3:40 PM -- In fine David Letterman fashion, Level 3 Communications Inc. blogged on Thursday about the "10 Most Bizarre and Annoying Causes of Fiber Cuts."
The list isn't as funny as you might expect, but the stories are pretty good. Some are cringe-worthy, such as the construction workers who intentionally severed an underground steel pipe without bothering to find out what was in it. That can't be a good idea.
Others are educational: "Squirrel chews account for a whopping 17 percent of our damages so far this year!" I figured squirrels would be a factor, but 17 percent? And that's actually down from last year.
The two causes I'd have pegged first -- natural disasters and construction mishaps -- do figure prominently. Since it's Level 3's corporate blog, you'd also expect some heroic stories, and they're in there -- such as the cable reinstalled across dangerous flood currents, or the workers who restored a cable near a grass fire, getting flame retardant dumped on them. (What's in that stuff, anyway?)
But you've also got your share of freak accidents -- like the 18-wheeler that took a really wrong turn -- with some bemused commentary from blogger Fred Lawler, Level 3's senior vice president of global field services. Real photos from the catastrophe sites, too.
Despite numbering the things sequentially (1 to 10 rather than 10 to 1), Lawler does leave the best story for last. It involves intentional vandalism, the Georgia/Florida border and a shotgun. It's a peach.
Hat tip: Rob Powell, @Rob_Powell on Twitter.
— Craig Matsumoto, West Coast Editor, Light Reading
