Re: [tlug] From an enthusiast TLUG follower

[Raymond Wan <rwan.kyoto@example.com>]

Hi Matteo,


On 25/8/2020 6:08 pm, Matteo G wrote:
> First thanks all for your replying. I really appreciate it.
> I would like to say my university has collaboration programs 
> with the University of Tokyo, I was thinking maybe I can ask 
> my professor if he has contact with Tokyo University.


Before I get to the negative part of my reply :-), let me 
begin by saying that, in general, you should try everything. 
 Of course, short of harassment in the form of asking every 
day if the collaborator has decided -- that's a no-no in 
almost every culture.  But many things in life is due to 
skill and luck...  And you don't know until you try.

Having said that...  I think many people want to go to Japan 
for an internship but a better question is to turn it around 
and say why would they want an intern?  A potential intern 
usually would answer by saying it's "free labour" for 
them...and that is furthest from the truth.  If you're 
physically there, then they have to provide space for you 
and also vouch for you that you're a decent person and won't 
take their data / algorithms / etc.  Whether or not you're 
there, someone will probably need to train / teach you and 
that will be someone's job.  His/her time isn't free. 
(Spoken by someone who has had to do that...  :-P )

But, back to my first point...give it a try.  But I think it 
helps to keep my latter points in mind?


> The situation is complicated also due to covid-19 cases now, 
> I don't know how is the situation in Japan and what is their 
> law about people incoming for internships programs inside 
> Japan. But I guess it is not that easy especially nowadays.
> Anyway I will try to send emails to some companies there in 
> Japan and ask them how the situation is for internships and 
> how I can apply for it (if possible).


Again, it doesn't hurt to ask.  But covid-19 might last 
until next week...(we can all hope)...but I've heard 
estimates of 1-2 years.  Whatever it is, I do think you 
should also consider yourself.  Being "stranded" overseas is 
not a good thing.

I was flipping through the on-line Japan Times recently and 
there was some editorial about how awful Japan is for not 
letting foreigners in.  (I think the restriction is 
gradually being loosened?)  But I think every country has 
(1) citizens / foreign residents stuck overseas unable to 
return and (2) studnets, tourists, etc. unable to leave.  As 
I flip through news from various countries occasionally, I 
have this feeling news sources are copy-and-pasting from 
each other...  :-)

Anyway, be glad you aren't stuck away from home.  Exciting 
adventure, but you'll be draining your bank account very 
quickly...  I'm somewhat thankful that all this happened a 
few weeks later than it did...a bit earlier and I would have 
been stuck overseas.


> I have also another question, I have intention to start my 
> thesis and the main topic is about the /*Race conditions 
> vulnerabilities and how to exploit them in Linux systems*/, 
> do you know if there are books that talk about this specific 
> topic?


I don't know about the second half of your topic.  But oddly 
enough, I was thinking of the first half just today. 
Well...concurrency to be precise.  (Randomly, while day 
dreaming...)

I was fortunate enough to learn about that outside of OS. 
You will learn it in an OS course, but the OS courses I took 
had a lot of things like memory management, file systems, 
etc.  It was quite packed...  Anyway, I learned that topic 
via this:

https://plg.uwaterloo.ca/~usystem/uC++.html

There's a link to course materials at the bottom of that 
link.  I haven't seen how they are, but maybe it's something 
to look at?

Good luck!

Ray