Weblog

So I decided a little over two weeks ago that I was going to build a new server. Although my desktop isn't exactly decrepit, I finally decided that it was time to take the web site, along with the various other server tasks it was handling, and put them onto a dedicated machine. Of course, like any good CS major, I had to build my own machine. I started with a barebones Shuttle PC, which was on clearance because it is an AMD Socket A architecture. My original intent was to build a new desktop and server, and use some of the parts from my old desktop in the server. However, it turns out that all of the stuff I was going to use either a) won't work, or b) since the desktop is a dual CPU machine, its parts are worth more on Ebay than their single CPU counterparts cost to buy new.

So, not only did I decide to just buy new components, but since I already had the case sitting around, I just went ahead and bought the rest of the parts. So much for waiting until after the school year like I planned! So for anyone salivating to know the details, the (very tiny) box has an Athlon 2400+ and a gig of PC2700 RAM. Boring, I know. However, it also has dual Seagate Barracuda 250GB SATA hard drives running on RAID 1 - that's 250 gigs of mirrored, fault-tolerant storage. The box has no optical disk or floppy drive, though. This made for an interesting Windows installation yesterday, which required both Windows Server 2003 on a CD, and the RAID drivers on a floppy. I raided (pun not intended) my desktop for the optical drive, and Matthew Brand was kind enough to lend me his floppy drive. I am very happy that Windows Vista/Longhorn Server promises to make this less painful by dropping the floppy drive. In the mean time, I hope I don't have to reinstall Windows on it again.

So, this site is now running entirely off of the new server. This should mean absolutely nothing to anyone reading this, but it at least makes me happy.

Fall break proved to be very fun. On Friday, I went to a restaurant in Denver called La Fondue which, as you might guess, serves fondue. Two of my friends from high school, Carrie and Sarah, and Sarah's boyfriend went as well. The food was simply amazing. The first course was a cheese fondue, for which we were provided bread, veggies, and green apples. The second course was salad; I had a caesar. The third course, served as the main course, was a broth fondue. We were given plates of meat and veggies, which included chicken, shrimp, sirloin steak, filet mignon, salmon, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, celery and cauliflower. And finally, for dessert, we got the s'mores fondue. This consisted of a chocolate fondue with a flaming liquor poured over the top, on which we roasted marshmallows. After the fire went out, we had other goodies to dip in the chocolate, such as kiwi, strawberries, Snickers, pound cake, cheese cake and pineapple. I also got a glass of sauvignon blanc. The evening was simply great, and fun was had by all.

Two days later, I went to the Broncos football game with my mom, aunt and uncle. The new Mile High is great, though definitely not as loud as the old stadium. The Broncos hosted the Patriots, and we took them to school. Don't let the score of 28-20 fool you - during the first three quarters, the Broncos were entirely in control of the game. During the fourth quarter, New England gained some momentum, but it was too little too late.

Last Friday started off with Warren Buffet and Bill Gates speaking at the Lied Center. All of CBA and the JDE program were invited. Additionally, some of the CBA students were invited on stage. We were first shown some amusing video clips of Bill and Warren. Gates and Buffet then came to their chairs, and the students on stage began asking them questions. Buffet was, as always, incredibly witty. In addition to making fun of himself, he also poked fun of Gates numerous times. They are both quite amazing people.

As the Gates and Buffet event went over time, we were all late getting back to Kauffman for the corporate board event. As the official student photographer, I had to run up to my room to get my camera, which meant I was even later. Anne Sweet directed me to a chair in the front. When I went to sit down, I saw that Anne Sweet had given me Jeff Raikes's chair. Anyway, I sat down and listened to Raikes speak about the corporate board and what they have been doing for the program. This was followed by a Q&A session.

During the short break, I commandeered a chair in the front row on the other side of the room. A few short minutes later, Bill Gates himself came in. His speech was about his vision of the future of technology. Afterwards, there was another Q&A session. Finally, David Graff, Matt Mueller and John Wirtz presented Gates and Raikes with a few gifts: a signed football, some framed photos of the Huskers, and authentic Husker jerseys. Gates received number 1, and Raikes received 1.1. After Dr. Keck's closing thank-you, Gates was escorted out of the building, and some minutes later the rest of the people in the great hall were permitted to leave.

All in all, the day was awesome. Definitely worth skipping class! I am very glad I was here for it, and I hope that the program will be able to attract such people on a regular basis.