North American Network Operators Group Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical Re: "it appears a beaver picked it up and chewed it in half"
> From [email protected] Thu Jul 8 23:42:27 2004 > From: "Scot Bryhan" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Subject: "it appears a beaver picked it up and chewed it in half" > Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2004 00:38:50 -0400 > > > > Scot, > > > > Here's what we received from the Assocaited Press. > > > > > > -- > > Kendall P. Stanley > > Managing editor > > Petoskey News-Review > > (231) 439-9349 > > (231) 881-4349 (cell) > > > > > > By JOHN FLESHER > > Associated Press Writer > > TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. _ Northeastern Michigan had a problem to chew > on: > > Long-distance phone service was interrupted for more than six hours after > a > > beaver apparently gnawed through a fiber optic cable. > > > > "In my 33 years with the company I've never heard of this happening," said > > John VanWyck, spokesman for Verizon Communications. "I've heard of > squirrels > > chewing aerial cable, but not this." John apparently leads a rather sheltered life. <grin> Northwestern University, in Evanston, IL, has a substantial squirrel population on/near the campus. One which apparently does _not_ 'learn from experience', I might add. All the campus utilities are underground, including the (dual, redundant, diversely routed) main feeds from the local electric utility. At about 2 year intervals, the livestock manages to find a way into one or the other of the electric feed tunnels. 'whatever it is' that the cable manufacturers use to insulate high-voltage high-ampacity wiring with, the local squirrel population finds it to be irresistable. "Pretty soon there was a 'squirrel boom'", and all the 'non-critical' stuff on half the campus goes dark. Note: the 'squirrel boom' is rather impressive -- sounds like the big brother of an M-80 firecracker/simulated morter round. The fault does tend to be self-clearing -- the only physical evidence of the perpetrator is a grease stain for several feet surrounding. plus a distinctive stink. > From [email protected] Thu Jul 8 23:17:23 2004 > From: "John Ferriby" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Subject: RE: concern over public peering points [WAS: Peering point speed publicly available?] > Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2004 00:14:39 -0400 > > > On Wednesday 07 July 2004 02:43 am, [email protected] wrote: > > Which almost begs the question - what's the oddest "WTF??" anybody's > > willing to admit finding under a raised floor, or up in a ceiling or cable > > chase or similar location? (Feel free to change names to protect the > guilty > > if need be....:) > > Raccoons. Came in late one night and heard noises that I didn't > really expect. Turns out the facility had diverse entrances and > multiple conduits - and one of them had been exposed outside due > to some erosion and had been damaged. We found little surprises > for quite awhile after that. > > Undergarments and shoes. His and hers, but no other clothing. Not 'raised-floor', but qualifies for retelling due to the manner in which the situation was dealt with -- When: 50+ years ago. Locale: An urban newspaper, the office of the (personally quite conservative, but not moralizing) editor-in-chief. Found: A brassiere, under the cushions of the couch in his office. Result: Memo to _all_ staff, announcing the 'find', and requesting that the 'rightful owner thereof' please reclaim their property. Follow-up memo, a couple of days later, when there had been no results from the first one -- again requesting the owner to claim their property, and an announcement that if _not_ claimed, the boss was considering 'holding fittings', to ensure that the lost property WOULD be returned to its rightful owner. [And that is where the story ends -- except to note that "fittings" were _not_ held; there was never any identifiable 'fallout' from the event, in any way.) |