The Planet Blog

Forty-seven South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Trade Show attendees took The Planet Server Challenge, but only one could walk away with the ASUS Eee PC netbook and the title of “The Fastest Hands at SXSW.” When we designed the competition, we had three goals in mind:

1. Give participants a the chance to show off their technical expertise
2. Appeal to as broad an audience as possible
3. Take less than two minutes to complete

We anticipated strong performances, and we were as surprised as everyone else to see Tagged Director of Engineering Mark Jen masterfully rebuild the server in a blistering 30.7 seconds. His first attempt was slowed by a stray cable, yet it was still fast enough to take the lead from Idea’s Quang Tran. We flicked on our camera to document Mark’s second attempt in hopes we’d catch a faster time on film. Thankfully, he did not disappoint:

If you made it by our booth to try your hand in the competition, we thank you. Whether your time was thirty seconds or two minutes and thirty seconds, we enjoyed meeting you and sharing a little of what we do. To the team of folks that put together the Iron Geek Triathlon, thanks for inviting us to be a part of the fun!

To Mark: Keep those fingers nimble … now the Internet is going to see your tricks of the trade, and next time, it might not be as easy to walk away victorious.

-Kevin

P.S. For more Server Challenge goodness, check out the coverage on Data Center Knowledge and Keith Shaw’s hands-on test at Network World.

I have worked at The Planet now for an action-packed seven days, the last four here in Austin at South by Southwest (SXSW). I am The Planet’s new Events Manager, and while I know very little about IT, I’ve had quite a bit of experience with trade shows after spending more than 15 years running from show to show with Dr Pepper (my drink of choice, of course). With SXSW as my first peek at how The Planet does trade shows, I can’t help but be really excited about what the future holds.

First and foremost, it is an absolute treat to have a team – from systems engineering and sales to marketing and IT – that shows so much passion for The Planet and our products. Never mind that everybody was on time and did their part — that was just a bonus. Everyone is engaged and having fun … from Jeff Reinis hocking T-shirts mid-aisle to Kevin Hazard and Phil Jackson challenging every geek at the show to a server-building race.

Kyle Monson competing in the Server Challenge

My highlight of the show was definitely when Russell Bishop from the UK took the server challenge. As he worked against the clock to put together the server, George – another show attendee – sang the theme song from “Greatest American Hero.” Needless to say, we all joined in. Things like that just don’t happen every day.

Russell and George (“The Singer”)

I’ve learned so much in the past few days. The whole team from The Planet quickly recognized my “deer in the headlights” look when anyone asked a complex question, and they quickly jumped in to make us look good. After they finished talking to the attendee, they kindly explained everything to me.

I’ve learned a lot about the power of social media … from something as small as tweeting about a lost iPhone to something as massive as our server challenge being Slashdotted.

Becky Rasch reunited with her lost iPhone

As I write this, it’s the last day of the show here at SXSW, and I find myself a little sad that every day won’t be like the past four … then again, with the same gang back at the office, I’m pretty sure we’ll still have a blast.

-Sherry

At high noon on March 15, 2010, four worthy competitors toed the line in anticipation of what would be the most grueling (and perhaps only) multi-event tech geek challenge at South by Southwest Interactive. The competition was intense, and while each participant proved deserving of the SXSW Iron Geek Champion title, only one could walk away a winner.

The Planet’s Server Challenge was selected as an official event in the tech triathlon, so Keith Shaw, Kyle Monson, Chris Boudy and Harry McCracken had to rebuild our Pentium4 server faster than their formidable opponents to walk away with the most points for the round. Hands flew, blood was shed and tears were cried, and after the dust settled, the results were posted:

1. Kyle Monson: 1:02.4
2. Chris Boudy: 1:13.4
3. Keith Shaw: 1:16.3
4. Harry McCracken: 1:58.2

Kyle walked away victorious from The Planet Server Challenge, but when the final scores were tallied from all the events, Chris Boudy was crowned the SXSW Iron Geek Champion. After prying him away from the droves of fans chasing his newly acquired stardom, we took a minute to chat with Chris about his experience in the Iron Geek triathlon and about his impression of SXSW Interactive.

Congratulations, Chris!

- Kevin

The trade show floor is open at SXSW Interactive, so The Planet Server Challenge is officially underway. We went through the basics of the competition yesterday, so today we’re diving into the details.

The Goal: Reassemble our Pentium4 server faster than your SXSW peers and win an ASUS Eee PC Netbook.

The Rules:

1. You may arrange the components as you’d like* before starting.

*Fan, Heat Sink and RAM must be on the table outside of the chassis.

2. You may not be touching any components when time starts.
3. All components must be installed for your time to be recorded.
4. Components can be installed in any order.
5. Components outside the server may only be touched one at a time.
6. You may attempt the build twice.
7. Time will be recorded by a representative from The Planet.
8. The leader board in the booth will reflect the current “time to beat.”

A Successful/Complete Installation:

• Install heat sink, latch both latches
• Plug heat sink into motherboard
• Install fan
• Plug fan into motherboard
• Install two RAM modules (in any of the 4 slots)
• Plug in Hard Drive power cable
• Plug in Hard Drive ribbon cable
• Plug in CD-ROM power cable
• Plug in CD-ROM ribbon cable
• Slide case lid into place

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’m pretty sure videos are worth a few million. With that in mind, we recorded a quick explanation and demonstration of the challenge:

Do you think you have what it takes to get the best time? Swing by our booth and prove it! We will update the top times in the comments section of this blog so you can keep an eye on the current record in absentia.

UPDATE: We just spoke with one of the representatives from the Universal Records Database, and he suggested that we submit the fastest time to their database, and they will certify the winner as a universal record holder! Forget having the fastest hands at SXSW … You’ll have the fastest hands in the universe.

-Kevin

P.S. Don’t forget to RSVP for tonight’s Tumblr/SoundCloud/Kickstarter party!

South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive begins this weekend, and while this is our inaugural appearance at this particular show, we’re not unprepared. In addition to the standard conference fare of expo booth and giveaways, we’ve got some interesting challenges for attendees and a calendar full of events in partnership with companies like Microsoft, Tumblr, Kickstarter and SoundCloud. Without further ado, this is how you can track us down in Austin:

Our Booth

On the SXSW Interactive Trade Show floor, you’ll find us spanning booths 303 and 305 in Exhibit Hall 4 of the Austin Convention Center. You’ll know you’re getting close when you see the pair of unlikely superheroes we are featuring on our “Redefining Hosting” graphics.

Meet The Planet Staff: Once you squirm your way through the droves of people flooding into the booth, you’ll be greeted by friendly faces who will love to chat with you about your business, hosting, the weather or the names of your childhood pets. In exchange for the privilege of meeting you, we can offer a tokens of our appreciation: your choice of one of our clever giveaway T-shirts!

Sign up for WebsiteSpark: With the help of a little company out of Redmond, Washington, we’re able to offer a special opportunity for attendees to sign up for Microsoft’s WebsiteSpark program on the show floor. If you’re unfamiliar with the program, it provides you with access to free licensing for the latest versions of Windows Server and SQL Server … Needless to say, it’s a great resource for businesses with tight budgets.

By applying for the WebsiteSpark program in our booth, you’ll walk away with a 2GB USB drive and a special Microsoft WebsiteSpark + The Planet T-shirt while supplies last. If that’s not enough of an incentive, we’re also offering a year of free hosting at The Planet to one lucky applicant chosen at random.

Compete in the Server Challenge: If our 10′ x 20′ space wasn’t already busy enough, we’ve got one more featured activity in our booth: The Planet Server Challenge – a little competition is designed specifically for techies. Participants have a deconstructed Pentium4 server sitting on a table in front of them, and the objective is to put it back together as quickly as possible. Bragging rights about having the fastest hands at SXSW might be incentive enough, but we’re sweetening the deal by awarding the competitor with the best time an ASUS Eee PC netbook.

We’ll post the current “Time to Beat” on a board in the booth so you can keep that netbook in your sights. The competition details will be available in the booth.

Our Social Events

If the time you spend hanging out with us in our booth isn’t enough for you, you’re in luck. We are participating in a few phenomenal social events, so you can party hardy with us as well.

Saturday, March 13: RSVP and meet us at Emo’s Austin at 6:30 p.m. to get your SXSW experience started on the right foot. We’ve teamed up with Tumblr, Kickstarter and SoundCloud to put on a little soiree for a thousand of our closest friends.

With performances by Eclectic Method, DJ Mel and DJ Suspence, you’ll be entertained, and with an open bar for those who RSVP, you’ll be hydrated.

Sunday, March 14: Speaking of hydration, The Planet is participating in the SXSW Block Party on Sunday between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. While you’re schmoozing around, stop by our booth and help us imbibe the beverages we’re bringing in for the occasion.

Monday, March 15: Are you tired yet? We need you to power through one more day and one more party. The Planet is a gold sponsor of the Houston@SXSW event at Hudson on Fifth on Monday from 7:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. If you RSVP to the event, you get yourself on the list to enjoy presentations and exhibits featuring Houston-based companies along with a few film and music showcases.

Stay Updated

You’re now “in the know.” Are you ready for your pop quiz? Luckily, this isn’t going to be the only communication we do about SXSW. To get up-to-the-minute updates and reminders about what we’re doing, be sure to follow us on Twitter: @theplanet. If the stream gets a little noisy, we’ll move some of the updates to @theplanetevents.

See you in Austin!

-Kevin

The 2010 Channel Partners Conference & Expo is underway, and as we finished preparing our booth for the opening of the expo hall, Kevin asked me if I could give a quick overview of The Planet’s channel program for the blog. Given the electric atmosphere on the show floor, I couldn’t resist!

We offer several ways for businesses to partner with us, so if you’ve ever wondered how The Planet and the channel can benefit you, take a minute to watch this crash course:

As I mentioned in the video, if you have any questions or want any more details about our channel partnership opportunities, leave a comment!

-Lewis

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Trade shows are opportunities to meet new people and old people.”

It’s not very poetic, but neither is the Thoreau I’m quoting … he’s actually the unkempt 50-something neighbor I run into every now and then when I check my mail. I forgot his name after the first time he introduced himself (it was either Henry or David), and his tattered appearance and hermit-like quality reminds me of someone just returning from an extended stay on Walden Pond. So, I arrived at the code name Thoreau, kind of like a McDreamy … minus the dashing good looks and medical degree. And ability to contribute in a large way to society (scripted for TV or not).

But I digress. The words of (neighbor) Thoreau are not wrong, and we’ve got a got a stacked event schedule for the month of March. Be sure to check us out if you’re in the area, so we can seize the opportunity to meet all the new people (and old people) we can.

Here’s a brief snapshot of where we’ll be in the coming month:

Connect10 – March 1-2 – Orlando, FL

The Planet is one of the co-sponsors for Connect10 – the Sant customer conference. Sant Corp. provides software to major corporations for sales proposal and RFP response creation, and they’re also one of our managed hosting customers. Their two-day customer conference in Orlando is chock-full of excellent sessions on how companies can best leverage the Sant software suite.

When you’re roaming the halls at the conference, be sure to stop by our table and pick up a tchotchke or two.

Channel Partners Conference – March 1-3 – Las Vegas, NV

Last fall, we launched The Planet Partner Plus – our channel program encompassing referral partners, resellers, and affiliates. Since then, we’ve been looking to evangelize the program to members of the partner community, and where better to do that than at THE conference for channel partners? (And, it doesn’t hurt that it’s in Vegas.)

We’ll be setting up shop at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in booth 1326 on the Expo Hall floor, and we’ll be giving away a couple video cameras, so it would behoove you to come say hi!

Visit the Channel Partners Conference site for more information.

South By Southwest – March 13-15 – Austin, TX

Last but certainly not least, The Planet will be making its first-ever appearance at South By Southwest Interactive, and we couldn’t be more excited. Held just a few hours away from our Houston headquarters in Austin, Texas, the show has earned a national reputation for consistently popularizing emerging technology, from social media platforms to the latest and greatest websites.

We’re looking forward to meeting customers, prospects and new friends of all kinds – from software and web developers to e-commerce entrepreneurs. We’ve got a few surprises planned, so make sure to keep an eye out for us.

-Katie