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In addition to looking at building a new Windows Home Server (main post), I am also looking at building up a new desktop. Realistically both is not an option, but that does not mean that it isn’t fun to look.

One of things I have been considering for my desktop is that after building the home storage server, I really will have no use for the large, server-style cases that I have used in the past. Ideally I would like to drop down to something much more compact, like one of the Shuttle cases.

Does anyone have any input about them? Any brands that anyone has heard about or have had experience with? Any advise would be ideal.

Realistically, all I should need is pick up a decent video card, cpu and some ram to go along with this barebones kit. Since everything else (hdd, keyboard, etc.) I have spares of, a new system should only run about $500 total if I manage my current recyclable parts appropriately.

My only concerns are around power, heat and noise. The power concern would be a result of the G31 northbridge chipset on the motherboard. Then the heat and noise are me just being unfamiliar with the case. Both are huge deciding factors. I do not want a noisy desktop, that’s why I have a server tucked away in the basement. Also, a desktop that overheats and crashes when I use the system does not do me any good either.

If anyone has any input about this case or another recommendation, I would greatly appreciate it.

Today was a busy day at the office. We are under a tight deadline to host a UPK training course that is coming up this week, which consists of a bit of everything: custom development, documentation, graphics, server/database configuration and user creation — basically, the works.

Under normal circumstances this would be no problem, and actually a decently fun task. In this case, however, it is a “rush” job, and we were given notice to have a working system with less than one-week’s notice. In fact, we were only given 2 business days for configuration, and 1 for UAT.

Fortunately I am used to this kind of scenario, as I have worked in this business long enough to know that I will never get adequate time to do what I need, which means that we need to find creative ways to find the time to make things happen. I spent a good amount of time over the weekend researching the areas I have not done in awhile and figured out a few the odds and ends details.

Today ended up being a busy day, hence the ‘ninjas on fire,’ but it looks like we are in the clear. We have all of our usage tracking configured and set up as of close-of-business today, and tomorrow we will be doing last minute tweaks and customizations before submitting for UAT.

Note: If you are wondering how the image fits into this post, I went to look for a good picture of “Ninjas On Fire” to use, but when I searched in google this is the result I found! I guess it was someones user name, hence the NOF in the upper right hand corner.

As for the phrase, it was from Scott Hanselman’s blog where he states that it is “a response to when you’re totally overwhelmed with deadlines and work.” For more details, see here.

From time to time this year I have found myself watching the newest relaunch of the classic BBC show, Doctor Who. The most recent version of the show started up again in 2005 and has been running ever since.

I am not sure what it is about the show, but I like it. The acting and effects are both a little cheesy, but I think that even adds to it a little bit. The show seems to have a general “change is good” theme to it.

The episodes I have seen on TV have all been from Season 2 or later of the 2005 relaunch, so I really wanted to see the show from the beginning. So this weekend Sonja and I started watching Season 1 of Doctor Who (2005).

The main character, the Doctor, is played by Christopher Eccleston in Season 1. Many of you may recognize him from his role as Claude in Heroes (Season 1), or if you are like me, you will recognize him as the bad guy in both 28 Days Later and Gone in Sixty Seconds.

In any case, in Season 2 and on the Doctor is played by David Tennant, of which I was so very proud of Sonja for recognizing him right away as Barty Crouch Jr. in the Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).

I am excited to finish off Season 1, as it so far has been fairly captivating to me. Plus, I am curious to see how they do the transition to the new Doctor.

I know a little back story about the Doctor from what I have read about the series. It is actually kind of interesting as it is one of the BBC’s longest running shows. I believe the show started sometime in the 1960’s and there have been upwards of 9 or 10 different people who have played the Doctor.

Anyway, if you have not seen Doctor Who, and you like science fiction/nerdy films, I would at least recommend giving it a shot. I wouldn’t get your expectations to high though, it is a fairly low-budget show, and most of the time it is very obvious.

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