CURRENT MISSION

To start my life's work

ABOUT ME

I like to travel and always try to do some worthwhile work when I'm abroad. I've done development work and education work and human rights work in various countries.

I really like to think about things.

I spend my summers looking for gold in the Klondike and have lots of bear and mountain stories.

I studied theatre, psychology, information science, and now finance. I recently started a weird social finance company that I hope to make my life's work. I am really excited about it.

I am an audiobook junkie. I spend thousands of hours listening to books on all subjects. The only thing I like more than hiking alone in Canada's northern wilds while listening to weird and wonderful books is discovering interesting people to bombard with all the ideas that are the outcome of my audiobook affliction.

PHILOSOPHY

Yikes! Um... how about:
"The unexamined life is not worth living!"
Or "Know thyself."
Or "Walk your own true step."
Or "Just be free man."
Or "Rage! Rage against the fading of the light!"
Or "Margin of Safety!"
Or "Sing to me Muse of that Man of Misery!"
Or "Be!"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far I've couch-surfed in the USA, Finland, Israel and Peru. It has been a fantastic experience! Very, very soon I'm going to set up my permanent home in Ontario, Canada and start hosting! I have debts to kind and marvelous strangers. I eagerly prepare for payback!

Interests

I like climbing up things that aren't supposed to be climbed. I like doing flips (but am getting a little old for it). I am a competitive fencer. I like writing verbose letters to strangers on matters of great importance which I never send. I do some martial arts, whitewater kayaking, and cycling. I always have trouble identifying my interests because I could go on for ever. I'm passionate about human rights. I love the theatre, appreciate all other arts, and would die without food!

I have become boisterously opinionated about architecture and urban design. It is bordering on unhealthy obsession and has massively restricted the possible places which I could call home.

I am obsessed with tiny houses and cabin building. I yearn to build. I yearn to garden but know nothing.

I love to talk about education and its improvement. I love history and read broadly. I am something of an expert on the history of copyright and the origins of Scottish publishing and print-piracy. I have very strong feelings about certain typefaces.

When at school I spend most of my time attending lectures in departments other than my own. I love broad thinkers and think we train too few nowadays.

I more or less opt out of popular culture and can be expected to be completely ignorant of commonplace icons. I more or less opt out of consumerism and it saddens my heart to see my fellows caught up in its awesome sway. I love Adam Smith's capitalism and think it alone can save us all.

I love swimming in freezing rivers.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• singing
• architecture
• design
• education
• human rights
• dining
• breakfast
• running
• flying
• gardening
• traveling
• juggling
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• martial arts
• rock climbing
• swimming
• teaching
• history
• logic
• psychology
• science
• rivers

Music, Movies, and Books

Movie - The Lives of Others; The Battle of Algiers
Book - Walden; Moby Dick(!!!); The Intelligent Investor
Poem - The Odyssey; The Spell of the Yukon
Music - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo; the 9th(!!!)
Play - Major Barbara; Everything Shakespeare

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Flying, dangling by fingertips, 100m below a helicopter?
Running with the bulls?
Surviving several bear encounters which logic says I ought not have?
No... these are stupid things I've done.

Amazing things... How about: I have seen an Idea take hold in Man. I have seen Genius becoming!

Teach, Learn, Share

I carry a massive collection of audio learning materials. I teach people how to juggle. I tend to rant lawlessly on many subjects for many hours... especially if an all-day breakfast is involved.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Cuba, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Spain, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada