RE: Update: CSX train derailment

[up]

On Sat, 21 Jul 2001, Jamie Bowden wrote:

> On Sat, 21 Jul 2001 up@3.am wrote:
> 
> > > On Sat, 21 Jul 2001, Roeland Meyer wrote:
> 
> > > :Have you checked available rights of way lately? They haven't changed much
> > > :for quite a while. Telecom has not really any ability to build dedicated
> > > :bridges for telcom fibre. It uses existing facilities wherever possible.
> > > :Following the paths of least cost/resistance, this pretty much determines
> > > :that rivers and bridges become choke-points. The only real alternatives are
> > > :microwave towers (a cost/benefit argument I won't touch, even with your
> > > :ten-foot pole).
> 
> > I would think that if fiber can be run across oceans without using tunnels
> > or bridges, that it could be run across some rivers much the same way, no?
> 
> Hey, genius, I got a question for you.  How were planning to get to that
> [river|stream|lake|etc]shore?  The rights of way lead to existing bridges
> and tunnels.  Buying a contiguous right of way in America is exorbitantly
> expensive, if it's even possible, which I highly doubt.  If you're already
> at a bridge, tunnel, whatever, (because hey, that's where the existing
> right of way you're using takes you) why wouldn't you use it?  

I didn't think we were discussing right-of-way issues, so much as diverse
redundancy issues at "choke points" (see above).  If everybody's fiber
goes through the same tunnel, and the tunnel has a bad fire, that can
lead to nasty outages...wait, it just *did* that, didn't it (not that
this situation was even a river, but I digress)?  Anyway, it would seem
that unless you bury it fairly deeply under the riverbed, it ain't such a
great idea.  There goes my Mensa application...

> Your .sig lists you as CEO, yet you seem to lack the basic knowledge that
> corporate officers are beholden to their shareholders, doing what's cheap
> right now vs. what makes sense over time.  The forces driving major
> telcos are many, and long range planning at the expense of today's stock
> price is not one of them.

It also lists me as Janitor, are you going to now attack my dusting
technique?  I'll have you know that I can empty a trash can with the best
of them!

It might also clue you in as to how many "shareholders" I'm beholden to.

James Smallacombe		      PlantageNet, Inc. CEO and Janitor
up@3.am							    http://3.am
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