Comments on: Storm Pounds Buffalo http://www.mattdude.com/59/winter-with-a-bang Thoughts on Life, Work, and Other Stuff Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:03:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Voidious http://www.mattdude.com/59/winter-with-a-bang/comment-page-1#comment-178 Voidious Tue, 24 Oct 2006 04:08:42 +0000 http://www.dijitari.com/mediaworkshop/weblog/?p=28#comment-178 Well, Buffalo wasn't always the booming metropolis it is now... Maybe they just figured only a few hundred people would be affected if anything happened to the power when they were stringing the cables =) Well, Buffalo wasn’t always the booming metropolis it is now… Maybe they just figured only a few hundred people would be affected if anything happened to the power when they were stringing the cables =)

]]> By: gary http://www.mattdude.com/59/winter-with-a-bang/comment-page-1#comment-177 gary Mon, 23 Oct 2006 15:46:15 +0000 http://www.dijitari.com/mediaworkshop/weblog/?p=28#comment-177 Let me begin by saying that it is messed up that they cut your power off, because coincidently my parents got theirs back on the same day. Are these 2 events connected...I think they are! The power lines comment made me think about something...Here in NYC, they bury all of the powerlines. I dont see why a city that is so old would have buried theirs, but a newer area like amherst decided to build them hangin' in the air? Has anybody ever heard any support of this idea? -Gary Let me begin by saying that it is messed up that they cut your power off, because coincidently my parents got theirs back on the same day. Are these 2 events connected…I think they are!

The power lines comment made me think about something…Here in NYC, they bury all of the powerlines. I dont see why a city that is so old would have buried theirs, but a newer area like amherst decided to build them hangin’ in the air?

Has anybody ever heard any support of this idea?
-Gary

]]> By: Mattdude http://www.mattdude.com/59/winter-with-a-bang/comment-page-1#comment-176 Mattdude Sat, 21 Oct 2006 21:47:07 +0000 http://www.dijitari.com/mediaworkshop/weblog/?p=28#comment-176 Just got power back (again) after four days. That canlde light shit is kinda cute for the first night, but it gets old fast. I'm just glad to be able make coffee again! ;) Aaron, I couldn't agree more about the fundamentally flawed idea of dangling power cables in the air, weaving in and out of tree limbs.  It's insanity.   This is the 21st century for crying out loud, you'd think we'd have moved beyond problems like this.  Four nights without power has left me bitter... I can only imagine how others felt who went longer.  Granted, I should be grateful that it wasn't worse (like Katrina or something), but it's still pretty aggravating. -Matt Just got power back (again) after four days. That canlde light shit is kinda cute for the first night, but it gets old fast. I’m just glad to be able make coffee again! ;)

Aaron, I couldn’t agree more about the fundamentally flawed idea of dangling power cables in the air, weaving in and out of tree limbs.  It’s insanity.   This is the 21st century for crying out loud, you’d think we’d have moved beyond problems like this.  Four nights without power has left me bitter… I can only imagine how others felt who went longer.  Granted, I should be grateful that it wasn’t worse (like Katrina or something), but it’s still pretty aggravating.
-Matt

]]> By: gary http://www.mattdude.com/59/winter-with-a-bang/comment-page-1#comment-175 gary Tue, 17 Oct 2006 17:07:38 +0000 http://www.dijitari.com/mediaworkshop/weblog/?p=28#comment-175 My parents still havent got power back, and it is like 5 days later. They are living in the 18th century over there and are just fed up! My parents still havent got power back, and it is like 5 days later. They are living in the 18th century over there and are just fed up!

]]> By: aaron http://www.mattdude.com/59/winter-with-a-bang/comment-page-1#comment-174 aaron Tue, 17 Oct 2006 05:47:32 +0000 http://www.dijitari.com/mediaworkshop/weblog/?p=28#comment-174 I think this really underscores how vulnerable systems that people design are to the unexpected. Buffalo is one place that you would think would be prepared for a major snow event like this. Unfortunately, snow on trees with leaves was enough of a fringe case that it wasn't deemed worthy of designing for. I think this is the same reason why a lot of software is so vulnerable to being hacked. Focused imagination is a necessary, but often discounted component in any system design. Experience can only get you so far. Basing behavior on probable scenarios is a fundamentally flawed concept. It's like assuming that x is going to happen because it happened the last 5 times. It's that exact example that caused to me drop out of pre-calculus in 11th grade. It's so obviously wrong that it just pissed me off and I quit and took a speed reading course instead. I mean... Is it just me, or does having power lines dangling in the air tight and ready to snap seem like a pretty crazy idea? I think this really underscores how vulnerable systems that people design are to the unexpected. Buffalo is one place that you would think would be prepared for a major snow event like this. Unfortunately, snow on trees with leaves was enough of a fringe case that it wasn’t deemed worthy of designing for. I think this is the same reason why a lot of software is so vulnerable to being hacked. Focused imagination is a necessary, but often discounted component in any system design. Experience can only get you so far.

Basing behavior on probable scenarios is a fundamentally flawed concept. It’s like assuming that x is going to happen because it happened the last 5 times. It’s that exact example that caused to me drop out of pre-calculus in 11th grade. It’s so obviously wrong that it just pissed me off and I quit and took a speed reading course instead.

I mean… Is it just me, or does having power lines dangling in the air tight and ready to snap seem like a pretty crazy idea?

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