I skipped Biology class today. Instead, David and I studied at the library for our Circuit Analysis exam before leaving to his Jewish fraternity for a kosher lunch. We had chicken fingers and grilled cheese sandwiches. Hey, free lunch!

After the exam, I left for the Hands on Atlanta office. My main accomplishment for this evening was generating a unattended setup file for Microsoft Windows 2000 using the Windows 2000 SP3 Deployment Tools. This allows administrators to quickly install Windows 2000 on new machines. The script automatically enters the product key, configures the printers, joins the domain, installs and removes desired Windows components, sets the time, and modifiers the Internet Explorer start page.

As a result, Sam, the network administrator for Hands on Atlanta, confided the primary domain controller password to me. I now have autonomy over the entire network.

A trip to the Probation Office, followed by lunch with Nicky at the chinese buffet. I installed my DDR memory. Corsair actually shipped me a better module than the one I had sent them for RMA - it’s a XMS2700, versus my original XMS2400. It also has a heatsink, which I’ve never seen before on memory. In the evening it was off to Georgia Tech to hold lab hours, where I taught students about Java applets and basic graphics.

VMware is now set up, with a virtual machine for Windows 2000 Advanced Server. I’ll be using it primarily to experiment with Visual Studio .NET Enterprise and various other Microsoft server components before deploying them on live servers at work. The virtual machine interfaces with Samba on my host machine to allow for shared access to my home directory.

I’ve completed a little more than half of my required community service hours.

Biology exam today. It didn’t go well. The good news is that Josh and I got checked off on Project 5. And it only took us three hours. Josh and I work well together, maintaining a delicate balance between goofing off and just enough hard work to get things done quickly and efficiently. It helps that both of us are taking a minimal class load this semester.

A TA meeting in the morning, followed by biology lab. I spent most of the time photocopying other people’s drawings. The students had a test in recitation today. After recitation we had an unofficial TA dinner at Charlie B’s Pub, where I had a mushroom cheeseburger. I really need to study biology - the test is tomorrow.

I also checked my mail and received a package from my parents. It basically contained my license, a module of memory, and a credit card.

Had to take another biology quiz online. It’s crazy. Few students showed up for office hours. I’m typing this from the Library West Commons. It’s a great computer cluster. Finished my Circuit Analysis homework, which is due on Wednesday. We have a test on Friday. Studied several hours for my upcoming biology test, but I feel like I’ve made very little progress on it. Memorization is hard.

ProgDev meeting at the College of Computing in the evening. We discussed course materials and their impact on future assignments. It’s top secret. Meeting minutes should be available on the cs1322-prg mailing list.

Adam and I finished watching the Trigun anime series. It was fantastic.

Caught up on my sleep. Finished my biology lab report. Sent out bills, including the rebate form for my SmartMedia card from Best Buy. Talked to the leasing office about our leaky bathroom ceiling. Taught Maryam about mixed logic over the telephone.

I talked to Kat, my friend and fashion consultant. She will be working at the Federal Court of South Alabama district on random computer projects. She starts sometime in February.

I took a biology quiz online. Adam and I went to Best Buy, where I purchased a 128 MB SmartMedia card for my digital camera. After shopping, we had lunch at the International House of Pancakes. I had a Colorado omlette. Configured and installed the latest stable build of mplayer for Linux. Installed the Ogle Debian package, which allows me to play DVDs with full menu support and subtitles. The command-line interface must be used since the GUI version is currently broken in Debian testing.

Adam and I watched the first half of the Trigun anime series in my room. It’s very addictive. Tracy and I talked on the phone for a bit.

It’s even colder! Filled out financial aid applications for Summer 2003. Bought a used biology book at the Georgia Tech bookstore. Volunteered at the Hands on Atlanta office.

While there, installed graphics software for a desktop publishing setup on Jacy (see yesterday’s entry). The setup includes Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXpress, and Microsoft Publisher. Installed Windows 2000 Professional on a Dell Inspiron laptop, but progress was limited by the fact that I don’t have the password to the domain controller. Setup a hub/switch so that I could more efficiently work on the plethora of computers that pass by me everyday. Mostly cleaned out my work area. Finally, started building a Debian Linux development server from spare parts around the office.

I installed the latest MPC Musepack plugin for XMMS. Exams are fast approaching - I better study this weekend.

At night, Adam and I joined Nicky for a trip to International Bowling, where we celebrated Elysia’s birthday. I brought my digital camera along, and took a few pictures.

It’s so cold! For lunch, Nicky, Adam, and I ate lunch at the nearby chinese buffet. Volunteered at the Hands on Atlanta office in the afternoon. I spent today assembling a PC (jacy). Nothing fancy, just a basic system with an Intel 1.7 Ghz processor and an MSI motherboard with on-board audio, video, and ethernet. It took longer than usual because I had to scrounge around for spare parts such as CD-ROM drives. I paid the utility bill for Wellington Point and balanced my bank accounts.

During lab hours, no one showed up. I spent the time grading student submissions. Sanjay gave me an account on his Linux box to speed up the grading process.

Finished my Circuit Analysis homework in the free time between classes. Josh and I got checked off on Project 4 in Embedded Microcontroller Lab. Returned to the apartment around four, and Alex and Elysia were here. Finally, took a biology quiz.