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Bill Gibson entered the PC World “Dream PC Contest,” in which the editors planned to give away the “biggest, baddest, best PC.”

The 60-year-old Fairbanksan had been reading PC World online as he researched options for a new computer. He studied the subject and bought one.

Three weeks later, he won the dream contest.

The “biggest, baddest, best PC” arrived in 19 boxes from FedEx and included a long list of high-end gadgets, accessories, a $1,500 customized paint job and software selected by editors seeking the “ultimate desktop computer.”

The magazine values the package at $32,858, including 100 hours of labor to make sure the parts worked together. There are three 24-inch monitors and about three dozen off-the-shelf components.

The heart of the machine is an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Processor valued at $1,014. Several hard drives were included, two of which are solid state devices worth $3,000 each.

Gibson said he likes computer games, and this assemblage should meet all of his computing needs.

The magazine’s itemized list of parts includes two high-definition DVD readers priced at $2,000, an Adobe software package worth $2,750 and video cards that sell for $629.

Gibson hasn’t hooked up the ultimate machine yet, as he is waiting for the ultimate rearrangement of his furniture.

“I need to redo my computer room a bit,” he said.

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NEW AIRPORT: The new airport terminal is an impressive and airy structure, but work on the $100 million project continues with renovations beginning on the part of the terminal that was built in the 1980s.

You might want to know that the wood flooring on the second floor, beyond the security checkpoint, is Brazilian cherry. The three-quarter-inch tongue-and-groove boards are glued to the concrete floor and can be sanded to refresh the surface.

The cherry was the most durable of the wood options on the series of test strips trod upon by tens of thousands of people for the past couple of years.

The old baggage claim area is going to be torn down shortly, while the single-story part of the airport will stay in place and be used by commuter airlines until next summer.

By then, the portion of the airport that was added in 1985 will have been remodeled and open for business. The 1985 section is from near the end of the old baggage claim area, past the old escalators and west to the new addition.

The new building will then include the structure that has just been completed and the remodeled two-story addition from the 1980s.

If you find the choreography of this construction dance confusing, you’re not alone.

The complexity of building an airport terminal while it is attached to the old one, with the attendant electronic and security systems, underground baggage conveyor equipment and movable walls that allow sections to be cordoned off for international travel, is not to be underestimated.

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CLEANUP REPORT: I helped pick up litter Friday night for two hours with a friend along the Steese Expressway past Chena Hot Springs Road.

Most of what we picked up appeared to be litter that was deliberately tossed out of the windows of cars and trucks. Wendy’s, Subway, McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks, Holiday, Fred Meyer, Safeway and other institutions were well represented with paper and plastic.

In a half-mile section, we collected about 60 cans — about half of them beer cans — with Budweiser, Coke and Pepsi the beverages of choice.

Marlboro Light is either a brand preferred by litterers or there are a few smokers who live in that part of town that always throw Marlboro Light packs out of their windows. I picked up more than a dozen empty packs of that brand, along with a few Winstons and a couple of Camels.

To the Marlboro Light smoker or smokers, please keep your empties.

We found one license plate in its holder, No. FEP627, a bag with five unopened cans of smoked salmon, old newspapers, lots of junk mail, a plastic funnel, somebody’s pants and enough foam peanuts to insulate a small room.

Uncovered loads in pickup trucks are a big part of the litter problem, but that much of this was obviously deliberately tossed is indicative of something worse.

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UAF SCORES: Ann and Joe Tremarello, who have given much time and talent to UAF during more than a half-century, donated $100,000 to the Joseph Sr. and Rose R. Tremarello Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships to UAF men’s and women’s varsity basketball players.

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ALASKA TRAVEL: The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute still has openings for summer Alaska trips to the Southeast for hiking, the Sitka Music Festival, Glacier Bay National Park and excursions to Nome, Cordova, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and the Tetlin Wildlife Range.

These trips are ideal for older adults. For details, call 474-6607 or go to www.uaf.edu/olli.

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EMERITUS: The university has added the following to its list of retired staff and faculty recognized as emeriti: Roy Bird, Lillian Corti, Stephen Cysewski, John Eichelberger, Donald Kramer, Sheri Layral, Shusun Li, Sue McHenry, Laura Milner, Edward Murphy and Mitchell Roth.

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HEALTH FOOD: Samantha Kirstein of the Fairbanks Community Food Bank says the food collected Saturday by the letter carriers included all sorts of basic supplies that will help those in need.

There was a one-of-a-kind donation, however. I’m referring to the bottle of frog balls.

“On close examination, it was discovered that is really gourmet spicy dill pickled Brussels sprouts, but it is definitely a first for this food bank,” said Kirstein said.

“The story on the label says ‘Tom’s sister, at age 6, decided that Brussels Sprouts were round like meat balls and green like frogs, so they must be frog balls (from Sequoia Valley with love).’

“Larry Baillon was the lucky guy to find it in a sack and the surprise and laughter on his face was one of the highlights of the day. Thanks to the donor who made us laugh the most,” Kirstein said.

Dermot Cole can be reached at cole@newsminer.com or 459-7530.