tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post681728793907617742..comments2024-03-27T17:34:52.560-05:00Comments on A Garden Carried in the Pocket: Lights Out by Ted Koppel and a Fiction Pairingjenclairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046532245054911248noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-75350804483860357922015-11-16T06:59:34.171-06:002015-11-16T06:59:34.171-06:00The world is so dependent on technology to keep th...The world is so dependent on technology to keep the infrastructure running! jenclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06046532245054911248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-22527408490539043502015-11-16T06:55:09.152-06:002015-11-16T06:55:09.152-06:00Lights Out was really interesting. Our vulnerabili...Lights Out was really interesting. Our vulnerability to cyber attacks is nothing new, but the book really puts some unpleasant facts in your face.jenclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06046532245054911248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-13782384412981688342015-11-15T17:54:43.875-06:002015-11-15T17:54:43.875-06:00Great review, Jenclair! It's a frightening tho...Great review, Jenclair! It's a frightening thought but one can never predict what'd happen in the near future. Lights Out seems like a must-read and definitely a subject worth thinking about. Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03967837585961009598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-5713733075721431112015-11-15T16:50:04.890-06:002015-11-15T16:50:04.890-06:00Great pairings! I hadn't heard about Ted Koppe...Great pairings! I hadn't heard about Ted Koppel's book but it sounds frightening.Ilianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07026669671843769219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-41407820464605128842015-11-15T08:55:39.469-06:002015-11-15T08:55:39.469-06:00One Second After made me think of all the skills t...One Second After made me think of all the skills that have been lost. We are so dependent on our technology and the transportation of food from distant locations.<br /><br />Yes, Koppel's information about the Mormon's sophisticated disaster plan could provide a template for local or state governments, even if it isn't designed for the effects of having the electric grid down. But the expense of preparation is enormous, especially when starting from scratch. jenclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06046532245054911248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-88023815017340474182015-11-15T08:43:15.212-06:002015-11-15T08:43:15.212-06:00We've had questions about the solar panels and...We've had questions about the solar panels and the companies that sell them as well, which is one reason that we have not been able to commit to the expense. We don't get calls from them though--thank goodness. The bigger problem is that in the case of the kind of emergency Koppel suggests everything else would be down. I'm not to the point of stockpiling food and water for months or more, although evidently a lot of people are. This kind of emergency would call for more than what an individual family could do. It would require foresight and planning by local governments and all the way up to the national level to be able to cope with all of the consequences.jenclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06046532245054911248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-41430332868353439832015-11-15T00:14:09.295-06:002015-11-15T00:14:09.295-06:00It really does make you stop and think--and worry....It really does make you stop and think--and worry. I have thought about solar panels just as Stefanie has, but I'm still not sold on them--their efficiency and effectiveness, especially not with the companies who are peddling them. The neighbors on either side of us have them as do several other homes in the neighborhood. We can't even come close to affording them anyway, even with the rebates and "deals" the solar companies are offering. We get calls from solar companies daily--they don't fall under the Do Not Call registry evidently. I wish they did because they won't stop calling even when we say we aren't interested. Power companies are seriously looking into finding ways to charge people who do use solar panels--evidently it's something they can do since those with the panels are still on the power grid. Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-59031708100566090602015-11-14T16:52:03.963-06:002015-11-14T16:52:03.963-06:00I found One Second After a very thought-provoking ...I found One Second After a very thought-provoking book. ( And a little scary, too.) And I really want to read Koppel's book. He came to Salt Lake City when he was writing it (which is where I live), so that makes me want to read it even more. But I don't like the fact that our nation is so vulnerable to this kind of future possibility. Great review!Lark https://www.blogger.com/profile/13777891312147377769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-90162096655127739242015-11-13T14:23:17.464-06:002015-11-13T14:23:17.464-06:00I've seen a couple of things lately about usin...I've seen a couple of things lately about using an exercise bike to charge a battery. :) Since you and Bookman are cyclists, it would be great for you, especially if it could be done with the bikes you already have. We've talked about solar power off and on for years, but have not done it. As Koppel mentions we (as a nation) tend to be reactive rather than proactive. And some large scale proaction is required for an emergency like having a grid down. <br /><br />Some things are just good ideas for simply being self-reliant and being conscious about how we treat the ecosphere. jenclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06046532245054911248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22616974.post-40478488745329434052015-11-13T13:56:37.876-06:002015-11-13T13:56:37.876-06:00Makes me want to put solar panels on my house ASAP...Makes me want to put solar panels on my house ASAP. Just yesterday my husband and I were discussing how one might be able to hook a bike up to a battery and charge the battery while getting some exercise. Both books sound good and seem like they provide plenty of food for thought!Stefaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14943596258182968212noreply@blogger.com