"The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated..."  Who can forget the words spoken by Bernard Shaw, CNN's reporter on the scene, when the US kicked off the air war over Iraq on January 17^th, 1991.  While a portion of the air war was conducted with stealth aircraft, invisible to air defenses and radar, a large number of aircraft such as B-52s entered Iraqi airspace with the radar signature of the Hindenburg.

Urban legend says that Iraqi air defenses were quickly neutralized by a virus entered into the IBM system which ran most of the radar defenses within the country.  As a legacy SNA (protocol) system, the IBM mainframes were all linked to each other, including items like printers.  Legend says the CIA located an Iraqi printer prior to the war, which was being repaired at a computer shop in Jordan.  Once the infected chip was in the printer, it was given a clear shot at the entire Iraqi air defense computer network, and at the right time unleashed a series of commands to shut down the entire IBM network.

True? Who knows, most legends are based on at least some truth.  Possible - absolutely!

"Frog Soup" is an interesting concept. As a cold-blooded critter, a frog cannot easily feel the difference between hot and cold, although when cold the frog, like all cold-blooded animals, gets a bit sluggish.  On the other hand, when you put a frog in a pot of water, and start to turn up the heat, the frog will not notice the gradual rise in temperature, and will be happily swimming around up till the point the frog finally succumbs and is cooked.

So we use the phrase "frog soup" as a metaphor describing how we can get ourselves into a situation through time, without ever having really been aware we were getting into a situation.  This metaphor can be applied to relationships, jobs, life - almost anything where you wake up one day "cooked," without ever having suspected you were in hot water.

I've been using email since the mid 1970s, when I was first dabbling with messaging systems in the US Air Force.  Even back then, I quickly established a routine for connecting to the network, and often checking to see if I had received any new messages.  By the 1990s it had gotten to the point where I would actually delay other activities just to check and see if anybody had sent me an email in the past hour or so.

I am a fan of both Chaos Theory, and the Law of Plentitude.  I often refer to both when considering how best to design or build a new product, as it gives me a good reference on the potential of action, and resulting reaction when introducing a new technology or service into an existing market. 

In addition to highlighting the concepts of Chaos Theory and the Law of Plentitude, our blog discussion will also explore the idea of introducing disruptive technologies into an existing market, as a method of forcing an incumbant system to change.  

My company, CRG West, operates one of the largest Internet Exchange points (IXPs) in the United States called the Any2 Exchange.  The Any2 Exchange has been operated as a not-for-profit utility for the past couple of years, serving the Internet community. This article explores the concept behind Any2, disruptive technologies and chaos, and how focusing on the development of communities within the telecom and Internet industry (and the Law of Plentitude) helped build one of the largest Internet interconnection points in the country. While we will concentrate on the Any2 Exchange, the idea behind Any2 could just as easily be applied to any other public or commercial IXP - or market. 

There is a fairly clear line between constructive criticism, and destructive criticism.  The result of feedback and criticism can often encourage a very positive change in a company's market behavior - or it might signal the time is good for a fundamental shift in product lines or business strategies.

Whatever the intent, positive or constructive feedback will normally promote goodwill, and strong bond between parties, and usually results in a condition that is better than prior to the feedback.

The San Diego Software Industry Council (SDSIC) hosted "Bulls Eye Night" on Tuesday evening.  The venue is in a very nice corporate board room, with the following players:

The Wilmington Oil Field, which crosses the basin stretching from San Pedro, through Long Beach and Signal Hill, to Seal Beach (California), is the third largest oil deposit in the United States.   A wonderful energy resource serving the United States which has provided more than 2.5 billion barrels of crude oil since 1932.

Shift to Colorado, Independence Day, 2008.  I arrived at the Denver International Airport (landing through a brown cloud of smog that makes an autumn afternoon in Los Angeles look healthy), rented the cheapest vehicle I could get my hands on, and started the trip up I-70 to work near Vail for the coming week.  Imagine my surprise to see a traffic jam that pretty much started in Denver, and went up the mountain as far as Breckenridge.  Even more surprising, was the fact around 85% of the traffic jam consisted of SUVs and trucks, with at least 50% of those trucks sporting kayaks strapped to the roof.

Whales Near Seal Beach, California --- Interesting idea - a state that prides itself on its relationship with nature, yet those who participate in nature, promote and evangelize nature, and promote the care and feeding of nature - appear at least to an outsider, as openly violating the laws of nature.

January 2003. 

"Hey Adil, I need some help getting a LAN installation done - you up for a month or so worth of consultant gig?"

"Sure, where is the job, and are there any special problems?"

We are constantly bombarded with symbolism.  We have ribbons for a variety of causes ranging from yellow supporting our troops in combat zones, pink ribbons to show support for breast cancer research, red ribbons to show our concern for HIV/AIDS, religious symbols - all kinds of symbols representing a favorite cause.

Most of these items that we wear, or mount on our car bumper,  are the result of a transaction where we give a selected cause financial support, and our return is a physical symbol.  We never really know how much of our contribution actually makes it to the end user of the donation - however we expect it to be small given the overhead cost of making and distributing symbols, as well as compensation to those who manage the contributions and donations.

On a recent run to 7/11 I noticed the yellow plastic bracelets are still being sold and distributed to symbolize a contribution and support for cancer research.  Again, if I did buy a bracelet, I would wonder how much of my money is actually going to end up materially contributing to actual  cancer research.

Last  Thursday (9 Apr 2009) brought a new experience to many  in the telecommunications industry - a malicious  attack on two separate underground fiber optic systems.  The damage wiped out normal communications, including emergency 911 services, in many areas of the San Jose/San Carlos area, including service as far away as Gilroy.

This is the first time most in the telecom industry have experienced intentional disruption to telecom infrastructure, and both industry experts and authorities are scrambling to understand the WHYs, HOWs, and WHOs of the incident. 

The telecom industry, and watchdogs looking at the telecom industry, have long advocated stricter oversight and control over critical telecom  infrastructure.   In New York most manholes are not secured with any kind of lock, allowing virtually anybody with the desire to enter the underworld of critical infrastructure.  In downtown Los Angeles there is a high density of telecom carriers centered in the Wilshire, West 7^th, and West 6^th area.  In addition to telecom infrastructure, the power company, water, and sewage share the space below our major streets and intersections.  Thus, if there was a desire for malicious activity below the streets of LA, or other major cities, it is not just telecom, but nearly all our critical infrastructure services which would be damaged or seriously disrupted.