This was my most exciting adventure yet. I visited a new place with no idea of what to expect, and found an ideal location to leave my mark for SF0.

The Word
Today's magic word is: compiler. Where's the nearest place that compiling happens? The U of M, of course. Looks like my destination is the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science building. It's time for urban exploration!

The Background
Believe it or not: I have grown up in Minnesota and spent almost my entire life around the Twin Cities, but managed to almost completely avoid the University of Minnesota campus. I went to college out of state. I've never lived in Minneapolis. I'm kind of lame that way.

But I was a programmer for a little while (I started college with a declared Computer Science major), so I knew a little about compiling. Everything else that I know about the topic, I learned from xkcd.

The Art
So I knew where I was going, but I didn't know what I would leave behind. When it's winter in Minnesota, there's one obvious way for a dude to write something semi-permanent outside (hint: it's in the snow). Although it may be a unique approach (doesn't look like anyone has done it yet), I thought I could do better than that for my task completion.

I started to look for inspiration. Google's image search results for "compiler" were not very interesting! Then I figured, compilers are software, right? They must come in a box. Old computer box art is awesome. I started a new search and hit the jackpot.



It's a glorious image; however, it is insufficient on its own. I wanted to work "SF0" into the image somehow. Scrawling it in a corner with a Sharpie would be too crude, but neither did I want to do anything too obvious. The solution was clear: I hid it in plain sight.



I figured there might be a few computer geeks walking around this building when classes are in session, and they might get a kick out of the retro design. I know I did! With a printout of my SF0TEK compiler art in hand, and thumb tacks and packing tape in my pocket, I headed out towards campus to visit a place that I have never been.

The Adventure

After a week of mostly single-digit temperatures, it was a balmy 20 degrees when I set out to finish this task. Maybe I was a little too excited to get out there, because I started to go a bit over the speed limit, and a highway patrol car swung behind me. Luckily, my exit was coming up. I was careful to signal, moved into the exit ramp, and the police kept on going along the freeway.



I was already sweating and I wasn't even trying to hang the poster yet. I parked at a meter near campus and walked a couple of blocks to the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science building. It was a nice building. I did a quick walk-around to find a hanging spot. That's when I found it: the Wall of Discovery.



How perfect! "The greatest minds look beyond what is to what could be." I thought that this statement was a great match for the spirit of SF0. The Wall of Discovery went on along a path around the whole length back side of the building. At the very end, I found the ideal location for the poster: an x-ray image of a human skull.

At least, I thought that it would be perfect. The display stood out from the wall itself, so I wanted to tape the poster behind it. The only problem was that it was just too wet. I was messing with the tape and I couldn't get it to cut or stick. Another squad car pulled up on the road next to me, and I walked away. Time for plan B.



I briefly considered bailing out and taping the poster on the wall or a trash can, but decided that I couldn't give up on my perfect spot. It was just too exposed. The front doors were open, so I went inside to tape it up out of sight. Properly equipped, I folded the poster discreetly in my hands and headed back out. This time there were people hanging around, and I took photos while I waited for the right moment to hang the word.



Then I heard another siren coming down the road. I know, rationally, that hanging a poster is not a crime. But I still felt nervous. What could it be this time?



This fire truck might have been the perfect distraction. Instead, I took a photo of it. Then I slapped up the poster, captured the photo evidence, and got out of there. I hope the poster will stay on the Wall of Discovery for at least a little while. Maybe someone will trace it back here and 'discover' SF0.