Hmmm, not sure how long this is going to last, but not fun! Not sure what one can do during this?
We were stuck at home and our power was out for several days after a big ice storm a year or so ago. I spent most of my time wearing a few layers of clothes, listening to a hand-crank AM/FM/shortwave emergency radio for entertainment, and reading a few physical books I’d gotten for Christmas.
The lack of warm food and hot water was a downer, but it was the lack of internet that almost did me in.
Check with your power company online, they usually give ETRs (estimated time to restoration) in the general 4-6-8 hour blocks.
Normally I would go to my parents, work outside, or go shopping. None of those are possibilities now.
Says we may get power back on tonight.
I saw you online earlier, Jeff. Did it just go out?
Maybe he only lost power to his fridge? :)
Yep! I was playing NMS then the squirrel detonation sequence began (power flickers several times then dies often due to squirrels frying themselves on the nearby substation).
But power is back - yea!
So glad I have battery backup or I would have lost a lot of progress I made in NMS.
I hear that. That reminds me I need to replace the battery in the one covering my network gear as well as the one I plug my gaming laptop into.
Whew!
Is this really something that happens?
Sounds like some dark, lemmings-like comedy stuff.
Yes it is lol. There’s a crap-ton of squirrel baffles on the lines in the substation to try to dissuade them, but they still manage.
There was a small residential transformer on a pole behind my house growing up. Squirrels would get fried and knock out power like yearly.
They should try making cable coatings bitter, like the nintendo switch cartridges.
Odds are pretty good that those cables are uncoated. Most transmission cables are. It adds weight.
I used to work for a network provider. The two biggest causes of outages on our network were 1) semis backing into our poles at truck stops and 2) squirrels sharpening their teeth on the fiber optic cables.
Makes it fun to work on them too:
Well, “fun”.
Our power rarely goes out (maybe once a year - of course now that I said that…), but last time it went out, a drunk had hit a pole and took it down. I had nothing else to do, so I went out on a drive and found the source. They were sticking the driver in the back seat of a cruiser while a tow truck removed his car and a utility truck waited nearby.
Braided aluminum cables. Bare braided aluminum cables. That brings you your power. Think about it. :)
I wonder if you can make a career out of designing squirrel baffles? Is there a huge demand?
As of 8am it’s my turn without power. It is scheduled to be restored at 6pm.
My phone will last all day if I don’t spend too much time chatting up local singles in my area.
I’ve already practiced card shuffling and have played a couple games of Onirim. I’ll play some Arkham Noir later, but for now it’s time to meditate on how broken life is without power.