tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post7067307803089990629..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Good God! The power is out!By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81304296870481276492017-02-01T15:07:12.572-08:002017-02-01T15:07:12.572-08:00Mike: I'll wait for Ken's report on the Os...Mike: I'll wait for Ken's report on the Oscars. I'm sure there will be more than enough political bilge to suit anyone.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65050736354721422552017-02-01T11:21:54.904-08:002017-02-01T11:21:54.904-08:00@YEKIMI: Most power bills aren't based on on u...@YEKIMI: Most power bills aren't based on on usage. There's a carriage cost applied too, which may be half the bill. So not such a dumb question after all.rockgolfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90871538479707224942017-02-01T06:31:45.674-08:002017-02-01T06:31:45.674-08:00@Cap'n Bob: That's very good. Who's no...@Cap'n Bob: That's very good. Who's nominated for this year's Sacheen Littlefeather Academy Award for Most Political Acceptance Speech? Meryl's warming up.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77662018862854027902017-02-01T03:37:56.350-08:002017-02-01T03:37:56.350-08:00With the aging power grid in America I fear this m...With the aging power grid in America I fear this may become the norm (only without any warning).Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37019274249498951792017-01-31T22:23:13.519-08:002017-01-31T22:23:13.519-08:00Back-up battery? Zendure A8, $65. Will charge an ...Back-up battery? Zendure A8, $65. Will charge an iPhone 6+ 5 times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37087401039040417282017-01-31T20:40:31.397-08:002017-01-31T20:40:31.397-08:00If not for Thomas Edison, we'd be watching TV ...If not for Thomas Edison, we'd be watching TV by candlelight.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22599015534905829072017-01-31T18:08:35.675-08:002017-01-31T18:08:35.675-08:00Wanna know how to feel like an idiot? Call the pow...Wanna know how to feel like an idiot? Call the power company and ask them if they're going to adjust your bill. The guy hesitated and said " Uhhh...no. You didn't have any electricity to use so you wouldn't be charged for it." I just said "I didn't give you my name, did I? No? Good." and I hung up. Felt like an idiot for a day or two.YEKIMIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01921751875397071034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86369702691774500322017-01-31T17:01:08.864-08:002017-01-31T17:01:08.864-08:00For some reason, whenever there's a bad storm,...For some reason, whenever there's a bad storm, our neighborhood loses power (but no other neighborhood around us). The chipmunk powering our turbine must be afraid of lightning. Since we have both writing deadlines and 13 rescued tropical birds to take of who don't stand up well to freezing temperatures during Texas ice storms, I bought a gas-powered generator powerful enough to run the central heating unit and a laptop. Anyone in California, land of the rolling brownout, should definitely have one. Pat Reederhttp://www.hollywoodhifi.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41546532320902242102017-01-31T16:17:46.810-08:002017-01-31T16:17:46.810-08:00They did just spend two months installing Solar pa...They did just spend two months installing Solar panels all over the roof of the building I live in, so I'd hope we have our own power now.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25436872531098483172017-01-31T16:15:28.299-08:002017-01-31T16:15:28.299-08:00The punch at the end made me laugh.The punch at the end made me laugh.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66083785827788233182017-01-31T15:49:47.969-08:002017-01-31T15:49:47.969-08:00a post-apocalyptic world in which "the bad gu...<i>a post-apocalyptic world in which "the bad guys" use an EMP bomb on the globe, rendering anything electric useless....or is it?</i> <br /><br />NERD IN<br /><br />Actually, it isn't. Most nuclear bombs will emit the "pulse" along with all the other nasty stuff (no special "EMP bomb" required). Depending on proximity and "hardening", the pulse might disable small-scale electronics (mostly computer-related). This was one reason the Soviets used vacuum tubes for their military electronics. "Valves" (as the Brits call them) are large scale and can withstand electro-magnetic pulses.<br /><br />Generally, this is why "science fiction" and techno-fiction (i.e. Tom Clancy adaptations) writers should get technical review. It is often fairly simple to scrub the BS - you just have to care about that stuff. <br /><br /><i>The Martian</i> had some technical BS (not just gale-force wind on the Martian near-vacuum). <br /><br />Two examples - feeble solar arrays to power the energy-intensive Mars base (aka Matt Damon's flop). And a "supercomputer" to do a desktop PC job - recalculating trans-Martian ballistics.<br /><br />NERD OUT Jahn Ghaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86504360114656751562017-01-31T15:18:34.212-08:002017-01-31T15:18:34.212-08:00I fear that you might grow to like being sans volt...I fear that you might grow to like being sans voltage and go Full Amish on us. Please don't.<br /><br />Just notied that the "nobody will want to f**k her" post was one day after the Kellyanne Conway post. Heh.Charles H. Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21565144143873762502017-01-31T15:06:04.564-08:002017-01-31T15:06:04.564-08:00So, it's a pretty safe bet you won't be do...So, it's a pretty safe bet you won't be doing any blogging for LivingOffTheGrid.com, or posting your plans for your backwoods yurt, any time soon?Aaron Sheckleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78489297910856907032017-01-31T14:59:02.147-08:002017-01-31T14:59:02.147-08:00Yes, losing power can be a nightmare. Only thing t...Yes, losing power can be a nightmare. Only thing that comes close to that is a broken remote control. Imagine having to stand and push the buttons all night with all those channels.Janice B.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64008205510395092142017-01-31T13:54:16.693-08:002017-01-31T13:54:16.693-08:00You're lucky, in Serbia, they just shut it off...You're lucky, in Serbia, they just shut it off, no warnings and it lasts for days sometimes.Mateja Đedovićhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13074000895047481790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64486587410871272642017-01-31T13:34:22.752-08:002017-01-31T13:34:22.752-08:00Quick and easy Friday question:
How long do you t...Quick and easy Friday question:<br /><br />How long do you think Trump will last before an impeachment, one year or two years?Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51709924932595358502017-01-31T12:48:49.956-08:002017-01-31T12:48:49.956-08:00In many countries this happens DAILY. Didn't ...In many countries this happens DAILY. Didn't you have rolling blackouts in California before?<br /><br />You can expect more of this with the anti-nuclear forces being supplemented by anti-coal and anti-fracking and anti-natural gas forces. When the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow, there's going to be problems. On top of that, you have crazies that want to blow up the dams and take away the hydro power too. Gray Davis's line on Jay Leno makes more sense now"Take a really long extension cord and plug it into a socket in Texas."MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69357637993706503512017-01-31T11:29:00.790-08:002017-01-31T11:29:00.790-08:00SIX HOURS? Oh my god. Last fall after Hurricane ...SIX HOURS? Oh my god. Last fall after Hurricane Matthew my electricity was off for a week. It sucks. I did crossword puzzles by booklight and ate a lot of lukewarm takeout. The worst was never knowing when the lights would come back on. The second-worst was no air conditioning (Savannah in October is hotter than hell and twice as humid). Hang in there, Ken.Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89372318095964364492017-01-31T09:48:29.273-08:002017-01-31T09:48:29.273-08:00My FB friend Alison Martino (known both as Al'...My FB friend Alison Martino (known both as Al's daughter and for her wonderful work regarding vintage Los Angeles) was stuck at the famed Stahl House last night. Were I in that situation, I'd be <i>very</i> careful where I walked. (That glass-enclosed place, high above the Hollywood Hills, would be perfect for a lights-out thriller.)<br /><br />Oh, and to Jim S.: A week ago Sunday, I spent <i>more than 12 hours</i> using my laptop at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at Wilshire and Vermont during the downpour (said to be the heaviest to hit Los Angeles in seven years). I bought a few things to make the employees happy, and fortunately for me, there was an AC outlet to provide sustained power.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33493679438026261942017-01-31T09:40:20.119-08:002017-01-31T09:40:20.119-08:00Pull out your old "Volunteers" script, s...Pull out your old "Volunteers" script, see how the 3rd world lives. When I was in the PC, had no power, no electricity, some how survived. But just to be safe, I did keep fresh batteries in my remote. No TV, but had a remote.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16880646894752760905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42290400596602198802017-01-31T09:32:26.445-08:002017-01-31T09:32:26.445-08:00Clearly a Trump plot to destroy LA.Clearly a Trump plot to destroy LA.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9279557898328064722017-01-31T09:29:23.962-08:002017-01-31T09:29:23.962-08:00This is my major worry with the current Boob-in-Ch...This is my major worry with the current Boob-in-Chief. The Russians have already shown that they can get their way via hacking. If they hack into the power grid not only will the items you mentioned be effective but things like security systems, gas pumps, street lights, elevators, etc. will become inoperable. Where you experienced hours of inconvenience and were able to make preparations beforehand, a hack of our power grid would cause months or more of total chaos.DwWashburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057278992504418291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14772548874333723042017-01-31T08:49:44.506-08:002017-01-31T08:49:44.506-08:00It's LA. It's not cold enough to worry abo...It's LA. It's not cold enough to worry about the heat being off. And you have *daylight*, which is not so much present in the UK in winter.<br /><br />I recall strikes at the power plants when I was living in Ireland, and they rationed the power they had available by scheduling outages on a staggered basis across Dublin - eight hours at a time. I figured the most sensible thing was just to sleep when I had no power. You get through.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31584264782712607262017-01-31T08:39:58.524-08:002017-01-31T08:39:58.524-08:00At least you didn't become one of those guys w...At least you didn't become one of those guys who spends all day at Starbucks writing the next great American novel/screenplay/TV pilot.Jim Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33516893176030975662017-01-31T08:17:49.556-08:002017-01-31T08:17:49.556-08:00During the recent series of bad storms up here in ...During the recent series of bad storms up here in the Bay Area, I was without power for 38 hours! I know your pain...and then some!JR Smithhttp://www.fogdog-photography.comnoreply@blogger.com