OpenBSD's pf firewall has some options that can help mitigate the "single attacker, single source IP" version of this attack. Of course if the attackers decide to spread the attack out over multiple source IPs like a DDoS, this becomes much harder to deal with until Apache has a patch.
Filter rules that create state entries can specify various options to control the behavior of the resulting state entry. The following options are available:
The total number of source IP addresses tracked globally can be
controlled via the
I would highly recommend the weeklong training course called Situational Leadership given by the Center for Leadership Studies. I have been an engineering manager for several years now, having gone to various courses and read various books, and nothing compares to the value I got out of the Situational Leadership course.
In addition to the "how to deal with people" aspect, which is absolutely the most important thing, I might also recommend brushing up on your Microsoft Project skills by reading a book on MS Project. As far as more general books, you might look at Watts Humphrey's "Managing Technical People" as a starting point.
Neutrinos have bad breadth.