-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Here's a link to an online paper from a CRIS Institute workshop, "Mitigating the Vulnerability of Critical Infrastructures to Catastrophic Failures" held Sept. 10-11, 2001. Don't know if this was actually presented because of the ironic timing, but at least it's on the web now. Brilliant, brilliant stuff!! It's not really fleshed out yet, but here's hoping more people start working towards these kinds of solutions. Tremendously encouraging. ~F. http://www.ari.vt.edu/workshop/updates.htm Critical Infrastructures Will Remain Vulnerable: Neighborhoods Must Fend For Themselves Edward E. Balkovich and Robert H. Anderson RAND Power grids, telecommunications networks, and information services are three strongly inter-dependent systems whose collective functioning is critical to other infrastructures. All three are either unregulated, or in the process of being deregulated. This has introduced at least one new failure mode in addition to many other existing ones: bankruptcy. We present a concept for restructuring the relationship between these three critical systems, which we believe merits investigation. We propose using emerging power generation technologies in telecommunications networks and information services to augment power grids and/or provide neighborhood sources of backup power. Critical "neighborhoods" should also assure that they have a secondary, heterogeneous source of telecommunications. These principles could provide the foundation for more robust communications infrastructures and information processing sites. We discuss the technology and market factors that motivate this concept and some of the issues it raises. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: Hush 2.0 wl8EARECAB8FAjvLOZUYHGF1dG8zMDEwOTRAaHVzaG1haWwuY29tAAoJEKadvsVlUK4P 6AkAoKgS66yyWF3HmYvPWlerM+fFy+G9AJ9rXgcY54URVMHbzIM/FdxEnwOxBw== =Tyy5 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----