Posts by Huginn

Outback shocker left Aussie techie with a secret not worth sharing

Car batteries make good sparks!

Many years ago I was asked by a stranger to help jump start their car. all went welluntil they removed the leads from my battery and in order to shake my hand put both leads together into his left hand..... To say he jumped is putting it mildly - he also lit up the surrounding area!

Broken lab equipment led boffins to solve a 58-year-old physics problem by mistake

As Isaac Asimov said: The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka" but "That's funny..."

So you locked your backups away for years, huh? Allow me to introduce my colleagues, Brute, Force and Ignorance

Too cold to boot

In an early project we were working in a cold portacabin which had removable (Bernoulli) drives which had to be taken out and stored in the locked filing cabinets overnight. The only heating, a portable heater had to be turned off. During a very cold winter spell the drives got so cold that they wouldn't boot until they had defrosted slightly. As the junior my job was to be in first, turn the heater and PCs on so that by the time everyone else rolled in they might be in a position to start work.