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Watch a 500-pound server rack tossed off an 18-story building

Yes, it’s a marketing gimmick, but I watched anyway and thought you might, too

By Paul McNamara on Thu, 10/04/12 - 10:35am.

I'm OK with marketing stunts as long as they're entertaining. And tossing a 500-pound server rack off the roof of an 18-story building is nothing if not entertaining.

If that's all you want to see, you can stop watching after the first 15 seconds of the video. If you want to know how they pulled it off without risking the rack turning into a wrecking ball, a guy from 32TEN Studios explains beginning at the 4-minute mark. And, if you want to know about Symantec's disaster-recovery product, watch the whole thing.

If you watched you heard that the building is San Jose City Hall. I'm curious as to how one gets permission to drop a 500-pound server rack off a public building, and how many lawyers have to give their approval for it to happen. I've asked and I'll let you know if I get a reply.

(Update: San Jose city official explains the process and costs.)

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