Tag: power

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 23, 20269:21 pm

Power Up!

As part of our preparedness for manmade or natural disasters, we keep three different battery backups: Bluetti AC50, EcoFlow River 2 Max, and Jackery Explorer 300. At least one recent wide-area San Diego power outage had us put all three into service. They performed admirably, providing power for numerous devices for the length of the blackout.

On Feb. 20, 2025, we received notice from the rental management company on behalf of San Diego Gas and Electric that our electricity would be off today from about 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Reason: Uprade the apartment complex to smart meters. Oh joy. At our previous apartment, the utility bill doubled after similar switchover. But that’s topic of a future post, if necessary.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 30, 20239:57 pm

Power Outage!

Quite literally, as I hit the button to post about cats Firecracker and Dynamite, lights flickered and went out. That was 6:41 a.m. PDT today. Power would remain out for us and others in portions of San Diego neighborhoods Hillcrest, Normal Heights, and (here) in University Heights until 5 p.m. sharp.

The SDGE outage alert in my customer portal at first estimated utility restoration at 8 a.m., then 9 a.m., then 2 p.m., then 3 p.m., and finally 6 p.m. We prepared for an evening in darkness and possible food spoilage in the refrigerator and freezer.

Society by Joe WilcoxJun 21, 20098:55 pm

Iran and the Internet Democracy

This week’s turmoil on the streets of Tehran is but a metaphor for another turmoil: How the Internet is tearing down monopolies of power and empowering individuals and smaller groups. The Internet is the new democracy, which can be seen from pictures and videos coming from protests in Iran.

The Iranian protests are capturing the world’s attention in part because of fairly new tools that make it easy for most anyone to be a broadcaster, a real-time journalist. These tools punctuate change sweeping through the news industry and destabilizing others.