The Lights Went Out

[Andrew Rothman]

Had an interesting little incident today.

I work at a financial firm that manages over a billion dollars of our clients' money, and this afternoon was quite volatile on Wall Street.

The power went out in my office building. And nothing happened.

We have backup batteries. And a generator. And automatic switches. The computers kept working, the phones kept working, and so the traders kept trading and the analysts kept analyzing and the programmers kept programming.

Okay - the battery-operated emergency light in the men's room was out -- but I was packing...my trusty LED flashlight. Crisis averted!!!

The antis might say, "Why have a generator? This is a relatively outage-free city." Makes sense, right? "Why have a gun? This is a relatively crime-free city."

It's not just the everyday events you have to prepare for -- it's the rare ones, too!

Preparation counts!!

Matt

 

[Dave R]

Great lesson. On two counts.

 

[10-Ring]

"Plan for the worst, hope for the best!" But you know, sometimes those things in your emergency kit can come in handy...flashlight, first aid kit, batteries, jumper cables, extra blanket, food. It's really a matter of being prepared for those rare occassions And not acting like it has taken you totally by surprise!

 

[Mike Irwin]

If the lights go out, and no one notices, is it really a black out?

 

[Standing Wolf]

The antis might say, "Why have a generator? This is a relatively outage-free city." Makes sense, right? "Why have a gun? This is a relatively crime-free city."

Well said!

 

[P95Carry]

Ahh ...... ''relatively '' - the key word. Reminds me of the fact (IMO) that there is no such thing as certainty ..... maybe 99.99 .............. recurring% .... but not certain ... who can ever guarantee that. Even a possibility factor of 1 in 10^18 does not make certainty.

You proved a good point.

 

[jrhead75]

Excellent point!

When you need backup electricity, you REALLY need it!

When you need a firearm...