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April 9, 2001
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FrontEnd.com
Odds and ends from the world of IT
Edited by Brian Dakss (bdakss@cmp.com)
Ellison Wants Wee-Hours Exemption For His Jet
Larry Ellison's $40 million Gulfstream V has set down at San Jose International Airport after 11:30 p.m. a dozen times in the last two years. Trouble is, the airport bans overnight landings by jets of 75,000 pounds or more, to keep noise down.
So the Oracle chief is slated to take the airport to court this week, to argue that his jet is quieter than some lighter planes the airport lets land overnight.
But the airport isn't backing down. Says Jim Peterson, an airport honcho, "We stand by the curfew in balancing the quality of life in Silicon Valley."
--Mary Hayes
Server Missing No More
The University of North Carolina recently had trouble locating a Net-Ware server at one of its academic departments.
The school's IT staffers followed cables until hitting on one they thought would lead to the elusive server. Sure enough, say UNC officials, they found it, still operating, alone in a small enclosure. The officials say it had been mistakenly walled in by drywall built by maintenance workers.
Curious IT workers dug into records and it appears the server had been in solitary for at least three years.
Minnesota's Movin' On Up
Watch out California, beware Massachusetts: Minnesota is coming up fast on your heels.
A recent Meta Group study analyzed indicators such as technological innovation and globalization capability to track the "digital vitality" of all 50 states. Though Massachusetts, California, and Maryland ranked highest overall, Minnesota, it turns out, was the only state to finish in the top half for every category. Bringing up the rear: West Virginia, Mississippi, and, dead last, Arkansas.
Ancient Meets Modern
A restoration of Michelangelo's famous Moses statue is under way, but if a trip to Rome's St. Peter in Chains Church isn't in the cards, art lovers can soon view the painstaking labor of love at http://www.progettomose.it.
Once the scaffolding is in place, dozens of strategically placed Webcams will let viewers watch the restoration and cleaning effort. Several centuries' accumulation of soot, incense, and dirt have darkened what was once white Tuscan marble.
Make More, Lose More
Investors have taken a beating recently, but perhaps you can feel better about your losses by comparing them with those of the rich and famous.
Bill Gates watched the value of his Microsoft stock plummet an astonishing $39 billion last year, according to Thomson Financial analyst Kevin Schwenger. That's enough to buy a 13-inch television set for everyone in the United States.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was a little more fortunate, losing "only" $12 billion. He could have bought 48 million copies of Windows 2000 with that. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison could buy a million new Volkswagen Beetles with the $16 billion he lost. And Gateway CEO Theodore Waitt would have to work 900 million hours at minimum wage to earn back his $4.7 billion in losses.
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