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BISBEE’S BUZZ
Cabling Systems For 2008 And Beyond
The
NEC 2008 (National Electrical Code) is in effect and the next cycle of code
development has already begun. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) www.nfpa.org
is looking at the many ways that the NEC 2011 can be improved over prior
issues. If you want your voice included
in this valuable consensus process, we strongly recommend that you join the
NFPA and participate in the code development process. Don’t leave this critical task to a bunch of
shills hired by commercially driven companies that may put their profits over
public safety.
Increasing, the safety-focused industry watchers are asking
questions about the resultant toxic gasses in the building’s air system
generated in a fire scenario. We are discovering that the “fire-safe”
fluoropolymers materials used in plenum-approved CMP rated cables actually
generate toxic gasses that can incapacitate or even kill the building occupants
when the cables are exposed to various levels of heat. Since the original
approval of the use of CMP rated cables in the return-air building plenum
spaces, there have been no official testing of the cables for incapacitation
factor or toxicity of the off gasses under heat.
A
search of the Internet found several sources that provided information on the
outgassing of the FEP (commonly known as Teflon) under heat. The health and
safety issues raised by this data would seem to indicate the need for the NFPA
to review the safety issue and require some toxicity testing.
FEP
can outgas some seriously dangerous toxic gasses. Up to 49% of FEP may be out
gassed as Hydrogen Fluoride. When Hydrogen Fluoride gas is exposed to water
(even humidity) it converts to Hydrofluoric Acid. HF seems to be one of the
most reactive materials known to man. Hydrofluoric Acid can even eat glass.
Imagine the effects to the building occupants and first responders on their
eyes, nose, throat and lungs when exposed to HF.
Here
one set of data on the temperature to gas generation for Teflon that we found
on the Internet:
What
was FEP? Fluorinated Ethylene
Propylene (FEP) is a fluoropolymer discovered by Roy J. Plunkett (1910–1994) of
DuPont in 1938. FEP is generally known to the public by DuPont's brand name
Teflon or Daikin’s brand name Neoflon.
The
FEP used in cabling out gases when heated, however toxicity testing is not part of the required test
parameters for NFPA 262 for CMP Plenum Cable in the USA.
The
toxic particles and gases identified as Teflon
offgas products, and the temperature at which they are first identified in
the studies reviewed, are shown below, with toxicity information that is drawn
primarily from high dose animal studies, the only source of information
available for most of the chemicals:
464°F
- Ultrafine particulate matter: Teflon produces very small (ultrafine)
particles which are very toxic, causing extreme lung damage to rats within 10
minutes of exposure. Longer exposures cause death. At higher temperatures,
Teflon also produces toxic gases. Some scientists have found that the particles
and gases together are responsible for Teflon's toxicity, perhaps because the gases
adsorb to the particles, which because of their small size can lodge deep in
the lower respiratory tract.
680°F
- Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE): The National Toxicology Program considers tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) to be a
"reasonably anticipated" human carcinogen because it is known to
cause cancer in laboratory animals, but has not been adequately studied in
people. In rats, inhaled TFE causes tumors of the kidney tubules, liver, blood
vessels in the liver and one form of leukemia (mononuclear). Mice that breathe TFE develop tumors of the liver and
tumors that develop in blood vessels in the liver or white blood cells.
680°F
- Hexafluoropropene (HFP): In people, air exposure to fluorocarbons like HFP
can lead to eye, nose and throat irritation; heart palpitations, irregular
heart rate, headaches, light-headedness, fluid accumulation in the lung (edema)
and possibly death. Long-term exposure in workers is associated with decreased
motor speed, memory and learning. In mice and rats, inhalation of hexafluoropropene (HFP) causes kidney
lesions, decreased numbers of a type of immune cell (lymphocyte) and increased
urination. HFP also causes increased numbers of chromosomal abnormalities in
hamster ovaries. HFP can also be added to pesticides as an "inert" ingredient,
which does not mean that it is non-toxic, but only that is not the pesticide
active ingredient. Another example of a pesticide inert ingredient is butyl benzyl phthalate, a chemical well
known to cause serious birth defects of the male reproductive system in
laboratory animals.
680°F
- Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA): Very few studies have looked at the toxicity of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), but those
that have found decreased growth of fetal rat bone-forming cells (osteoblast) and cartilage cells (chondrocytes), and neural tube defects
in rat embryos at high concentrations. Other studies show that HCFC-123, a hydrofluorocarbon that breaks down into
TFA, causes enlarged liver and decreased levels of glucose, triglyceride and
cholesterol in adult animals. But, it is unclear whether these effects are due
to HCFC-123 or a metabolite. A monkey study found the TFA concentration in the
fetus was two to six times higher than in the mother's blood following dosing
with HCFC-123. The long-term environmental impacts of TFA are unknown, but it
is extremely persistent and toxic to plants. TFA is also a breakdown product of
many hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs)
and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used as
replacement for chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs), which are potent ozone depleters used in refrigeration systems,
aerosols and other products. Recently, scientists have suggested that high
levels of TFA in the environment could be partly due to heated Teflon and other
fluoropolymers because measured environmental levels are higher than predicted,
based on breakdown of HCFCs and HFCs alone.
680°F
- Difluoroacetic acid (DFA): Very little is known about the toxicity of difluoroacetic acid (DFA), although
kidney toxicity has been reported in rats.
680°F
- Monofluoroacetic acid (MFA, fluoroacetic acid or compound 1080): Monofluoroacetic
acid is extremely toxic, doses as low as 0.7 to 2.1 mg/kg can kill
people. Initially, people report nausea, vomiting, numbness, tingling, anxiety,
muscle twitching, low blood pressure and blurred vision. If exposure is high
enough, people can have irregular heart rate (ventricular fibrillation), heart
attacks, and severe convulsions leading to respiratory failure. MFA quickly
breaks down into a chemical called fluoroacetate.
Sodium fluoroacetate was previously used as a powerful rodent killer
(rodenticide). In the body, it breaks down into sodium and fluoroacetate, which
is responsible for the toxicity. Sodium fluoroacetate kills rodents, and other
animals, by inhibiting the tricarboxylic
acid cycle which transforms energy found in food to energy the body uses.
Sodium fluoroacetate also causes heart and respiratory failure, central nervous
system depression and damage to the testes, including decreased sperm
production.
887°F
- Perfluoroisobutene (PFIB): Perfluoroisobutene
(PFIB) is extremely toxic and inhalation can lead to fluid build up in the lung
(edema), a condition that can lead to death. PFIB is listed in the Chemical
Weapons Convention as a Schedule 2
compound. PFIB is about ten times more toxic than phosgene nerve gas, a
highly toxic corrosive gas also listed as a chemical weapon. In water, PFIB
breaks down into hydrogen fluoride
which is also very toxic (see below). Short-term symptoms of PFIB exposure in
people include bad taste in mouth, nausea and weakness. Lung edema occurs about
one to four hours after exposure, which is life-threatening in some cases, but
in most people clears up in about 3 days.
932°F
- Carbonyl fluoride (COF2): Breakdown of Teflon (PTFE) in air is the
major source of carbonyl fluoride exposure. Carbonyl
fluoride is the fluorine version of phosgene, a chlorinated chemical
warfare agent. Carbonyl fluoride fumes can irritate eyes, ears and nose. More
serious symptoms of exposure include chest pains, breathing difficulty, fluid accumulation
in the lungs, weakness, liver damage and increased glucose levels. Because
carbonyl fluoride breaks down into hydrogen fluoride and carbon dioxide, it
causes many of the same toxic effects as hydrogen fluoride (see below).
932°F
- Hydrogen fluoride (HF): Hydrogen
fluoride (HF) is a toxic corrosive gas, and can cause death to any tissue
it comes into contact with, including the lungs. The toxicity of HF is due to
the fluoride ion and not the hydrogen ion. Breathing HF can cause
severe lung damage, such as fluid buildup in the lungs (edema) and inflammation of lung passages (pneumonia). The
fluoride ion (charged particle) is extremely toxic. It is a small ion and weak
acid that diffuses quickly and can pass through tissues with relative ease. Fluoride
ions inhibit cell respiration, decreasing production of ATP, the major form of
chemical energy used by the body. Fluoride attacts cell membranes causing cells
to die. The fluoride ion is negatively
charged and naturally likes to react with positively
charged ions in the body like calcium and magnesium. When fluoride and calcium
bind, creating a "precipitate," a life-threatening condition of
decreased calcium (hypocalcemia) can
occur. Left untreated, decreases in calcium (and magnesium) can cause abnormal
heart rhythm leading to heart attack, muscle spasms and death. Calcium
administration is the main treatment for HF poisoning.
1112°F
- Trifluoroacetic acid fluoride (CF3COF): Trifluoroacetic acid fluoride is toxic, mostly because it breaks
down into hydrogen fluoride, which is very toxic, and trifluoroacetic acid. The
few studies that have looked at the toxicity of TFA found decreased growth of
fetal rat bone-forming cells (osteoblast)
and cartilage cells (chondrocytes),
and neural tube defects in rat embryos
at high concentrations. Other studies show that HCFC-123, a hydrofluorocarbon that breaks down into TFA, causes enlarged liver
and decreased levels of glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol in adult animals,
but it is unclear whether these effects are due to HCFC-123 or a metabolite. A
monkey study found TFA in the fetus was two to six times higher than in the
mother's blood following dosing with HCFC-123, a hydrofluorocarbon that breaks
down into TFA. Fluoride ion (charged particle) is extremely toxic. It is a
small ion and weak acid that diffuses quickly and can pass through tissues with
relative ease. Fluoride ions inhibit cell respiration, decreasing production of
ATP, the major form of chemical energy used by the body. Fluoride attracts cell
membranes causing cells to die. The fluoride ion is negatively charged and
naturally likes to react with positively charged ions in the body like calcium
and magnesium. When fluoride and calcium bind, creating a
"precipitate," a life-threatening condition of decreased calcium (hypocalcemia) can occur. Left untreated,
decreases in calcium (and magnesium) can cause abnormal heart rhythm leading to
heart attack, muscle spasms and death. Calcium administration is the main
treatment for HF toxicity.
1112°F
- Octafluorocyclobutane (OFCB): Octaflurocyclobutane
is a fluorine-containing gas that is used in the semiconductor industry, sold
as Zyron 8020 by DuPont. According to DuPont, inhaling high levels of
octafluorocyclobutane can cause heart beat irregularities, unconsciousness and
death. People with pre-existing heart conditions may be extra vulnerable. Only a few toxicity studies in animals are
available for octafluorocyclobutane. In one study, rats exposed to a
one-time-only inhaled exposure of octafluorocyclobutane lost weight and had
abnormal breathing. Dogs that inhaled high concentrations (10-25% air), and
were dosed with the stimulant epinephrine, had heart problems. According to
DuPont, tests for genetic damage in insects are "inconclusive."
1112°F
- Perfluorobutane (PFB, Trade Name CEA-410): As a global warming chemical, perfluorobutane has a long half-life in
the upper atmosphere and has over 8,000 times the global warming potential of
carbon dioxide. Perfluorobutane is not as acutely toxic as other PTFE off-gases,
but has not been tested for long-term effects.
1202°F
- Carbon tetrafluoride (CF4, perfluoromethane): In addition to being
a long-lived fluorinated Teflon "off-gas," perfloromethane is used in the semiconductor industry, is a
refrigerant and propellant and a byproduct of aluminum production. The U.S. government
is encouraging these industries to decrease emissions of perfluoromethane
because it is a potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential almost
6000 times higher than carbon dioxide, and can last in the environment for
50,000 years. In the past, perfluoromethane has been used in pesticides as an
"inert" ingredient; a label that has nothing to do with toxicity but
only means the ingredient is not the main active pesticide. Inhaling fluorinated
hydrocarbons like carbon tetrafluoride can cause eye, ear and nose irritation;
heart palpitations; irregular heart rate; headaches; confusion; lung
irritation, tremors and occasionally coma.
http://tuberose.com/Teflon.html
The jury is still out on the solution to these serious
industry issues.
remember - safety is too important to
ignore
But that’s just my opinion,
Frank Bisbee
"Heard On The Street" Monthly Column
www.wireville.com
4949 Sunbeam Rd, Suite 16
Jacksonville, FL 32257
(904) 645-9077 office
(904) 645-9058 fax
frank@wireville.com
Industry News
Discoveries At BICSI
Beast Cabling System’s latest innovation is a new lightweight
speed labeling tool that is small enough to fold and put behind the seat in
your truck! This little gem makes rough-in cable identification so fast
and easy that writing numbers on the cable jacket are now a thing of the past.
And, priced at under $2,000, this is one new tool that will soon be on every technician’s
wish list. We will bring you more information on this value in next
months HOTS. www.beastcablingsystems.com .
Training
- Texas style. Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes training for the
installation of voice/data/fiber optic cabling.
While many job sectors are experiencing a downturn in today’s stressed
economy, the communications cabling business is still growing and the need for
trained technicians is critical. We
uncovered the news that Craig Consulting Services (Dallas, Texas)
has already begun the process of building out a new training center for cabling
technicians. We expect to get a formal
press announcement from Ray Craig, RCDD/NTS (LAN) specialist and CEO of Craig
Consulting Services for our next issue of HOTS.
www.craigconsultingservices.com
The
media representation at BICSI was stronger than new rope. CNS, Cabling Networking Systems (Canada’s
Leading Cabling Publication) released its ten-year anniversary Issue. Time flies when you are having fun. Also the ACUTA Journal www.acuta.org was an unexpected and valuable
offering to the BICSI members. This
association publication represents a significant market sector for
communications. Electrical Contractor
Magazine, Security and Life Safety Systems Magazine, TED (The Electrical
Distributor Magazine), BICSI News, and Cabling Installation and Maintenance
were all big hits with the record number of BICSI attendees.
On
a sad note, we received news that Beth Levin, RCDD had recently passed away
from cancer. Beth was our good friend
and associate for many years. She is
also one of the first women to qualify for the BICSI RCDD program. She will be missed but not forgotten.
The
exhibits at this latest BICSI were new, fresh and offered visual displays of
technological advancements than we have not seen in many moons. “Hats off” to the exhibitors. Everything about the exposition side of BICSI
was FOUR STARS. www.bicsi.org
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TXP Enables Successful IPTV Rollout At Star Telephone
By Eliminating Overheating In Existing Outside Plant Cabinet Network
Outside plant cabinet
equipment from TXP Corporation (OTCBB:TXPO) has helped Star Telephone of North
Carolina solve one equipment overheating problem and prevent many more.
TXP, an Original Design
Manufacturer of engineered OSP cabinet retrofit solutions for the
telecommunications industry, has provided Star Telephone with the equipment
needed to refurbish more than 50 cabinets and keep them operating efficiently
as the service provider installs additional equipment to provide advanced
services to customers.
The Star Telephone-TXP
relationship began in the summer of 2007 when newly installed equipment for
providing IPTV services began malfunctioning. Not realizing the extent of the
overheating in one particular cabinet, Star Telephone replaced the equipment,
only to have it continue to malfunction. Once technicians realized that the
problem wasn’t the equipment – it worked fine when the cabinet’s doors were
open and the heat was dissipated – they recognized the real problem.
“We were seeing
temperatures in that cabinet of 170 to 190 degrees,” said Tim Butler, Broadband
Engineer for Star Telephone. Clark Honeycutt, Star Telephone’s Distribution
Engineer, added that “we had never seen that kind of a heat issue before. It
was a combination of the type of cabinet, an AFC 360, and the equipment we were
putting into it.”
Star Telephone contacted
TXP, which had already designed a Retrofit Heat Exchanger to fit a variety of
cabinets, and provided it to Star to fix the problem. “That immediately dropped
the temperature in the cabinet 40 to 60 degrees,” Butler said. The normal working temperature
for the cabinet is up to 165 degrees.
Star Telephone then
outfitted all of its AFC cabinets, including models 360, 240, and 672 with TXP
RHX retrofit kits, to assure that the cabinets would accommodate the IPTV
equipment that Star was rolling out for a major introduction of IPTV service
late in 2007. The 51 cabinets represent about half of all the cabinets in Star
Telephone’s network.
“The RHX kit is
particularly well suited to cabinet retrofitting,” explained Paul Forzisi, Vice
President of Sales and Marketing at TXP. “For its capacity, at 1000 watts, it
is very compact, making it a perfect fit for cabinets with small doors.”
Star Telephone Membership
Corporation provides a broad range of telecommunications services to customers
in 1,458 square miles of southeastern North
Carolina.
TXP’s retrofit solutions
cover cabinets of all makes and sizes, providing power, cooling, mounting, and
cabling solutions. Its retrofit kits are fully engineered to telco standards,
with complete documentation, from feasibility through installation. TXP
addresses the increasing need among service providers to migrate the equipment
in their outside plant cabinets from traditional voice service to today’s
high-speed data communications gear. Retrofitting the cabinets represents a
huge savings over cabinet replacement.
With
more than 500 cabinets upgraded, TXP counts among its retrofit customers two of
the top seven U.S.
telecom carriers and three of the industry’s top access system providers. www.txpcorp.com
*********************************
ADC Showcased Solutions For Space And Energy Efficient
Data Centers At BICSI Winter Conference
ADC
(NASDAQ:ADCT) (www.adc.com) featured products and solutions to
support data center implementation and help with green initiatives at the 2008
BICSI Winter Conference at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in
Orlando, Fla., January 13-17. The BICSI Winter Conference is also the first
stop for the 2008 "ADC Road Show" - a national tour featuring ADC's
mobile semi-trailer exhibit. ADC Solutions for Modern Data Centers
Data center
infrastructure requires specialized design, greater reliability and
manageability, and higher density than in other applications. ADC offers
innovative products and solutions that support modern data center
implementation while also helping resolve environmental and power issues that
affect the modern enterprise.
"A
well-planned infrastructure can make a tremendous difference in creating data
centers that are environmentally efficient while still ensuring optimal network
uptime," said Jaxon Lang, vice president global connectivity solutions
Americas for ADC. "ADC supports green data centers and environmental
efficiency by designing and manufacturing space-saving solutions that can
improve airflow and reduce costs associated with power and cooling."
ADC's new
Modular Switch Panel will be previewed at the BICSI Winter Conference. This new
high-density, well-managed, modular fiber solution has 96 terminations in each
RU compared to ADC's traditional TFP solution, which has half the terminations
in the same amount of space. This new solution is most suitable in the storage
area network or with switch and fiber racks of active gear.
Other products
and solutions for data centers featured outside the ADC Road Show Trailer
include:
-- Size-reduced
Augmented Category 6 Cable: The industry's smallest Augmented Category 6 cable,
it uses a patented AirES(R) design and is 22 percent smaller than typical
Category 6A cable. It helps improve airflow while permitting more cable to be
installed in pathways and spaces.
-- Angled
CopperTen(TM) (10Gig) Patch Panel: Installation-friendly design allows for wire
termination in a flat orientation. A quick and simple adjustment to angle
left/right promotes superior cable management and increases density while
eliminating horizontal cable managers.
--
FiberGuide(R) Raceway System: A simple and effective means of improving cooling
is removing air dams or blockages under the raised floor. The FiberGuide
Raceway System establishes clearly defined cable routing paths and keeps cables
organized, using less space and avoiding congested pathways that can restrict
airflow.
ADC Road Show
The BICSI
Winter Conference will be the first stop for the "ADC Road Show" - a
national, mobile exhibit, semi-trailer tour beginning in the Southeastern
U.S., with stops planned in more than 100 cities. The exhibit will
complete its tour in October 2008.
The
48-foot-long semi-trailer features ADC's latest equipment solutions and
services, including:
-- TrueNet
Structured Cabling Solutions
-- OmniReach(R)
Fiber-to-the-X Equipment
--
Carrier-Class Fiber and Copper Core Solutions
-- Inbuilding
and Outdoor Wireless Solutions
About ADC
ADC provides
the connections for wireline, wireless, cable, broadcast, and enterprise
networks around the world. ADC's innovative network infrastructure equipment
and professional services enable high-speed Internet, data, video, and voice
services to residential, business and mobile subscribers. ADC (NASDAQ:ADCT) has
sales into more than 130 countries. Learn more about ADC at www.adc.com.
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Larrie Rose, President Of Belden Europe, Will Retire
Belden (NYSE: BDC - News) today announced that D.
Larrie Rose, Vice President, Operations and President, Belden Europe, will
retire at the end of February 2008, after a 35-year career with the Company.
The Company has appointed Henk Derksen as interim managing director. Mr.
Derksen is Vice President, Finance, for Belden Europe.
John Stroup,
President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "During the two years that
Larrie and I have worked together, I have found him to be totally dedicated to
the success of his business unit and the entire corporation. He has provided
leadership to improve sales, margin contribution and manufacturing
effectiveness."
Mr. Rose joined
Belden as a sales associate in 1972 after graduating from Ball
State University
in Muncie, Indiana. He rose through marketing and sales
to general management. In 1981, he moved to Europe
to lead the establishment of Belden's European presence with a distribution
center and sales office. He returned to the U.S. in 1990 as a marketing
executive, and in 2002 was promoted to his current position as head of Belden's
European business. http://www.belden.com.
*********************************
Broadband Networks Need to Plan For Gigabits, Not Megabits
Carlini’s
Comments, MidwestBusiness.com’s oldest column, runs every Wednesday. Its
mission is to offer the common man’s view on business and technology issues
while questioning the leadership and visions of “pseudo” experts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Depending
on your current definition of broadband network connectivity, you might want to
update your frame of reference.
Did
you know at the beginning of 2008 that Japan announced its objective for
broadband connectivity is 10 gigabits by 2010? In some recent discussions I
have had, some industry pundits think 1 gigabit is too high to achieve.
A
couple megabits or even 30 Mbps to 40 Mbps to the premise as a design goal is
an obsolete objective unless you are aiming us into a third-rate infrastructure
for the future.
I
have been saying within my columns for years and at national conferences and
regional seminars (like the recent one with SimpleTel in Madison, Wis.
featuring Dantel, Connect802 and Matisse Networks) that broadband connectivity
today means providing gigabit speeds. Period.
The
only people who don’t want to hear this are those tied to products and network
services that have sub-gigabit maximums. These people don’t want to hear that
what they’re supporting is obsolete and not globally competitive. Why is this
such a hard thing for some industry executives and supposed network
infrastructure vendors and designers to accept?
I
understand how Christopher Columbus must have felt in front of a science
academy while trying to tell all the learned experts and academics that the
Earth is round instead of flat. Am I that far on the leading edge? I really
don’t think so, but after talking with some, I feel like Captain Kirk talking
with Fred Flintstone.
Are You Beating a Dead
Horse?
Last
week I spoke at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando
at the annual Building Industry Consulting Services International (BICSI)
winter conference. My presentation on intelligent business campuses discussed
new high-tech parks that must be supported with multiple network carriers as
well as multiple gigabit-speed network infrastructure. The talk was well
received.
There
were still a couple attendees who bristled when I said we must get into gigabit
network infrastructures immediately and anything in the planning stages today
should reflect an infrastructure that can handle multiple gigabit speeds on day
one.
The
real experts came up and agreed that we need to have gigabit speeds within city
network infrastructures and the issue of broadband connectivity being defined
as gigabit speeds today is right on target. It was refreshing to hear that at
least some of today’s experts bought into the concept.
How
many times must I point out that just putting DSL over copper is like putting a
vinyl top on a stagecoach and trying to sell it as a “fast alternative” in an era
of the space shuttle? Less and less people are buying into copper-based
capabilities when they see other countries talking about multiple gigabit
speeds while we are debating whether or not 20 Mbps to 30 Mbps on copper is
adequate for the next five to seven years.
In
my seminar, we also debunked some of the pseudo-expert euphoria about
installing a T-1 into a business and claiming that it made their network
connectivity “really up to date”. Some basic connectivity questions were asked
as part of the presentation including this one: Did you know when the first T-1
was installed? The answer is 1963.
That
question stumped just about everyone in the room. Many thought it was much
later in the 1980s. Anyone who thinks they’re state of the art because they
just installed a T-1 really just installed technology that has been around for
45 years.
Critical Infrastructure
Throughout the Ages
Infrastructure
has always played an important part in developing and sustaining global
commerce. In all stages of economic development and trade throughout the ages,
various layers of infrastructure helped build new commerce. My presentation
pointed out the historical layers of critical infrastructure for commerce and
trade.
All
of these examples created new routes for commerce, transportation and trade.
We
have built trade routes to develop and sustain regional viability. Now with the
Internet and other network services, trade routes have become electronic.
Today, broadband connectivity is the latest layer of critical infrastructure
that’s needed to provide new electronic trade routes to support economic
development and regional sustainability.
A
slide from Matisse Networks shows where connectivity is going. It is a
switching configuration that maximizes fiber connectivity into multiple gigabit
segments. The switching gear can dynamically allocate bandwidth as network
traffic is routed around the metropolitan area.
Nodes
that provide up to 160 Gbps on a metropolitan-area network are the latest
iteration of urban connectivity using fiber.
It
is a big step beyond SONET. It won’t be took long until 10 Gbps will be the
norm and fractional gigabit services will be available. This will hopefully put
an end to the discussions by those contemplating slower networks that don’t
have the raw bandwidth to sustain major metropolitan networks.
If
you are truly building for the future, no one should be talking about megabit
speeds to subscribers. If you are truly building for the future, you are
building multiple gigabit speeds with a minimum of 1 gigabit to a subscriber.
New Mantra
“Do
not quote a megabit rate when discussing network infrastructure after 2008.”
This should be adopted by anyone who professes to know what the typical
metropolitan network infrastructure should evolve into and states and
metropolitan areas should be looking at this for economic growth and regional
sustainability.
Anyone
with less than a gigabit as a goal for network infrastructures must be
uninformed or trying to protect an obsolete product or service. In either case,
they are not up to speed (pun intended).
Carlinism:
Aim high or be shot down by the competition.
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Check
out Carlini’s blog at CarlinisComments.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James
Carlini is an adjunct professor at Northwestern
University. He is also
president of Carlini & Associates. Carlini can be reached at
james.carlini@sbcglobal.net or 773-370-1888.
Click
here for Carlini’s full biography. Copyright 2008 Jim Carlini
*********************************
Predictions For 2008 On Economy Following Chicago Luncheon
Published on 1/16/2008 at
www.MidwestBusiness.com where you always read REAL perspectives
Carlini’s
Comments, MidwestBusiness.com’s oldest column, runs every Wednesday. Its
mission is to offer the common man’s view on business and technology issues
while questioning the leadership and visions of “pseudo” experts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO – After listening to the
experts at the recent Executives’ Club of Chicago luncheon, here is my take on
predicting 2008’s economy. This is part three of a three-part column.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At
this year’s Executives’ Club of Chicago luncheon, which focused on the future
of the economy for the year, the emphasis was on looking to global initiatives
for growth. More than 1,200 people attended this luncheon. Many looked for
answers to:
· the mortgage foreclosure debacle,
· the outlook for jobs, and
· the general sense of where the U.S. economy is
headed and how individual careers may be affected.
Some
of the speakers – including Harris Bank CIO Jack Ablin and Bob Froehlich (the
chairman of Deutsche Asset Management’s investment strategy committee) – had
some concrete explanations of missing the impact of the sub-prime financial
crisis and seeing foreign investments for the future. Froehlich said the area
to make money in is “going global”.
Even
though this is an election year, he predicted the U.S.
economy would be pretty flat again in 2008 with 1 percent to 2 percent growth
while the big growth would be found in other countries like China, Korea and others. As for the
presidential election’s potential for divisiveness, Froehlich said it could
create an outflow of foreign investments from the U.S.
Are We Giving Away Our
Leading Position?
More
than two decades ago, I made a very powerful statement that still resonates
today: “Leading-edge organizations do not maintain their position using
trailing-edge technology.
Substitute
“municipalities” or even “countries” for the word “organizations”. Without
leading-edge skills and technology, there’s no way we can sustain the lead in
the global economy. People are losing good jobs in America. That’s a fact. Good jobs
that require degrees and technical background are being lost to other countries’
cheaper labor.
These
are not jobs that “no one wants”. These jobs were good-paying careers. So where
are these jobs going? Why are we – the United States – giving away
knowledge and technology that would keep many people gainfully employed?
There
is also evidence that some universities are shifting their focus on preparing
foreign students instead of American students. What does this do for our global
leadership position as well as our national security? Just watch this video.
Foreign
investments are good. While I am not an isolationist, I think some institutions
are doing irreparable damage to the U.S. economy in the name of foreign
investment expansion. There are a lot of concerns about China and their
real long-term strategies. We don’t understand their whole culture as much as
you may think we do.
In
a government security meeting back in 2001, Michael Pillsbury of the National Defense University
addressed the U.S. China Security Review Commission and pointed out:
We
have very few people who can read Chinese who work on Chinese security matters
and close to none who can actually read a newspaper or an article published by
the Chinese military or a Chinese government think tank.
· We have almost no one in our government and
almost no one in the university sector who can do that.
In
another part of his speech (see pages 55 to 56 of 115), Dr Pillsbury comments:
China has many nightmares about
the United States
policy in the future. Overthrow of the government through peaceful evolution is
one. Beefing up the Japanese is another. Pushing Taiwan toward independence is a
third.
If
you use Chinese communist doctrine to analyze the biggest nightmare of them
all, in some sense it would be that Steve Bryen would do to China what he did to the Soviet
Union. Let me explain in one sentence why that is and it’s in the
first chapter of the book.
Deng
Xiaoping claimed that he made a creative contribution – something new – to
Marxist-Leninist theory.
Now,
this is almost unthinkable. It’s like someone today saying: “I’m adding
something new to the message of Jesus Christ, and by the way, here it is.” It’s
quite a claim. Very few people appreciate what that claim is and it’s the heart
of Deng Xiaoping theory.
It
is that science and technology from the outside is the prime force of
production, the prime way out for China of its poverty and its
weakness.
Now,
the National Science Foundation and other parts of the U.S. government
have 13 agreements where we essentially provide science and technology almost
for free to the Chinese scientific community.
Do
you think back then (2001 to 2002) Lucent had any effect on the amount of
people it laid off in the U.S.
in the last five years or why its stock tanked? It went from about $90 a share
to 99 cents a share before they got bought out by Alcatel.
Underemployment: The Lost
variable in Economics
In
this election year, people are concerned about the economy. The predictions by
the economists don’t reflect what’s going on in many families. Economists have
to examine the whole concept of underemployment rather than just unemployment
in the U.S.
Unemployment
numbers are meaningless and not reflective of buying power and household
sustainability. The true measure of what’s taking place is the amount of people
who have slipped in salaries from between $80,000 and $120,000 to between
$30,000 and $45,000 due to downsizing, outsourcing and layoffs.
One
IT person who is contracting today says he is making 20 percent less than on
his previous contract in 2007. Another commented: “At least you have a
contract.” Plus, oil has doubled in a year and the devaluation of the dollar is
around 40 percent.
Mesirow
Financial economist Diane Swonk has pointed out that there is a shortage of
highly skilled people in the U.S.
The whole concept that there’s a shortage of IT professionals is completely
wrong. From an economic standpoint, if there was a real shortage wouldn’t wages
for IT people be skyrocketing up and not spinning down?
That,
of course, is the law of supply and demand. If there was a real shortage,
software developers, database administrators and others would be well into a
six-figure range of salaries comparable to doctors and getting a lot of perks
instead of bargaining for cheap hourly rates with no benefits.
The reality is that we have
had labor dumping in the U.S.
Many
high-tech jobs with decent salaries have been diluted because thousands of
people have been imported into the U.S. They have not gone home after
the NASDAQ crash. Instead, companies increased the cheap labor and replaced
more highly paid American workers with them. Other professions are starting to
see job erosion as more H-1B and L-1 visas are being allotted.
Though
this might be good for short-term profits, it adds a lot of fuel on the
skyrocketing foreclosure rates. These can’t be blamed on just sub-prime
mortgages, the 20-year low in new car sales and the huge increase in personal
bankruptcies.
All
of this is happening while CEOs like Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide Financial
cashed in $400 million in salary and options in the last couple years. Mozilo
awaits a severance package of another $115 million when Bank of America buys
out Countrywide. Rewarding poor performance and failure with this magnitude of
compensation should be more than just frowned upon.
The
person should be summarily dismissed without any severance package. There needs
to be more board of director reforms to outlaw this type of boardroom lunacy.
His pay should be divided and given to all the people he put on the street.
What are their severance packages from Countrywide?
The Demise of Michigan
Look
to Michigan
as a state that has become an example of poor leadership and a totally wrong
coalition of government, business, academia and organized labor. Should we feel
sorry for Michigan
and the poor state they are in with jobs and its housing market?
I
say they drove themselves into a declining vortex of joblessness, aimlessness
and no vision to move forward. That is a strong statement, I know, but look at
the two videos that spotlight the lack of focusing on solving local problems.
Both talk about U.S.
taxpayer money subsidizing college tuition and job loss to China. The
first is here.
As
the video states: “Patriotism is for chumps.” Policies have been set in
companies to maximize short-term gains by transferring manufacturing jobs out
to China.
Higher educational institutions are enticing foreign students with tuition
breaks that are being subsidized by U.S. taxpayers.
This
next video is about the state of Michigan and
the University of
Michigan. See here. It
talks about shifting endowment money to develop offshore hedge funds and not
spending money on supporting local students or start-up businesses. Instead, it
talks about developing VC projects in China. By the way, much of this is
taxpayer money.
Here
is a link to a full speech by the minister of the American
Center for Cultural Exchange at the
American embassy in Beijing.
Any reactions? I sent these two videos to some readers because I was unsure
about their credibility. Validation came back from various people including
some university professors who said that even more was going on than what you
see here.
It’s
pretty clear to see there are catalysts at academic institutions who on one
hand want your support, alumni donations and taxpayer money while they turn
over technology, fund foreign start-ups and even finance cheaper competition
instead of helping the communities they profess they support.
Drive
through Michigan.
That state is devastated and its housing market is a joke. They will be asking
other states to bail them out. They should be looking at their own business
leaders and institutions who sold them out.
Sending
money to your alma mater or buying an American car to “support American jobs”
(which then actually fund foreign initiatives to undermine your job here by
creating cheaper competition) is at best counterproductive. At worst, it’s
treasonable if it affects national security.
Carlinism:
Millions of dollars should be spent locally to strengthen our future education
and economy first. Any change left over should then be seeded into
international initiatives (not vice versa).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check
out Carlini’s blog at CarlinisComments.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James
Carlini is an adjunct professor at Northwestern
University. He is also
president of Carlini & Associates. Carlini can be reached at
james.carlini@sbcglobal.net or 773-370-1888.
Click
here for Carlini’s full biography.
Copyright
2008 Jim Carlini
*********************************
Coleman Cable TwistBrite LED Work Lights Deliver
‘Light
Where You Need It’
Coleman Cable, Inc.
(Nasdaq: CCIX) announces TwistBrite™, the new LED work light with a flexible neck that
allows its ultra bright bulb to be positioned in multiple ways to give you
‘light where you need it.’ The new work light comes with a PVC-coated magnet on
the base of the unit for quick attachment to metal surfaces and is ideal for
workshop, construction, HVAC, plumbing and automotive applications or anywhere
a portable light is needed. Because TwistBrite’s ultra bright LED bulb has a
life expectancy of 50,000 hours, there is no need to worry about replacement.
The unit operates on 3 AA batteries, included in the TwistBrite pack.
“In
introducing the new TwistBrite, we not only bring more convenience to the work
site but also provide a light source with professional-grade reliability and
superior performance results,” said Blaine Ballard, Coleman Cable product
manager. www.colemancable.com
*********************************
CommScope Enterprise Solutions Launches Newly Enhanced BusinessPartner Program
CommScope Enterprise Solutions,
a division of CommScope, Inc. (NYSE:CTV), has launched its 2008 BusinessPartner
program with enhancements that deliver global consistency and meet changing
customer requirements around the world.
CommScope – the global leader in
network infrastructure solutions – believes that selecting the right
infrastructure solution is only one part of a customer's decision-making
process; choosing a qualified company to implement the solution is equally
important. The program accomplishes this by recognizing BusinessPartners that
demonstrate industry leading levels of skill, capability, knowledge and
technical expertise.
"Our newly enhanced
BusinessPartner program will give CommScope customers increased confidence in
the partner they choose to implement CommScope solutions,” said Angela
Haneklau, vice president of sales, North American region, CommScope Enterprise
Solutions. "Choosing a BusinessPartner that has the right combination of experience,
expertise and market coverage to meet customer needs is invaluable.”
CommScope has structured its
BusinessPartner program to offer three levels of partners – Authorized,
Prestige and Elite – based on the different service offerings, skills and
expertise across the CommScope portfolio of solutions. While CommScope and its
BusinessPartners, regardless of level, have an unrelenting commitment to the
highest standards of quality, performance and reliability, the new structure
provides customers a clear view of different levels of expertise and options
targeted to meet their specific needs and requirements.
In addition to the creation of
the Elite tier, CommScope is launching new training, marketing programs and
services to expand the support services for its BusinessPartner program
members. These new features will help BusinessPartners build customer
relationships and differentiate themselves in the market.
"We had our
BusinessPartners and customers in mind when we considered enhancing an already successful
business model,” Haneklau said. "At CommScope, our BusinessPartners and
the customers they serve are inextricably linked. The enhancements to our
global BusinessPartner program help ensure customers receive superior and
consistent levels of service and support worldwide. "
About CommScope Enterprise
Solutions
CommScope Enterprise Solutions,
a division of CommScope, Inc., offers a complete portfolio of network
infrastructure solutions that enable enterprise customers, regardless of size,
industry or IT budget, to take advantage of business and technology
opportunities. The division's SYSTIMAX® and Uniprise® product lines offer
voice, data, video and converged solutions ranging from mission-critical,
high-bandwidth and emerging applications to applications that demand
unrelenting reliability and quality for everyday needs. Backed by CommScope
Labs and a 20-year extended warranty, the product lines are delivered through a
global network of our BusinessPartners a | 
