2003 California Wildfire Worst in Its History to That Time by Andrew Stratton
In late October 2003 the state of California was slammed with the worst wildfire that it had experienced to that date. Twenty people where killed, and damage to local communities and infrastructure was extensive. The wild fire extended from the Mexican boarder north to the suburbs of Los Angeles. ... Losses to businesses and local municipalities amounted to millions of dollars in lost revenues, not to mention the cost of replacing or restoring lost information, and resulted in hardship for many local area residents.

Tsunami Hits Coastal Communities Across Southeast Asia, Killing An Estimated 275,000 People by Andrew Stratton
On December 26, 2004 the Asian Tsunami hit the coastal regions of Southeast Asia. It was the result of the second largest and longest lasting underwater earthquake ever recorded, and has since been referred to as the single worst tsunami on record. The earthquake that generated this tsunami... Widespread damage to local infrastructure, shortages of food and water, and the potential for disease create additional risks. ... The local infrastructure, including roads, utilities, and food supplies where totally destroyed or extensively damaged requiring much needed and very costly repairs.

Some Of The Worst Tornados In US History Result In Massive Damage by Andrew Stratton
April 11, 1965 is still remembered by many: that day a brutal string of tornados hit the states of Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan with wind gusts as high as 318 miles per hour, killing 250 people and injuring some 1500 others. The first funnel cloud hit the ground at 1 p.m. ... An F4 storm hit Koontz Lake, Indiana and 2 other twisters hit Wakarusa, and Goshen, doing massive damage to homes, and local infrastructure. ... The phone system was down and, as a result, local city officials where unable to warn others in the path of the storm of the severe danger.

Infrastructure Decimated By Earthquake In Kobe, Japan On January 17, 1995 by Andrew Stratton
On January 17th, 1995 a massive earthquake hit the region of Kobe, Japan. This quake was unique in that it occurred at the intersection of three tectonic plates. This resulted in enormous damage to the area. Buildings collapsed, roads were destroyed, and utilities went offline for days. ... Local businesses, even those not located directly in the areas of major destruction, where unable to resume business, as local utilities had suffered major damage and remained offline. ... Most of the damage caused in this earthquake was the result of the secondary effects of the quake which radiated...

September 11, 2001 - Terrorism Reaches The United States With Deadly Consequences by Andrew Stratton
On September 11, 2001 four airliners where hijacked by terrorists and used as weapons to attack the United States. Two of the hijacked aircraft where flown by the terrorists into the "Twin Towers" of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. One was flown into the Pentagon, and the last aircraft... Radio, television, and two-way radio towers where destroyed, and local infrastructure including power, water, gas, and communications suffered major interruptions. ... Twenty five other buildings suffered minor damage and all seven World Trade Center buildings had to be demolished.

Local Vs Remote Data Backup - The Pros And Cons by Niall Roche
Backing up your data should be an essential part of your daily routine. Unfortunately for many businesses this simply isn't the case. The only time data backup crosses their mind is when they have a hard disk crash or a serious spyware or virus infection. ... In an ideal world you'd store a local copy of your data and then upload an exact copy of that data to the remote file backup server. ... Unless you're operating a high speed LAN in your company then remote backup can be a complete waste of time as you're tied to the maximum upstream speed of your network - which can be surprisingly...

Giant Lobster Robot for Border Patrol by Lance Winslow
I propose a Giant Walking Robot for border patrol and for robotic surveillance of critical infrastructure or military bases. I propose that these units be at first run tele-robotically like the Predator Drones and eventually after the DARPA Challenge II completely autonomously after that... As the unit passes over the land and the changes from dirt to forest or from sand to mud the local terrain will stick to the coating on the unit and therefore maintain camouflage and change with the landscape.

PCI Compliance - Avoid Data Theft Incidents by Jill Ratkevic
In response to the growing number of data theft incidents, the PCI Data Security Standard, developed by MasterCard and VISA and also being enforced by American Express, has been put in place to protect cardholder information. Merchants and service providers must implement PCI compliance or face... Whether you are selling books online or groceries at a local store, computer-based transactions result in a log data file that is a fingerprint of user and computer systems activity. ... Real-time monitoring solutions can help quickly identify attacks and block them before damage occurs.

The Peer-to-Peer Fiasco – A Tax Time Warning! by Greg Richburg
It has been almost 2 years since I last visited this topic, and to my amazement, this problem has grown to enormous proportions. Napster, Morpheus, Bearshare, Kazaa… Sound familiar? Well the originals are still available, but the new kids on the block that are really making a stir are Shareaza,... Luckily damage was limited due to somewhat of an anti-virus infrastructure. ... Right here in one of our local government offices, I witnessed a downloaded file spread through the network connection like wildfire.

10 Things to Ponder Before Moving Your Office Network by Gregory Hudson
Moving the office network? How hard could it be? Anybody who's ever moved the office network knows the risks and challenges associated with this colossal task. This mighty endeavour is not merely a case of logging-off, shutting down and pulling the plug. ... Things just work better when cabling is installed before the move Before the move goes ahead, the new network's cabling and network infrastructure should be in place, conveniently ready for each labelled workstation crate to be placed next to the correct plugs, power leads and phone lines.