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The Telecom Digest for June 26, 2011
Volume 30 : Issue 156 : "text" Format
====== 29 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ====== |
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we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime. - Geoffrey Welsh
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
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Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:09:33 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: NYSE Euronext Aims To Solve Glitches As Trading Hit Again
Message-ID: <p0624080dca264841bb2d@[10.0.1.6]>
UPDATE: NYSE Euronext Aims To Solve Glitches As Trading Hit Again
Maarten van Tartwijk
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
JUNE 21, 2011
AMSTERDAM (Dow Jones)--Trans-Atlantic exchange operator NYSE Euronext
(NYX) promised Tuesday to address technical problems that disrupted
trading in its European markets for the second straight day.
The ongoing problems come as NYSE Euronext aims to seal its tie-up
with Deutsche Boerse AG (DB1.XE) to create the world's largest share-
and derivatives-trading platform. The plan highlights a new round of
consolidation in the global exchange industry.
NYSE Euronext shareholders will vote on the proposed merger July 7,
less than a week before a July 13 deadline for Deutsche Boerse
holders to tender their shares.
The technical glitch on Tuesday disrupted trading in a wide range of
markets, including Amsterdam's AEX and Brussels' Bel-20 benchmark
indexes. In Paris, trading in some stocks and bonds was suspended
while the market for derivative products was unaffected, said
Caroline Tourrier, a Paris-based NYSE Euronext spokeswoman. In
Lisbon, meanwhile, trading in exchange-traded funds was disrupted.
...
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110621-703436.html
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:46:21 +1000
From: David Clayton <dcstarbox-usenet@yahoo.com.au>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Power failure cuts phone, internet services
Message-ID: <pan.2011.06.22.07.46.21.32022@yahoo.com.au>
For some background, the affected area is semi-rural but it does cover a
fair bit of territory. Pretty embarrassing for the major telco (Telstra)
to have services go down because of a simple power failure.
Interesting that mobile services were (apparently) not affected but
landlines were!
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/power-failure-cuts-phone-internet-services-20110622-1gev7.html
Power failure cuts phone, internet services
Nino Bucci
June 22, 2011 - 3:58PM
Tens of thousands of phone lines and internet services have gone down for
almost four hours after a power outage in Victoria's east.
Telstra services were affected by the planned power outage when their
generator failed, a spokesman said.
Home phones and internet services failed from Morwell to Bairnsdale
following the outage about 10.20am.
Power was restored about 2.10pm.
The Telstra spokesman said internet services and most phone lines had been
restored. No mobile phone services had been affected.
"We apologise to customers for any inconvenience," he said.
"It was an unforeseen problem."
It is not clear if other telecommunications companies were affected.
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:56:36 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Flash Exploits on the Loose: Update Now
Message-ID: <p06240825ca28f1a4ed9b@[10.0.1.6]>
Flash Exploits on the Loose: Update Now
It is Critical You Update Your Adobe Flash Player
Hopefully you noticed that earlier in the week Adobe issued multiple
security updates, which included an update for Adobe Flash Player by
way of APSB11-18. What you may not know is that the issue fixed by
this update, CVE-2011-2110, is being exploited in the wild on a
fairly large scale. In particular this exploit is showing up as a
drive-by in several legitimate websites, including those belonging to
various NGOs, aerospace companies, a Korean news site, an Indian
Government website, and a Taiwanese University. The links are also
being used in targeted spear phishing attacks designed to lure
particular individuals into clicking the links with hopes of
compromising their machines. In case there is any doubt at all, this
is very bad. If you run a version of Adobe Flash that is older than
10.3.181.26 (or 10.3.181.24 for Android), then is is absolutely
critical that you update your Flash Player.
...
http://www.shadowserver.org/wiki/pmwiki.php/Calendar/20110617
Check Flash Player version
http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/
Download Adobe Flash Player
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
Technical Cyber Security Alert TA11-166A
Adobe Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA11-166A.html
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:48:04 -0700
From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Flash Exploits on the Loose: Update Now
Message-ID: <siegman-0A47CF.07480424062011@bmedcfsc-srv02.tufts.ad.tufts.edu>
In article <p06240825ca28f1a4ed9b@[10.0.1.6]>,
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> wrote:
> Flash Exploits on the Loose: Update Now
> It is Critical You Update Your Adobe Flash Player
>
> Hopefully you noticed that earlier in the week Adobe issued multiple
> security updates, which included an update for Adobe Flash Player
> If you run a version of Adobe Flash that is older than
> 10.3.181.26 (or 10.3.181.24 for Android), then is is absolutely
> critical that you update your Flash Player.
Where does a nervous novice find Adobe Flash Player (or a relevant Adobe
Updater) on his Mac, so he can start them up and check for updates and
version numbers?
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:22:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Wes Leatherock <wleathus@yahoo.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Order Sushi Like a Native, and Know What You're Eating
Message-ID: <419847.79061.qm@web111722.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
--- On Sat, 6/18/11, Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> wrote:
> From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
> Subject: Order Sushi Like a Native, and Know What You're Eating
> To: redacted@invalid.telecom-digest.org.
> Date: Saturday, June 18, 2011, 11:48 PM
>
> Order Sushi Like a Native, and Know What You're Eating
>
> By BOB TEDESCHI
> June 8, 2011
> Want to take someone down a notch? Take them to a sushi bar and ask
> them to order. Even sushi fans face a moment of uncertainty when a
> server who is clearly fluent in Japanese addresses the
> table. Novices have it even worse.
> Did you just order the salmon or another bottle of sake? Will that
> tuna come with rice or will it appear as a solitary slab on a plate?
> And was it maguro tuna or toro tuna? (You'll know when the bill
> comes.)
> Mobile apps can solve these mysteries, while also helping you avoid
> the contempt of the sushi chef and staff who lack the time to
> explain every item on the menu while the rest of the restaurant
> beckons.
I do not understand why I should care about the "contempt of the sushi
chief." I'm a customer, he's a salesman or craftsperson.
I have never had any urge to speak with a waiter in a foreign
language. I am a customer, and if I am in an English-speaking area
such as the U.S.A. I expect waiters and other people service customers
in a business to speak the language of their customers.
I have no desire to match wits with a waiter. In this area I expect
waiters in Mexican restaurants to speak English. I feel the same way
with any vendor. It's not up to the customer to adapt to the
business, but for the business to adapt to their customers' wants and
needs.
Of course, I donm't have any reverence for restaurants that think they
are high-toned, and I don't understand why a customer would be taken
down a notch because they don't speak some language other than the
language of the country in which they are located.
Wes Leatherock
wleathus@yahoo.com
wesrock@aol.com
Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:15:48 +0000 (UTC)
From: David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today
Message-ID: <itgqnk$83g$1@reader1.panix.com>
Tom Horne <hornetd@gmail.com> writes:
>In much of the US the most common type of widespread weather emergency
>is an ice storm. Since these storms cause both trees and power
>utility poles to collapse into the street, that poses obvious problems
>to mobile crews attempting to restore service or to keep sites
>operational by recharging batteries with mobile generators.
After an Arkansas ice storm some years back; Bell South deployed
portable generators at SLC's and such; and soon discovered that
if/when the power was down for multiple days, there was no
chain&lock big enough to keep them from being stolen.
One thing that DOES work well [outside of shake&bake states
located on fault lines..] are in-place natural-gas driven
generators at the SLC. Even in the worst weather, natural gas is
VERY dependable outside of earthquake regions. But they are not
free; either to install or maintain.
>Earthquakes can hardly be called weather but they do cause widespread
>damage to communications infrastructure.
True, but lots of outside plant will survive; not ALL earthquakes
crack the earth wide open, and even downed poles often have intact
trunkage. Power, however...
>What may be driving public concern is the greater dependance that
>people have on these systems and the fact that modern communications
>has become more brittle with it's increasing sophistication.
We are far less self-reliant than we were a few decades ago.
{FIOS vs POTS} This is a valid issue. It's not helped by the
fact that Verizontal tries to whitewash concerns with "no one
will ever be dialtone-less" bell juice when we know the truth;
no power, no talk.
The best answer is discard the 7.2 AH battery and buy a 60-75AH
battery at WalMart; and a few lengths of wire. THAT will outlast
a multi-day outage. [It will take a week to recharge, but so
what?]
>One real barrier to public understanding of these systems is that the
>folks in charge of them use security concerns to shield their actions
>from public scrutiny.
Gads yes.... Always kill the messenger....
BTW, vertical shaft lawn mower engines are ill-suited to driving belts;
they lack bearing designed for side loads.
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:58:00 -0700
From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today
Message-ID: <siegman-8F8AA6.07580024062011@bmedcfsc-srv02.tufts.ad.tufts.edu>
In article <itgqnk$83g$1@reader1.panix.com>,
David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com> wrote:
>
> BTW, vertical shaft lawn mower engines are ill-suited to driving belts;
> they lack bearing designed for side loads.
But presumably could handle "drop on top" accessories, if that
capability were desirable enough to have been designed in from the
beginning . . .
***** Moderator's Note *****
I think this is one of those "solution looking for a problem"
situations. The subset of people who are willing to pay a premium to
obtain a lawnmower with a PTO AND the needed extra
only-works-with-the-lawnmower alternator is, IMHO, too small for any
company to make money at it.
Not to mention the frightening accident statistics associated with
PTO's on tractors...
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:34:20 -0500
From: rpw3@rpw3.org (Rob Warnock)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today
Message-ID: <IN2dnSjLS6bR4WDQnZ2dnUVZ_s2dnZ2d@speakeasy.net>
Tom Horne <hornetd@gmail.com> wrote:
+---------------
| In 2003 my land line POTS telephone was the only utility that remained
| working after Hurricane Isabel came through my area. It stayed working
| because it was a wire line and it was powered from the exchange. I
| had always made it a point to have one wired telephone connected on
| the busiest floor of my home. Now I have FIOS or Fibre Optic Service
| for the sake of the much faster data rate it gives me. Since fiber
| cannot carry power my phone will die as soon as the battery in my
| Customer Service Unit (CSU) is exhausted.
+---------------
The good news is that you can power the CSU from a small local UPS
if you like. The bad news is that it may not help very much if there's
a remote DSLAM between you and the CO, since its batteries have
a limited hold-up time as well (~8 hrs, I've been told) if city
utility power goes off wherever the DSLAM is.
[A friend of mine had this happen to him during one of the Colorado
fires not to long ago. He had plenty of UPS, solar, and even backup
generators, but the fire fighters told the local power company to
shut off distribution to that whole area and the Qwest remote DSLAM
feeding him died a short while later. (*sigh*)]
-Rob
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Rob Warnock <rpw3@rpw3.org>
627 26th Avenue http://rpw3.org/
San Mateo, CA 94403
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:13:00 -0700
From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today
Message-ID: <siegman-B2BB5C.09130020062011@bmedcfsc-srv02.tufts.ad.tufts.edu>
I> On Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:05:22 -0700, AES <siegman@stanford.edu> wrote:
>
> >Snipped per moderator's request...
> >
> >I think I'll go talk to my patent attorney . . .
an in article <efmmv6p0mi53m5l2fgpo9uef9sebfnmroc@4ax.com>,
Eric Tappert <e.tappert.spamnot@worldnet.att.net> replied:
> You may be able to get a patent, but the reality is that all of these
> schemes have very serious safety issues. [which he then lists]
I did in fact say in my original post that I understood why my solar
system ceased to generate 110 V AC when the public utility power failed;
and I meant by this that I do understand essentially all the reasons
raised in Eric's reply.
In fact, I think of these as being as much damage issues as safety
issues: Neither of us would want to do anything that would open up any
possibilities of blowing up an expensive solar system, or blowing up any
of the public utility facilities, or blowing up any of our house wiring.
So, if the "Honda lawnmower as backup generator" idea that my wife
proposed ever came to reality (which I still think would be a neat idea,
but which I suspect is pretty unlikely), I would absolutely disconnect
my house entirely from both the solar system and the utility connection
before connecting it to the lawnmower.
Or, more likely, I would bring the lawnmower around to the least damaged
part of the house, and plug directly into it (or into an extension cord
connected only to it) a few lights, a coffee maker (first things
first!), and maybe a surviving microwave oven or electric blanket. I
doubt it would drive much more than that anyway.
I wouldn't mess with any other connections between the solar system, the
public utility, and the rest of the house, except as directed by higher
authorities (and my wife would of course get the patent, and the
royalties from Honda).
As for the idea of having an optional charging rack bullt into the solar
system's inverter which would hold a few standard Black & Decker tool
batteries and charge them _directly on a DC to DC basis_, entirely
independently of whether the 110 V generating function was functioning
or not, I do continue to think that is a very useful and sensible
concept.
>From my knowledge of semiconductor electronics I'm pretty confident that
tapping off a percent or two of the juice coming from the solar panels
directly for this purpose would be trivial, whether the rest of the
inverter box was making 110 V AC or not. And, in a multi-day power
outage, those batteries and the appliances they could drive could very
handy.
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:49:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Horne <hornetd@gmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today
Message-ID: <28c20d0d-886a-47b8-bc3f-f2acdd3d77e2@n28g2000vbs.googlegroups.com>
On Jun 17, 9:46 am, Eric Tappert <e.tappert.spam...@worldnet.att.net>
wrote:
> On Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:05:22 -0700, AES <sieg...@stanford.edu> wrote:
> >Snipped per moderator's request...
>
> >I think I'll go talk to my patent attorney . . .
>
> You may be able to get a patent, but the reality is that all of these
> schemes have very serious safety issues. Your solar array is
> connected to the grid and backfeeding the grid poses serious safety
> issues to the linemen (linefolks???) trying to restore your service.
> The same logic applies to the lawn mower generator as it will likely
> be plugged into the house electrical system, with the same backfeed
> issues. BTW, lots of folks say they'll flip the main breaker, but
> that's not a guarantee that they will in a blackout. The disconnect
> form the grid needs to be automatic and complete. That is a
> fundamental safety requirement.
>
> The proper way to do standby generators is to connect them through a
> listed transfer switch to prevent any backfeed issues. Also, your
> inverter on the solar array needs a 60 Hz source to sync to, so
> without utility power it needs to shut down. The power it generates
> is dependent on the sunlight reaching the array, therefore it varies
> from minute to minute (clouds anyone??). Connecting to an almost
> infintie bus (the power grid) allows proper operation. Standalone
> operation requires matching the load to the generated power, second
> by econd. Not a trivial or cheap task.
>
> All appliances expect 60 Hz power with reasonable voltage regulation.
> Great care needs to be had to make sure that is not violated to avoid
> safety issues.
>
> Do things "right" and live long and prosperous...
>
> ET
Objection! Assumes facts not in evidence.
There are inverter control arrangements readily available that will
open the connection to the grid and divert the solar output to
batteries on the loss of synchronization with the grid. These are not
in common use but they do exist. As for the connection of generators
to household wiring it is readily and inexpensively done. Listed
transfer interlocks are available for sixty dollars or so from most
electrical panel manufacturers. They are manual in operation but so
long as the physical interlock is not tampered with in some radical
way it is not possible to cross connect the utility and the localized
power source. Thus I would quarrel with the statement that "The
disconnect from the grid needs to be automatic and complete." It does
not need to be either automatic or complete to be completely safe. In
fact most transfer arrangements are not complete because between
having a switch, or additional switch pole, to open the neutral
conductor and isolating the neutral from ground at the generator the
later is always cheaper although it is not always done.
Let me take a moment to say that the real risk of relying on the main
breaker alone comes from two problems. The one you have addressed is
human error. The other is the common existence of sneak current paths
in many home wiring to grid connections. Examples of such paths
include; power theft by a previous owner of the property, peek period
metering arrangements for certain loads that were discontinued by
simply paralleling the service conductors to a single meter; and the
most common one, which is the existence of hundreds of thousands of
split buss panels where the main disconnecting means is up to six
breakers, switches, or pull outs rather than just one. When the back
fed outlet is supplied from one of those six main breakers its utility
supply pathway is always connected to the grid. Thus in order to get
power into the home you have to close the disconnect that supplies the
back fed outlet and the one that serves the lower portion of the panel
that contains all of the single pole circuits. Doing that causes a
grid back feed every time.
As for matching the load to the power source "second by second", that
is where an inverter generator, or equivalent assembly such as a pup,
battery, and inverter arrangement really shines. The inverter can
adjust to the load much faster than any mechanical device and the
Motor Generator (MG) does not have to adjust at all. The MG just
keeps running at the same rate and leaves the battery to power the
start up swings in the load. The MG need only be capable of carrying
all of the running loads and can adjust to those loads at any rate
that it can handle.
--
Tom Horne
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:51:48 -0400
From: Eric Tappert <e.tappert.spamnot@worldnet.att.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today
Message-ID: <me49079fp8ar57ttm2toi36iu843qfngtb@4ax.com>
On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:49:52 -0700 (PDT), Tom Horne
<hornetd@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Jun 17, 9:46 am, Eric Tappert <e.tappert.spam...@worldnet.att.net>
>wrote:
>> On Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:05:22 -0700, AES <sieg...@stanford.edu> wrote:
>> >Snipped per moderator's request...
>>
>> >I think I'll go talk to my patent attorney . . .
>>
>> You may be able to get a patent, but the reality is that all of these
>> schemes have very serious safety issues. Your solar array is
>> connected to the grid and backfeeding the grid poses serious safety
>> issues to the linemen (linefolks???) trying to restore your service.
[Moderator snip]
>> The proper way to do standby generators is to connect them through a
>> listed transfer switch to prevent any backfeed issues. Also, your
>> inverter on the solar array needs a 60 Hz source to sync to, so
>> without utility power it needs to shut down.
[Moderator snip]
>Objection! Assumes facts not in evidence.
>
>There are inverter control arrangements readily available that will
>open the connection to the grid and divert the solar output to
>batteries on the loss of synchronization with the grid. These are not
>in common use but they do exist. As for the connection of generators
>to household wiring it is readily and inexpensively done. Listed
>transfer interlocks are available for sixty dollars or so from most
>electrical panel manufacturers. They are manual in operation but so
>long as the physical interlock is not tampered with in some radical
>way it is not possible to cross connect the utility and the localized
>power source. Thus I would quarrel with the statement that "The
>disconnect from the grid needs to be automatic and complete." It does
>not need to be either automatic or complete to be completely safe. In
>fact most transfer arrangements are not complete because between
>having a switch, or additional switch pole, to open the neutral
>conductor and isolating the neutral from ground at the generator the
>later is always cheaper although it is not always done.
[Moderator snip]
It should be noted that perhaps my choice of "automatic" was
misleading in the sense that a properly designed transfer switch can
be manually operated. The specific technical requirements are in the
listing specifications and, I believe (I don't have my code book with
me...) that the NEC requires listed inverter and/or transfer equipment.
In my area the utility also requires listed inverters for solar or
wind power connections. That is the basic safety standard. Most
inverters used with small wind or solar units shut the unit down on
loss of utility power. Some inverters are capable of "island"
operation, but are more expensive and not nearly as common. Special
care must be taken when re-connecting to the grid as the frequency and
phase of the inverter output will have shifted.
Transfer switches generally are required to "break" the utility
connection before "making" the alternate supply connection. There are
some types that do allow for a small interval of common connection,
but again these are specially designed for specific situations and are
tested to assure safety.
The neutral is grounded at the service entrance and the utility
transformer (among other places...), so it can be treated differently
than the phase conductors. Commonly it is not disconnected. There
are circumstances where it is desirable to disconnect the neutral, but
as was pointed out the transfer switch to accomplish this requires an
extra pole. Timing of the neutral transfer with respect to the phase
transfers may also be an issue.
The point of the original post was that gerry rigged connections that
do not use the appropriate, listed equipment connected correctly are,
in fact, very dangerous and should not be used in any circumstances.
ET
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:01:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Horne <hornetd@gmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today
Message-ID: <b9ac1afd-bced-4918-8bcd-8f7d013caf0b@j28g2000vbp.googlegroups.com>
On Jun 16, 2:17 pm, Pete Cresswell <x...@y.Invalid.telecom-digest.org>
wrote:
> Per Tom Horne:
>
> >fact that modern communications
> >has become more brittle with it's increasing sophistication.
>
> After reading about the aftermath of Katrina (and knowing nothing
> much technical...) I started thinking it would be a good thing if
> there could be some sort of standard for cell towers and internet
> connection hardware where, in a pinch, every box could be
> operated from 12v DC. Seems like automobile batteries would be
> in pretty good supply in almost any disaster...
> --
> PeteCresswell
Automotive Starting Lighting and Ignition (SLI) batteries that are
used that way are rapidly destroyed. They are unlikely to survive
more than a few deep discharge cycles before becoming useless. They
are built with thinner plates than deep cycle batteries in order to
permit them to provide a lot of current for the starting motor in a
very short time. That is why they are rated in Cold Cranking Amps.
--
Tom Horne
Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:19:26 +1000
From: David Clayton <dcstarbox-usenet@yahoo.com.au>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today
Message-ID: <pan.2011.06.18.08.19.22.481211@yahoo.com.au>
On Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:19:48 -0700, Lisa or Jeff wrote:
> On Jun 15, 5:06Â am, David Clayton <dcstarbox-use...@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
.........
>> Does anyone know if there have been studies done to show what actually
>> happens in disaster areas, rather than what we all individually may
>> think happens because one day our own lives may depend on the reality
>> rather than the perception?
>
> That is a good question. As we know from the literature, the old Bell
> System went to great lengths to assess and minimize that risk against
> economic realities.
>
> But to answer such a question we must first define what a "disaster" is.
> My town was flooded by the river three times in four years after not
> having a problem in 50 years (and fortunately none in a few years since).
> Each flood was deemed a "disaster". But our flooding wasn't as bad as the
> midwest very recently, and of course no where near as bad as Katrina and
> New Orleans. (Our C.O. is on a main street above the flood plain.)
>
> Likewise, last winter we had a nasty 20" snowstorm that brought down power
> lines. Landline phones kept working. Restoration of electric power took
> between six hours and 60 hours, depending on where the crews got to first.
> That was a 'borderline disaster' and they were ready to open schools as
> emergency shelters. But it is not at all unusual in the US for a large
> area to get hit with a very severe snow or thunderstorm causing power
> outages of 96 hours. Then we have the really bad, but fortunately rare
> tornados.
>
> (I suppose they have some official rating scale, but I don't know it.)
My question is based on the rapid changes in comms technology and the way
we increasingly rely on 24/7 availability these days, you would think that
this is the sort of thing that needs some solid quantification (is that a
word?) of what works and what doesn't so we know if we building more or
less resilient infrastructure.
I would have thought that this would be the sort of thing
industry/governments would be finding out as a matter of urgency, or
Universities would be pursuing as a matter of public importance (versus
researching slight increases in cancer risks using cellphones, for
instance).
If I was 20 years younger I might initiate a study myself! ;-)
--
Regards, David.
David Clayton
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a
measure of how many questions you have.
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:56:50 +0000 (UTC)
From: tls@panix.com (Thor Lancelot Simon)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: New telephone area-code 431 in Winnipeg area?
Message-ID: <ito8m1$eiq$1@reader1.panix.com>
In article <it3967$8ab$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
>In article <4DF2579D.E927FA74@Guy.com>, Some Guy <Some@Guy.com> wrote:
>>How exactly can someone inject their own caller-ID information into the
>>phone system?
>
>Order a T-1 from the telco. You send the telco the audio and the signalling
>information in digital format. That includes the CID.
...which are then suppose to go out on the next signaling link marked
as "caller provided" rather than "network provided". The standards are
very, very explicit about this. The carrier is allowed to mark the
calling party number as "network provided" only if the carrier actually
can associate the number provided by the calling party's equipment with
the same Billing Telephone Number (BTN) that would be otherwise provided
as ANI.
Carriers which don't do this, and mark arbitrary caller-provided numbers
as "network provided", should be disconnected from the PSTN.
--
Thor Lancelot Simon tls@panix.com
"All of my opinions are consistent, but I cannot present them all
at once." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau, On The Social Contract
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:43:53 -0400
From: tlvp <tPlOvUpBErLeLsEs@hotmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Order Sushi Like a Native, and Know What You're Eating
Message-ID: <op.vxeybfuritl47o@acer250.gateway.2wire.net>
On Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:48:41 -0400, Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> wrote:
>
> Order Sushi Like a Native, and Know What You're Eating
>
> ***** Moderator's Note *****
>
> It's fish. Go buy a pole.
>
> Bill Horne
> Moderator
Poles may do fish, but not like the Japanese do :-) .
Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:02:46 -0500 (CDT)
From: jsw <jsw@ivgate.omahug.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Computer Failure Delays United Flights Nationwide
Message-ID: <201106201402.p5KE2kOX091081@ivgate.omahug.org>
Of course we've all heard that Untied is blaming this on a 'Network
Connectivity Issue'. (If you don't know, blame the network !!)
Does anyone know what long-haul data networks Untied uses for its
connectivity ??
Reason I'm asking is that I'm aware of several idiopathic network
flaps and one sustained outage on one of the major carrier's
networks during the approximate timeframe of Untied's problems.
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:21:02 -0700
From: Bruce Bergman <brucebergman.remove-this@and-this-too.gmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Battery power support today [Obfuscate]
Message-ID: <BANLkTikp_7m7zbXYM4Rus3owUL68+rLXdg@mail.gmail.com>
On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 12:20 AM, <telecom-owner@telecom-digest.org> wrote:
> The Telecom Digest
> Volume 30 : Issue 153 : "text" Format
>
> Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:05:22 -0700
> From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>
> To: redacted@invalid.telecom-digest.org.
> Subject: Re: Battery power support today
> Message-ID: <siegman-C100B6.12052216062011@sciid-srv02.med.tufts.edu>
>
> Since the thoughtful discussion by Tom Horne <hornetd@gmail.com> at
> <482ffaae-e702-4ef9-ab5d-4444bdd5c202@z37g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>,
> contains the following sentence
>
> > I also have a generator that I maintain and test quite
> > regularly, but not many homes are so well equipped.
>
> 1) I'll toss in the following idea which my wife actually suggested
> some years ago, and which I think is remarkably ingenious.
>
> Suppose your gasoline-powered lawn mower included access to its drive
> shaft in some way _from the top_, and the mower manufacturer also sold a
> small free-standing (unpowered) generator with a matching fitting _on
> the bottom_.
>
> When the power fails, pull off a small cap on the top of the mower
> housing, opening up access to the motor shaft a small distance down
> inside a 1" or so diameter hole.
>
> Drop the generator onto the top of the mower, firmly held in place with
> some matching brackets or fittings on top of the mover enclosure, and
> with its shaft making a mating connection to the mower shaft. Pull the
> starting cord, and you've got electricity -- and in many parts of the
> country your new primary power source will have been not just tested but
> usefully employed once a week, most of the weeks in the past year.
>
> [I've in fact been making use of a smaller but analogous single power
> source, multiple accessory tool combination earlier this morning, in the
> form of one of a remarkably useful hand-held Braun electric gadget which
> a shaft which matches up to and powers a whole variety of kitchen
> blenders and stirrers. And Honda in fact actually both gas-powered
> mowers and gas-powered home generators, does it not?]
>
It is a nice idea, but not all that practical - you almost have to get (or
build) a dedicated generator set to do this with. For openers, the engine
has to hold 1800 or 3600 RPM, so the generator holds 60 Hz fairly closely -
many electronic devices do NOT do well when the power input takes major
voltage or frequency excursions. And that takes a purpose designed governo
r
system on the engine to apply throttle as necessary to hold the prime mover
running speed in a very narrow range.
There is an an air-vane governor in the average lawnmower engine, but it is
a very rough control meant to deal with hitting a patch of extra heavy or
wet grass without stalling the engine - and then not overspeeding the engin
e
past the safe redline when your grass is all cut. It will allow several
hundred RPM of speed variation before reacting, when you want to stay withi
n
5 to 10 RPM of ideal.
They DO Make Tractor PTO operated generator sets that take the 540 RPM PTO
Shaft output, wind it up to 1800 RPM with a step-up gearbox, and use a
4-pole alternator. But the average farm tractor also has a fairly sensitiv
e
engine governor built in, and will hold the speed for 60 Hz power generatio
n
tight enough for most uses. And you just took the tractor out of service a
s
a tractor for use on generator duty when you might need it most as a tracto
r
- like digging yourself out of the Blizzard Of The Century.
You can build up a generator set yourself out of a salvaged car engine, but
you'll spend a few hundred bucks on the controls and the special governor.
Much easier to buy what you need, and just run it every month to keep it i
n
good shape.
2) As another take on the same residential emergency power backup
> theme: I have 10 kW of solar on my roof (large 4-household residence,
> all on one meter, hence most of our usage would otherwise be at premium
> rates that are much are than the baseline rate in our area). But, this
> system goes out and becomes useless for generating 110 VAC if the local
> utility power fails (and I understand why).
>
> But suppose the inverters for this system included some very modest
> additional electronics that could also divert a small fraction of the
> juice from these panels to directly charge, _DC to DC_, a small array of
> a half dozen or dozen of the standard 18 V or 24 V batteries that power
> ordinary hardware-store variety power tools (drills, small saws, etc),
> all sitting in a rack right beside the inverters.
>
> Our local power company is knocked out for a week, but there's still
> some sunshine? we could at least glean some renewable energy every
> day to power small tools, maybe communications gear, lights for after
> dark, maybe even some cooking.
>
> And all the rest of the time, we could still keep these batteries
> charged without the DC-to-AC-back to DC efficiency that's otherwise
> involved in doing this.
>
> I think I'll go talk to my patent attorney . . .
>
They already make Solar inverter systems that can be fairly easily switched
over from "Online Utility Tied" to "Offline battery bank with Auto-Start
Generator Backup" modes manually with a few switches and a few minutes work
,
and you can be totally free of the grid. But it has to be manually
initiated for safety reasons - the Utility won't let you tie it in directly
and automatically without that precaution. You need safety switches betwee
n
the Utility and your solar system, and manual Lockout/Tagout procedures so
there's no way you can backfeed power toward the Utility and shock a few
unsuspecting linemen...
One of them that I have researched is the Sunny Island series from Sunny
Boy, I'm certain there are others. And they do cost quite a bit more than
a
purely Online system from what I'm told, plus buying the bank of Lead-Acid
storage batteries it will need to run with is a non-trivial cost - you need
several hundred to a few thousand amp-hours of tank-cell batteries at 48V
nominal. (Gee, a 26-cell string, just like a telephone Central Office...)
Not to mention building a sturdy battery rack (seismically reinforced where
necessary) and isolating it from children and pets in a dedicated and
secured room for safety - that's a lot of Sulfuric Acid. You would need to
partition off one side of the garage for the battery room, or fill half the
basement if you have one.
If you live somewhere that the utility power grid isn't all that reliable,
it would make sense to spend the money and upgrade.
--<< Bruce >>--
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:47:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Lisa or Jeff <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Cellphone distraction blamed for fatal tugboat-sightseeing boat accident
Message-ID: <63248acf-43bb-498d-8fc8-e31a9a79eb70@ct4g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>
The Phila Inqr reported that the NTSB said a tugboat officer, focused
on his cellphone and laptop, allowed his tug to push its barge into a
stranded sightseeing boat. Ironically, it was a family medical
emergency that got him to the phone.
for full article please see:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110622_NTSB_blames_distracted_operators_in_Ride_the_Ducks_accident.html
see also: "NTSB: Culture of driving with phones must stop"
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/20110621_ap_ntsbcultureofdrivingwithphonesmustchange.html?ref=more-like-this
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