Joss Wright
Contact:
email: joss at pseudonymity dot net
PGP Key: 7A46 C1E1 385B F72B DD0C 06E7 2C29 0C07 24EB 6F7F
MSN: joss at pseudonymity dot net
Skype: joss.wright
About Me
I am a researcher in computer privacy and security. I studied for my PhD at the University of York, UK, where I focused on the description and modelling of anonymous communication systems. I spent time as a postdoctoral researcher at Siegen University in Germany, and am currently FRESNEL Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute. A list of my publications and research interests can be found here.
My wife, Emily, is an environmentalist and sustainability researcher who has worked for environmental entrepreneurs BioRegional in London, and has also recently spent time working on sustainability and development work in Jordan.
Interests
Capoeira
I spend a lot of time training and playing capoeira, a Brazilian dance and martial art. Capoeira was originally developed by slaves in Brazil who, according to the story, disguised the movements of their martial art as a dance in order to fool their slave owners. As such, capoeira is extremely acrobatic and energetic. It's also more or less completely non-contact.
The basic setting of capoeira is within a circle of people, where two capoeiristas "play" to music and singing from the group. The purpose of the game is both to demonstrate your skill at the movements, and to trick your opponent off balance. In my time I have trained with Capoeira York, Cadencia Capoeira in Siegen, Germany, and Capoeira Abolição in Oxford.
Couchsurfing
I'm a member of Couchsurfing, which is a way to find a free place to stay with interesting people when you travel. Emily and I have hosted over two-hundred people in York, and we've both stayed with couchsurfing members all over the world. Have a look at my profile, and join if you're interested!
Go
I am a keen, if not particularly capable, player of the game of Go. This game originated in China several thousand years ago, and is still widely played in China with the name 围棋 (wéiqí), in Japan with the name 碁 (igo) and Korea as 바둑 (baduk).
Go is an abstract board game with vague similarities to chess, in which the goal is to surround territory on a board by placing stones onto a 19x19 grid. For a more complete introduction, see the Sensei's Library, which contains a great deal of information on the game.
I can often be found on KGS, or more rarely CyberORO, with the username "tealeaf". If I'm not there, I'd love it if you sent me a message through one of the IM accounts listed above and asked to play.
I am also currently the head of the British Go Association's online development committee. In the time that I've held that position, I have conceived, and taken part in creating, the BGA Online League Tournament.
