Slow / Daily

Slow

The local business papers tell me that the productivity of people is higher here than in Europe. I find it extremely hard to believe. Each time I go to buy a coffee in a cafe, or some groceries in a shop, I am totally shocked by the slow speed of selling. All cafeterias are working at least for time slower than they could. According to my measurements, it takes about 1 minute to sell a cup of coffee, which means that the total sales per hour cannot exceed 100 cups. This is not that much.

Of course, this may just be because of my infamous impatience. Anyway, it leads me to wonder how the local papers measure productivity. If they just count the hours per worker per year, then I understand. If they count what people actually achieve per hours worked, then I tend to disagree. To me it seems, that Europeans can easily do in 35 hours the same amount of work than Americans in 50 hours.

Daily

Yesterday, on Sunday, some studying, but before that a nice cup of coffee latte in one nice cafeteria/bistro in Newbury Street. The place is just like the nice places one can find in Paris. I will definitely visit it often. Also, lunch with Kumar in Pho Pasteur in Chinatown. It is an excellent Vietnamese restaurant and I am sure that the quality/price-ratio is the highest in the whole Boston.

Today, my first exam in MIT. Not that bad. Then, trying to find out how I could do two master degrees with the effort of 1.5. Not that simple to find that out. Later, Apollo-class, working on Apollo-project proposal. Later, having a couple pints in the R&D-pub with Dave, Christian, and Kumar, and once in the good mood, finalizing the RFID-term paper and related presentation. Even later, from 11 pm to 0.30 am, writing a 3-page individual paper on RFID. The RFID-course is a 12-credit course given in time of a 6-unit course, and having the assignment of the former. Too much work, but also many important things to learn.

No rest for the wicked, it seems! And which is why these blog-entries are getting shorter.

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs March 2005".