=== Formal studies === * Undergraduate diploma in '''Mathematics and Computer Science''' with a rating of '''56 out of 60'''. Obtained in 1993 at the Istituto Tecnico Commerciale "A.Volta", Firenze. This course included a good amount of '''Electronic Engineering'''. * Attended one term of Software Engineering course at Unviersita' degli Studi di Firenze in 1994. Computer Science exam '''30/30 cum laude'''. In 1994 I dropped out of the university to accept a job as an EmployedWorker for a small company, and a few months later for SeacCompany. === Nonformal studies and self-teaching === Over the years I tried to compensate for lack of proper university-grade education by making the local libraries much richer: * '''Compilers''', reading several textbooks such as CompilersPrinciplesTechniquesAndTools, and many others. * '''Algorithms''' - many, including classics such as DonaldKnuth's bible TheArtOfComputerProgramming, CambridgeUniversityPress's NumericalRecipes and NicholasWirth's ancient, but still brillant, "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs". * '''Operating Systems''' - Too many to mention here, most of which quite theoretical and boring. Of course, my favorite will always be AdvancedProgrammingInTheUnixEnvironment. * '''Networking''' - Several books, including TcpIpIllustrated, several RFCs and technical papers. * '''Programming Languages''' - All the obvious textbooks such as BjarneStroustrup's SeePlusPlusProgrammingLanguage, and many others like the old SeeProgrammingLanguage, ThinkingInJava, and dozens of C++ books. * '''Programming Techniques''' - Countless. Such as SeePlusPlusTemplateMetaprogramming and the controversial ModernSeePlusPlusDesign by AndreiAlexandrescu. My absolute favourite is BrianKernighan's and RobPike's ThePracticeOfProgramming. * '''Software Architecture and Design''' - All the "must-read" classics such as GangOfFour's DesignPatterns, UmlDistilled and UmlDesignPatterns. * '''Project Management''' - My favourite certainly is TheMythicalManMonth, but I've read a few others such as ExecutionPlainAndSimple. * '''Technical Writing''' - TheElementsOfStyle and DonaldKnuth's TheTexBook are my favourites on the topics of stylish writing and typesetting. * '''Numerical Methods''' - I'm sorry to have quite a thin mathematical background. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading DonaldKnuth's ConcreteMathematics and CambridgeUniversityPress' NumericalRecipes. * '''Databases''' - Basics of the relational database theory and relational algebra. Know how to rewrite schemata into normal form.