HELLO, TECH SUPPORT

THE INDIAN PARADIGM

     You've probably seen those pictures making their way around the cyber world-street scenes of cities in India where power and phone lines criss-cross, snake and weave their way in a rats nest, while the captions read as to how this is where we call for "tech support."

      No one is laughing today, as 600 million are without power.  The frightening and economically damaging outage is also a "poster child" for a world where technology leap frogs into new patterns without forethought.  How does a rapidly expanding economy, like India but also think China, manage to continue its growth and yet do so in ways that do not over reach? At least over reach until there are significant break downs, both in services and expectations.

      Money is not so much the problem.  There is plenty of money in expanding quarters of the Indian economy.  The difficulty is in planning-orderly planning and phased growth-as well as government and/or service management.  

     Less serious, but from the same root, is the topic I posted yesterday-old fashioned Network mindsets in a Twitter and social media world.  There is even more fuel on that fire today as NBC is taking more shots for their numb skull promotion cycle, just in advance of their own intent to build drama into a Missy Franklin race. And there is the flap about pulling Twitter rights. Guess we can't have the most rapid media beat the old systems, and on and on and on.

     Planning ahead? Thinking it through?  Making arrangements?  Accommodating new technologies?

     Old systems in conflict with new patterns.  India-though a hot economy, unable to manage into the future.  

      I'm miffed and slightly amused when I see miles and miles of telephone and/or power lines strung along the same route captured in historic photographs.  We can send messages to Mars rovers, satellites and other even more distant space explorers, but we still hang those lines like we did a hundred years ago, or longer.  Yea, OK, I know electricity needs a path, but there are other ways to pipeline it, and there are alternative energy sources. 

      No one believes future technology advances, especially in communications and information sharing, will get less complex or infrastructure dependent, but where do we see evidence of nations, or even hemispheres planning for what is to come?  No one believes we will use less energy, unless of course, the system goes down, like it did in Tech Support Land.

      

     OK, it's time to chill.  Here's something for your blood pressure.

DAY FILE

JUST WATCHING THE WAVES

See you down the trail.

AFTER THE WINDS

GETTING BACK INTO THE 21st CENTURY

 The moon was the brightest thing on Main Street last

night during what was supposed to be the annual

village "Hospitality Night."

 Revelers were either detoured by or working at

sites like this.

 No official count yet, but many trees were felled

by the highest winds in more than a decade. Some say

more trees than any time they can recall.

 This is a block from our home. The scene was repeated through out Cambria.

 I can't tell you how many times in the last day and half

that I've walked into a room and flipped the switch.

We are dependent on that convenience aren't we?

 I read by lantern light, we used the fireplace for 

heat and hoped the refrigerator would hold it's cold.

 All evening we waited to be surprised by the return of

of power.  But when it was time for the

festivities to begin on Main Street, we were all

in the dark.  Merchants provide treats and snacks as 

the locals stroll through the stores.  It is a village 

tradition to kick off the gift buying and party season.

 But the combination reunion, party, social event

was illuminated only by headlights.

 As always when there is a power outage,

there was one place, powered by their huge

emergency generator-The Main Street Grill.

 You've surmised where people headed.  It was said several

times last night, if we sit here long enough we'll see 

everyone in town.  That was almost a literal truth.

 TODAY, BACK UP IN THE AIR

 Some were lucky to get power last night, but many

woke without toasters, coffee makers, radio, TV

and the Internet. It was also chilly in unheated homes.

 These signs were all over the village.

Ice for powerless refrigerators was flying out of the Cookie Crock Supermarket.

 PG&E guys told me they had been at it 30 hours

non-stop and have a 4AM call to head to Santa Cruz

tomorrow. I'm not sure the overtime pay is enough. 

 These scenes will explain why I'm at Mike and Jacque Griffin's sending this post.  That stuff you see on the downed line is the Charter gear.  Looks like cable, phone and the Internet will down a while.  

Great idea of "bundling" the services eh? 

Wondering now why I bought it. 

 This is a bundle of another sort.

Once the PG&E crews depart, the Charter guys

will have to jump it.

 WE LOVE OUR TREES, BUT

 Cambria is one of only a handful of places in the world

where the Monterey Pine grows naturally. They are a

unique tree and as you can see very shallow rooted.

 It doesn't take much to send them over.

Cambria in the Pines is one of the historic names

for our village.  Our friend Robert quipped today

we should change it to Cambria in the Pains or the Monterey Pain tree.

After 30 hours the power came on at our home on the 

ridge.  Nice to have lights at the flip of a switch, 

heat, a washing machine.  And soon, I hope, Internet and 

cable.  Spoiled aren't we?

Oh, and if you are out this way, the Hospitality night

will apparently be re-staged as a Friday night

sigh of relief.  The historic winds are gone but

so are some of the trees.

See you down the trail.

THE SANTA ANNA WINDS

HISTORIC WINDS RAKE CAMBRIA

The strongest blast of the infamous Santa Anna winds in more than a decade has complicated life from

this idyllic village of Cambria to Los Angeles and beyond.

Winds from 60 to 140 miles per hour have knocked out

power to hundreds of thousands.  This post is coming

from a hot spot in the village as we wait for power

to be restored at home.

High wind warnings are posted from Southern California north and into Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.
The Santa Anna's are extremely dry and gusty blasts
that come from off shore in Southern California and 
the Baja. They create a significant fire hazard and mental
health officials says the hot and dry winds can have
and adverse affect on some.
Most roads, drives, sidewalks, decks and roofs are 
littered with Monterey Pine needles and
other debris.

People talk of hearing trees groan and whip in the high winds.

Several of the shallow rooted and rare Monterey Pines were downed in the winds. 

In several instances the falling trees took out power lines in their tumble.

 A lot of sweeping will be underway.

Flags and banners needed to be well mounted or they too took a ride on the wind.

 Workers at the Community Presbyterian Church of Cambria
battled the winds as they set up for the annual
December Thrift Shop sale.  They spent a lot of time
chasing merchandise across the parking lot.

If your power is on, appreciate it!
See you down the trail.