== May 2007 ==
+=== Fri, 25th ===
+
+ Bernie, I'm Easy...
+
+'''Bernie''': Hello Easy!!! It's nice to be chatting here in the blog!
+
+I saw this two photo some row below...
+
+ But all those OLPC at the roof, what doing?? Only for furnishing or for specific utility?? :)
+
+'''Bernie''': Hehe... they're part of the WirelessMesh, for testing
+purposes. An hispanic guy called Miguel (not the same of De Icaza)
+sometimes fiddles with them. He's lucky because he's very tall.
+I'd need a ladder :-)
+
+ The office is very beautiful and the Apple Cinema Display is really very big...
+
+'''Bernie''': Yeah, that's the personal screen of my boss/team-leader ChrisBall.
+It's 30". One day or another I'll bring here my 24" wide-screen from home.
+
+ Do you have some new news about your new work??
+
+'''Bernie''': Sorry for not updating the blog... I've been *extremely*
+busy. I will do it shortly... Promised.
+
+=== Sat, 19th ===
+
+==== Trip to work ====
+
+I still couldn't solve the problem of getting to work
+quickly. I can't afford to waste over 2 hours every
+day like this.
+
+By now, I've tried any possible solution:
+
+ * Car: the office doesn't have a parking lot and there's
+ no way to park within one mile from KendalSquare for less
+ than $18/day. Monthly fees start from $250.
+
+ * Bus: I need to commute in Dudley and take line no. 1 to
+ MassachusettsAvenue, then walk 15 minutes to KendalSquare.
+
+ * Bus + subway combo: The red line would get me directly
+ to KendalSquare, and there are several routes to get there,
+ but all of them require commuting at least twice. The
+ monthly link pass costs $75.
+
+ * Car + subway combo: there are some cheap parkings next
+ to the terminal subway stations where you can leave your
+ car for $5/day. Unfortunately, to get there I must
+ travel in the opposite direction. And the whole thing
+ will cost $75 + $5*30, about the same of the monthly
+ parking fee.
+
+ * Taxi: Costs $11-$14 * 2 every day, which makes the
+ monthly parking cheap in comparison.
+
+And even worse, the red line stops running at midnight
+and bus no 1 at 1AM. Which forces me to leave from
+the office very early (for my standards).
+
+If you want to play with the possibilities, I just
+discovered that the transportation company has a very cool
+web service that would have saved me a lot of time:
+
+{{{
+ http://www.mbta.com/rider_tools/trip_planner/default.asp
+ From: 66 Maywood st., Roxbury MA
+ To: Kendall/mit Station, Cambridge
+}}}
+
+At the end of the day, the ultimate solution is moving
+closer to the office or at least close to the red line.
+Maybe I could afford to spend $600 for a room, but I
+don't feel like moving right now. I already have enough
+things on my hands.
+
+''Have you considered to put a bicycle in your combo? You may replace a 10 km walk with it and open up new combinations (and ways to get wet...) -- PiroPiro''
+
+==== Awful Weather ====
+
+Today it's raining lightly. Yesterday I took an extra shower
+in the evening :-(
+
+The WikiPedia was definitely right: weather in Boston can
+change very rapidly. Must remember to buy a raincoat like
+RichardStallman's and keep it in my backpack.
+
+
+==== What Next? ====
+
+{{{
+1. Get employed at OLPC
+2. ???
+3. World domination!
+}}}
+
+Just joking, but the truth is that I still need
+to face a lot of new challenges now.
+
+My next problem will be improving my communication skills.
+After one month of full immersion, I can still barely
+understand people talking quickly to each and I clearly
+express myself using an inadequately poor vocabulary and
+too slowly in some cases.
+
+These things will improve over time, while my strong
+Italian inflection is likely to remain forever. If
+only I could find one, I'd attend to a course to
+correct my diction now. Actors do them.
+
+Another crucial problem I need to solve quickly is
+getting a visa that allows me to work here permanently.
+There are many possibilities, but none guaranteed to
+succeed. For now, I'm not thinking about it: my
+employer knows better than me and will help as much
+as possible.
+
+Last but not least, my job is not easy and requires a
+good amount of commitment. All my colleagues are extremely
+smart and more experienced than I am. So I need to work
+twice as hard to keep up with them.
+
+A very nice workplace and very interesting assignments helps.
+And, most importantly, I know that what we're doing here is
+going to have a huge impact on the world.
+
+'''Andrea Grandi''': Your words give me no hopes for my future :(
+
+'''Bernie''': Are you planning to come here? Cool! :D
+
+> All my colleagues are extremely smart and more experienced than I am
+
+More than you? It's not a place for me then :D
+
+'''Bernie''': It's worth trying even if you currently think you're
+not up to the job. It's a very valuable experience even if you
+end up returning to your home country for some reason.
+
+'''Rasky''': But can you get a perm visa even without an university
+degree? I thought that was absolutely out of question... I knew that
+people without a degree could just get some 1-year temp visa.
+
=== Thu, 17th ===
projects / wiki.git / blobdiff