Router Project Update

On and off here and there, I've talked about the new equipment we're getting at work. It includes a new routing switcher, console, cameras, etc. It will set us up for much more efficient operation and will allow us much easier expansion into the future. Well, work is moving along briskly now and equipment is being installed! Here's some of the more interesting stuff (click pictures for larger versions):

One thing that our vendor, AVI Systems, recommended that we do is repaint the new control room to bring down the brightness of the walls. In this picture, half of the room is painted in the more medium, neutral grey (left) while the old light blue (right) awaits painting. In the foreground our Avid editing system has been pulled away from the wall to allow the painters access to the walls while we remain operational -- but VERY high from paint fumes!

These are some of the spools of cable that AVI has pulled throughout the building. The white cable is for audio while the yellow is coaxial cable capable of high-definition digital video transfer (4.5Ghz bandwidth). While we currently don't produce in HD, his cabling basically future-proofs our operations and will allow for that in time. I crunched the numbers, and we're installing more than 7500 feet of cabling throughout City Hall -- not including what will be inside the racks themselves. That's almost a mile and a half! When everything is finished being installed, we'll immediately have the capability to route any number of signals to or from our old control room (which will remain in use for tape storage and program monitoring during meetings) and two of the building's conference rooms. We could never do that before.

This is the new console into which all of our new and existing equipment will be installed. Above the lower left four spaces will be a table top that will house our program switcher, camera controller, keyboard, mouse, etc. This console, at its tallest, is nine feet and misses the flourescent light by no more than four inches. Notice the rails on the floor. Because of the room's space limitations, the entire console is designed to slide in and out from the wall behind it. When we need access behind, we can pull it out. Otherwise, it'll sit about six inches from the wall.

These boxes house the actual routing switcher...for now. I included this picture for a very specific reason: The box on the left has a shipping weight of 99 pounds and houses the analog video portion of the router. AVI's staff estimates that the above console is currently about 500 pounds empty, and when fully populated with the router and everything else, the entire stack could weigh up to 2000 pounds! It's a good thing we're on the ground floor!

Finally, more spools, but these are really special. These are two of the three fiber optic cables that will connect our control room to the robotic cameras in the City Council Chamber. The fiber will carry a full digital video signal and all the control information necessary to operate the cameras. They are each 100 meters long (about 328 feet) and cost a bundle. You can imagine the heart attacks we almost had when we found out someone stepped on them! Fortunately they came away unscathed, but we don't want to relive that experience.

More pictures are on the way, including before and after shots of everything. I hope you enjoyed this little tour of our project. Smiles!

We Hardly Knew Ye, Headset.

My Motorola bluetooth headset...is dead...thanks to a leaky Duracell battery (yellow arrow in picture; click for a larger version). Damned "Coppertop!" I first discovered a problem yesterday when I tried to talk to Seth and my brother while using it. They reported that they heard only static. Fine, I thought. It's probably dead or needs to be reset or something.

It was the first, though not of the headset's own doing.

I'd left the headset in the car and today, when I took it inside I noticed some residue around the indicator light (white arrow). I opened up the battery compartment and, after some work trying to get the battery unstuck, managed to free the culprit from his pit of destruction to see the damage. Battery juice has leaked all over the inside of the headset, and my little wireless accessory is no more.

I WILL be calling Duracell to see if any reparations can be obtained for my loss, and to assist in adopting a new bluetooth headset into my telephony family. Grr.

By the way, in case you don't know, bluetooth is a wireless protocol that allows devices to talk to each other or transfer data. Cell phones with bluetooth installed can connect with headsets wirelessly to allow for handsfree, WIRELESS conversations while driving, doing work around the house, or whatever tickles your fancy. They're especially good for making people give you funny looks at the mall because they think you're schizophrenic and are talking to your imaginary friend.

Ghetto Computin'

You might have heard the rumor that Apple is working with rapper 50 Cent to develop a specially branded Mac for inner city kids. Here's some software that'd certainly be pre-loaded:

An Honest Motto.

I took this picture outside of our police building one day.

I don't care what Merriam or Webster say...

I don't like the word 'gotten.' It doesn't seem like it's a legitimate word. "He'd gotten the wrong size shirt." It just sounds wrong. The dictionary says it's a past participle of 'get,' however it doesn't make it sound any more right to me.

Family Matters.

With all the talk in the news lately about a gay marriage ban, I thought I'd take a moment to share my thoughts on the whole issue. These are my opinions and thoughts on the matter. Feel free to agree or disagree, and your comments are welcome.

The progression of society is based on family. Family is made up of adults and their children who live together as a committed unit. At the end of the day, when you return from school or work, it is family to whom you return. Family can be made up of any mixture of parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, or more and still have love. Love can transcend gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and all the other factors that influence our lives. This talk isn't about love. This is about what kind of family I feel is best to raise children.

Ideally, I feel like a child should be raised with the experience of a mother and a father. As a person of belief, I believe God planned it that way. That's why only a man and a woman can come together to reproduce. A mother and a father each have something to bring to the table. Each has their own gender experiences that a daughter or son each need to know about. Does this mean that the worst set of a mom and dad will do better than any lesbian couple? No. But at the core, I feel like a family should be led by a man and woman who are married to each other. A gay marriage does not offer that.

But this has wider implications. It means that I don't think it's right for single mothers to go at it alone. I commend single mothers for their dedication to their children without any companion to fall back on. I'm not saying that a single mother cannot be an effective parent. I'm not saying that single mothers should be illegal. I'm saying that, ideally, it would be a man and woman in a married relationship both raising the children together. Hopefully that single mom will be able to get as much help as is needed from the children's father(s) or another dedicated man in her life.

Life often hands us lemons, so we must make lemonade. I'm not discounting that. Although I know that gay couples have adopted and raised children together, I'm a little squeamish about the idea of gay marriage being legal. I think it sets a bad precedent and sets askew what our society's priorities should be. I am also, however, squeamish about making a ban on gay marriage a constitutional amendment. I don't even have all the answers within myself on this issue, but these are my thoughts. I welcome your comments.