Question: where did you guys get those working tables? They seem cheap enough and perfect for workstations: fairly deep and easy to move around.
ikea
Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
11–20 of 24 posts
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#12It seems like http://www.couchsurfing.com/ is a bit more mature than airbnb.com, but airbnb.com looks more technically competent.
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#13So it's a YC/Hacker slan-shack.
That's cool but stuff like that has been going on in geek fandoms for decades.
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
How difficult is it to move there? I am finishing up my Masters degree this September and want to go to California for at least a year to work. But it looks to me that you can only get H1B visa's which makes you totally dependent on a single employer without the ability to change jobs. Do you have citizenship?
You can change jobs when you are on H1B. It is L1B (intra-company transfer from a foreign country) where you can't.
I'm a citizen, so grain of salt.
AFAIK, You need to be careful about changing jobs though, if you are out of work for some amount of time (a month?) your visa expires on you.
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can change jobs when you are on H1B. It is L1B (intra-company transfer from a foreign country) where you can't.
I'm a citizen, so grain of salt. AFAIK, You need to be careful about changing jobs though, if you are out of work for some amount of time (a month?) your visa expires on you.
IANAL etc...
You are correct that out-of-work is a very bad place to be as an H1B holder. But USCIS allows you to interview for a different job, apply for visa transfer to the new company and quit the old company after the visa transfer is approved.
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#16Looks awesome. This is another example of why I'm glad I moved from Australia to the Bay Area.
How difficult is it to move there? I am finishing up my Masters degree this September and want to go to California for at least a year to work. But it looks to me that you can only get H1B visa's which makes you totally dependent on a single employer without the ability to change jobs. Do you have citizenship?
I do have citizenship, which made things a lot easier for me.
As the others pointed out, it is possible to transfer between jobs on an H1B. People do it here all the time.
The easiest way to get out here is to go through your university. Industry approaches postgrad students all the time to come work out here. I had Google, IBM and Microsoft, Sun, Intel and a few others all stop by my department, looking for candidates to relocate specifically to California. Failing that, it would be best to have a holiday over here and line up some interviews for while you're in the area.
I can't recommend it enough by the way.
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#17Be sure to have them show you the light fixture of death.
Interesting. Can someone post a picture of this?
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#18Be sure to have them show you the light fixture of death.
Interesting. Can someone post a picture of this?
http://twitpic.com/1p1cd
Our roof leaks and has consequentially filled a lighting fixture with water. The switch reads: TURN THIS ON AND (you might) DIE. Nobody's tried it yet.
Honestly, the hacker house is a bit of a dump.* But we're all in good company and have a sense of humor about the situation. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#19Breck, is that you on the left side of the picture? Glad to see you're doing well.
(This is Drew, who used to run DULUG back in the day when you were working on Free Culture stuff).
Re: Need a place to crash? Stay at the Hacker House
#20It seems like http://www.couchsurfing.com/ is a bit more mature than airbnb.com, but airbnb.com looks more technically competent.
When I read "mature" I thought you meant in demeanor, but now that I look at the site, I am guessing all you meant by it was ... older/more established?
I like the inviting-ness of airbnb, and sheer simplicity. For me it is much more welcoming, and thus motivating (to go out and explore) than the vibe I get from couchsurfing.
to each his own.