Those in the know know that I am finally settled in New York (city) and neck deep in school. I have mixed feelings about the program I am in, which I’d be happy to discuss with anyone, but I am very happy to be back in the academic saddle.

I’d like to bring your attention to an article last week in the NYTimes illuminated one of the tools I used on my last trip, through eastern up to northern Africa. Couchsurfing.com was recommended to me while I was traveling in Uganda, first as a method for reducing costs and then as a way to make friends in some of the stranger, more difficult places that I might be going to.

The concept: make the world smaller and friendlier by bringing together strangers who share a common interest in exploring the world and having fun. Those with couches (or futons or spare bedrooms or floorspace) post availability, while those seeking space look for them. Safety is the number one concern in this kind of exchange, but the site and it’s participants do a pretty good job of keeping things on the level. I used the site with great success in Rwanda, Sudan, and Israel; meeting many kind people and opening up my understanding of those places a little more than I would have otherwise.

If you are interested in opening up the world a bit, drop me a line. I’d be happy to fill you in on the details of my experience.

In the meantime, if you aren’t thrilled about having a stranger share your space, but you want to think about what this kind of internet social networking means for the future of real political and social organizations, chew on what Pico Iyer mentions in the article. Saskia Sassen’s last book Territory, Authority, and Rights is probably a source that I’ll be following up on later.

In other news:  Happy birthday Peter.