On 5/12/2016 7:42 AM, HerHusband wrote:
Naw, just an extension cord running from a nearby light fixture to
the nearest UPS! I.e., 4 or 5 feet would suffice to connect a nearby
floor lamp to the UPS for this computer!
I wouldn't have thought to do that, but we don't have any table or floor
lamps. All of our lighting is ceiling or wall mounted.
No overhead lights in the bedrooms -- all on "bedside tables", etc.
Living room has overhead lights -- but also floor lamps (for reading).
If I need/want a light someplace that doesn't have one handy, I can grab
a table lamp from one of the bedrooms and carry it to wherever.
I do have an LED lantern that runs off of 4 D-cells though. I haven't
changed the batteries in years and it's still going strong. We also have
a few rechargeable lights that come on automatically when the power goes
out.
I don't like buying things for a specific (esp rare) event. E.g.,
our flashlights are not intended for use in the absence of power but,
rather, in teh absence of *light* (e.g., under the hood of the car,
under my workbenches, inside the furnace, etc.).
I have one large "flashlight" that runs off 8 D cells and has a CFL
"bulb":
http://images.drillspot.com/pimages/000/415/926/415926_300.jpg
You can tug on the front bezel to convert it to a "lantern":
http://content.backcountry.com/images/items/large/CMN/CMN0108/ONCO_D1.jpg
But, it eats batteries. Someday, I'll make a wallwart adapter to
use it as a lantern for these occasions. (The idea of installing
rechargeable D cells is almost laughable)
It depends largely on what we are "trying to get done" when the outage
strikes. E.g., if SWMBO has settled down to watch a movie, it's
annoying not to be able to *finish* that movie. In that case, I'll
drag out one of the larger laptops and let her watch it "in her lap"
Yep, I have a laptop with extra oversized batteries that I use for
similar things. I typically pull it out when the power goes out during
the day when I'm home alone. There's nothing else to do, so I'll fire it
up and watch a movie or something.
Likewise, if you'd made time to read a book, you want to continue
reading -- not have to return to it at a later time that's more
convenient for the electric company!
Book? That's one of those rectangular paper things, right? 
We read a lot (in my case, ~500pp every week). We both consider it
a "guilty pleasure" as it is a "selfish" act -- totally exclusive of
other people.
If I'm "writing code", I can quickly copy the file(s) onto a thumb
drive and move over to a laptop to continue (none of my systems can
stay up for that long even on the larger UPS's -- can you spell
"powerhog"?)
If I'm writing code, I usually just save what I'm doing and do something
else till the power comes back on. My laptop isn't really set up for
programming, and the interuption kind of ruins my thought process anyway.
All I need is a text editor to write code. I'm not the sort that writes
5 lines and then needs to see (if) it runs. I can write an entire module
before ever seeing a compiler or debugger.
Depending on what my computer is doing, I can run between 60 and 90
minutes on my UPS (my computer uses less than 60 watts in normal use).
Ah, my workstations are big power hogs. I spin 1T on each, have
each configured for 4 monitors (though I only use three), a pair of
SCSI HBA's in each, etc. I have a separate UPS just to power the
monitors...
We could probably save a fair bit in our monthly electric bill if I
moved to a laptop for most of my work. But, getting all the various
I/O devices attached (tablet, motion controller, scanner, etc.)
makes that impractical. Also, I've not found a laptop keyboard that
I'm happy with...
If it's daylight, then, chances are, we're outside or away from home
and don't really care about the outage.
Around here, it always seems like it's rainy, snowing, or extremely windy
when the power goes out. I'm not about to go outside!
As it says in the airport: "360 days of sunshine" I.e., we KNOW when
it is NOT sunny!
As for "time together", that's already built into our schedules. So,
we each know what time we can expect to address our individual
wants/needs while still ensuring that we don't become "just
roommates".
Sex at 7pm, check.
Sorry, I'll be busy. Maybe your wife can take care of that for you??
The "backup" is important as you may want to USE that phone during
the outage. E.g., to call to REPORT the outage! :
I've called to report an outage twice in the past. Both times they said
"we already know". I think it's an automated line these days, but I'm
more likely to use their web site than their phone line anyway.
I tend to be awake at hours that most people are asleep. So,
the neighborhood will be dark -- save my office light. Also,
the way the power feeds this area is wonky. The folks a block
from here are on a different feed -- yet still very much part of
"our neighborhood".
We *welcome* not hearing from people. But, aren't eager to be
cut off from our ability to phone others! "Why don't we do our
grocery shopping NOW and get it out of the way. Do you think
stores X, Y and Z are suffering outages? Would it be a waste
of time to drive over? Perhaps call first??"
I hate phones and almost never make a call out. We don't get many
incoming calls either, and those that do can wait till later.
We keep the phone for contact our "providers" (doctors, dentists,
lawyers, etc.) and for the few random calls to other vendors
(e.g., I ordered replacement rollers for the refrigerator and
we'll get a call when they come in).
We're several miles from town so they usually always have power when ours
is out. Sometimes I do take care of shopping when the power goes out, but
it always seems like the power goes out AFTER we have just gone shopping.
I don't shop unless I have a specific thing I'm already going for.
Shopping is one of our weekly rituals -- always done as a couple (unless
one of us is incapacitated). It lets us plan our menu for the coming week
based on what we encounter in the stores ("Hmmm, asparagus looks good!
We can do that meal Wednesday...")
Our outages tend to be infrequent -- I think in large part due to
below grade services. OTOH, we had a distribution transformer kick
the bucket in the neighborhood, once. Another time, a fire in a cable
vault. But, never "some drunk hit a light pole"...