[Rhodes22-list] looks like the power is back

[Michael Meltzer]

I watched it "live", was on a balcony overlook the queens/59 street bridge,
Loosing the train networks was the real killer, it not only the subways(which are 20+ line by them self) and the subway people where
most of the "walkers", by their is also 6-7 major rail systems that are another 30+ lines, that was the really "screwed" people(as
in sleeping on side walks). their are about 2,000,000 commuters each day, with few cars used.

Ny is a victim of it own planning, first off the city has had 100% power on from 1977, they run a different network in the city from
the rest of the country, each line feeding the "house" is powered from two substations witch lead to all substation being
interconnect in a "network" effect. blowing a feeder line or substation does not lead to a power outage. that is also a down fall,
no one has done a "cold start" in 26 years. Or do you "practice it". then you have the issue that there are now orders of magnitude
extra switches that have to be used to isolated for the restart. Then the next issue in everything is underground with security
straight from the "pharos", to get at the underground vaults you need to pull manholes covers or concrete slabs to get in, No Key
needed :-) but does slow down people.

What pisses me off, is NY only generates 50% of is power(and that before downtime issues), big NIMBY issues, nether plaints or lines
are being built is the area and the city is draw it's power from everywhere.  I think you find the reson this outage was so
widespeard is the same the last two times, A low level manager has a few second to make a call, to spearate from the grid, stoping
the spead but in turn cutting of power to others getting his ass chewed or do nothing and play it safe.

MJM


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger Pihlaja" <cen09402 at centurytel.net>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2003 7:18 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] looks like the power is back


> Michael,
>
> Sounds like you didn't have a "good week".  I'm glad you're OK though.
>
> The power outage of summer, 2003 looks like it's going to be a classic
> example of the interconnectedness & inherent frailty of modern technology.
> Overload one high voltage transmission line near Cleveland, OH on a hot
> summer afternoon & generate a cascading electrical grid failure that cuts
> power over about 7200 square miles of the United States & Canada affecting
> about 50 million people!  Lots of folks also lost their potable water system
> when the power went down.  Of course, the mass transit systems also shut
> down.  I will never forget the sight of all those thousands of people
> streaming out of Manhattan on foot via the Brooklyn Bridge & thousands more
> having to sleep on the sidewalk in Times Square, & this was from just a
> minor glitch in one system.  The entire system is so complex & so
> interconnected, it's truly amazing; that, events like this don't happen more
> frequently.  Overall, the engineers have done a wonderful job of making
> everything work together so efficiently that it becomes invisible.  Most
> people never give the technological infrastructure, that is literally their
> life support system, a moments thought.  I like the way James Burke put it,
> "We all live in a technological trap."  Our population is already much too
> large & too densely packed into major metropolitan areas to support without
> all this technology.  So, we have no choice but to stumble along as best we
> can.  No doubt, the experts will extensively study the root causes of this
> power outage.  Technical, regulatory, & managerial improvements or
> safeguards will be implemented as a result.  But, the system is so complex,
> interconnected, & always changing; that, there are always going to be many
> more modes of failure than can be anticipated or protected against, even
> without a terrorist attack.  Perhaps, we simply have to accept an occasional
> glitch as the price we pay for a high standard of living 99.9+% of the time.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Meltzer" <mjm at michaelmeltzer.com>
> To: <jbconnolly at comcast.net>; "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 4:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [ham] RE: [Rhodes22-list] looks like the power is back
>
>
> > I got big time stuck, 26 floors up and no way to get home. As I said to
> the wife "I am spending the nice candle lite night with the
> > boss, sweet violet smell in the air(the candles), sweating, eating
> somewhat cold leftover from the refigdator(beat me who's or
> > what's), the water is out(roof top tank drained), toltes are hell and
> worst of all the boss/his  hairy legs are looking sexy to me
> > in the some what stipped state we are in.
> >
> > MJM
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jim Connolly" <jbconnolly at comcast.net>
> > To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 1:39 PM
> > Subject: [ham] RE: [Rhodes22-list] looks like the power is back
> >
> >
> > > Michael,
> > >
> > > How long were you in the dark?
> > >
> > > Did you get stuck in NYC?
> > >
> > > Jim Connolly
> > >
> > > On Saturday, August 16, 2003 12:49 PM, Michael Meltzer
> [SMTP:mjm at michaelmeltzer.com] wrote:
> > > > test
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