beTech :: Evolve Already

Anyone care to model the entire UVa Grounds for Google SketchUp’s Build Your Campus in 3D Competition? You’d better get going! Contest deadline is June 1, 2007. Did we mention that Virginia Tech has already thrown their hat into the ring?

This spring, you and your (presumably equally artistic) friends can honor your home turf and hone your 3D design skills by entering Google SketchUp’s Build Your Campus in 3D Competition. Simply model your school’s campus buildings in Google SketchUp, geo-reference them in Google Earth and submit them through this competition web site to earn lasting online glory and, for the winners, an all-expense-paid visit to Google.

I can’t believe this almost slipped by without notice (sorry Erik, I have to do this)… Molly Holzschlag recently named fellow beTechian, Erik Hatcher, as one of her Top Ten Male Hotties of the Web, 2006. Get out!

Many of my readers might not know Erik’s name, but with the rise of Web apps and search, you should. A Java developer I first met in Tucson, then again across the states, I have to say this man is brilliant. And stealth. He’s doing the backend stuff we all should aspire to. Besides, apparently for a very white boy, he can speak Chinese well enough to make a girl gush. And you know exactly where I mean. HOT!

—Molly Holzschlag

Congrats, Erik. Brilliant, engaging, collaborative, and now hot! Slow down man, we can’t keep up!

My newish Dell Latitude barfed up the blue screen of death the other day. Sadly, nothing could restore the beast—a clean install of Windows XP was the only remedy. I only hoped that there was a way to save some of the recent work files from the hard drive. A co-worker mentioned that maybe, just maybe, I could boot up with a Linux CD and try to read the drive.

To make a long story short, I just happened to have an Ubuntu disk lying around that did the trick. Ubuntu fired right up, mounted the old Windows NTFS drive, connected to my Home Directory, and copied my precious files to a safe place on the network. Wow! And it all ran from memory so I didn’t even have to install it.
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Jeffrey Zeldman imparts some useful words of wisdom (and cites our very own TJ) in his latest entry: We hold most of these truths. Marvelling over the Declaration of Independence drafts at the New York Public Library, Jeffrey shares his thoughts:

The version in Thomas Jefferson’s own hand is fascinating not only because it’s in Thomas Jefferson’s own hand, but also because it contains passages that would have ended slavery at the birth of the American nation. But those passages had to be deleted before the Declaration could be signed by representatives of states where slavery was practiced.

Put another way, the client bought a document intended to liberate all humanity, but demanded changes that kept part of humanity in chains. It would take another 100 years and hundreds of thousands of deaths before slavery ended, and the tragic legacy of African enslavement plagues the U.S. to this day.…

So the next time a client requests changes that make your work less beautiful, less usable, or less smart, remember that greater people than you have lost bigger battles over far more important matters.

Microsoft “celebs” have been making quite a bit of news in recent days. First, Mini called it quits (sorta), then Scoble decided to move on, and now the Big Kahuna is stepping aside as well. Wow.

In case you haven’t already heard, Bill Gates announced late yesterday that he is relinquishing his day-to-day duties at Microsoft to focus on his philanthropic organization. The full transition will take place over the next two years, but, effective immediately, Ray Ozzie will take the helm as chief software architect. Good move. Ray Ozzie is one of us and seems particularly tuned-in to the current nature of the web as well as its potential. Now, what about this Steve Ballmer guy?

Thank you everyone who participated in beTech in 2005â??presenters and audiences alike. It’s been a real pleasure to provide a stage for the true pioneers of the bleeding edge like Jamie Orchard-Hays, David Moody, Patrick Woods, John Loy, Doug Chestnut, and Erik Hatcher. We’re truly fortunate to have such a breadth of talent right here in Charlottesville and beTech is looking forward to revealing more of it in 2006.

Rich Gregory leads off the 2006 beTech presentation schedule with his walk-thru of PHP next Wednesday (more information soon). In the coming months, beTech will showcase several bleeding edge technologies including AJaX, XSLT, and UVa’s own Fedora project. We also have a few surprises up our sleevesâ??so stay tuned, it’s going to be a great year.

If you’re on the beTech listserv, you’ve probably already seen the big news from Keith Donnelly. After seven years as ITC Webmaster, Keith is making the big move over to the McIntire School of Commerce to take on the reins as Director of IT Support. Join us in congratulating him on his many accomplishments in ITC (not the least of which is wrangling ITC’s innumerable Web pages into a standards compliant template) and wishing him well in his new position.

Back at the ITC Webmaster position, there’s still plenty to be done to continue Keith’s work. If you’re up for the challenge and would like to work with a great group of people, check out the position description (#C2541) at the UVa Human Resources site.