Another day of failed electrical equipment, diesel generators not starting, overheating in data centers, and water leaks. All problems overcome, now it is time to take a break and recharge your mind for the challenges queuing up for tomorrow.
A drive down the ‘5 from Los Angeles, and 20 minutes later back in Burbank. Burbank, home of half the world’s entertainment community, a regional airport, several major highways, and of course the Verdugu Mountains.
Of Course the Verdugu Mountains?
Los Angeles is unique. Not a single city, but a hundred cities all clustered together in a social eco-system that provides cultural diversity unlike any other area in the world. Each city has a different personality, each city has features making it attractive to whatever ethnic or cultural background you may come from. From Long Beach, to Malibu, to Arcadia, and of course Burbank.
Of all the features Los Angeles offers, perhaps the most compelling for those with a high stress lifestyle is the ability to get out of the city, from virtually anyplace within the city. You are never far away from the ocean, mountains, large parks, or the high desert. In the case of Burbank, we have the Verdugu Mountains, with a web of several dozen miles of trails crossing a mountain range between Burbank City and the 210 Freeway.
The easiest way to get into the mountains is through trail gateways, either via Stough Park, or Wildwood Canyon. Wildwood Canyon also has numerous picnic areas, in addition to hiking path entries directing hikers though a variety of ridges and valleys. From the top of each ridge you will see a panoramic view of both the San Fernando Valley, as well as the skyline of downtown Los Angeles.
There is nothing quite like a sunrise or sunset from atop of any ridge peaks the Verdugus have to offer. After a long day at the office, it is impossible to carry a grudge, frustration, or anger once you hit the top, and start to see the horizon rushing to meet the sun.
Fire Trails or Jogging Trails
Of course Southern California is also known for epic wildfires. To help the fire fighters limit damage to communities during fire season, most urban mountain areas also have fire roads carved into the hillsides. Indeed, this tears up the landscape a bit, but it also provides miles of jogging and hiking trails in a protected environment. No cars, trucks, motorcycles, or skateboards to annoy runners after a rough day at work. Your only companions are deer, rabbits, coyote, red tail hawks, lizards, and an occasional snake.
Hikers are always welcome, and it is also a fact your human encounters are always friendly. A couple words about the coyotes seen further up the trail, a word or two about the beauty of chaparral, or the sunset. Of course the early bird runners can easily make the same statements on sunrises over the Los Angeles basin, but sunset is the best time of day in the Verdugus. Peaceful, calm, and far away from the stresses of life.
But not too far, as the trails are near enough for runners starting from anyplace from anyplace east of the ‘5, and for drivers there is ample parking in the area for those coming from further out in the city.
Back Down the Hill
Another perfect run, another coyote sighting, a small snake, lots of rabbits, and I have forgotten everything thing I know about diesel generators, UPSs, automatic transfer switches, and computer room air conditioning.
Back home, and a message on Mr. Android. “A customer is complaining his cabinet is over heating. He has done everything right, including adding 2 inch spaces between all servers and alternating them intake/exhaust through the cabinet to ensure proper airflow and cooling. What should we do?”
Sigh…
Fire season is here. Southern California fire departments and forestry services are urging residents to cut back brush on their properties and create “defensible space” 
between the dry chaparral and their homes. Local news stations have spooled their resources to bring fire-related journalism to the population. And, we have already seen extreme technology such as DC-10s and 747s dumping insane amounts of Foscheck and water to quickly knock down fires which have popped up early in the season.
Southern California has fires, just as Kansas has tornadoes and Florida has hurricanes. Disasters are a natural part of nature and life. How we deal with natural disasters, our ability to survive and overcome challenges, and how we restore our communities defines our society.
Technology tools in place or being developed are having a major impact on our ability to react, respond, and recover from disaster. In the early stages of any disaster, communication is key to both survival and response. As nearly every person in the world is now tethered to a wireless device, the communication part is
becoming much easier, as even the most simple handset will support basic features such as text messaging and voice communications.
Getting the Message Out
Over the past 25 years the world has adopted Internet-enabled communications in a wide variety of formats for everything from email to citizen journalism. It is hard to find an event occurring anyplace in the world that is not recorded by a phone camera, YouTube video, blog, or real time broadcast.
In the 2008 Santa Barbara Tea Fire students from UC Santa Barbara used Twitter to warn fellow students and local residents to get out of the fire’s path as it raced through 2000 acres and more than 210 houses within the city limits. While it is not possible to put a statistic on the value of Twitter on evacuations and emergency notification, interviews following the fire with students revealed many had their initial notification through Twitter lists, and indicated they were able to get out of areas consumed in the fire (while screaming the heads off to others in the neighborhood to get out) before public safety officials were able to respond to the fire.
NOTE: I was driving through Santa Barbara (along the ’101) during the initial phase of the fire, and can personally verify the fire moved really, really fast through the city. It looked like lava streaming out of a volcano, and you could see houses literally exploding as the fire hit them and moved through… I wasted no time myself getting through the city and on the way to LA.
This article will not review all the potential technologies or software becoming available for emergency notifications, however we will look at the basic utility enabling all the great stuff happening to keep our citizens safe. The Internet.
Internet’s Utility is Now Bigger than Individuals and Companies
We all remember the infamous interview with Ed Whitcare, former CEO at AT&T.
Q: How concerned are you about Internet upstarts like Google, MSN, Vonage, and others?
A: How do you think they’re going to get to customers? Through a broadband pipe. Cable companies have them. We have them. Now what they would like to do is use my pipes free, but I ain’t going to let them do that because we have spent this capital and we have to have a return on it. So there’s going to have to be some mechanism for these people who use these pipes to pay for the portion they’re using. Why should they be allowed to use my pipes?
The Internet can’t be free in that sense, because we and the cable companies have made an investment and for a Google or Yahoo or Vonage or anybody to expect to use these pipes [for] free is nuts!
This statement, clearly indicates many in the internet network and service provider business do not yet get the big picture of what this “4th Utility” represents. The internet is not funny cat videos, porn, corporate web sites, or Flickr. Those features and applications exist on the Internet, but they are not the Internet.
Internet, broadband, and applications are a basic right of every person on the planet. The idea that two network administrators might have an argument at a bar, and subsequently consider the possibility of “de-peering” a network based on personalities or manageable financial considerations borders on being as irresponsible as a fire department going on strike during a California wildfire.
As a utility, the Internet has value. Just as electricity, water, or roads. The utility must be paid for either before or after use, however the utility cannot be denied to those who need the service. When a city grows, and attracts more traffic, residents, and commerce, the intent is normally not to restrict or control the process, you build better roads, better infrastructure, and the people will eventually pay the price of that growth through taxes and utility bills. The 4th Utility is no different. When it gets oversubscribed, it is the carrier’s responsibility to build better infrastructure.
Disputes between network administrators, CFOs, or colocation landlords should never present a risk that SMS, Twitter, email, or other citizen journalism could be blocked, resulting is potential loss of life, property, and quality of life.
Communicating in the Dangerous Season
Fire season is upon us. As well as riots, traffic congestion, government crackdowns, take downs, and other bad things people need to know so they can react and respond. The Internet delivers CalTrans traffic information to smart phones, SMS, and web browsers to help us avoid gridlock and improve our quality of life. Twitter and YouTube help us understand the realities of a Tehran government crackdown, and Google Maps helps guide us through the maze of city streets while traveling to a new location.
We have definitely gone well past the “gee whiz” phase of the Internet, and must be ready to deal with the future of the Internet as a basic right, a basic utility, and essential component of our lives.
Net neutrality is an important topic – learn more about network neutrality, and weigh in on how you believe this utility should be envisioned.
Jogging along Sunset Canyon Drive in Burbank is great. You have the choice of peeling off into several great mountain trails, or you can just keep running the 
border line between the rugged Verdugo Mountains and the city of Burbank. From Sunset Canyon drive you are high enough to see the entire San Fernando Valley, as well as a glimpse of the Los Angeles skyline off to the south.
The best time is during sunset, as you see the tall Mexican Fan Palms dancing along the top of the city like a hundred green cotton balls and tumble weeds being whacked around the sky by tall Italian Cypress trees. The sunset brings out exciting colors of the palms, the city, and the rich reds, oranges, and the greens of the Verdugo Mountains. And the softness of the sun brings a warm softness to the community – a period of calm in a sea of dense humanity.
On those occasions when you really want a good workout, and have a burning desire to run the mountains, heading up Harvard Road to the Wildwood Canyon Road is a great place to unload excess energy. In addition, you will
take the wonderful views you get on Sunset Canyon, and multiply them 10 fold. However you need to have a real feel for off road running, as the trails soon get steep, and are not that hospitable for the casual runner.
On a recent morning trip up a mountain adjacent to Wildwood Canyon, I spied an old man carrying 2 five gallon jugs of water up one of the steeper trails, which ultimately led to the peak. Overwhelmed with curiosity, and a bit of fatigue, I could not help finishing my trek up the mountain and find out what this old man was doing.
(Here are a couple great shots of LA and the LA/San Fernando Skyline from Wildwood Canyon by SFXERIC on Flicker 1/2)
The Old Man of the Mountain
At the crest I caught up with the old man. He was watering a couple small saplings on top of the peak. Striking up a conversation I learned that he was 72 years old, had lived in Burbank since immigrating to the US from Chile following World War 2, and was retired. Thin, bronzed skinned, and in absolutely great shape, he explained that he hauled 10 gallons of water up the hill every morning to feed his saplings.
Why did he plant saplings on top of a mountain, so far away from everything, and visited by just a few people each day?
He exclaimed that at his age there is very little he can do to contribute to his city, neighborhood, or community. But he wanted to continue doing something useful with his life. A couple years ago the area burned during a wildfire (the “Castaway Fire” in late September 2005). Before the fire he enjoyed the beauty of Wildwood Canyon, the mountain trails running throughout the canyon, and the companionship he found with hikers who had nothing to do with him – except a mutual love of nature and the mountains.
As the entire area was burned to the dirt during 2005′s Castaway Fire, including all the trees and brush, he felt great sorrow at the loss suffered by nature, including animals native to the area and companions who drifted away following the fire.
He has no family left, completely on his own. He wanted to give back one small gift to Wildwood Canyon, the people of Burbank, and elsewhere who had given him such joy during his life. He knows fire is a part of nature that is necessary to replenish nutrients and eliminate dead fuel within the mountains and valleys of Southern California. On the other hand, he also believes that until it is time for the fires to come and take back the land, humans should use the land to enjoy their lives and indulge in the gifts of nature provided by his God.
The picture above is a shot of some burn with fresh growth coming up within the branches of the dead tree. Nature replenishing itself.
And the old man is so happy. Smiling, laughing, ready to tell a story – he is enjoying his twilight of life.
Since meeting the old man, I have spent a lot more time on the mountain. Every time I climb to the peak, I can see the soil at the base of his saplings is still moist, assuring me not only he is still watering the saplings, but also that he is healthy and strong enough to climb the mountain for his daily chore.
What the Old Man has Taught Me about Watering Saplings
As an animal of routines, I have the need to accomplish much of my life based on repetition. Now one of my repetitive tasks when in Wildwood Canyon is to carry a small bag, pick up the remains of those who have enjoyed the mountain, but may lack a bit of respect or discipline with their personal debris.
I don’t get angry, and have learned that beauty requires maintenance and effort. Wildwood Canyon will burn, but until the canyon’s time in the burn cycle is reached, there is a lot of fun to be had by all. Children, visitors, residents, anybody who needs to refresh their lives can accomplish their objective with a walk up the mountain. Maybe the old man has found a willing subject to pass the baton of love and responsibility of the canyon and mountain, or maybe I have just learned that a little bit of effort can have a huge impact on others.
Maybe it is not a deep thought, and maybe it has no real meaning in the big picture of life.
I hope everybody can find their own Wildwood Canyon, and maintain it with the love and passion of the old man.
I can’t stop thinking of the old guy, and will continue climbing the mountain in the hopes I will have the chance to meet and listen to him again.
John Savageau, Long Beach
