In the back room a lot of stuff is happening...

Judge Owen Astrachan of Duke University waits for submissions of Problem B. His wait will be quite some time. This problem is for tomorrow's Contest Finals.

Judge Stan Wileman of the University of Nebraska @ Omaha wonders why the oranges are so chewy.

John Clevenger and Dave Brennan watch "Days of Our Lives" on a team's workstation.

Or, perhaps they are checking out a reported anomoly. Every problem must be traced down and fixed before tomorrow's Contest Finals.

Judge Bob Roos looks at Problem A while the other roos look at Bob. They all know I've got them in my sights. No reasoning human smiles while looking at someone else's code!

So the practice session ends with a systems reset.

Balloons are prepared for the victors of the Visual Challenge. The Visual Challenge tests out a new collection of problems and judging techniques for problems submitted as Java Applets developed in Visual J++.

Microsoft's Linda Bookey and Susanne Peterson start the Visual Challenge with rock music and fun gifts. Everybody has a good time while letting off a little steam. James Comer, Lisa Collins, and Paul Lorimer look on.

A team sees the problem statement. Five cans into the contest, its time for a six-pack of Jolt Cola.

Ray Sepeta (East Central North America Contest Director) works with Contest Manager Jennifer Sitton and Finals Director James Comer. The load in the backroom is UNBELIEVABLE! Awards are generated on the fly.

Look at the loot that Microsoft and ACM gave every team! The Microsoft J++ balls come with unlimited user licenses!

Chief Judge Jo Perry joins Susanne in recognizing Harvard's team at the end of the Visual Challenge.

Sweden's Umea University takes top honors in the first Visual Challenge.

And we all join Nik Tapus (Southeast Europe Regional Director) for a great feast at the UPE Reception.

Tomorrow is the day of the world championship ACM Contest Finals. Let's go there next...