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Comment Re:talking about data how safe are the data center (Score 2, Interesting) 562

by kiwi_fb (#35544142) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: How Prepared Are You For a Major Emergency?

Posting from Christchurch New Zealand. I can talk about a data center here. The recent earthquake was the second one. We had a first one last September.

Last September the UPS lasted until the diesel generator kicked in. There was never any downtime, that includes the BlueGene/L. Not sure how long the fuel was meant to last but it was enough.

February's earthquake was another matter. There is now a 5mm wide crack in the middle of the data center (extends about 20m on each side of the building). This generated dust, the automatic system were triggered as for a fire and air conditioning was cut off immediately and then the systems were shutdown automatically in the next five minutes. The gas to extinguish fire was not released, we are not sure why yet. The fuel was not useful at all last February.
Media

Submission + - Norwegian broadcaster releases bittorrent costs

Submitted by FrostPaw
FrostPaw writes: An experiment conducted by Norwegian broadcaster NRK involving the release of the series "Nordkalotten 365" (wildlife program) in a DRM free format using the bittorrent protocol, has recently released approximate figures of the overall distriburion costs to the broadcaster. (Article in Norwegian) http://nrkbeta.no/bruk-av-bittorrent-tall-og-kostnader/ Their comparative outlook to basic HTTP/FTP/Pick-your-single-point-of-origin-poison based on completed torrent activity is that using Amazon S3 as their single source distributing the project would cost them apx. 50 000 GB * $0,16 cost pr GB = apx. 41 000,- NOK . (note the variable currency conversion) However, when using the Amazon servers as the originating seed and using bittorrent their total cost for distribution of the entire project thanks to generous seeds would amount to apx 1700,- NOK. Earlier they blogged their positive thoughts on the bittorrent experiment here http://nrkbeta.no/thoughts-on-bittorrent-distribution-for-a-public-broadcaster/ (english text)
Microsoft

Submission + - Creative Capitalism Gets Microsoft $528M Tax Break (crosscut.com) 5

Submitted by
NewsCloud
NewsCloud writes: "Microsoft makes products in Washington but records software sales to PC makers and high-volume customers through an operation in Nevada, where there is no corporate tax. So Washington has missed out on more than half a billion in taxes; revenue it could use for badly needed infrastructure needs — such as the needed replacement of the 520 bridge which connects Seattle ... to Microsoft. Reported by Slashdot in 2004, the numbers have increased with the company's growth to approx. $76M in savings last year alone. The author questions the legality of the practice given Microsoft's 35,500+ employees and 11.2 million square feet of real estate in Washington state."
Censorship

Submission + - Internet Censorship's First Death Sentence?

Submitted by mrogers
mrogers writes: A journalism student in Afghanistan has been sentenced to death by a Sharia court for downloading and sharing a report criticizing the treatment of women in some Islamic countries. The student was accused of blasphemy and tried without representation. According to Reporters Without Borders, sixty people are currently in jail worldwide for criticizing governments online, fifty of them in China, but this may be the first time someone has been sentenced to death for using the internet. Internet censorship is on the rise worldwide, according to The OpenNet Initiative. The Independent newspaper has organized a petition calling for the student's sentence to be overturned.
Software

Submission + - Python 3.0 to be backwards incompatible

Submitted by Stony Stevenson
Stony Stevenson writes: Organisations using the programming language Python will be majorly affected by changes in store for the language over the course of the next twelve months, Linux.conf.au attendees were told this morning. The Python development community is working towards a new, backwards incompatible version of the language, version 3.0, which is slated for release in early 2009. Anthony Baxter, the release manager for Python and a senior software engineer at Google Australia, said all code would be broken back and all programs using Python will need changes. Baxter also added another tidbit for attendees saying that Python accounts for around 15 percent of Google's code base.
The Courts

Submission + - MediaSentry's affidavits for your reading pleasure (blogspot.com)

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "MediaSentry, in an attempt to stonewall discovery in UMG v. Lindor, has turned over nothing other than a collection, apparently a complete collection, of its publicly filed affidavits. However, these do make interesting reading indeed, and as interesting comments started trickling in on my blog, I realized that for the technically minded among you there are probably a number of good laughs in these materials. So in keeping with the Slashdot community's analysis of the RIAA's not very expert, "expert" witness, I thought you might like to take a shot at its not very factual, "fact" witness."
Hardware Hacking

Journal Journal: LinuxBIOS renames to coreboot

Journal by coresystems
The free and open source firmware project LinuxBIOS was recently renamed - it is now called coreboot. The name LinuxBIOS strictly suffered the New Mexico problem ("It's not New, and it's not Mexico") as people confused it with a Linux only piece of software or the 20+ years old IBM invention. This was gracefully fixed now. It's the core of the boot process, hence the new name. Read the full story at: http://www.coreb
Space

Submission + - Messenger Discovers "Spider" Crater on Mer (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes: "The Messenger spacecraft has sent back pictures of an unusual geological formation on Mercury in the Caloris basin that's being called 'The Spider'. It's a large depression in the surface with more than a hundred narrow troughs radiating outwards, but there's no mention of what caused it."
The Courts

Journal SPAM: California City Sues Man for Canceling Trash Collection 4

Journal by Jeremiah Cornelius

Eddie House claims to have reduced his waste to nearly nothing out of concern for the environment. He now faces a lawsuit from San Carlos for canceling his garbage-collection service. The suit seeks a permanent injunction forcing House to maintain garbage service. City officials are also seeking to recoup from House the costs of the lawsuit. The city claims that House broke the municipal code requi

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