A technical reference poster created by Fluke Networks provides a simplified overview of TIA-568-C Generic Telecommunications Cabling for Customer Premises. The poster includes information on the standard and the new testing requirements that come along with it.
The wall poster measures 24x36 inches. Anyone can order the poster from Fluke Networks by providing their contact information.
Order the TIA-568-C technical reference poster.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Would-be cable thief gets shock of a lifetime
Not long ago I told you about the UK Chainsaw Cabling Massacre, when thieves cut down utility poles and stole the copper cables attached to them. Electrical cables contain significantly more copper than communications cables, so they are a more-frequent target of theft than are the twisted-pair cables we know and love.
In the chainsaw case, the thieves somehow were clever enough to get away with using the high-decibel saws and steal the cable undetected. More recently, a would-be thief was neither as clever nor as lucky.
Just a couple days ago in Gloucestershire, UK, an attempted copper-cable thief got the shock of his life when he tried to hacksaw through live electrical wires. According to the This Is Gloucestershire web site, the man "was hurled 30 feet into the air ... The injured man staggered from the site to a nearby house ... to ask for help. Paramedics arrived at 11pm to treat the man, whose arm was reported to have turned black."
Few commenters on the This is Gloucestershire site sympathized with the thief/victim. One commenter, Alan, chose not to take sides on whether to feel bad for the thief or cast ill toward him. Rather, Alan said, "This sort of thing will continue to occur until some sort of control is introduced on scrap metal merchants. Anyone selling scrap should provide photo ID and have their photo taken. If the scrap metal dealer cannot prove where his scrap came from he should be charged with receiving stolen goods."
Efforts along those lines have been tried in the U.S., reportedly with limited success.
In the chainsaw case, the thieves somehow were clever enough to get away with using the high-decibel saws and steal the cable undetected. More recently, a would-be thief was neither as clever nor as lucky.
Just a couple days ago in Gloucestershire, UK, an attempted copper-cable thief got the shock of his life when he tried to hacksaw through live electrical wires. According to the This Is Gloucestershire web site, the man "was hurled 30 feet into the air ... The injured man staggered from the site to a nearby house ... to ask for help. Paramedics arrived at 11pm to treat the man, whose arm was reported to have turned black."
Few commenters on the This is Gloucestershire site sympathized with the thief/victim. One commenter, Alan, chose not to take sides on whether to feel bad for the thief or cast ill toward him. Rather, Alan said, "This sort of thing will continue to occur until some sort of control is introduced on scrap metal merchants. Anyone selling scrap should provide photo ID and have their photo taken. If the scrap metal dealer cannot prove where his scrap came from he should be charged with receiving stolen goods."
Efforts along those lines have been tried in the U.S., reportedly with limited success.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Every day is Labor Day for technology professionals
Today, September 6, is Labor Day in the United States, a holiday observance whose beginnings harken back to days of bitter and sometimes even deadly disputes between employers and employees. Things have changed quite a bit in the 128 years since the first observance of Labor Day here in the U.S. Right?
Just in time for the holiday this year, PC World recently reported on the most dangerous jobs in technology. The article lists seven such occupations. Among them are fixing undersea cables, which the PC World article reminds us is dangerous because "in a worst-case scenario a cable operating with 10,000 volts could become energized. And looking straight into the lasers of a sliced cable can burn out your retinas in a matter of seconds."
Then there's the nearly 11,000 people who make a living installing and fixing communications towers. "In 2006, 18 of them died on the job," PC World says. "The head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2008 called cell-phone-tower climbing the most dangerous work in America."
Lest we forget, as the U.S. ends its official combat operation in Iraq, about the brave individuals who build network infrastructure within war zones. In what might be the article's most sobering passage, we're informed: "It's unclear exactly how many people doing IT-related work have lost their lives among the 4734 Coalition military deaths in Iraq since 2003, and the 2061 dead in Operation Enduring Freedom since 2001 so far, as counted on the independent iCasualties Website.
"According to a count conducted in September 2009, at least three telecommunications engineers are among the 533 foreign private contractors who have died in Iraq since the beginning of the conflict there. Two telecom engineers are among the 146 private foreign contractors who have perished in Afghanistan."
As I enjoy a day of rest and relaxation with my family this Labor Day, I'm immensely grateful to those who put their safety on the line so that citizens of the world can be united - at least in terms of their ability to communicate.
Just in time for the holiday this year, PC World recently reported on the most dangerous jobs in technology. The article lists seven such occupations. Among them are fixing undersea cables, which the PC World article reminds us is dangerous because "in a worst-case scenario a cable operating with 10,000 volts could become energized. And looking straight into the lasers of a sliced cable can burn out your retinas in a matter of seconds."
Then there's the nearly 11,000 people who make a living installing and fixing communications towers. "In 2006, 18 of them died on the job," PC World says. "The head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2008 called cell-phone-tower climbing the most dangerous work in America."
Lest we forget, as the U.S. ends its official combat operation in Iraq, about the brave individuals who build network infrastructure within war zones. In what might be the article's most sobering passage, we're informed: "It's unclear exactly how many people doing IT-related work have lost their lives among the 4734 Coalition military deaths in Iraq since 2003, and the 2061 dead in Operation Enduring Freedom since 2001 so far, as counted on the independent iCasualties Website.
"According to a count conducted in September 2009, at least three telecommunications engineers are among the 533 foreign private contractors who have died in Iraq since the beginning of the conflict there. Two telecom engineers are among the 146 private foreign contractors who have perished in Afghanistan."
As I enjoy a day of rest and relaxation with my family this Labor Day, I'm immensely grateful to those who put their safety on the line so that citizens of the world can be united - at least in terms of their ability to communicate.
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