Tag: Cultural Understanding

Couchsurfing? Of Course!
Inspiration & Wisdom, Travel

Couchsurfing? Of Course!


I want to write about Couchsurfing.org today.

Shortlink… http://wp.me/pfF9G-1mZ

If you are unfamiliar with Couchsurfing, or CS for short, it is an on-line community for “travelers” whom find more enjoyment in meeting people and exchanging their culture with each other as they travel or while they are at home.  There are two main aspects of CS; 1) a Surfer, and 2) a Host.

Basic needs of shelter met, freedom to have fun with fellow CSers was had.
Basic needs of shelter met, freedom to have fun with fellow CSers was had even though we use Foursquare to keep in touch daily. (That’s me!)

A Surfer, like me right now, is a person or several people traveling with each other, who in exchange for a safe place to sleep free of charge, offer their perspectives on their native culture; their experiences in traveling; the activities they enjoy, such as cooking or playing a musical instrument; funny stories of their lives; their knowledge of a different language, etcetera; or any combination of the above.  In other words, a Surfer offers of themselves something that cannot be measured in terms of money or a hard value, in exchange for a place to sleep, a bed, a floor, a safe and secure sleeping location, or as the name implies a couch.

CS Reunion in Turkiye
We met via CS, but we’re in contact across the miles through Foursquare. Our reunion – Cagdas, Nadide [RadFoursquareNinja] & myself in Turkiye, 1.5 years later. 🙂
The other side of the CS Community equation is a Host.  The Host or Hosts are people, often travelers themselves, who when they are at home, desire to offer an extra bedroom, a safe living/sleeping arrangement, or a couch, to a Surfer, in exchange for the opportunity to learn of another place, another person, one of a million different cultures that exist on the planet we share.  A couch, like a Surfer’s experience, knowledge, language or cultural understanding is offered free of charge.

Continue reading “Couchsurfing? Of Course!”

Economy, Energy, Environment & Climate Change

Ending Energy Ignorance – Part I


Shortlink – http://wp.me/pfF9G-8R

I would like to discuss, what is generally considered my open opposition to “Solar”, in particular its primary and growing implementation in the United States. “Solar” is often the buzzword for PV (photo voltaic), which is the generation of electricity through capturing part of the sun’s electromagnetic radiation reaching the Earth’s surface.

This discussion cannot occur, unless we all understand and agree upon the basic fundamentals of energy, specifically electricity as it pertains to our energy collection, distribution and consumption needs. “Solar” on almost all accepted premises has a leaning towards electricity production, hence the need to understand where we are currently with electricity generation, portability and uses.

Author’s note: Please excuse ongoing design & content changes, I’m composing this as I go. ~Hans 7/21/14

Continue reading “Ending Energy Ignorance – Part I”