Hey everyone,
Things are rockin over here right now! I have finally kicked that cold and now I’m ready to do some more weekend traveling. Jaime, Igor (my third roommate), and I made some steaks last night (this was the first time since I’ve been here that I didn’t have pizza or pasta for dinner) and they turned out well (pun intended), but they were no competition for The County Line. Italy has us beat in pasta and pizza, but we have sirloin! Something else I’m starting to realize around here is that I would really like a glass of water…. WITH ICE!!! What in the world is up with Europe not using ice? Unless you like coke and pepsi products lukewarm, then you better not drink one.
One part of my branch assignment responsibilities involve training other AEs on our products. Right now we have planned out the training program for October that includes our five core products, modular instruments, LV RT, LV FPGA, and hopefully some IMAQ/Motion. It’s interesting that they have named LV, GPIB, CVI, FP, and DAQ the “battery ram” products just as we call them “core” products. So you can imagine when I sat down with Roberto to plan out the training, he mentioned “battery ram” and I thought it was a product I had never supported?!?…uh.. yeah, I support battery ram, isn’t that the ASIC of HSDIO? Haha
Also, another side project I’m working on right now with Fabio, Raffaella, and Filippo is setting up a test bench in one of the extra cubes. I’m hoping to implement something similar to what Jesse Ormston did for MI. The test bench will be composed of an 18 slot PXI chassis with a dual boot controller (Win, RT). The cards will range from E series legacy to the most advanced RF 5660 downconverter. We will be using the bench for performing tests ranging from reading single transducers to decrypting demodulated I-Q constellation plots received from geosynchronous satellites…Yeah… this is the time when you make the sound that Tim the tool man Taylor makes on Home Improvement when he installs the benford 9000!….haha, yea that one. (That goes out to you Mr. Macho Man Randy Savage! 
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Oh yeah, I have also signed up for a class to learn Italian for the next 2 months. So for 4 hours a week I will be honing in on my ability to speak the language of ____. Well, you can fill in the rest.
I Hope everyone is doing well back in America and if you get the chance feel free to mail me a movie in English… Its getting harder and harder to watch Italian television, its kinda like trying to understand your sister when she’s excited to tell you something. ( I luv ya sis! )
Jordo
