Allora pare confermato l'incontro con Stallman il 20 a perugia...
vi farò sapere data ed ora...
di seguito trovate una sua e-mail in cui spiega gli interventi e moltre
altre cosette ... è una sagoma!!!!!!!
ciao
------- Messaggio inoltrato -------
Da: Andrea.castellani <andrea.castellani@email.it>
Rispondi-a: Andrea.castellani <andrea.castellani@email.it>, Lista dei
soci dello GNULug Perugia <lug@perugia.linux.it>
A: lug@perugia.linux.it
Oggetto: [GNULug] Fw: Re: Event in Perugia
Data: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 08:21:39 +0100
--------- Original Message --------
Da: Richard Stallman
To:
Oggetto: Re: Event in Perugia
Data: 28/02/06 00:46
>
Here's the info packet about my speeches.
My usual speech about the Free Software Movement and GNU takes a
little under 1.5 hours in English, plus time for questions. It is
best to allow plenty of time for questions, because people usually
want to ask a lot of questions.A typical title would be this:
Free Software in Ethics and in Practice
or
The Free Software Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System
Other possible topics include
Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks
and
The Danger of Software Patents
These topics take a little over an hour in English.
Each topic takes substantially longer in other languages.I can also possibly speak about some other topic if you suggest one.
Abstract:
For a speech about Free Software, you can use this abstract:
Richard Stallman will speak about the goals and philosophy of the
Free Software Movement, and the status and history the GNU
operating system, which in combination with the kernel Linux is
now used by tens of millions of users world-wide.For Copyright vs Community, you can use this abstract:
Copyright developed in the age of the printing press, and was designed
to fit with the system of centralized copying imposed by the printing
press. But the copyright system does not fit well with computer
networks, and only draconian punishments can enforce it.The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying
for draconian punishments, and to increase their copyright powers,
while suppressing public access to technology. But if we
seriously hope to serve the only legitimate purpose of
copyright--to promote progress, for the benefit of the
public--then we must make changes in the other direction.For The Danger of Software Patents, you can use this abstract:
Richard Stallman will explain how software patents obstruct
software development. Software patents are patents that cover
software ideas. They restrict the development of software, so
that every design decision brings a risk of getting sued. Patents
in other fields restrict factories, but software patents restrict
every computer user. Economic research shows that they even
retard progress.Brief bio:
Richard Stallman launched the development of the GNU operating system
(see www.gnu.org) in 1984. GNU is free software: everyone has the
freedom to copy it and redistribute it, as well as to make changes
either large or small. The GNU/Linux system, basically the GNU
operating system with Linux added, is used on tens of millions of
computers today. Stallman has received the ACM Grace Hopper Award, a
MacArthur Foundation fellowship, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's
Pioneer award, and the the Takeda Award for Social/Economic
Betterment, as well as several honorary doctorates.(A longer version is available if you want it.)
Photo:
There is a black-and-white photograph of me as a
5820K Encapsulated Postscript file (http://www.stallman.org/rms-bw.eps)
3762K JPEG file (http://www.stallman.org/rms-bw.jpeg), and
5815K TIFF file (http://www.stallman.org/rms-bw.tiff).Asking for the text:
I don't write my speeches in advance--that would take too much time.
However, transcripts of my past speeches are available. If you can
make a transcript of my speech after I give it, that would be quite
useful.Participation in a larger event:
I am selective about the events I participate in. If you are inviting
me to speak at a larger event, please inform me now of the overall
nature of the event, so I can make an informed decision about whether
to participate.I usually decline to participate in "open source" or "Linux" events.
See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html for why it is incorrect
to refer to the operating system as "Linux". "Open source" is the
slogan of a movement that was formed as a reaction against the free
software movement. Those who support its views have a right to
promote them, but I would rather promote the ideals of free software.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html for
more explanation of the difference.Erecting a larger event:
If you are thinking of erecting a larger event around my speech,
please talk with me about the plans for such a larger event before
proceeding with them. I want to make sure the event entirely supports
what I am trying to achieve, and I want to review the publicity plans
for the event.Facilities:
A microphone is desirable if the room is large, but I have a very loud
voice, so I don't need one for a small or medium room. A supply of
tea with milk and sugar would be nice; otherwise, non-diet pepsi will
do. (I dislike the taste of coke, and of all diet soda; also, there
is an international boycott of the Coca Cola company for killing union
organizers in Colombia). If it is good tea, I like it without milk
and sugar.No other facilities are needed. I do not have slides or any sort
of presentation materials.Languages:
I can speak in English, French, and Spanish. However, for Spanish it
is very important for a person to be seated next to me who speaks very
good English and Spanish, so I can ask him how to say certain things
when I need them.If the audience won't be comfortable with a language I can speak, it
is important to have a translator. However, consecutive translation
is not feasible, because it would more than double the length of the
speech. Please do not ask me to do that.I have found it works to do simultaneous translation without special
systems: I speak into the ear of the interpreter, and the interpreter
speaks to the microphone. This avoids the need for special
transmitters and headsets. It does require an interpreter capable of
doing simultaneous translation for more than an hour.Restricting admission:
If you plan to restrict admission to my speech, or charge a fee for
admission, please discuss this with me *personally in advance* to get
my approval for the plan. If you have imposed charges without my
direct personal approval, I may refuse to do the speech.I'm not categorically against limiting admission or fees, but
excluding people means the speech does less good, so I want to make
sure that the limitations are as small as necessary. For instance,
you can allow students and low-paid people and political activists to
get in free, even if professionals have to pay. We will discuss what
to do.Sponsors:
If corporations sponsor my talk, I am willing to include a small
tasteful note of thanks in announcements and brochures, but no more
than that. There should be no descriptions of their products or
services, and no banners with their names. If a would-be sponsor
insists on more than that, we have to do without that sponsor.If my speech is part of a pre-existing larger event that I have agreed
to participate in, I can't impose such conditions for the whole event.
However, if banners will be on display next to me while I am speaking,
that is rather obnoxious; if they advertise organizations that I
disapprove of on ethical grounds (which is not unlikely) I would want
to take them down, cover them up, or turn them off during my speech.Publicity:
The GNU Project constantly struggles against two widespread mistakes
that undermine the effectiveness of our work: calling our work "open
source", and calling the GNU operating system "Linux". Another very
bad mistake is using the term "intellectual property".The Free Software Movement and the Open Source Movement are like two
political parties in our community. I founded the Free Software
Movement in 1984 along with the GNU Project; we call our work "free
software" because it is software that respects the users freedom. The
Open Source Movement was founded, in 1998, specifically to reject our
idealistic philosophy--they studiously avoid talking about freedom.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html for
more explanation of the difference between the two movements.So please make sure that all the publicity about the event (web site,
email announcements, conference programs, direct mail, signs, etc),
uses the term "free software", not "open source", when you refer to
work that includes mine. This includes to the title and descriptions
of my speech, of the session it is in, of the track it is part of, and
of the event itself.Of course, some of these names and descriptions may not refer to this
work at all; for example, if a track or the whole event covers a much
broader topic in which free software is just a small part, its name
may not refer to free software. That is normal and appropriate. The
point is not to ask you to refer to this work more often than you
normally would, but that you should describe it accurately whenever
you do refer to it.If other speakers in the same session, track, or event want their work
to be categorized as "open source", that is a legitimate request for
them to make. In that case, please give "free software" equal mention
with "open source".If you think it is useful to tell people how free software relates to
open source, you can say that "since 1998, another group has used the
term `open source' to describe a related activity." That will tell
people that my work has a relationship with "open source", which they
may have heard of, without implying it is right to describe my work as
"open source."The other widespread confusion is the idea of a "Linux operating
system". The system in question, the system that Debian and Red Hat
distribute, the system that tens of millions of people use, is
basically the GNU operating system, with Linux added as the kernel.
When people call the whole system "Linux", they deny us the credit for
our work, and this is not right. (See
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html for more explanation.)So please call this combined operating system "GNU/Linux" in all
the publicity, in the titles and description of the session, track,
event, etc., if and when you have reason to refer to it.For similar reasons, please don't use a penguin as a symbol for my
work, or on the posters or notices for my speech. The penguin stands
for "Linux"; the symbol of GNU is a gnu. So if you want to use a
graphical image to symbolize GNU or my work, please use a gnu.If you have handled these issues well, nobody who looks at your
material will get the impression that I work on "open source", or that
I support "open source", or that my work is "part of Linux", or that I
participated in the "development of Linux", or that GNU is the name of
"a collection of tools".As for the term "intellectual property", that spreads confusion and
hostile bias. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html
for explanation. I hope you will decide to reject that expression, as
I do; but in any case, don't use it in connection with my speech.Printing Free Software, Free Society
Please print copies of my book, Free Software, Free Society, to sell
at the event if you can. The English version (230 pages) is available
in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/fsfs/rms-essays.ps and the Spanish
version (318 pages) is in
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/fsfs/free_software.es.pdf.If you use ordinary copying and avoid fancy covers, you can sell them
for two or three times the cost of copying, and they will still be
cheap enough that many people will buy them. Then you can give the
remaining money to the FSF, keeping some for your organization.At the speech:
Please arrange for someone to hand out and collect our "contact cards".
FSF would like to keep in touch with those who support us, to give
you updates on what we are doing and how you can help. If you are
willing, Dr. Stallman asks that you fill out these contact cards,
which he can take back with him so you can receive updates about
FSF. The FSF will not release this information unless forced to.Please talk with my assistant to arrange this.
Changes of plans:
Don't assume that I can still come if you change the date. My
schedule is tight. If you change the date by even one day, I may be
unable to come. However, I will certainly be flexible if there is no
obstacle. Please consult with me before making any change, and I will
see what I can do.Scheduling other meetings:
I have agreed to give a speech for you, and if the press wants to talk
with me, I will do that for the sake of the cause. However, if you
would like me to give additional speeches or go to additional
meetings, please ask me first. Please ask me about *each* activity
you would like me to perform.Many people assume that because I am traveling, I am having a
vacation--that I have no other work to do, so I can spend the whole
day speaking or meeting with people. Some hosts even feel that they
ought to try to fill up my time as a matter of good hospitality.
Alas, it's not that way for me.The fact is, I have no vacations. (Don't feel sorry for me; idleness
is not something I wish for.) I have to spend 6 to 8 hours *every
day* doing my usual work, which is responding to email about the GNU
Project and the Free Software Movement. Work comes in every day for
me, and if I skip it one day, I have to catch up another day. During
the week I usually fall behind; on weekends I try to catch up.Traveling takes up time, so I will be extra busy during my visit. And
it might be nice if I could do at least an hour or two of sightseeing
during the visit. So please ask me *in advance* about *each*
additional speech, meeting, or other activity that would take time. I
don't mind being asked, and I may say yes, but I also may say no.Remember that an additional speech, even if it is just a one-hour
speech, probably takes up two hours counting questions, autographs,
etc. And then there is the travel time.Interviews:
I am glad to give interviews to the press about the GNU system, but
before I do, I want to be sure they will not repeat the two common
mistakes (calling the whole system "Linux" and associating GNU or me
with "open source"). Please explain this, and ask the journalist if
he will agree to call the system "GNU/Linux" in the article, and to
make it clear that our work is "free software" not "open source".
Recommend reading http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html and
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html for
explanations of these issues. If the journalist agrees, then I agree
to an interview. Please have this discussion by email, and save the
messages in both directions.Sometimes a journalist gives a vaguely affirmative-sounding or
sympathetic response which does not really answer "yes". Examples are
"I will do this as much as I can" and "I understand the distinction."
Such an answer is actually just "maybe", so when you receive one,
please ask for clarification. If he says that the editor has the
final decision, please respond with "Would you please consult the
editor now, and tell us a firm decision?"Also please ask journalists to *see my speech* before the interview.
My speeches are not technical; they focus on precisely the sort of
philosophical questions that a journalist would probably want to
cover. If the journalist does not attend my speech, he will probably
start by asking me to answer the same questions that I answer in the
speech. That is inefficient.Please ask each journalist to agree to make a recording of the
interview. Written notes are not reliable, so I have decided not to
do that sort of interview any more.It is also a good idea for the journalist to read
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html and some of the articles
in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ before the interview. Those
articles provide important background. This is especially important
for anyone who cannot come to my speech first.I am willing to meet with any number of journalists, but if there are
many, I can't meet all of them individually (it would take too much
time). So what I will do is give private interviews to 2 or maybe 3
of them, whichever ones you think are most important, and see the rest
of them as a group (i.e. in a press conference).You and your associates can judge better than I do which journalists
and which publications I should focus on. So I would like you to
advise me about that. Please try to judge both the importance of the
publication and the merits (intelligence, attention to accuracy,
openness of mind, and absence of bias) of the journalist, if you can.If you schedule a press conference or group interview, please *plan
the time of my speech to allow the inteview after it*. It may be a
good idea to find out from journalists what times are good for them,
then schedule the conference, then schedule the speech before it.
This way, they will all be able to get the full picture.Recording my speech:
Please do record the speech if you can. We are always looking for
good recordings of my speeches, both audio and video, to put on line.
However, please do not record using a system that produces a
proprietary format such as Windows Media Player format. I will not
speak to make a recording that requires non-free software to be
viewed.The GNU Project keeps an on-line audio and video collection of speech
recordings in audio-video.gnu.org. If you are making an audio or
video recording of my speech, please write to Nick Hill
<nick@nickhill.co.uk> well in advance of the speech. He can advise
you on how to make a recording that is good for further use, and can
arrange to install your recording on our site.If you are making a recording, please *make sure* to tell me when the
tape needs to be changed. I will pause. Please help me help you make
the recording complete.Recording formats:
Please make sure that your audio or video recording is not compressed
with a substantially lossy codec (unless it is an Ogg codec). If we
have to transcode the file, starting from a lower-quality base will
reduce the quality of the result.It is best to provide audio recordings in the original recorded sample
rate, up to 44100Hz. Monophonic is generally adequate for speech
recordings and saves a lot of space over stereo.For video recordings, please use a high-quality encoding such as DV.
Please don't transcode recordings from one format to another before
sending to us, unless they have such a high bit rate that files are
impractically large. If you do need to encode or transcode, please
convert audio to 64Kbps mono Ogg/Vorbis, and convert video to
ogg/theora with video quality set to 5 or more. If you need advice
for how to do this, please ask.Putting my speech on the net:
If you would like to put my speech on the Internet, or distribute it
in digital form, that is ok provided you make sure that a user can
play the recording on a GNU/Linux system using only free software.
For instance, this means RealPlayer format is unacceptable.
OGG/Vorbis format is good for audio, and OGG for video.This requirement is very important, because if it is not followed,
viewing my speech will require people to do the exact opposite of what
I ask them to do. The medium's message would contradict my message.Because this is so important, please make sure everyone who might be
involved in broadcasting the event, or who might be directly or
indirectly involved in planning such a broadcast, knows this
requirement in advance of the event.Remote speeches by video connection:
I can do a speech remotely through a videoconferencing system. This
can be done by Internet or by ISDN. For good quality by Internet, we
need a maximum of 100msec response time for ping between your site and
where I am, and 100kbytes/sec transfer rate.Using two or three ISDN lines gives good quality but the calls cost
money. If I am at home, there is a facility I can use at no charge;
you would have to pay for the ISDN calls and for the facilities at
your end. If I am somewhere else (which is true more than half the
time), then we will need to find a videoconferencing facility for me
to use; most likely you will need to pay for that.Warning about giveways:
You may find companies offering you CD-ROMs, books, fliers or
publicity materials to give away or sell at my speech. Please check
them before you accept them, to make sure that they don't promote the
very thing that we are working to replace.For instance, the CDs may contain non-free software. Most commercial
CDs of GNU/Linux contain non-free software in addition to the free
software. If it isn't the official Debian GNU/Linux system, it almost
surely contains non-free software, so please don't hand it out or
offer it at my speech. Even if it contains the official Debian
GNU/Linux system, the publisher may have added some non-free software
to that, so it is necessary to check.Books about use of the GNU/Linux system and about GNU programs are
fine if they themselves are also free. But many of them are non-free
(see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-doc.html). To see if a book
is free, check the license on the back of the title page. If it uses
the GNU Free Documentation License, or the Open Publication License
version 1 without options A and B, then it is free. If it isn't one
of those, please show me the license and I will tell you if it is a
free license.If companies send you publicity materials, please check with me before
giving them out at my speech.Flights:
The FSF does not pay for my travel, and I can't afford to. I will
need you to arrange to cover the cost of my traveling to your city
(unless I've told you someone else will do it).I am traveling most of the time, and most of my trips include several
stops. Chances are your city is neither the first nor the last stop
in the trip. Please don't make assumptions about the itinerary;
instead, please ask me for whatever information you need.Many organizations ask to buy the tickets and send them to me. I do
not object to that method in principle, but it typically assumes the
trip goes to just one city. That approach is hard to use for a
multi-destination trip, unless you want to pay for the whole trip. So
normally I buy the tickets myself and get reimbursed by the various
places I am visiting. For a multi-destination trip, we will need to
agree on what parts of the travel expenses you should cover.Some organizations feel that hospitality calls for providing me with a
business class ticket. That is indeed more comfortable, but an
economy class seat is good enough even on an overnight flight if it is
a window seat. Meanwhile, speaking is my main source of income, and
the extra price of a business class ticket would be a lot more useful
for me if I can spend it on something else. So if you were thinking
of spending extra for business class, how about if you pay the
extra to me as a speaker's fee instead?We should plan for me to arrive (in the city itself, not just at the
airport) at least 24 hours before the speech; that way, even if the
flight is cancelled, there is a good chance I can still arrive in time
for the speech by taking the same flight the next day.Lost tickets:
If you are not paying me a speaking fee, but you are paying for the
airline tickets, I must insist that you cover the costs if I have to
replace a lost ticket, the fee for changing the ticket if I miss a
flight, or any other surprise expenses associated with my travel to
and from your location.This might seem unfair--if a ticket is lost, it could be my fault.
But my income is not large, and I cannot afford to assume this risk
myself if the event offers me no income. The frustration I feel when
I suffer such a loss is excruciating. It is better for me to decline
to travel to a certain place than to take such a risk.Other expenses:
I expect you to cover expenses such as visa fees, fees for mailing my
passport back and forth, taxis to and from the airport, and so on.Accommodations:
I am willing to stay in a hotel if that is the way you want to do it.
Please book the hotel for me and arrange to pay the hotel directly.But if there is anyone who wants to offer a spare couch, or even some
spare floor, I would much rather stay there than in a hotel (provided
I have a door I can close, in order to have some privacy). Staying
with someone is more fun for me than a hotel, and it would also save
you money. Floor space is sufficient because I bring an air mattress
with me.Above 70 fahrenheit (21 centigrade) I find sleeping quite difficult.
(If the air is very dry, I can stand up to 23 degrees.) A little
above that temperature, an electric fan enables me to sleep. More
than 3 degrees above that temperature, I need air conditioning to
sleep. If there is a substantial chance of temperatures too hot for
me, please arrange in advance for me to have what I need.If you are planning for me to stay in a hotel, DO NOT take for granted
that the hotel has air conditioning--or that it will be working when I
arrive. Some hotels shut off their air conditioning systems for part
of the year. They often think it is unnecessary in seasons when the
temperature is usually in the mid 20s--and they follow their schedule
like stupid robots even if there is a heat wave.So you must explicitly ask them: "Do you have air conditioning? Will
it be functioning for the dates XXX-YYY?"In some hotels with central air conditioning, it simply does not work
very well: it can make a room less hot, but can't make it cool.
Before using a hotel that has central air conditioning, find out what
temperature it can actually lower a room to, during the relevant
dates.If you put me in a hotel, please cover the costs of the telephone
calls I will need to transfer my email. Some hotels charge a lot of
money for this.Many countries have a law that hotels must report all guests to the
police. In most cases, this orwellian policy applies not only to
foreigners like me, but to citizens as well! The citizens should be
outraged by this, but often they are not.Please call the hotel and ask whether they will demand to see my
passport. If it has this policy, please join me in striking a blow
against Big Brother, by looking for a place I can stay in that doesn't
demand to see my passport. If the police want information about free
software, they are welcome to come to my speech.If you have found a person for me to stay with, please forward this
section and the two following sections to that person.Pets:
I like cats if they are friendly, but they are not good for me; I am
somewhat allergic to them. This allergy makes my face itch and my
eyes water. So the bed, and the room I will usually be staying in,
need to be clean of cat hair. However, it is no problem if there is a
cat elsewhere in the house--I might even enjoy it. Dogs that bark
angrily and/or jump up on me frighten me, unless they are small and
cannot reach much above my knees. But if they only bark or jump when
we enter the house, I can cope, as long as you hold the dog away from
me at that time. Aside from that issue, I'm ok with dogs.If you can find a host for me that has a friendly parrot, I will be
very very glad. If you can find someone who has a friendly parrot I
can visit with, that will be nice too.Email:
It is very important for me to be able to transfer email between my
laptop and the net, so I can do my ordinary work. While traveling, I
often need to do the work and the transfer late at night, or in the
morning before a departure. So please set up a way I can connect to
the net from the place I am staying. I do NOT use browsers, I use the
SSH protocol.If a hotel says "We have internet access for customers", that is so
vague that it cannot be relied on. So please find out exactly what
they have and exactly what it will do. If they have an ethernet, do
they have a firewall? Does it permit SSH connections? If they use a
wireless network, will an Orinoco Gold card work with it? What
parameters does the user need to specify in order to talk with it?Please check those things directly with the people who actually run
the network. If you talk with someone who doesn't understand what
"SSH connection" means, or if he doesn't understand the difference
between "Internet" and "web browsing", that person is not competent to
give reliable information. Don't rely on information from such a
person--talk to someone who knows!A modem connection is fine if it works, so please verify in advance
that the telephone line you expect me to use has a modular jack and
that it works to call the ISP from that line. Hotels in Europe and
Asia often have peculiar phone systems; the staff may tell you it is
possible to call an ISP from the hotel *but they may be wrong*. For
instance, their phone switchboard may not recognize the tones produced
by modems. The only way to tell for certain is to go to the hotel,
try phoning with a computer from a guest room, and see if it actually
works. Until you have tested it, don't believe it!I already have ISPs to call in the US and in many countries in Europe;
elsewhere, please find me a local ISP to call. (It is best if you
lend me a permanent account that someone else uses, one that will
continue working afterward, so that I can use it again if I come back
or use it from other places in the region.) Hotel phone rates may be
high; I expect you to cover them. However, I normally connect to the
net only for around ten minutes at a time, twice a day, so the total
won't be too bad.Paying me a reimbursement or a fee:
Please pay my reimbursement or fee to me personally; do not send it to
the FSF. The FSF and I have completely separate finances, and the FSF
never pays for my travel. The FSF welcomes donations, but please make
sure that money intended to me is not sent to them, because moving it
afterward would mean accounting headaches as well as extra work.My assistant is not involved with my finances, so he cannot help you
with that issue. Please send questions about payments to me directly.If you pay me by check, and you're not in the US, make sure to get a
check that lists a corresponding US bank--otherwise it will cost me a
fee to deposit the check. Please mail the check to:Richard Stallman
77 Mass Ave rm 32-S381
Cambridge MA 02139
Phone number: 617-253-8830Do not mail it to the FSF!
A wire transfer is also a good method of payment. I will send you the
coordinates; ask if you need them. The bank you use will charge a
fee, and my bank charges me $10 for each incoming transfer; please add
those fees to the amount, rather than taking them out of what I
receive.If you are outside the US, please convert your currency to dollars in
your bank, then use one of the above methods to pay me the dollars.
My bank gives very bad exchange rates; yours is surely better.Cash is also fine.
If you want an invoice, I will be glad to give you one. Let's work
out what it should say by email before I arrive. Please also check
before the visit whether you need any other forms, such as tax forms.
I would like to be able to take care of any necessary forms while I am
there, rather than wait till afterward.Hospitality:
It is nice of you to want to be kind to me, but please don't offer
help all the time. In general I am used to managing life on my own;
when I need help, I am not shy about asking. So there is no need to
offer to help me. Moreover, being constantly offered help is actually
quite distracting and tiresome.So please, unless I am in grave immediate danger, please don't offer
help. The nicest thing you can do is help when I ask, and otherwise
not worry about how I am doing. Meanwhile, you can also ask me for
help when you need it.One situation where I do not need help, let alone supervision, is in
crossing streets. I grew up in the middle of the world's biggest
city, full of cars, and I have crossed streets without assistance even
in the chaotic traffic of Bangalore and Delhi.In some places, my hosts act as if my every wish were their command.
By catering to my every whim, in effect they make me a tyrant over
them, which is not a role I like. I get to thinking that I might
subject them to great burdens without even realizing. I start being
afraid to express my appreciation of anything, because they would get
it and give it to me at any cost. If it is night, and the stars are
beautiful, I hesitate to say so, lest my hosts feel obligated to try
to get one for me.When I'm trying to decide what to do, often I mention things that
MIGHT be nice to do--depending on more details, if it fits the
schedule, if there isn't a better alternative, etc. Some hosts take
such a tentative suggestion as an order, and try moving heaven and
earth to make it happen. This excessive rigidity is not only quite
burdensome for other people, it can even fail in its goal of pleasing
me. If there is a better alternative, I'd rather be flexible and
choose it instead--so please tell me. If my tentative suggestion
imposes a lot of trouble on others, I want to drop it--so please tell
me.Dinners:
If you are thinking of setting up a lunch or dinner for me with more
than 4 people total, please consider that as a meeting, and discuss it
with me in advance. Such meals draw on my strength, just like
speeches and interviews. They are not relaxation, they are work.I expect to do work during my visit, but there is a limit on the
amount of work I can handle each day. So please ask me in advance
about any large planned meal, and expect me to say no if I have a lot
of other work already. If we are having a meal that I did not agree
to as a large meal, and other people ask if they can join, please tell
them no. In both cases, please tell them that I need a chance to
relax after the other work I will have done.Please don't be surprised if I pull out my computer at dinner and
begin handling some of my email. I have difficulty hearing when there
is noise; at dinner, when people are speaking to each other, I usually
cannot hear their words. Rather than feel bored, or impose on
everyone by asking them to speak slowly at me, I do some work.Please don't try to pressure me to "relax" instead, and fall behind on
my work. Surely you do not really want me to have to work double the
next day to catch up (assuming I even COULD catch up). Please do not
interfere as I do what I need to do.Food:
I enjoy delicious food, and I like most kinds of cooking if they are
done well (the exception being that I cannot eat anything very spicy).Some foods I dislike include:
avocado
eggplant, usually (there are occasional exceptions)
hot pepper
liver (even in trace quantities)
stomach and intestine; other organ meats
oysters
egg yolk, except when boiled completely hard
many strong cheeses, especially those with green fungus
desserts that contain fruit or liqueur
sour fruits, such as grapefruit and most oranges
beer
coffee (though weak coffee flavor can be good in desserts)
the taste of alcohol (so I don't drink anything stronger than wine)Don't ever try to decide what food I should eat without asking me.
Never assume that I will surely like a certain dish, merely because
most people do. Always ask me in advance!Wine:
Wine is not very important to me--not like food. I like some kinds of
wine, depending on the taste, and dislike others, but I don't remember
the names of wines I have liked, so it is useless to ask me.Therefore, if you're having dinner with me, please don't ask me what
to do about wine. I can't decide intelligently, and it matters more
to others than to me. Have wine or don't, as you prefer, but whatever
you decide, choose it to please yourself and the others, not for me.If you get a bottle of wine, I will taste it, and if I like the taste,
I will drink a little, perhaps half a glass.Restaurants:
So I like to go to restaurants that are good at whatever kind of food
they do. I don't arrive with specific preferences for a kind of food
to eat--rather, I want to have whatever is good there: perhaps the
local traditional cuisine, or the food of an immigrant ethnic group
which is present in large numbers, or something unusual and original.So please don't ask me "Where do you want to eat?" or "What kind of
restaurant do you want to go to?" I can't make an intelligent
decision without knowing the facts, and unless I am already familiar
with the city we're in, I can only get those facts from you.The only general thing I can tell you is that what I like or dislike
about a meal is the sensation of eating the food. Other things, such
as the decor of a restaurant, or the view from its windows, are
secondary. Let's choose the restaurant based on its food.A good approach is to ask around *in advance* among your acquaintances
to find people who like good food and are familiar with the area's
restaurants. They will be able to give good recommendations.Sightseeing:
If I am visiting an interesting city or region, I will probably want
to do a few hours of sightseeing in between the work. But don't try
to plan sightseeing for me without asking me first--I can only spare a
limited time for it, so I am selective about where to go. Please
don't assume I want to see something just because it is customary to
take visitors there. That place may be of no interest with me.
Instead, please tell me about possible places to visit--then I can say
what I would like.I enjoy natural beauty such as mountains and rocky coasts, ancient
buildings, impressive and unusual modern buildings, and trains. I
like caves, and if there is a chance to go caving I would enjoy that.
(I am just a novice as a caver.) I often find museums interesting,
but it depends on the subject.I tend to like music that has a feeling of dance in it, but I
sometimes like other kinds too. However, I usually dislike the
various genres that are popular in the US, such as rock, country, rap,
reggae, techno, and composed American "folk". Please tell me what
unusual music and dance forms are present; I can tell you if I am
interested. If there is a chance to see folk dancing, I would
probably enjoy that.If there is something else interesting and unique, please tell me
about it. Maybe I will be interested.More arrangements:
Once we have a precise date for the speech, my assistant will contact
you with questions about the arrangements for the trip. Please
respond as soon as possible with the information he asks for.
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Ivan Marchesini
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Perugia
Via G. Duranti 93/a
06125
Perugia (Italy)
e-mail: marchesini@unipg.it
ivan.marchesini@gmail.com
tel: +39(0)755853760
fax: +39(0)755853756