Eric Kennedy's answers

My senior project in Computer Science was a peer-to-peer replication system that allowed each peer to make changes even if it was disconnected from the network. That type of replication system is called optimistic, since it optimistically assumes that the other peers won't edit the same file(s) before the peer is reconnected to the network and synchronization can occur. It was similar to source control systems like Subversion/CVS, were if conflicts do occur, they must be manually reconciled by a user. In contrast, ATMs use a pessimistic replication system where they temporarily lock your bank account while they deduct funds. That prevents conflicts from occuring, but requires a robust network where all peers are connected.

It was a fun and challenging project. You can read more about it here: http://zoo.cs.yale.edu/classes/cs490/01-02b/ken......

In 1999-2000, I created the system that Yale uses to manage registrations for alumni reunions: http://www.aya.yale.edu/reunions

The site was extended and updated over the next few years, and is still in use 6 years later. I worked with a great team at the Association of Yale Alumni, and it was a great experience to build a system that was used by tens of thousands of alumni. It was also great to have that background when I went to Expedia, since I could apply my experience building an incremental hotel reservation system for Yale to the projects at Expedia....