The Frankenstein effect

[elspeth]

Last night, when I got home from work, I'd only been in long enough to take my coat off when there was a power cut. So, having lit some candles, I was looking round my flat and realised quite how much of my day to day life requires electricity. I have an electric oven and hob, so I couldn't even boil a pan of water to make tea, or cook a meal. My central heating is gas powered but electric controlled, so I had no heating or hot water.  Luckily my fridge is empty as I defrosted it a couple of days ago and haven't done any groceries since. My computer is a laptop so I would have had a couple of hours' battery life to use it, but my  broadband connection box needs to be plugged in so I had no internet. Heaven help me, I have a digital piano (in consideration of my neighbours) so couldn't even play!

I'm going to have to buy a camping stove, I think, as an emergency precaution. In this case the power came back on after an hour or so, but it could easily have been off all night - and it is January, even though it's a mild winter.

It scares me how dependant we all are on electricity. Part of me was actually quite sad when the power came back on and I could go back to my normal conveniences if I wanted... although I didn't, I'd already settled down to a good book by candlelight! I know so many people, though, particularly young people, who don't take pleasure in anything that doesn't need plugging in.

[ahinton]

Last night, when I got home from work, I'd only been in long enough to take my coat off when there was a power cut. So, having lit some candles, I was looking round my flat and realised quite how much of my day to day life requires electricity. I have an electric oven and hob, so I couldn't even boil a pan of water to make tea, or cook a meal. My central heating is gas powered but electric controlled, so I had no heating or hot water.  Luckily my fridge is empty as I defrosted it a couple of days ago and haven't done any groceries since. My computer is a laptop so I would have had a couple of hours' battery life to use it, but my  broadband connection box needs to be plugged in so I had no internet. Heaven help me, I have a digital piano (in consideration of my neighbours) so couldn't even play!

I'm going to have to buy a camping stove, I think, as an emergency precaution. In this case the power came back on after an hour or so, but it could easily have been off all night - and it is January, even though it's a mild winter.

It scares me how dependant we all are on electricity. Part of me was actually quite sad when the power came back on and I could go back to my normal conveniences if I wanted... although I didn't, I'd already settled down to a good book by candlelight! I know so many people, though, particularly young people, who don't take pleasure in anything that doesn't need plugging in.

Here's to the future of solar generated electricity! One of these fine days I'm going to try to have a solar photovoltaic plant and a small generator in my back yard if ever research brings about much greater efficiency in such things and if it becomes remotely affordable (which I hope it will)...

Best,

Alistair (who still composes using pen, ink, paper and that all-important tool correction fluid rather than "plugging in" to compose)...

[pianistimo]

you do, alistair?  no wonder i'm so frustrated at times with this finale 2007.  i get to the last chord of the measure and accidentally click the mouse and make the note go in the wrong place.  then, i tried to use the eraser and what do you know - it won't erase.  finally after several weeks i discovered that you can click on the note again and move it again up or down.  (i thought it was permanent).

elspeth, you are a true pioneer spirited woman.  i'm sure that if your house lost energy - you would be very creative.  i used to live in alaska.  seems that everyone has a front area that closes off the wind - and then another door inside.  it stops some of the cold.  and, as you said FIRE.  you can get a really good fireplace.  one hot fire and you're set for most of the night.  it's just getting up in the morning.  we used to have frost inside the windows sometimes.

also, i never really liked wearing animal fur that much - poor animal.  but, if you are really cold - it's the only way to stay warm.  a fur coat.  or a really good DOWN coat.  the kind you find in those outdoor catalogs.  you probably already have one.  one time the heat was off here and everyone was gone.  i put on my husbands down coat and curled up in a chair.  i was toasty all night.

[elspeth]

Oddly enough, a friend of mine's just got an allotment so she can grow all her own fruit and veg, and is looking for a new shed for it to keep spades and things in... she got very excited because you can apparently buy solar-powered garden sheds, with panels built into the roof, so you can power electric garden equipment (or anything else you might want to plug in in a shed!) without needing to keep batteries or a mains connection...

[pianistimo]

very cool!

[rc]

I know what you mean, once the electricity is gone suddenly the imagination takes over!  It's great, and helps me see just how much of the modern gadgetry is more distracting than enriching, and that I miss my imagination...

I have a full bookshelf I could dive into without power, and a sketchpad I could draw in, but I just realized I have no candles, matches or flashlight - I would wind up reading by the light of my cellphone.

[beethoven2]

Yeah, I have a full bookshelf too ( I love to read ) but we always have candles. 

I LOVE it when the power goes off.  At my house we have tons of fun.  We play games...tell jokes...read...draw pictures, and lots of other stuff.  Its great fun.

[rc]

Somehow I think that if the power were to go out at my moms house, everyone would lay down and die until it came back...  Everybody there has a computer to play on, and the only time the TV is off is if nobody is home.