Locking this topic based on suggestions from the BTSX update thread. You can make new threads referring to individual posts (click "title" link above each post for direct link).
Good news everyone!
Forum member unlimited_power has joined me on this project! He is currently doing research here at CMU, and just like me he has lots of free time and is way into this project. He has a master's in ECE and undergrad double major in CS/ECE. Every objective technical qualification that I have which impressed Dan, this guy has me beat.
I've written some code to simplify writing tests and then wrote passing tests which cover the most basic success/fail cases for starting new auctions. Instead of spending time finishing those, I will spend time catching unlimited_power up and let him fill out more of the tests to get a sense of the code. I will hop back on this if it looks like we're going to miss the end-of-week target in the OP. While he does this I will spend a bit more time doing non-technical work, like writing the FAQ and content for the website.
Unlimited power, hmmmm? Let's start out just drawing 1.21 Jiggawatts and then gradually ramp it up from there over the next 24 hours...
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qa-wn60e4es/TN1ezxokTyI/AAAAAAAABB8/ADyCpBZo00M/s320/Clocktower1955.PNG)