nundroo
Prima Delle Due
Is this blog dead? Short answer: no, of course not. However the last month or so has been rather busy — writing a lot, ironically, and moving to Italy. It has been a few days now since I arrived in Ivrea and it honestly rocks. First things first: Italians seem to interpret traffic rules a little differently from what I have been used to in Rotterdam, but I am adjusting fairly quickly. The first two weeks at Interaction Design Institute Ivrea are dedicated to introduction, bureaucracy (another favorite here) and getting to know the other students. The real deal will start in the first week of October.
First things first: Italians seem to interpret traffic rules a little differently.
The pool of students is impressive, bordering on frighteningly talented. I will need to seriously brush up on my skills in every department, but that is a good thing. Among the students is also Marcos Weskamp, known for his work on Newsmap — an application that visually reflects the constantly changing landscape of the Google News news aggregator. In general it is inspiring to see the variety in backgrounds, from graphic design, industrial design, architecture, technical writing, computer science, cognitive psychology, to economics and business (yes, that would be me.)
For now I am enjoying the surroundings, getting to know people from all over the world and attending my Italian classes to make myself understandable in this country. I can speak a few words, but it is rather pathetic at the moment. Furthermore, now that I am somewhat settled here this blog will get a little more attention and I think the next year will provide me with enough inspiration to write about interaction design and related topics more frequently. Okay, time for coffee.
Discussion is open — there are 
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1 
15 September 2004 13:00
it’s great to have you back in the blogosphere (I can’t believe I used that word!)
I’m also an economics student (cybernetics, statistics, IT economics) but I work as a programmer and I’m a huge web design enthusiast. I’m personally motivated by your story to take my design passion more seriously, to the point of actually considering taking on design projects.
2 15 September 2004 14:17
didier,
good to see you back in action :) I’ve been checking your site wondering if you’ll be writing again …. looking forward to hearing more about your experiences at the design institute and your new surroundings …
good day!
3 15 September 2004 16:54
Didier,
good to hear from you again. Can’t wait to hear more about your experiences from Ivrea over the next year. I’m looking forward to more of your insights. I’m actually completing my master thesis in computer science this year, where I’ll be focusing on interaction design. :-) It will definitely be interesting to contrast and compare your experiences with mine. ;-)
Regards from Norway!
4 15 September 2004 17:23
Well it is good to hear from you again. I’m very interested in hearing about what you think of the school. Keep us up to date!
5 15 September 2004 20:04
Glad to see you’re back. I have fantasies about attending the school there, so I’m interested to hear your impressions and experiences.
6 15 September 2004 20:17
So when are you gonna test drive that Ferrari? :)
7 15 September 2004 20:32
Mike: Haha, soon man, soon… Last weekend I missed the GP of Italy in Monza. That was like a little more than an hours drive from Ivrea. I have put it on the agenda for 2005, I am definitively not going to miss that.
8 15 September 2004 21:28
DJ… major congrats on finally shedding the skin of Erasmus and following your heart. I hope to see you again one day… maybe even in the motherland?
9 16 September 2004 00:48
Welcome to Italy, Didier!
Enjoy the crazy italian traffic (try to drive in the “Grande Raccordo Anulare” of Rome, or in Naples for some serious fun) and just have fun around here.
If you are ever going to visit Venice or its surroundings, drop me a line and I’ll give you some advice.
Cheers!
10 16 September 2004 15:54
Hooray! D is back in action. Good to hear that the move went well and you are already getting to know your peers as well as the city. I am a wee bit jealous of ya! Don’t worry or be discouraged by the telent that surrounds you - you are just a member of that talent pool as anyone else. Keep ya’ head up mate!
11 16 September 2004 17:53
Good luck with your move. I’ll be following your experiences of Italy closely.
I’d love to move there myself oneday!
and love your site design btw
12 16 September 2004 21:34
Good to have you back. In terms of readability, that is :op
I suddenly came to the point of understanding why you moved. There is no such thing as a graphical education at university level. in Holland. I’ve come to the part of my life where I have to start thinking about this all, and it sincerely sucks - it’s either moving (read: abroad!) or following a sucky education and feel stupid for the rest of my life.
13 16 September 2004 22:10
Yeah, You haven’t died.
I’m currently learning Latin, and know about ten words. Hey, its only my 5th day :) Sawa, magistra — Hello teacher Silva Agricolae — Farmer’s Forest
Alright, enough showing off :P
14 17 September 2004 01:58
try to drive in the “Grande Raccordo Anulare” of Rome, or in Naples for some serious fun
Yep :)
You missed Monza, but you can always go to the Montecarlo GP. It’s about 300 kilometers — you should! ;)
15 22 September 2004 22:57
Knowing Ivrea so well, it is fascinating to me to hear it unfold through your words and in your eyes. Welcome!
16 27 September 2004 13:54
It’s true, italians have an unique vision about traffic. :-)
Welcome in Italy.
17 02 October 2004 12:29
Mr. Blume, Latin can be fun an easy, so long as your teacher is good. I had two. One made me learn and the other made me forget. Too bad they went in that order :(
Didier, Have fun in Italy. I plan to have a place there one day — hopefully in Venice. Keep up the good work and don’t let anyone kid you, you too have talent, man.
18 12 October 2004 21:22
Didier,
Good to hear something about you on your blog. We were quite worried, back here in Rotterdam. Better a good contact than a bad contact…
grtz. Bart
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15 September 2004
