7 I still couldn't solve the problem of getting to work
8 quickly. I can't afford to waste over 2 hours every
11 By now, I've tried any possible solution:
13 * Car: the office doesn't have a parking lot and there's
14 no way to park within one mile from KendalSquare for less
15 than $18/day. Monthly fees start from $250.
17 * Bus: I need to commute in Dudley and take line no. 1 to
18 MassachusettsAvenue, then walk 15 minutes to KendalSquare.
20 * Bus + subway combo: The red line would get me directly
21 to KendalSquare, and there are several routes to get there,
22 but all of them require commuting at least twice. The
23 monthly link pass costs $75.
25 * Car + subway combo: there are some cheap parkings next
26 to the terminal subway stations where you can leave your
27 car for $5/day. Unfortunately, to get there I must
28 travel in the opposite direction. And the whole thing
29 will cost $75 + $5*30, about the same of the monthly
32 * Taxi: Costs $11-$14 * 2 every day, which makes the
33 monthly parking cheap in comparison.
35 And even worse, the red line stops running at midnight
36 and bus no 1 at 1AM. Which forces me to leave from
37 the office very early (for my standards).
39 If you want to play with the possibilities, I just
40 discovered that the transportation company has a very cool
41 web service that would have saved me a lot of time:
44 http://www.mbta.com/rider_tools/trip_planner/default.asp
45 From: 66 Maywood st., Roxbury MA
46 To: Kendall/mit Station, Cambridge
49 At the end of the day, the ultimate solution is moving
50 closer to the office or at least close to the red line.
51 Maybe I could afford to spend $600 for a room, but I
52 don't feel like moving right now. I already have enough
56 ==== Awful Weather ====
58 Today it's raining lightly. Yesterday I took an extra shower
61 The WikiPedia was definitely right: weather in Boston can
62 change very rapidly. Must remember to buy a raincoat like
63 RichardStallman's and keep it in my backpack.
69 1. Get employed at OLPC
74 Just joking, but the truth is that I still need
75 to face a lot of new challenges now.
77 My next problem will be improving my communication skills.
78 After one month of full immersion, I can still barely
79 understand people talking quickly to each and I clearly
80 express myself using an inadequately poor vocabulary and
81 too slowly in some cases.
83 These things will improve over time, while my strong
84 Italian inflection is likely to remain forever. If
85 only I could find one, I'd attend to a course to
86 correct my diction now. Actors do them.
88 Another crucial problem I need to solve quickly is
89 getting a visa that allows me to work here permanently.
90 There are many possibilities, but none guaranteed to
91 succeed. For now, I'm not thinking about it: my
92 employer knows better than me and will help as much
95 Last but not least, my job is not easy and requires a
96 good amount of commitment. All my colleagues are extremely
97 smart and more experienced than I am. So I need to work
98 twice as hard to keep up with them.
100 A very nice workplace and very interesting assignments helps.
101 And, most importantly, I know that what we're doing here is
102 going to have a huge impact on the world.
109 Here are some more pics of MyOlpcDesk.
113 ==== Office Space =====
115 Here are a few pictures of the OlpcOffice!
117 ==== Hack Hack Hack ====
119 I've been assigned a problem with an invalid serial port baud
120 rate after resume from software suspend.
122 I started investigating the hard way, until ChrisBall pointed
123 me on IRC to talk with the KernelHacker DavidWoodhouse, who
124 obviously had a solution in a few seconds. Unfortunately,
125 it didn't work as we expected and MitchBradley of OpenFirmware
126 joined the conversation to help.
128 Having all the subsystem gurus available to fix your bugs makes
129 things a lot easier... Hehe, I think I like it ;-)
131 And so tomorrow I'll get back to work on a MandelBug with the Xorg's
132 driver for the AMD chipset. When XVIDEO is enabled and you
133 rotate the display with XRANDR, sometimes the X server crashes,
134 sometimes it just hangs and sometimes it survives with a corrupted
135 display. And the bad news is that gdb also hangs.
137 How will I fix this? Easy: I'll go looking for the driver authors
138 first thing tomorrow and beg them to send me a fix :-)
140 By the way, lately I've been hanging regularly in #olpc on FreeNode.
141 My nick is _bernie. Come over to see what's going on!
146 ==== All Night Long ====
148 At 9PM, I'm still here and plan to stay as long as I can :-)
150 <please link to the song "All Night Long" here>
153 ==== Buried In Work Already ====
155 '''WARNING''': Technical AbraCadabra ahead!
157 Today I met most of the team members and bothered a few of them,
158 starting from DanWilliams who helped me debug a problem with a
159 simple mesh networking scenario involving three laptops.
161 Today I've also been assigned some work from ChrisBall, who also
162 helped me out with many small things such as a dead battery,
163 accessing the serial console, etc. I'm currently adding a
164 KernelDebugger command to display the ModelSpecificRegister's
167 But it seems like I will also refer to RedHat's ChrisBlizzard
168 to be assigned more work. We talked about optimizing the
169 video driver for the AmdGeodeCpu, getting the resistive
170 tablet to work and maybe adding "tapping" support to the
173 As you know, I like it even more when I'm allowed to ramble
174 through a zillion different things like this!
177 ==== Sneaky Preview ====
179 I'm writing this from within the OLPC headquarters. I came today for
180 a second interview and to get a few tasks assigned to me :-)
182 I have no time to be more specific. Will tell you the details a little later.
187 '''TODO''': will tell you later
191 '''TODO''': will tell you later
194 >MUM< creepy mummy virus it's taking control here.... :-) WRITE SOON OR IT/SHE WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING!
195 ==== Quite a Trip ====
197 Today I'm leaving the safe and familiar BostonCity to boldly go where I've
200 The current plan is to drive south to ProvidenceCity, BrdigeportCity, NewYorkCity,
201 PhiladelphiaCity, BaltimoreCity and, finally, WashingtonCity. Maybe I'll even
202 push myself down in FloridaState to go see the SpaceShuttle!
204 I could use a GPS. I've seen a few TomTom's, but $299 seems way too
205 much to me for a talking map. Maybe I'll buy a traditional map for
208 Ah, and I will sleep frugally, of course. Hostels and motels when I find
209 them. So, over the next few days I'll be lucky if I have intermittent
210 Internet access and, consequently, I won't probably be able to sync the
216 '''Babbo''': Ma fino ad oggi con quali danari hai vissuto dato che sei partito con 10€ liquidi?
218 '''Bernie''': Ho prelevato i soldi dall'ATM... con il bancomat delle poste! E vedo dai movimenti
219 sul conto che hanno applicato un buon cambio e nessuna penale strana.
223 Today I finally rent a car. It's a SaturnIon, a brand and model I never heard
226 http://www.edmunds.com/media/seo/500/2006.saturn.ion.jpg
228 I felt very comfortable driving all over Europe: Italy, Swiss, Spain, France,
229 Germany, Belgium, and even Greece... But, for some reason, I was quite afraid
230 of driving a car here in the States.
232 Maybe it's because the road signs are somewhat different and there are a few
233 subtly different rules, such as turning right on red, not parking in front
234 of hydrants, etc. Most probably, it's because I've seen way too many movies
235 where people get stopped by police and thrown in jail quite easily!
237 Well, so far everything went very well. I mean, except for parking. Parking
238 in downtown is easy if you're willing to pay $10-12 for a few hours.
239 It's a big pain in the ass otherwise... The best way I've found so far
240 is to park near a minor T station and then get the T to downtown :-(
242 And, of course, the car has AutomaticTransmission, which I managed to learn
243 quickly: the trouble comes when you switch the other way around ;-)
245 Ok, today I've driven all around Boston just to get used to it. Tomorrow
246 I'll probably dare getting on the highway to see around.
249 ==== Business Visa? ====
251 Today I've re-read detailed information on the
252 available US visa options:
254 http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1262.html
256 Looks like a ''B-1'' Business Visa would do. To get one,
257 I should go to a US ambassy, and ambassys are usually
258 located abroad. Instead of returning to Italy, maybe
259 I could get an appointment in MontrealCity, which is
260 near to the border and also an interesting place to see.
267 Yesterday I applied for this great service: http://www.zipcar.com/ .
268 Isn't it a good idea? Costs less than renting a car and is almost
271 <rasky> http://www.carsharingfirenze.it/ :)
273 Today I walked to their offices to give them my documents
274 and get the magnetic card. They said they will enable it
275 first thing tomorrow *if* the "insurance risk declaration"
276 I got from Italy suffices.
279 ==== Simple shopping ====
281 Consumers must be very simple minded here. First, most
282 shop names are simply dumb: '''Pay Less''', '''Save-A-Lot''',
283 '''Big Deal''', and so on.
285 ''Sounds very '''meno tasse per tutti''' to me... -- PiroPiro''
287 Second, they try to subtle deceptions such as: "take 2 for $24.xx",
288 and, next to it: "take 3 for $21.xx", Which of course is
289 impossible. It's a trap! The little figures placed
290 exactly where you would expect to see the cents, are
291 indeed a small notice: ''EACH''.
293 Today I bought a dozen of razor blades ($1.50), a
294 bottle of shampoo ($1.50) and shower gel ($1.50).
295 But I spent $12 for adjusting the two pair of
296 trousers I had bought a few days ago in the mall!
297 $12 ''EACH'', I mean.
300 ==== Bad Neighborhood ====
302 Walking home alone in the night, I may encounter some ''bad'' guys:
304 http://bender.codewiz.org/wikidata/text/FunWithWeapons.jpg
306 Better be careful :-)
311 ==== Veni, Vidi, ???? ====
313 This morning I shown up at OneLaptopPerChild's headquarters. It's again next to KendallSquare,
314 in OneCambridgeCenter.
316 JimGettys was very kind: he took me to LegalSeaFood for lunch, repaired my ExOh's keyboard (two
317 keys were dead) and introduced me to the team members.
319 They left me with the usual Hollywood formula: "don't call us, we'll call you".
320 But in this particular case, I felt they were sincere :-)
322 I hope to be soon a member of the OLPC core team!
327 ==== Alea Iacta Est ====
329 As promised... Yes, indeed. Everybody please cross their fingers.
331 Babbo:Pregherò perchè tu possa ottenere quello che cerchi.
333 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.
334 A dire il vero anch'io sto in ansia per lui :-) speriamo bene...
336 Bernie: Via, non fatemi venire il magone voi due :-)
340 ==== International Dinner ====
342 FedericoLucifredi and his wife Irena were so kind to invite me at their place for a
343 fine dinner with appetizers, SirloinSteak (see pic below), several side
344 dishes and... Even a PinotNoir!
346 http://www.fairburysteaks.com/images/bci-sirloin-round-bone.gif
348 There were also Mauro -- Federico's colleague at Ximian -- and Irena's
349 friend who's a physics professor from Providence and could speak perfect
350 French and, surprisingly, even Italian!
352 What can I say? I think I got a pound or two that night, but it was
360 There's a cinema in building 26 @ EmAiTee, and it's cheap.
365 If you're curious, my room rent is $500 per month. Utilities,
366 forniture and DSL Internet access are included.
368 It's not cheap, but it's also not too expensive for Boston.
369 They told me that only Manhattan is more expensive here on
372 ==== CurriculumVitae ====
374 ...is almost ready. A friend told me that I'd better have
375 also a synthetic resume of 1-2 pages for the impatient.
378 Well, I said I'd be finished by last Monday, but then I
379 managed to slip past my own deadline visiting NewYorkCity,
380 moving in my current room and in other frivolous ways.
382 Now I have no excuses: the time has come. Next Monday I
383 ''will'' write my proposal. Seriously.
387 ==== Exchange Rates ====
389 Looks like I'd better convert all my money to dollars *now*:
391 http://www.x-rates.com/d/USD/EUR/graph30.html
393 What do you think about it?
395 Babbo:penso che $ continuerà a svalutare. Perderai soldi.
397 ==== StataCenter ====
399 I forgot to tell you about the kewlest building in EmAiTee:
401 http://www.eecs.mit.edu/images/big-stata12.jpg
403 See also: http://www.eecs.mit.edu/stata-link.html
407 After a long time, I finally get to (ab)use MIT's wi-fi and
408 barf my short-term brain buffer into my BrainDump.
410 Tonight we went to an Irish pub next to Kendall, where I got
411 to know a few more Ximian employees. I got rumors that
412 the famous kernel hacker RobertLove would be there, so after
413 a while I turned to the guy next to me and asked: "Is
414 RobertLove really going to come?". And he replied: "Speaking."
416 Another guy told me: "Hi, I'm BAHB". "Pardon?". "BAHB!".
417 "What???". Federico promptly helped me out: "Ha detto che si
420 The beer was good. I discovered that a BlueMoon is the
421 nearest approximation of a WeisseBeer I can find here,
422 and I'm not at all displeased by its taste.
426 My landlord has recently switched DSL provider and Internet
427 doesn't work any more: the sync light on the modem flashes.
428 It seems that crappy ISPs are a common disease in the States
431 Yesterday, he called for service and, finally, they told him
432 they would send a tech today from 8AM to 18PM. They refused
433 to be more specific. And so I've agreed to wait here to let
434 the guy in... I care about it for myself too!
438 By the way, today I'm exactly 150 pounds (use GoogleCalculator
439 to get it to SI units).
441 150 pounds = 68.0388555 kilograms
447 They told me Roxbury is quite an infamous suburb of Boston.
448 And my first impression confirms that: shops are uglier,
449 parks and streets are somewhat dirtier (but not as much as
450 in NewYorkCity!) and, most importantly, some of the neighbors
451 look creepy. Especially in the night, streets are crowded by
452 people with criminal faces and many homeless.
454 You know I'm not the type who's easily scared off by a bunch
455 of zombies, but I'll feel much better when I'll drive a car.
459 I've finally settled in my room. There's no need to describe the house
460 in detail, as it's the most typical colonial design: two floors plus
461 basement, front and back yards, sliding windows, wooden floors
462 everywhere. You've come to know them very well from the movies.
464 Today I went to the mall to gather the essentials: a blankets,
465 a pillow case and some bath towels. The bed is comfortable and
466 I was quite tired already, therefore I fell asleep early in the
467 evening and kept on until 8 AM.
469 '''WARNING: TIME WARP OCCURRED'''
473 '''WARNING: TIME WARP IMMINENT'''
477 Alberto: Attento a convertire € in $ perchè € si sta apprezzando,e quindi $ svalutando rispetto a €.
479 Belle le foto scovate da Massimo. Have a good stay in Btn.
481 Massimo: Bernie, you taught me: http://www.google.com/search?q=100+USD+in+EUR
484 Massimo: Since Bernie could not give us any picture, I had to use flickr: here they are!
486 http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bernardo+innocenti
488 Piro: what in the heaven is RMS doing dressed like a camp tent? :D
492 ==== BankOfAmerica ====
494 I went to BankOfAmerica and opened a bank account. I went there wearing a yellow T-shirt
495 and a weary pair of jeans. In the beginning, they referred me to a young guy who quickly
496 tried to offer me a student's saving account. When I queried for interest rates, credit
497 cards, and dollar/euro conversion rates, they finally realized that I was going to move
500 When I've shown them my balance, they immediately switched me to a very polite girl who
501 took all the time to explain me everything in detail until after their closing time and
502 recommended me to open *3* different accounts to get a rate of 4.80% with no fees!
503 I totally hate when people judge you by your wealth, dressing, or other stupid status
504 symbols, but maybe a bank is the only exception where it makes sense to do so.
506 Banking appears to be far, far simpler here. I already feel like I know
507 everything while in Italy I still can't read most of the paperwork I get from
510 Batt: Or maybe american bankers are so skilled that you are happy while, in truth, they have stolen your money forever :-P
512 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.
516 ==== Good News, Everyone! ====
518 '''After a long struggling, I've finally found a room!'''
520 And I'll be moving in *today*! But I'm writing on Thursday the 3rd, actually (aren't you thinking fourth-dimentionally yet?).
522 The room is nice and comes with some forniture, including a desk. It's on the second floor
523 of a house where the landlord lives with her wife and a very friendly puppy.I like it
524 that way: all those houses shared by students I've seen so far tend to become unmaintained
525 and dirty quite quickly, while this one is a real house with a fully operational kitchen,
526 bathroom and even a clean back garden!
528 My landlord is Armenian, but have been living here in Boston for a long time. My first
529 impression is he's a very nice person, honest and easy going. I haven't met his wife yet --
530 she'll be back on Sunday.
532 I'm afraid the house is a bit far away from MIT, in southern Boston. But that won't
533 be a problem as soon as I buy a car. There may even be a chance to rent or buy the
534 car readily from my landlord's son.
536 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 :-)
539 '''Camy''': the landlord lives with '''his''' wife
541 ==== Do You Speak English? ====
543 Some of you will be pissed off by this change, but I'm starting to make
544 some international friends here and none of them could read Italian.
546 Writing in English is also what I need to improve my writing skills.
547 For the few of you who barely know English, some more reading surely won't hurt!
549 [[http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbender.codewiz.org%2Fwiki%2FMayBlog&langpair=en%7Cit=en Google Translator]]
552 As always, I'd very much appreciate being told about any mistake I make.
554 ''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!''