Articles
A little magic with every purchase
When I was a kid, about two weeks before each school year started, my parents would take me shopping for clothes and school supplies. As a pre-teen I wasn’t exactly enthused about these trips, but one shop – a shoe store – always had my undivided attention at checkout time. The store’s cash registers sat […]
Weird places I’ve worked
It’s 25 years ago and I’m in the midst of my original career, as a newspaper reporter. I live and work in northern Los Angeles County, and the region has recently been rocked by the Northridge Earthquake. Caught in the widespread damage are my apartment and the City Hall building containing my office (and desktop […]
When Being First is Too Late
Cisco IT has for years prided itself on being the company’s first and best customer – using our own products early and sharing what we learn. What’s different about customer zero?
It’s Time to Pull the Plug
It's time for our 11th annual year-end shutdown. Learn how we successfully plan and execute a lab shutdown, then restart high-powered lab systems when we return in January.
Cutting Power in 3… 2… 1…
Say you’re working for a large company and there’s a proposal to shut down dozens of buildings for several days near the end of the calendar year. A lot of...
A Different Angle
I’m a backstage, behind-the-scenes kind of person. I find it fascinating to observe things from somewhere other than where the audience normally sits. Watching from the side of the stage or perhaps seeing a rehearsal often reveals something unexpected or amusing. Years ago I was at a professional video shoot and watched as the crew […]
My Favorite Superpower
I was at a movie theater recently, seated comfortably and waiting to see the latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, when I overheard a friendly debate among three young men in the row ahead of me. “If you could have one superpower, what would you want?” It’s impolite to eavesdrop, but I had that […]
Holistic Design is Good Medicine for Your Data Center
If you share your secret sauce recipe with a lot of people, is it still secret sauce? I recently co-hosted a televised Data Center tour alongside Cisco IT distinguished engineer Jon Woolwine. A camera crew shadowed us as we walked the company’s Data Center in Allen, Texas and discussed the site’s infrastructure and how various […]
Requiem for a Data Center
Cisco IT has, as you may have heard, been shutting down some of its Data Centers. We’ve closed dozens of older facilities – some large, many small – in the past 10 years, consolidating into purpose-built rooms that better enable our business. The latest to close was the company’s longest-running Development Data Center, located at […]