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The first time Bruton hiked Everest, he found a lot of his colleagues and their machines couldn't make the ascent. It was obvious why the people couldn't hack it. When it came to the machines, Bruton had to check the manuals. Standard notebook computers have an operating altitude of only 11,000 feet -- more than 6,000 feet shy of being "Everest ready." Before even reaching base camp, many hard drives ground down to a halt. Luckily, Jim's didn't. His computer has still worked after emerging covered in ice from an F-16 travelling at 50,000 feet.

If you're still thinking about making the climb to Everest, don't think about doing it without Sherpas. Jim couldn't speak more highly about the Himalayan natives so well-known for their mountaineering skills. Bred for the altitude, they'll happily strap a 100-pound pack on their backs and hike up the mountain, smiling the whole way. According to Jim, there isn't a successful Everest expedition that does not stand on the shoulders of the Sherpas.

The only difficulty Bruton encountered in working with the Sherpas was trying to help them understand the delicacy of his high tech equipment. The digital world is simply not part of the Sherpas' history. They're used to working with things that are rugged. If something breaks they can carve or build another one. Not so with hard drives. Still, Bruton was able to teach them how to use his equipment. In fact, by making them responsible for manning the transmitters and receivers, the Sherpas were key to transmitting the live video from the summit of Everest.

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