How (and why) to Ramble on your goat sideways
05-18-2020, 05:09 AM
Boost Pope
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The worst emails are also typically the shortest:
From Sears Tower management:
"Due to recent flooding on Lower Wacker Drive, electric power and key building services are being interrupted. As of this time, Willis Tower is closed to all occupants."
Well, ****.
The building is dark. Like, 100% dark. 8 feet of water in the basement. The ComEd electrical substation melted down. All TV and radio stations went offline. I got the backup transmitter at Hancock running within about 45 seconds. Quite proud of that, given that I was still pretty intoxicated when the phone rang at 1:30am with master control saying "WE'RE OFF AIR!"
It's looking bad.
At this point, the BEST CASE SCENARIO is that this outage lasts at least 5 hours, because the house UPS will die at about that point, based on past experience. The transmitter control cabinet, which is on UPS, is furiously trying to turn the main amplifier cabinets back on, which it can't do right now, because no 3-phase 480v power. If power comes back on, and it does turn the amps on, then the main transmitter will drown out the backup with empty carrier, since the ASI feed is also down (and likely will be for several days), and that will effectively take us off the air. And I won't be able to shut it down, because the network switch that connects it to the outside world is presently under water.
And, of course, I can't physically get into the building to shut it off, because fuckshorlhbwlih 23,kilhedljn!
I am so done with 2020. **** this entire year squarely in the goat hole.
EDIT: three hours since the event, power still out. Only 2 more hours to go before we're in a safe state.
From Sears Tower management:
"Due to recent flooding on Lower Wacker Drive, electric power and key building services are being interrupted. As of this time, Willis Tower is closed to all occupants."
Well, ****.
The building is dark. Like, 100% dark. 8 feet of water in the basement. The ComEd electrical substation melted down. All TV and radio stations went offline. I got the backup transmitter at Hancock running within about 45 seconds. Quite proud of that, given that I was still pretty intoxicated when the phone rang at 1:30am with master control saying "WE'RE OFF AIR!"
It's looking bad.
At this point, the BEST CASE SCENARIO is that this outage lasts at least 5 hours, because the house UPS will die at about that point, based on past experience. The transmitter control cabinet, which is on UPS, is furiously trying to turn the main amplifier cabinets back on, which it can't do right now, because no 3-phase 480v power. If power comes back on, and it does turn the amps on, then the main transmitter will drown out the backup with empty carrier, since the ASI feed is also down (and likely will be for several days), and that will effectively take us off the air. And I won't be able to shut it down, because the network switch that connects it to the outside world is presently under water.
And, of course, I can't physically get into the building to shut it off, because fuckshorlhbwlih 23,kilhedljn!
I am so done with 2020. **** this entire year squarely in the goat hole.
EDIT: three hours since the event, power still out. Only 2 more hours to go before we're in a safe state.
Last edited by Joe Perez; 05-18-2020 at 05:27 AM.
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05-18-2020, 05:16 AM
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The good news. Nobody is awake watching TV, except us.
Don't worry Joe, one day when you're sitting on your 200 acre ranch on a private lake you'll realize all these early morning panics were worth it.
Don't worry Joe, one day when you're sitting on your 200 acre ranch on a private lake you'll realize all these early morning panics were worth it.
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05-18-2020, 01:46 PM
Boost Pope
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The UPS crapped out. Which is a good thing given the circumstances, since I've got no control of anything there. Sears room 9850 is fully dark, and the backup at Hancock is stable.
Most recent report is 8 feet of water in basement level 1 of the world's tallest free standing all-steel structure. Which is two stories above level B3. Which is where the transformers are.
The communications infrastructure in the lower basement levels is fucked all to hell. They literally have SCUBA divers inspecting it.
This is gonna be a long ride.
EDIT: There is an AT&T central office down there, which provides most of the network connectivity within the loop. So someone at AT&T is having a far worse day than I am.
Most recent report is 8 feet of water in basement level 1 of the world's tallest free standing all-steel structure. Which is two stories above level B3. Which is where the transformers are.
The communications infrastructure in the lower basement levels is fucked all to hell. They literally have SCUBA divers inspecting it.
This is gonna be a long ride.
EDIT: There is an AT&T central office down there, which provides most of the network connectivity within the loop. So someone at AT&T is having a far worse day than I am.
Last edited by Joe Perez; 05-18-2020 at 01:59 PM.
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05-18-2020, 04:45 PM
Boost Pope
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The comms infrastructure at Sears is fucked all to hell. They have SCUBA divers inspecting my gear.
Yeah, that's probably not gonna power back up.
There are not enough variants of the word "****" in the English language for me to convey my present state of mind.
Yeah, that's probably not gonna power back up.
There are not enough variants of the word "****" in the English language for me to convey my present state of mind.
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05-18-2020, 09:59 PM
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When the Sears Tower was designed, it contained many radical innovations.
It was the first major skyscraper in the world constructed without the use of asbestos. It contains an innovative elevator system, with express elevators taking people up to lobbies at the 33rd and 66th floors, where they can then transfer to local elevators which are stacked atop one another for space-saving. It is the world's largest free-standing steel structure.
It was not, however, designed with the capability to pump out the entire volume of the Chicago River.
Which is what happened.
Since climate change isn't a real thing, it's obvious that God willed the river to overflow its southern bank, and run down Lower Wacker Drive to the freight dock of Sears. And then fill it. Completely.
This situation is so beyond fucked that I am actually laughing myself senseless about it.
I mean, after the second fire last week, I was betting that Godzilla would rise up out of Lake Michigan, but Dave had his money on lava flowing down W. Adams Street.
We were both wrong.
This is Lower Wacker Drive. Normally, there isn't a foot of standing water on it.
It was the first major skyscraper in the world constructed without the use of asbestos. It contains an innovative elevator system, with express elevators taking people up to lobbies at the 33rd and 66th floors, where they can then transfer to local elevators which are stacked atop one another for space-saving. It is the world's largest free-standing steel structure.
It was not, however, designed with the capability to pump out the entire volume of the Chicago River.
Which is what happened.
Since climate change isn't a real thing, it's obvious that God willed the river to overflow its southern bank, and run down Lower Wacker Drive to the freight dock of Sears. And then fill it. Completely.
This situation is so beyond fucked that I am actually laughing myself senseless about it.
I mean, after the second fire last week, I was betting that Godzilla would rise up out of Lake Michigan, but Dave had his money on lava flowing down W. Adams Street.
We were both wrong.
This is Lower Wacker Drive. Normally, there isn't a foot of standing water on it.
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05-18-2020, 10:21 PM
Boost Pope
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I mean, this is ******* mind-blowing:
That's big ole' Channel 9 (RF 19, 500-506 Mhz), with absolutely ******* nothing on either side of it. Half the TV stations in town are dead, because they don't have an off-site backup.
I was in NYC during 9/11, and worked on the restoration of four FM stations immediately afterwards. Everyone in town thought they had their bases covered. Multiple transmitters, multiple antennas, backup generators... but only one WTC.
I made literally this exact argument two years ago during lease-renewal, when people were asking why we were spending so much money for the aux site at Hancock.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, you can redundant the **** out of everything except the building it's sitting on top of.
Guess who's still on the air?
(Can you tell that this situation is seriously ******* with my head right now?)
Oh, and we now have a small coolant leak on the transmitter at Hancock.
**** me squarely.
That's big ole' Channel 9 (RF 19, 500-506 Mhz), with absolutely ******* nothing on either side of it. Half the TV stations in town are dead, because they don't have an off-site backup.
I was in NYC during 9/11, and worked on the restoration of four FM stations immediately afterwards. Everyone in town thought they had their bases covered. Multiple transmitters, multiple antennas, backup generators... but only one WTC.
I made literally this exact argument two years ago during lease-renewal, when people were asking why we were spending so much money for the aux site at Hancock.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, you can redundant the **** out of everything except the building it's sitting on top of.
Guess who's still on the air?
(Can you tell that this situation is seriously ******* with my head right now?)
Oh, and we now have a small coolant leak on the transmitter at Hancock.
**** me squarely.
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05-19-2020, 08:15 AM
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I made literally this exact argument two years ago during lease-renewal, when people were asking why we were spending so much money for the aux site at Hancock.
Will it be weeks or months after the water recedes before the other stations are back on air? The lost revenue... The viewers who develop a new habit of viewership...
You are stressed about what you are facing but you have put your company on top of the world right now. You should feel pretty proud of your efforts and preparation. That's why you are in charge and not someone else.
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05-19-2020, 08:28 AM
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Thread title change. 
Going back to 2 year old emails saying "I told you so" by forwarding the outdated quote for a piece of critical equipment that is currently down is my specialty.
Also, I literally just realized that I get WGN. I thought it was no longer a superstation.
Going back to 2 year old emails saying "I told you so" by forwarding the outdated quote for a piece of critical equipment that is currently down is my specialty.
Also, I literally just realized that I get WGN. I thought it was no longer a superstation.
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