Today I've learned a big lesson in taking things for granted. Did I mistreat a loved one? Did I assume something about a close friend? No. All I've done is a load of work on an online software project, only to find it's got a debilitating problem, and needs a load of upgrade conversion work to fix it.

In the grand scheme of life, this is of course quite minor. However it's reminded me that you need to check your facts pretty carefully, and don't just assume something is the way you think it is (or should be) - especially if you're working with Open Source software.

Once again: Just because it's written on the Internet, doesn't make it true!

There's quite a bit of chat going on about this at the moment. The London 2012 Olympic logo (on the left) has had it's fair share of critcism (as is an advert). The BBC are showing contributed logos, my favourite on the right.

I don't suppose any logo would be universally popular. I'd sort have expected it to have "just crept in" without quite so much media coverage. Apparently it's flexible and will evolve. Keep 'em peeled ;-)

Last night I went to Comtec's new data centre facility in Reigate. It's a pretty impressive place, with some interesting bits and pieces in the actual computer room (and NOC). There's an efficient 'hot corridor' layout with multiple coolers, Blade Ready systems, and doesn't rely on tidy under-floor cabling.

The best bit is just outside the main computer room. It's a hydrogen fuel cell - one of only three in the UK, and apparently the only one that actually works in a live environment.

Basically, it looks like an ordinary tall 19" rack cabinet. When the power fails, conventional UPSes take up the load in the computer room, while the fuel cell fires up. It's divided into three pieces, each of which starts up in turn. It's actually quite an underwhelming experience, because all you really see or hear is a few fans starting up and some icons on a monitoring computer screen changing. But this is good news - there's no diesel generator, no complex moving parts and an incredibly small carbon footprint.

It's nice to see something real going on to make data centres more 'green'.