“I really wish I had a dedicated Linux computer to run computer vision algorithms on,” said my fiancée a couple of weeks ago. If you were there you would have been blinded by the metaphorical light bulb that lit over my head. You see, just the week before, my friend and co-worker had ordered an old, decommissioned (complete with “non-classified” stickers!) Apple Xserve off of eBay for merely $40. Like my fiancée, he wanted to have a machine for a special purpose: test compilations of open source software on a big-endian architecture. I was quite envious that he was able to hack on such cool hardware for such a cheap price. But, I wasn’t yet ready to bring out my wallet. I couldn’t justify indulging a new hobby without good reason—I was stuck waiting for just the right impetus. I didn’t wait long. My fiancée’s wish became my command!
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