It doesn't take an earthquake for electronic communications to fail.
Mild storms, falling trees or balloons on o/head cables, and
excavations, cause power failures in which television, power-radio,
telephones and computers are "powerless". Business activity is
interrupted, food in fridges is at risk, lighting fails, clocks stop,
accidents happen, water supply fails and of course, all computer work
stops for the duration of a few minutes to a few hours - and nobody
explains or apologises.
We read of the R5.8 Los Angeles earthquake in the newspaper. In our
normally not disaster-prone neck of the woods, wind up clocks with
pendulums and things tell us the time, an emergency gas cylinder
allows us to cook, rain water allows us to flush and an old
pre-digital phone-set plugged into a socket retained for the occasion
maintains phone contact by which to complain to the supplier. This
isn't history - it happened again yesterday with three failures in
twenty-four hours. Writing this without a pen and paper is a pleasure !
James
At 08:03 30/07/2008, you wrote:
>Following yesterday's earthquake in Southern California, I received
>the email below from a long-time Los Angeles resident. Any comments
>on (i) why new communications technology appears to be not as robust
>in earthquakes as old technology and, if that is the case, (ii) why
>new communications technology might not be incorporating
>disaster-related measures learned from the use of the older technology?
>
>Ilan
>
>--------------
>
>We just had an earthquake - plus aftershocks - in Southern California.
>
>Not big, but felt widely.
>
>Checking to see if this message will go through via my Internet service.
>
>The bad news, in this age of digital television, is that my digital
>phone (land line) and cell phone and cable went out IMMEDIATELY and
>have not come back on again.
>
>I think I've still got email - that's why I'm testing.
>
>My good old battery operated emergency TV still works, but soon
>won't with this new all-digital trend.
>
>For those of you who are experts here, what are we, the mere mortals
>out here, supposed to do? I loved Ma Bell - she never once failed
>to work as a land line in any earthquake I've been in, including Northridge.
>
>And I love my battery operated emergency TV/radio. I understand
>that it will soon not operate either, at least the TV part.
>
>Are we back to the old days of emergency radio only? No phone, no TV?
>_________________________________________________________________
>If you like crossword puzzles, then you'll love Flexicon, a game
>which combines four overlapping crossword puzzles into one!
>http://g.msn.ca/ca55/208
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
>Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.7/1580 - Release Date:
>7/29/2008 5:26 PM
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