The AI-generated cat pictures thread
09-08-2011, 08:39 PM
#4063
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,027
Total Cats: 6,592
The power is out over all of San Diego county, plus Tijuana, some areas to the north of us, and part of Arizona. Went down two hours ago- pretty major blackout. At the moment, they're blaming the Zonies. It's probably their fault anyway- everything else bad that happens here is.
I have my whole network on a UPS (battery backup aka Uninterruptable Power Supply) and the cable system is still online as well, so I'm able to access teh interwebz from home, and apparently, only one of my neighbors does as well. Normally, the screen I posted is filled with several dozen WiFi networks, but right now it's just me and whoever 2WIRE175 is. (My internet access is really fast right now.)
I've disconnected all non-essential loads from the UPS (down to just the modem and the router) and I've been switching it on only when needed, so I should have plenty of power to last me until tomorrow which, according to SDG&E's webpage, is when power is likely to be restored.
On the plus side, I had the shortest commute home of anyone at the office. The traffic lights are down, so traffic on the main streets is backed up literally from one intersection to the next. But I've been commuting by bicycle for the past few months, so I had a marvelous time riding right past all the gridlocked cars.
On the minus side, the reactors at San Onofre were nearing an up-time record, but of course they tripped off when the grid went down (standard operating procedure for any nuclear plant.)
I have my whole network on a UPS (battery backup aka Uninterruptable Power Supply) and the cable system is still online as well, so I'm able to access teh interwebz from home, and apparently, only one of my neighbors does as well. Normally, the screen I posted is filled with several dozen WiFi networks, but right now it's just me and whoever 2WIRE175 is. (My internet access is really fast right now.)
I've disconnected all non-essential loads from the UPS (down to just the modem and the router) and I've been switching it on only when needed, so I should have plenty of power to last me until tomorrow which, according to SDG&E's webpage, is when power is likely to be restored.
On the plus side, I had the shortest commute home of anyone at the office. The traffic lights are down, so traffic on the main streets is backed up literally from one intersection to the next. But I've been commuting by bicycle for the past few months, so I had a marvelous time riding right past all the gridlocked cars.
On the minus side, the reactors at San Onofre were nearing an up-time record, but of course they tripped off when the grid went down (standard operating procedure for any nuclear plant.)
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09-08-2011, 09:38 PM
#4064
The power is out over all of San Diego county, plus Tijuana, some areas to the north of us, and part of Arizona. Went down two hours ago- pretty major blackout. At the moment, they're blaming the Zonies. It's probably their fault anyway- everything else bad that happens here is.
I have my whole network on a UPS (battery backup aka Uninterruptable Power Supply) and the cable system is still online as well, so I'm able to access teh interwebz from home, and apparently, only one of my neighbors does as well. Normally, the screen I posted is filled with several dozen WiFi networks, but right now it's just me and whoever 2WIRE175 is. (My internet access is really fast right now.)
I've disconnected all non-essential loads from the UPS (down to just the modem and the router) and I've been switching it on only when needed, so I should have plenty of power to last me until tomorrow which, according to SDG&E's webpage, is when power is likely to be restored.
On the plus side, I had the shortest commute home of anyone at the office. The traffic lights are down, so traffic on the main streets is backed up literally from one intersection to the next. But I've been commuting by bicycle for the past few months, so I had a marvelous time riding right past all the gridlocked cars.
On the minus side, the reactors at San Onofre were nearing an up-time record, but of course they tripped off when the grid went down (standard operating procedure for any nuclear plant.)
I have my whole network on a UPS (battery backup aka Uninterruptable Power Supply) and the cable system is still online as well, so I'm able to access teh interwebz from home, and apparently, only one of my neighbors does as well. Normally, the screen I posted is filled with several dozen WiFi networks, but right now it's just me and whoever 2WIRE175 is. (My internet access is really fast right now.)
I've disconnected all non-essential loads from the UPS (down to just the modem and the router) and I've been switching it on only when needed, so I should have plenty of power to last me until tomorrow which, according to SDG&E's webpage, is when power is likely to be restored.
On the plus side, I had the shortest commute home of anyone at the office. The traffic lights are down, so traffic on the main streets is backed up literally from one intersection to the next. But I've been commuting by bicycle for the past few months, so I had a marvelous time riding right past all the gridlocked cars.
On the minus side, the reactors at San Onofre were nearing an up-time record, but of course they tripped off when the grid went down (standard operating procedure for any nuclear plant.)
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09-08-2011, 09:59 PM
#4065
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,027
Total Cats: 6,592
Just cooked dinner with an oxy-acetylene torch. Burned my hand in the process.
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09-08-2011, 10:29 PM
#4066
Elite Member
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Overland Park, Kansas
Posts: 5,360
Total Cats: 43
The power is out over all of San Diego county, plus Tijuana, some areas to the north of us, and part of Arizona. Went down two hours ago- pretty major blackout. At the moment, they're blaming the Zonies. It's probably their fault anyway- everything else bad that happens here is.
Ended up buying a large 2000 series APC at a hamfest with bad batteries a few months ago. The unit is large enough it has an external battery source connection on it, so I've replaced the shitty SLA pack with 4 standard 12 volt car batteries. Last power outage was just over 30 hours and only managed to get down to about 87% running my wireless router and cable modem full time, then partially my netbook and some CFLs at my desk.. I highly recommend..
The power goes out so much here I've been considering buying one of these:
7kW on CNG, automatic startup, and can be had with an automatic transfer switch for right at $2000.00. That should run my HVAC and Fridge, along with a few small lights..
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09-08-2011, 11:31 PM
#4067
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,027
Total Cats: 6,592
The funny thing is I used to have two UPSes when I lived in FL- a 1500VA unit for the "big" computer, and a 750VA unit for the network and the media server.
About two months ago, the big unit died. At the time, I said "well, the power never goes out here in CA, so **** it." Still, the little one is doing fine, though with the Media Server powered down, I have no way to monitor its state-of-charge. I also kept the batteries out of the old UPS so I've got a few spares- they use the same connectors as the one in the small UPS and should still be fully charged, and I suppose I could recharge them on the Miata if worst comes to worst.
SDG&E is saying this is going to be a long one. Basically, the entire grid is down in the whole southern part of the state. They got the power back on in Yuma, AZ a little while ago, but SoCal is still completely offline. Apparently, a transmission line in AZ failed, which caused San Onofre to SCRAM. When that happened, the whole grid collapsed.
I live in an apartment, so a genny is out of the question. My family back in FL have several portable units which have served them well over the years. I have one rigged so they can plug it into the dryer outlet and back-feed the house to run the fridge, lights, ceiling fans, etc. Never did rig up a proper transfer switch, so they have to be sure to open the main breaker, but it worked well last year. There haven't been any serious outages so far this year.
And my hand is starting to seriously hurt and blister. After cooking a slice of SPAM, I shut off the torch and set it down while I went to slice a bagel. Intending to toast the now-sliced bagel, I then picked up the torch by the tip, failing to realize that it had been cherry-red just a few second ago.
And my one WiFi neighbor is still up. I feel like this is a contest- which of us will be the last to go offline? I think I'll probably win. (I feel like I should probably turn off WEP just to be a nice guy for all the unfortunate suckers who don't have battery backups. But I probably won't.)
About two months ago, the big unit died. At the time, I said "well, the power never goes out here in CA, so **** it." Still, the little one is doing fine, though with the Media Server powered down, I have no way to monitor its state-of-charge. I also kept the batteries out of the old UPS so I've got a few spares- they use the same connectors as the one in the small UPS and should still be fully charged, and I suppose I could recharge them on the Miata if worst comes to worst.
SDG&E is saying this is going to be a long one. Basically, the entire grid is down in the whole southern part of the state. They got the power back on in Yuma, AZ a little while ago, but SoCal is still completely offline. Apparently, a transmission line in AZ failed, which caused San Onofre to SCRAM. When that happened, the whole grid collapsed.
I live in an apartment, so a genny is out of the question. My family back in FL have several portable units which have served them well over the years. I have one rigged so they can plug it into the dryer outlet and back-feed the house to run the fridge, lights, ceiling fans, etc. Never did rig up a proper transfer switch, so they have to be sure to open the main breaker, but it worked well last year. There haven't been any serious outages so far this year.
And my hand is starting to seriously hurt and blister. After cooking a slice of SPAM, I shut off the torch and set it down while I went to slice a bagel. Intending to toast the now-sliced bagel, I then picked up the torch by the tip, failing to realize that it had been cherry-red just a few second ago.
And my one WiFi neighbor is still up. I feel like this is a contest- which of us will be the last to go offline? I think I'll probably win.
(I feel like I should probably turn off WEP just to be a nice guy for all the unfortunate suckers who don't have battery backups. But I probably won't.)
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09-09-2011, 12:26 AM
#4068
I'm a terrible person
iTrader: (19)
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 7,174
Total Cats: 180
Parents have one of those. Works amazing. Our basement floods if we don't have power since our sump pump goes out too. So with that no more floods. Sucks living at the bottom of a hill.
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09-09-2011, 07:33 AM
#4071
I lol'ed...
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/...ish-apple-tree
(CNN) -- It was a dark, windy and rainy night when Per Johansson returned from work to his home in Saro just south of Gothenburg, Sweden.
"It was raining really bad. In the wind I heard something screaming with a very dark voice," Johansson told CNN. "At first I wondered if it was the crazy neighbors, but then I heard it again and went and checked. I saw something really big up in a tree in my neighbors' yard and it was a moose. It must have been drunk after eating fermented apples and as it was reaching out for more fruit it must have slipped and fallen into the tree."
Johansson called the local fire and rescue department, which responded with a fire engine and a jeep with a winch.
"We got the alarm at 9.59 p.m. on September 6 that a moose was stuck in a tree," said Anders Gardhagen, spokesman at the Gothenburg Fire and Rescue Services.
"When we arrived we used the winch to bend down the apple tree so the moose could get himself out of the tree. Once free, the moose collapsed on the ground and fell asleep. So we let him sleep it off and went back home" Gardhagen told CNN.
"Moose are attracted by the apple trees, and in the autumn when the apples have fallen off the trees we normally have at least one of these cases of intoxication. These apples, which ferment in their bellies, aren't part of their natural food, so they can get quite angry from this drunkenness," Gardhagen said.
Johansson's son, Gustav, who is about to turn 11, made sure to take lots of pictures of the ordeal.
"He is saving up to buy a PlayStation so he thought he would take pictures that he could sell," Johansson said.
CNN purchased three of Gustav's pictures.
When dawn came the day after it was freed from the tree, the moose had not yet left.
"When I went out for the newspaper it was still laying there on the ground, sleeping. By the time I left for work it was walking around the neighbor's yard on very shaky legs." Johansson said.
"Today the moose came back and walked around the yard," he added. "I think it likes it here."
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/...ish-apple-tree
(CNN) -- It was a dark, windy and rainy night when Per Johansson returned from work to his home in Saro just south of Gothenburg, Sweden.
"It was raining really bad. In the wind I heard something screaming with a very dark voice," Johansson told CNN. "At first I wondered if it was the crazy neighbors, but then I heard it again and went and checked. I saw something really big up in a tree in my neighbors' yard and it was a moose. It must have been drunk after eating fermented apples and as it was reaching out for more fruit it must have slipped and fallen into the tree."
Johansson called the local fire and rescue department, which responded with a fire engine and a jeep with a winch.
"We got the alarm at 9.59 p.m. on September 6 that a moose was stuck in a tree," said Anders Gardhagen, spokesman at the Gothenburg Fire and Rescue Services.
"When we arrived we used the winch to bend down the apple tree so the moose could get himself out of the tree. Once free, the moose collapsed on the ground and fell asleep. So we let him sleep it off and went back home" Gardhagen told CNN.
"Moose are attracted by the apple trees, and in the autumn when the apples have fallen off the trees we normally have at least one of these cases of intoxication. These apples, which ferment in their bellies, aren't part of their natural food, so they can get quite angry from this drunkenness," Gardhagen said.
Johansson's son, Gustav, who is about to turn 11, made sure to take lots of pictures of the ordeal.
"He is saving up to buy a PlayStation so he thought he would take pictures that he could sell," Johansson said.
CNN purchased three of Gustav's pictures.
When dawn came the day after it was freed from the tree, the moose had not yet left.
"When I went out for the newspaper it was still laying there on the ground, sleeping. By the time I left for work it was walking around the neighbor's yard on very shaky legs." Johansson said.
"Today the moose came back and walked around the yard," he added. "I think it likes it here."
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