As for movies, I tend to enjoy drama, romance, action, and basically everything and anything except for horror/scary movies. Some of my all time favorite films/directors

Coen Brothers (Fargo + No Country for Old Men in particular)
Any Tarantino movie.
Richard Linklater (The Before trilogy, Slacker, Dazed and Confused)
Crappy actions movies with little plot but great special effects
The Godfather, The Social Network, Mad Max,

For books, I am a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, Kurt Vonnegut, Alexandre Dumas, Phillip K Dick, Michael Lewis, and many more that I cannot think of. My reading tends to stay in the realm of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction. I also love reading the New York Times, Atlantic, and Time magazines.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In 2015, I created a “pop” up restaurant in Evanston, IL. Over two nights, I rented a known storefront, hired chefs, and led the restaruant to raise over $4,000, which I split between 4 non-profits in Chicago.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach some amazing games, technology concepts, computer coding, puzzles, and laughing from living.

I would love to learn more about cultural norms, languages, cooking styles/cuisines from across the globe, global educational systems, and music.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A warm couch, a lovely dinner, and a great time

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Macao, Mexico, Netherlands, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States