I would favor that, with the majority of the fee being statutory damages paid to the both the receiver of the call and to the person whose number was spoofed. Then we just need to bring the political polls and campaign calls under the robo-call prohibition, and perhaps it would be safe to to answer the phone again.

There is an important difference between any government agency and UL. UL's product safety standards are developed in partnership with those who produce the products and with other safety agencies, notably IEC and CSA. This brings credibility, skill, and independence into play.

For government officials the desire to be seen "doing something" favors haste and visibility rather than long term effectiveness. UL's primary focus is product safety, not favorable media coverage.

{ } The null set: that set of empty braces is as close as it came. Little did I suspect this was an introduction to the concept of "stubs" for missing code that might be written at some leter data!

Taking off the tech hat...others have given good advice for triage on the equipment, etc.

Safety of you and your staff is the priority. Anybody who does not need to be there should get to safety now, before the evacuation order comes. The fewer people to be accounted for, the less chaos there will be if you need to leave on short notice. Make sure to exchange cell phone numbers (if you haven't already), so you can rendezvous with the others later on.

Assign a person to be the safety monitor--to stay at the phone and radio, and get the word out to all others if the evacuation order comes. Vigilance is their only assignment. The safety monitor should have a list of everybody still on site, to be sure nobody is left behind. If you get the call to evacuate, you'll have only minutes to get everybody out and down the road to safety.

Have N+1 vehicles ready to go, where N is the number you need to get everybody to safety. If one doesn't start, don't mess with it--leave it behind and call the insurance company later.

You should have two ways out. If one becomes impassible because of the fire, head down the other way immediately.

I hope you and your center escape the fire. But if it comes to a choice between you and the data center, let the servers melt!

If you have an open slot in the breaker panel for another two-pole unit, you may be able to get a surge protector that installs right in the breaker panel. This avoids having anything attached in the open, or having to "tear open the wall" to replace it. Look for a "Type 1" or "Type 2" surge protector, made for your make and model of breaker panel In most places, you have to hire a licensed electrician and get a permit to legally install it. You will also need protection for TV/satellite cables, etc. These need to be physically close to the power line protector, and be connected to the same ground system, through a short fat wire. Using a separate ground stake and a long, skinny grounding wire (as too many inept installers do) can actually increase the risk of damage: surge currents flow from the AC line, through your flat screen TV, and out the coax cable to the cable's ground rod. Goodbye flat screen TV, hello fire department!

it would be more impressive if it used voice recognition to do the job. That's a product IBM could sell, starting with every insurance, cable and credit card company running one of those useless voice response systems. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that. Did you want to take out a $10,000 cash advance at 28% interest or upgrade to the new super premium platinum preferred customer card? Press the pound key for 'Yes'."

...and multiple slide rules, too. Back off--I have a slide rule, and I'm not afraid to use it!

88 km/hr is slower than the one-hour standing start record for human powered streamlined bikes (90.6 km/hr for a single rider). I suppose that's because the large surfaces needed for the solar cells add to the frontal area and drag for the electric vehicle.

Get rid of automatic transmissions and power steering so drivers actually have to use their hands to control the car. Give them something meaningful to do, then perhaps they will finally Hang Up and Drive!

I know, it's just wishful thinking...

On mountain peaks and ridges you do have a good chance of accessing a repeater. Check the Colorado Connection system of linked repeaters, it covers much of the state. But if you are down in a canyon or valley, repeater coverage is much less reliable in the back country.

If you are competent in Morse, there are several sub-pound transceiver options (this is a manufacturer's marketing page, read it as such). Morse gains about 7dB improvement over SSB radiotelephony from reduced noise bandwidth (typically 500Hz vs. 2500Hz) and about 6dB more because the peak-to-average power ratio is 1:1 instead of 4:1 or worse. Net improvement: 13dB, making 5W of Morse about equally effective as 100W of SSB (a result which my experience and that of other QRP fanatics confirm).

But no matter what radio you carry, including satellite phones, don't assume you'll be able to reach it and use it if you have a serious fall or accident. You may lose it down a slope, hit it on a rock and break it, or be incapacitated and unable to communicate with anything. The best advice is to not go it alone: hike with a companion. If you do go solo, stay on well-traveled main trails where help is likely find you. Technology does not ensure safety in the back country.