3 '''Tip:''' as always, start from the bottom and proceed bottom up to keep time flowing in one direction.
9 Here are a few pictures of the OlpcOffice!
11 ==== Hack Hack Hack ====
13 I've been assigned a problem with an invalid serial port baud
14 rate after resume from software suspend.
16 I started investigating the hard way, until ChrisBall pointed
17 me on IRC to talk with the KernelHacker DavidWoodhouse, who
18 obviously had a solution in a few seconds. Unfortunately,
19 it didn't work as we expected and MitchBradley of OpenFirmware
20 joined the conversation to help.
22 Having all the subsystem gurus available to fix your bugs makes
23 things a lot easier... Hehe, I think I like it ;-)
25 And so tomorrow I'll get back to work on a MandelBug with the Xorg's
26 driver for the AMD chipset. When XVIDEO is enabled and you
27 rotate the display with XRANDR, sometimes the X server crashes,
28 sometimes it just hangs and sometimes it survives with a corrupted
29 display. And the bad news is that gdb also hangs.
31 How will I fix this? Easy: I'll go looking for the driver authors
32 first thing tomorrow and beg them to send me a fix :-)
34 By the way, lately I've been hanging regularly in #olpc on FreeNode.
35 My nick is _bernie. Come over to see what's going on!
40 ==== All Night Long ====
42 At 9PM, I'm still here and plan to stay as long as I can :-)
44 <please link to the song "All Night Long" here>
47 ==== Buried In Work Already ====
49 '''WARNING''': Technical AbraCadabra ahead!
51 Today I met most of the team members and bothered a few of them,
52 starting from DanWilliams who helped me debug a problem with a
53 simple mesh networking scenario involving three laptops.
55 Today I've also been assigned some work from ChrisBall, who also
56 helped me out with many small things such as a dead battery,
57 accessing the serial console, etc. I'm currently adding a
58 KernelDebugger command to display the ModelSpecificRegister's
61 But it seems like I will also refer to RedHat's ChrisBlizzard
62 to be assigned more work. We talked about optimizing the
63 video driver for the AmdGeodeCpu, getting the resistive
64 tablet to work and maybe adding "tapping" support to the
67 As you know, I like it even more when I'm allowed to ramble
68 through a zillion different things like this!
71 ==== Sneaky Preview ====
73 I'm writing this from within the OLPC headquarters. I came today for
74 a second interview and to get a few tasks assigned to me :-)
76 I have no time to be more specific. Will tell you the details a little later.
81 '''TODO''': will tell you later
85 '''TODO''': will tell you later
88 >MUM< creepy mummy virus it's taking control here.... :-) WRITE SOON OR IT/SHE WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING!
89 ==== Quite a Trip ====
91 Today I'm leaving the safe and familiar BostonCity to boldly go where I've
94 The current plan is to drive south to ProvidenceCity, BrdigeportCity, NewYorkCity,
95 PhiladelphiaCity, BaltimoreCity and, finally, WashingtonCity. Maybe I'll even
96 push myself down in FloridaState to go see the SpaceShuttle!
98 I could use a GPS. I've seen a few TomTom's, but $299 seems way too
99 much to me for a talking map. Maybe I'll buy a traditional map for
102 Ah, and I will sleep frugally, of course. Hostels and motels when I find
103 them. So, over the next few days I'll be lucky if I have intermittent
104 Internet access and, consequently, I won't probably be able to sync the
110 '''Babbo''': Ma fino ad oggi con quali danari hai vissuto dato che sei partito con 10€ liquidi?
112 '''Bernie''': Ho prelevato i soldi dall'ATM... con il bancomat delle poste! E vedo dai movimenti
113 sul conto che hanno applicato un buon cambio e nessuna penale strana.
117 Today I finally rent a car. It's a SaturnIon, a brand and model I never heard
120 http://www.edmunds.com/media/seo/500/2006.saturn.ion.jpg
122 I felt very comfortable driving all over Europe: Italy, Swiss, Spain, France,
123 Germany, Belgium, and even Greece... But, for some reason, I was quite afraid
124 of driving a car here in the States.
126 Maybe it's because the road signs are somewhat different and there are a few
127 subtly different rules, such as turning right on red, not parking in front
128 of hydrants, etc. Most probably, it's because I've seen way too many movies
129 where people get stopped by police and thrown in jail quite easily!
131 Well, so far everything went very well. I mean, except for parking. Parking
132 in downtown is easy if you're willing to pay $10-12 for a few hours.
133 It's a big pain in the ass otherwise... The best way I've found so far
134 is to park near a minor T station and then get the T to downtown :-(
136 And, of course, the car has AutomaticTransmission, which I managed to learn
137 quickly: the trouble comes when you switch the other way around ;-)
139 Ok, today I've driven all around Boston just to get used to it. Tomorrow
140 I'll probably dare getting on the highway to see around.
143 ==== Business Visa? ====
145 Today I've re-read detailed information on the
146 available US visa options:
148 http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1262.html
150 Looks like a ''B-1'' Business Visa would do. To get one,
151 I should go to a US ambassy, and ambassys are usually
152 located abroad. Instead of returning to Italy, maybe
153 I could get an appointment in MontrealCity, which is
154 near to the border and also an interesting place to see.
161 Yesterday I applied for this great service: http://www.zipcar.com/ .
162 Isn't it a good idea? Costs less than renting a car and is almost
165 <rasky> http://www.carsharingfirenze.it/ :)
167 Today I walked to their offices to give them my documents
168 and get the magnetic card. They said they will enable it
169 first thing tomorrow *if* the "insurance risk declaration"
170 I got from Italy suffices.
173 ==== Simple shopping ====
175 Consumers must be very simple minded here. First, most
176 shop names are simply dumb: '''Pay Less''', '''Save-A-Lot''',
177 '''Big Deal''', and so on.
179 ''Sounds very '''meno tasse per tutti''' to me... -- PiroPiro''
181 Second, they try to subtle deceptions such as: "take 2 for $24.xx",
182 and, next to it: "take 3 for $21.xx", Which of course is
183 impossible. It's a trap! The little figures placed
184 exactly where you would expect to see the cents, are
185 indeed a small notice: ''EACH''.
187 Today I bought a dozen of razor blades ($1.50), a
188 bottle of shampoo ($1.50) and shower gel ($1.50).
189 But I spent $12 for adjusting the two pair of
190 trousers I had bought a few days ago in the mall!
191 $12 ''EACH'', I mean.
194 ==== Bad Neighborhood ====
196 Walking home alone in the night, I may encounter some ''bad'' guys:
198 http://bender.codewiz.org/wikidata/text/FunWithWeapons.jpg
200 Better be careful :-)
205 ==== Veni, Vidi, ???? ====
207 This morning I shown up at OneLaptopPerChild's headquarters. It's again next to KendallSquare,
208 in OneCambridgeCenter.
210 JimGettys was very kind: he took me to LegalSeaFood for lunch, repaired my ExOh's keyboard (two
211 keys were dead) and introduced me to the team members.
213 They left me with the usual Hollywood formula: "don't call us, we'll call you".
214 But in this particular case, I felt they were sincere :-)
216 I hope to be soon a member of the OLPC core team!
221 ==== Alea Iacta Est ====
223 As promised... Yes, indeed. Everybody please cross their fingers.
225 Babbo:Pregherò perchè tu possa ottenere quello che cerchi.
227 Camy: Mannaggia a voi due ( Bernie e Alberto ) siete cosi..."teneri". Come ho già detto tante volte a Bernie, è fortunato ad avere un babbo cosi! Lo so, lo so che non c'entra nulla con lo stile di questo blog, ma io sono cosi, impulsiva e Bernie lo sa e mi perdonerà.
228 A dire il vero anch'io sto in ansia per lui :-) speriamo bene...
230 Bernie: Via, non fatemi venire il magone voi due :-)
234 ==== International Dinner ====
236 FedericoLucifredi and his wife Irena were so kind to invite me at their place for a
237 fine dinner with appetizers, SirloinSteak (see pic below), several side
238 dishes and... Even a PinotNoir!
240 http://www.fairburysteaks.com/images/bci-sirloin-round-bone.gif
242 There were also Mauro -- Federico's colleague at Ximian -- and Irena's
243 friend who's a physics professor from Providence and could speak perfect
244 French and, surprisingly, even Italian!
246 What can I say? I think I got a pound or two that night, but it was
254 There's a cinema in building 26 @ EmAiTee, and it's cheap.
259 If you're curious, my room rent is $500 per month. Utilities,
260 forniture and DSL Internet access are included.
262 It's not cheap, but it's also not too expensive for Boston.
263 They told me that only Manhattan is more expensive here on
266 ==== CurriculumVitae ====
268 ...is almost ready. A friend told me that I'd better have
269 also a synthetic resume of 1-2 pages for the impatient.
272 Well, I said I'd be finished by last Monday, but then I
273 managed to slip past my own deadline visiting NewYorkCity,
274 moving in my current room and in other frivolous ways.
276 Now I have no excuses: the time has come. Next Monday I
277 ''will'' write my proposal. Seriously.
281 ==== Exchange Rates ====
283 Looks like I'd better convert all my money to dollars *now*:
285 http://www.x-rates.com/d/USD/EUR/graph30.html
287 What do you think about it?
289 Babbo:penso che $ continuerà a svalutare. Perderai soldi.
291 ==== StataCenter ====
293 I forgot to tell you about the kewlest building in EmAiTee:
295 http://www.eecs.mit.edu/images/big-stata12.jpg
297 See also: http://www.eecs.mit.edu/stata-link.html
301 After a long time, I finally get to (ab)use MIT's wi-fi and
302 barf my short-term brain buffer into my BrainDump.
304 Tonight we went to an Irish pub next to Kendall, where I got
305 to know a few more Ximian employees. I got rumors that
306 the famous kernel hacker RobertLove would be there, so after
307 a while I turned to the guy next to me and asked: "Is
308 RobertLove really going to come?". And he replied: "Speaking."
310 Another guy told me: "Hi, I'm BAHB". "Pardon?". "BAHB!".
311 "What???". Federico promptly helped me out: "Ha detto che si
314 The beer was good. I discovered that a BlueMoon is the
315 nearest approximation of a WeisseBeer I can find here,
316 and I'm not at all displeased by its taste.
320 My landlord has recently switched DSL provider and Internet
321 doesn't work any more: the sync light on the modem flashes.
322 It seems that crappy ISPs are a common disease in the States
325 Yesterday, he called for service and, finally, they told him
326 they would send a tech today from 8AM to 18PM. They refused
327 to be more specific. And so I've agreed to wait here to let
328 the guy in... I care about it for myself too!
332 By the way, today I'm exactly 150 pounds (use GoogleCalculator
333 to get it to SI units).
335 150 pounds = 68.0388555 kilograms
341 They told me Roxbury is quite an infamous suburb of Boston.
342 And my first impression confirms that: shops are uglier,
343 parks and streets are somewhat dirtier (but not as much as
344 in NewYorkCity!) and, most importantly, some of the neighbors
345 look creepy. Especially in the night, streets are crowded by
346 people with criminal faces and many homeless.
348 You know I'm not the type who's easily scared off by a bunch
349 of zombies, but I'll feel much better when I'll drive a car.
353 I've finally settled in my room. There's no need to describe the house
354 in detail, as it's the most typical colonial design: two floors plus
355 basement, front and back yards, sliding windows, wooden floors
356 everywhere. You've come to know them very well from the movies.
358 Today I went to the mall to gather the essentials: a blankets,
359 a pillow case and some bath towels. The bed is comfortable and
360 I was quite tired already, therefore I fell asleep early in the
361 evening and kept on until 8 AM.
363 '''WARNING: TIME WARP OCCURRED'''
367 '''WARNING: TIME WARP IMMINENT'''
371 Alberto: Attento a convertire € in $ perchè € si sta apprezzando,e quindi $ svalutando rispetto a €.
373 Belle le foto scovate da Massimo. Have a good stay in Btn.
375 Massimo: Bernie, you taught me: http://www.google.com/search?q=100+USD+in+EUR
378 Massimo: Since Bernie could not give us any picture, I had to use flickr: here they are!
380 http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bernardo+innocenti
382 Piro: what in the heaven is RMS doing dressed like a camp tent? :D
386 ==== BankOfAmerica ====
388 I went to BankOfAmerica and opened a bank account. I went there wearing a yellow T-shirt
389 and a weary pair of jeans. In the beginning, they referred me to a young guy who quickly
390 tried to offer me a student's saving account. When I queried for interest rates, credit
391 cards, and dollar/euro conversion rates, they finally realized that I was going to move
394 When I've shown them my balance, they immediately switched me to a very polite girl who
395 took all the time to explain me everything in detail until after their closing time and
396 recommended me to open *3* different accounts to get a rate of 4.80% with no fees!
397 I totally hate when people judge you by your wealth, dressing, or other stupid status
398 symbols, but maybe a bank is the only exception where it makes sense to do so.
400 Banking appears to be far, far simpler here. I already feel like I know
401 everything while in Italy I still can't read most of the paperwork I get from
404 Batt: Or maybe american bankers are so skilled that you are happy while, in truth, they have stolen your money forever :-P
406 Massimo: Yahr yahr! He didn't realize they already got 4.80% of his balance from his pocket with a magician move! Yahr yahr! Anyway... 4-5% rate is not absurd in the US. It has always been almost like this as far as I can remember (maybe sometimes it was even 6-7%). It's useful for someone (like bernie), but tragic for someone who does not have any money and to buy a house with those mortgages it's almost impossible. Still, the US has got a very low rate in comparison with other extra-european countries.
410 ==== Good News, Everyone! ====
412 '''After a long struggling, I've finally found a room!'''
414 And I'll be moving in *today*! But I'm writing on Thursday the 3rd, actually (aren't you thinking fourth-dimentionally yet?).
416 The room is nice and comes with some forniture, including a desk. It's on the second floor
417 of a house where the landlord lives with her wife and a very friendly puppy.I like it
418 that way: all those houses shared by students I've seen so far tend to become unmaintained
419 and dirty quite quickly, while this one is a real house with a fully operational kitchen,
420 bathroom and even a clean back garden!
422 My landlord is Armenian, but have been living here in Boston for a long time. My first
423 impression is he's a very nice person, honest and easy going. I haven't met his wife yet --
424 she'll be back on Sunday.
426 I'm afraid the house is a bit far away from MIT, in southern Boston. But that won't
427 be a problem as soon as I buy a car. There may even be a chance to rent or buy the
428 car readily from my landlord's son.
430 I don't know the address yet. I should, but I forgot the sheet on the table when I went there. And I can't call my landlord either because I've stolen his cell phone by mistake also. Yeah, I reckon I mustn't a good impression, actually :-)
433 '''Camy''': the landlord lives with '''his''' wife
435 ==== Do You Speak English? ====
437 Some of you will be pissed off by this change, but I'm starting to make
438 some international friends here and none of them could read Italian.
440 Writing in English is also what I need to improve my writing skills.
441 For the few of you who barely know English, some more reading surely won't hurt!
443 [[http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbender.codewiz.org%2Fwiki%2FMayBlog&langpair=en%7Cit=en Google Translator]]
446 As always, I'd very much appreciate being told about any mistake I make.
448 ''Massimo: ok, let's start with those horrible contractions my poor eyes had to read: '''Won't''' and '''I'd'''. Hey Bernie! You already went back home from NYC. Ain't gonna play with ya 'nymore!''