No Power, No Posts: How Dependent We Are on Electricity

Power outage this morning, so no work until now! I actually was forced to write with a pen since I've got stuff due today. What a strange feeling! I have a cramp in my shoulder from holding my arm at an angle that I'm not used to.

Then of course, the Hydro Quebec guy came by to read the meter. I think he was chastized by several of the neighbors who weren't pleased by the lengthy interruption in service. Poor guy, it wasn't his fault. But the temptation is always to shoot the messenger, or the equivalent.

Our relative paralysis in the absence of electricity is not something to take lightly, however. In Quebec nearly all our power comes from hydro-electricity, which in some respects protects us from the problems of petroleum-generated electricity. Has the increasing cost of petroleum shown up in the cost of electricity from oil-fired plants? A file to be followed, for sure.