I recently moved to Philadelphia to construct a super environmental dwelling. It will be Passive House (no active heating system / completely heated by sunlight, appliances, and human bodies), be located near good public transit and walkable/bikeable options, and not have any off-street parking to encourage car independence. It will also be a 3 unit to multiply these benefits and provide me with some income.

When I'm not planning my house, I play a lot of strategy board games (Le Havre, Terraforming Mars, Feast for Odin, and so many more). I recently lived in Pittsburgh for 10 years and I'm trying to finish a book about a unique cultural oddity of the region: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2017/08/22/pittsburgh-potty-ted-zellers-coffee-table-book/stories/201708180132

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've hosted many friends on couches over the years, although despite the age of this account I've never surfed with strangers. I tend to meet the same kinds of people in my day to day routines (computer programmers, board games, other people excited about biking to work), and it's nice to break out and meet people with much different perspectives and experiences! It's also nice to save money and utilize existing spaces in people's houses rather than spend money to build expensive infrastructure to provide bedrooms that already exist.

Interests

• painting
• music
• electronic music
• jazz
• cycling
• software
• urban planning
• environmentalism
• linux
• housing
• passive house

Music, Movies, and Books

A few mentions:

Music: anything that rewards repeated listening. Classical (Stravinsky, Lutoslawski, Scriabin); Prog Rock (Gentle Giant, Yes, Pink Floyd); Ambient (Vladislav Delay, Boards of Canada); House and Techno (Omar S; Underground Resistance; Docile Recordings)

Right now I just started "In search of Modern China" (Jonathan Spence) and "Collapse" (Jared Diamond). I'm almost done with "Krakatoa" and "How to Kill a City".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I took a solo bike trip to Red Bay, Labrador and located sleeping arrangements each day as appropriate, which was often the woods.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm curious about almost everything. I'm happy to give you a little or a lot of information about:

- Linux
- Urban planning in the US
- Environmental housing
- How does a computer/the internet actually work?
- Western music theory
- being a bike commuter
- how to tie your shoes faster!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Canada, China, Croatia, Italy, Paraguay, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, United States

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