Writing code. Date/Time: 2008:01:27 05:55:10 Camera: NIKON COOLPIX P5000 Aperture: F2.7 Exposure Time: 1/30 s ISO: 64 Flash: No Size: 3648x2736 Focal Length: 7.5 mm click to enlarge

I wonder what some of the original UNIX hackers would have given to have a monitor that can display the equivalent of more than six of the 80×24 terminals that were standard back then…

Not alone!

Japanese class looks like it will be pretty much the same as last quarter. Lots of vocabulary and lots of new kanji (characters) to learn, but the increase in the amount of material covered each quarter seems to be slowing down. We’ve started the quarter studying rules and how to say one’s not allowed to do things.

Computer Security is going to be a very interesting class. We’re going to be looking pretty closely at how different kinds of computer programs and systems can be exploited. We’re actually required to sign a statement that says we won’t use what we learn in the class for malicious purposes.

My capstone design course is going to start picking up speed this quarter. We should be settling into project groups and getting started with preliminary reports and feasibility studies soon.

Embedded Systems (the course I’m TAing) should be a lot of fun, too. So far, it looks like we’ll be revisiting the soccer game, but with a new way of controlling players instead of using accelerometers and waving the boards around.

I’ve been really enjoying my new XO laptop, and have been using it almost as much as my MacBook Pro. The Wi-Fi reception is incredible. I’ve yet to find anywhere on campus where I can’t reach a network. There are several classrooms where I can barely see that a few networks exist on my MacBook Pro, if I sit at the very front of the room, but the signal is too weak to actually connect. The XO handles these rooms just fine, even from the back of the room. The keyboard has taken a little getting used to, but I can now type almost as fast as I can on a full-sized keyboard now.

The applications (”activities”) on it are fairly limited, but for basic tasks like web browsing, taking notes, reading e-mail, and logging into the CSE servers, it works great. Two of the days this week (including today; I’m writing this post from the XO) the XO has been the only computer I’ve carried.

I’ve seen a couple more around the department. I’ve seen one other person actually using one, and several familiar names have been showing up on the Neighborhood screen (see the screenshot above). Many of my classmates have asked to take a closer look at it at the end of classes. And I’ve lost count of the number of people who have come up to me and asked about it while I’ve been using it in places like the HUB and building lobbies.

Everyone who I’ve talked to really likes it. My Japanese professor’s reaction was “Kawaii desu ne!” (”It’s so cute!”) Most of the people I’ve talked to have heard about the project before but my laptop is the first one they’ve actually seen.