Saturday, November 10, 2012

Old School Info Sources Shine During Sandy

Riverguy is a web guy...but I have to admit that during the ordeal of Hurricane Sandy, something unexpected happened.

I thought I'd be in good shape to find out what was happening as the storm approached. After all, I have a new smartphone with the 4g network, wifi, texting, emailing, and talk. I'd also be in the know through my laptop with cable internet access. Or cable TV news would keep me on top of things.

Well...you guessed it. When the storm hit, texting failed. Emailing failed, and calls wouldn't go through. And no news updates -- the web was silent. Basically, the expensive smartphone became a brick. Not to worry, I thought, as I went to turn on my laptop. Just about then -- a slight boom somewhere outside, and the laptop and TV went dark.

Riverguy was cut off from the world.

And then...it dawned on me. Didn't I have one of those old battery powered radios somewhere? I grabbed my flashlight and scoured the house and I found it. I turned it on, and found that the local radio stations were up and running, and keeping people informed through the long night of the storm. In truth, at that point no one knew too much, because we were all riding it out together. Only afterward would be know the true extent of the storm, and who had fared ok, and who didn't. But hearing the radio announcers and music (yes, music during the storm) gave me a comforting feeling of normalcy.

The next day dawned, and I had little hope of getting any real overview of what I had just been a part of. I knew the smartphone was probably going to be down for a few days, and the cable internet and TV for even longer. The first day after the storm was spent taking stock, helping neighbors and then falling into an early, uneasy night's sleep.

I woke the next morning to the sound of a familiar "floomp" sound outside....could it be? Yes, the NEWSPAPER had been delivered (yes, Riverguy still gets a paper!). I couldn't believe it. A day after the storm, and here it was -- complete with all of the shocking photos that told the tale of the storm.

I put the paper down and did some more clean-up outside. The next thing I knew, I heard another familiar sound...the engine of a small truck..you've got to be kidding?! Yup -- the MAIL was being delivered! I don't know how the driver even got around all of the downed wires, trees, and other debris -- but they did.

So, there you have it. I don't know how else to say it....when the chips were down, all of the expensive electronics failed miserably, while the radio, newspaper, and mail continued to work. All "old school" sources of information that have around forever. The whole thing has left me scatching my head a bit, and wondering...should we take a few steps back from our fascination with the latest gadgets?