Oh, guess what, RHUL was down *again* today after our power systems got
knackered, crashing every computer on campus, resetting numerous alarm
clocks, and causing over 6,000 complaints to the computer centre staff
in the space of five minutes (an increase of around 2%, then...).
Was this electrical disaster caused by:
- Increased sunspot activity frying vital communications satellites?
- The running down of the Earth's magnetic field allowing the solar wind
to impact upon a wider area?
- The passage of an alien spacecraft whose anti-grav unit crushed an
electrical sub-station in Feltham?
- Attempts by a foreign power, possibly Iraq, to cause numerous students
to fail course units by destroying our power supply on a major
coursework deadline date?
- Someone plugging in a kettle in Aberdeen, sending an electrical spike
down the National Grid and reaching Egham like a tsunami reaching
Hawaii, which would be a problem because we don't actually have an
uninterrupted power supply (despite such a thing being pretty essential
for a university)?
I leave it to you, the wise and sage (and onion) members of IFIS, to
determine the cause for the debacle that has been today. I can't - I'm
off home for the weekend ("hooray!").
Dave Chilard
knackered, crashing every computer on campus, resetting numerous alarm
clocks, and causing over 6,000 complaints to the computer centre staff
in the space of five minutes (an increase of around 2%, then...).
Was this electrical disaster caused by:
- Increased sunspot activity frying vital communications satellites?
- The running down of the Earth's magnetic field allowing the solar wind
to impact upon a wider area?
- The passage of an alien spacecraft whose anti-grav unit crushed an
electrical sub-station in Feltham?
- Attempts by a foreign power, possibly Iraq, to cause numerous students
to fail course units by destroying our power supply on a major
coursework deadline date?
- Someone plugging in a kettle in Aberdeen, sending an electrical spike
down the National Grid and reaching Egham like a tsunami reaching
Hawaii, which would be a problem because we don't actually have an
uninterrupted power supply (despite such a thing being pretty essential
for a university)?
I leave it to you, the wise and sage (and onion) members of IFIS, to
determine the cause for the debacle that has been today. I can't - I'm
off home for the weekend ("hooray!").
Dave Chilard