CURRENT MISSION

Taking time off to visit interesting places before starting a new job at Google at the end of October

ABOUT ME

At the end of October I will be starting a new job at Google, but first I decided to take three months out to explore Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This obviously isn't enough time to see any of these places properly, but I want to get at least a feel for what these places are like and make friends with people who live in these places.

If I ask to couchsurf with you, it is because I want to meet an interesting person from an interesting place, and get something of an insiders view of what the place where you live is really like. I'm more interested in meeting someone interesting than just finding somewhere to sleep, so don't worry if you aren't sure whether you will be able to put me up.

I was born and grew up in the UK, but moved to Berkeley, California in 2006, where I worked at Intel Research. In my work, I am interested in ways that we can use technology to make people aware of different points of view:

Links about me:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rob.ennals
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/robennals
New Scientist: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17339-dispute-finder-web-tool-gives-two-sides-of-a-story.html
NPR: http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/07/31/02

PHILOSOPHY

I like to dedicate my life to finding things that suck about the world, and then seeing if I can fix them.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I signed up for this site a few years ago and then forgot about it. A few days ago a friend suggested I use Couchsurfing for this trip, so I got back on it and updated my profile.

I've never hosted a couchsurfer, but I definitely intend to in the future, after I get back.

Interests

Comedy (I sometimes do standup)

Different ways of looking at the world (I run a debate club)

Motorcycles (I ride a Triumph Daytona)

• running
• clubbing
• motorcycles
• technology
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite movie is Life of Brian, with Fight Club close behind.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how the web works. I used to be in the group that writes to specs for HTML5.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States

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