April 25, 2007 by Joel.

Well, my old home desktop died (yes, I actually did have a reasonably current backup, thanks to a Maxtor one-touch!) and I decided to continue my Mac transformation and get an iMac for the home desktop.  I’ve gotta say, I really like this puppy…I got the 17″ 2Ghz model.  Fast, elegant, and does exactly what I need…I have a Win2K virtual machine running under Parallels for my handful of Wintel-specific things, and that takes care of the outliers.  Copied the files from the Maxtor over to the iMac from the old PC backup to have the files, reformatted the Maxtor, and have it connected to the iMac.  Just about to finish the first backup, including the old machine archives.

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April 24, 2007 by Joel.

So, the only good thing to come out of the VT tragedy is the outpouring of support, especially in the university community. I’m a chapter advisor for UNC-CH’s Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity (Rho chapter) and last night at the brotherhood initiation ceremony, the brotherhood had prepared a banner of support, and was getting everyone to sign, to send to the Zeta Beta chapter at VT.

On a completely different front, there is a viral effort afoot to get VT memorials throughout the virtual world SecondLife. I had arranged a guest lecture for my Systems Analysis class today, and he showed, while talking about technology and futures, the VT memorial on the UNC-Chapel Hill island in SecondLife.

Posted in Virginia Tech, Technology, UNC | No Comments »

April 20, 2007 by Joel.

Today is Hokie Hope day. All across the country, people are wearing Virginia Tech colors (Maroon & Orange). I’m sporting one of my son’s Hokie t-shirts today. The outpouring of support for the VT community has been amazing. If you’d like to contribute in a tangible way, consider making a donation to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.

Posted in Virginia Tech, Family | No Comments »

April 16, 2007 by Joel.

As you can see from yesterday’s posting, my son is a student at Virginia Tech. He’s OK, and that’s a big relief as the events of today have unfolded. The facts are still emerging, but clearly this is the worst school shooting in US history…I’ll not try to write anything else, other than to reiterate my happiness that my son and the other students I know are OK, and and sadness for those who are not…

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April 15, 2007 by Joel.

Today, Jan and I drove from Chapel Hill to Blacksburg, VA, where our oldest son is in school.  His birthday is coming up, so we headed to Virginia Tech to take him out to lunch and carry a “care package.”  It was a rainy day, but we saw the sun a few times before lunch.  It was good to see him, and we can tell he’s ready for the semester to wrap up.  As we said our goodbyes in the parking lot, the second part of the weather system started to come through, as the wind picked up, rain started again, and the temperature started dropping.  In spite of the lousy weather (driving rain, wind, and 39F as we crossed Fancy Gap on I77) we decided to stop by one of the Yadkin River wineries on the way home.  I looked up the directions to RagApple Lassie Vinyards on the cell phone browser and we headed in that direction.  When we got there, it looked like that in spite of supposedly being open daily until 6PM, it was closed.  Fortunately, I tried the door…it was open and we headed in.  We were greeted by the proprietor and his niece, and had a great tour and tasting.  I liked their Zin, Syrah, Vionger and Chardonnay best.  There are a number of wineries in the Yadkin Valley now; if you are in the neighborhood, stop off and visit…

Posted in Virginia Tech, Wine, Family | No Comments »

April 3, 2007 by Joel.

Well, though I was not looking for a job and was very happy with my current job at MCNC as Director of IT & Data Center Services, I got an offer too good to refuse. A former colleague who has been doing some consulting work with The University of North Carolina at Greensboro called me and encouraged me to apply for a position there. I did, and in short order, I interviewed, they offered, and I accepted a position as Associate Vice Chancellor for Administrative Systems. This is a great opportunity professionally, back to what I was doing at UNC-Chapel Hill, and will also reinstate me in the North Carolina retirement system, one of the best in the country. Though the commute will be longer than I have today, it’s worth it for me and my family. I start there on the first of May.

Posted in UNC-G, MCNC, Family, Technology, UNC | No Comments »