Posted on 08/18/2003 10:56:04 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
NEW YORK - The first thing that crossed my mind when the lights went out on the 22nd floor of my Times Square Hotel last Thursday afternoon was, "Klaatu warned us." OK, it wasn't the first thing, but it makes for a more interesting lead sentence.
Sci-fi film fans will recognize the name Klaatu from the 1951 film "The Day the Earth Stood Still." The alien and his robot, Gort, land their flying saucer in Washington in the middle of the Cold War to warn earthlings that we had better get along or suffer consequences of galactic proportions. Now isn't that a better way to explain the nation's biggest power outage than listening to insufferable politicians blame each other: "The power failure was your fault." "Was not." "Was too." "Was not."
President Bush said the power outage was a "wake-up call," begging the question whether you can receive one if there is no power. House Majority Leader Tom Delay promises we will now get that long-awaited and revised energy policy. I doubt it. We'll be back to Laci Peterson and Arnold Schwarzenegger before you can say "drilling for oil in Alaska" or "energy independence."
Power failures bring mixed blessings, but blessings nonetheless. They force us to consider our ultimate powerlessness. The grid we have constructed is one of self-deception. We pour our time, attention and money into so many things that, when the power behind our inventions lets us down (computers, cell phones, Blackberrys and TV), there is an overwhelming sense of resignation and realization. Resignation, because we are all caught in the rarest of circumstances, namely, the same boat. Realization, because we aren't as smart as we arrogantly think we are.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
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Ummm....huh?
Do you mean, "diesel" - as in #1 or #2?
If the lights got out here, mine won't. When the gas for the generators runs out, and the sun goes dark, then I'd be in the dark.
Generators. Deep cycle marine batteries. Solar panels.
Real juice for real people.
Amateur Radio is a cool hobby.
CQ CQ CQ 6m...this is K7LAS, Delta Mike 26....
73, K7LAS clear.
LVM
Yes it is.
73 KJ6II
My first name is Mark - if Mark is yours.
I'm a retired USAF MSgt - Aircraft Maintenance.
I ALWAYS had a framed copy of "High Flight" on the wall, where ever I worked.
Weird.
Choice of radio equipment, perhaps?
Yaesu FT-840, Icom 706 MkII G, Kenwood TS-570S (my 6m fav) and TH-G71 HT. Like working the sats with the HT and Arrow antenna, 2m - 70cm SSB and 6m AM.
Digital modes are next - pending XYL approval, of course.
Mark
What grid square are you in?
LVM
I have no clue.
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