orangeek's blog

Next week (October 1st) I'll be in New York.

My first time in the Big Apple, my 2nd time in the US after the month spenth in San Francisco in summer 2007 (here on flickr).

Do you have any suggestion? Places to visit, meeting/party/festival to attend, things to buy?

Strangemaps posted an interesting picture representing a comparison between China's different provinces populations with those of whole countries.

After the jump, and of course on strangemaps page, the complete list.

So, the Google Phone is finally here.

I think you can say everything about the HTC G1 (that's the name of the gizmo) powered by Android OS but that it's nice looking. The device seems somehow like a pre-series unit but, unfortunately, it is not: this is really the first device powered by the Google phone platform.

I think the great opportunity of Android is in the open-ness of the platform but honestly I expected something cool and not a Windows Mobile like device.

Some thoughts, links and videos after the jump; and yes...  if you read further you'll eventually get the point of the post's title. :)

UPDATE February 2011: done!!! I will move to the US in 3 weeks!! Read the story here and be glad for me :)

UPDATE: Unfortunately the worst economic meltdown since 1929 definitely played against me and against my project of moving to the US, with the support of my actual employer. In the last years it has been really difficult to be accepted for the international program, let alone for someone who's not a native english-language speaker. I'm strill trying but things are getting more and more unlikely.

Maybe you're wondering why my english sucks or - more likely - why I write most of my blog in english even if it sucks.

 

Answer to the 1st question is that I've never studied english at school. Never Ever: I have been always in german classes (and this is why I attended the Erasmus Project in Munich, Germany).
So, I'm learning english on my own with computers, internet, movie, TV Series and books.
"Even if you're a self-made man, your english still sucks".
That's right and here comes the answer of the 2nd question.
I decided some months ago to train myself writing the blog in english, except some "italian-only" posts.
If you feel yourself a teacher, please correct me when I write something wrong; in any case, I hope you can get what I mean.

BTW: since I asked my company to move to the US next year (Sept 2009), I'm running out of time and that's why I also hired an english teacher for private lessons. :)

This post will be "sticky" on the right of the homepage.

Thanks the New York Times I found two articles that could help to clarify what the hell is going on in the financial market during this 2008 financial crisis, mostly related to the subprime mortgages.

[ slightly modified version of "Lights out for Lehman Brothers", CC licensed picture by Joseph Hoetzl ]

The first article, written by economists Doug Diamond and Anil Kashyap, is a FAQ on the 2008 financial crisis and, quoting a reader's comment, " [the authors] did what 10,000 journalists and reporters haven't been able to do for a week": they actually explain us, in human-readable english, why and how this moment could happen.

The second article is a editorial by Nicholas D. Kristof who asks himself how the hell Richard Fuld (former CEO of Lehman Brothers) managed to bring a wealthy company into dust (but the data-centers).

I think they're definitely a must-read. After the jump the most interesting parts (according to me, of course :) ).