I use a Lenovo X220 with an SSD and a 15" MBP (also with an SSD). They're both fantastic machines. The Lenovo lets me use Linux with pretty much perfect compatibility and has the best keyboard I've ever used. The MPB similarly has the best trackpad I've encountered. The main unexpected advantage of using OS X has been the presence of readline-style keyboard shortcuts at an OS mediated level (in any text field). Once you get used to that, using any other OS for incidental typing (in search fields or forms) feels slow.
I'm assuming it refers to the fact that most simple Emacs-flavored shortcuts work in any textfield. C-A for <Home>, C-E for <End>, C-K to kill to the end of the line, etc. Certain tookits do this on Linux (Qt for one, I think), and I agree that it's hugely helpful.
So I believe non-readline-style shortcuts would refer to, for example, C-A to select all text.
That's pretty true. The DX is slightly better (mainly due to its size), but for the kind of reading you describe you ideally want something more ipad-esque (which I suspect is why med schools decided to go with ipads instead of kindles)
That's quite a lovely album (and also one of my favorites to listen to while working). You might also like Yo-Yo Ma's recent album which has a surprisingly similar feel even though it features different performers -- http://www.npr.org/event/music/142242654/yo-yo-ma-edgar-meye....
I ran into the same problem myself and started using my left hand for my mouse -- less travel and surprisingly convenient for most of my normal mouse interaction (which is primarily scrolling, I tend to use keyboard shortcuts for most active interaction with content).
Note however that different types of input systems were used. Refreshes show the following different types:
* A slider that need to be dragged to choose a value.
* A list of numbers shown with highlighting on hover.
* An input cursor that on hover changes to a list of numbers (within a curved border this time).
* A text field (enclosed in a circular border), allowing manual input.
I'm quite interested in how results varied depending upon input type (possibly more interesting than seeing how they vary by referrer).
Deciding whether it's a good idea to visit depends heavily on your financial / visa situation. If it's feasible, then it's a great idea!
I came to Berkeley as an international student without having the opportunity to visit and things turned out just fine, but in retrospect I'd have loved the opportunity to get to know the area beforehand.
As others have said, most students at either Berkeley or Stanford don't live in SF. Staying there makes sense as a tourist though, both are easily accessible through day trips and you get to enjoy SF.
If you do visit Berkeley, a great way to get a feel for it is to sit in on classes. You can see this semester's CS classes here http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Scheduling/CS/schedule.html. If you talk to the EECS department before hand they'll be glad to organize a mini-tour for you where can chat with a current student. If that doesn't work out, there are enough Cal students (like myself) frequenting Hacker News who'll be glad to show you around.
