The power subsystem engineer on my satellite at work has a poster on his office door:
Power – Everything Else is Just a Load!
Last weekend I helped my friend L set up her new computer. She’s moving from an old, virus- and spyware-ridden Windows Me system. She is very foggy about how she connects to the internet, where her email comes from, and why her computer doesn’t work very well. I replaced IE with Firefox, installed a firewall, anti-virus program and anti-spyware programs. I was just migrating her Outlook mail when everything in the room went dark. The rest of the house was fine.
Turns out it was 5:00 pm, and the Christmas lights went on automatically, overloading the circuit, which happened to be the same circuit the home office was on. Pretty funny.
My friends in Three Story Limit do a Bobs song called “50 Kilowatt Tree”. It was like that.
Artist: The Bobs
Song: Fifty Kilowatt Tree
(c) 1996 Richard Greene, Best of Breed Music (ASCAP)
All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
The power is out from a terrible storm
but my lights still shine
Santa’s spinning and Rudolph’s grinning
Listen to my generator whine
my neighbors put up a pretty good front
but I know they envy me
I see them peepin’ through a crack in their living room blinds
at my fifty kilowatt tree
Fifty kw tree – I’m proud of my display
fifty kw tree – up past new year’s day
fifty kw tree – I’ve got a lovely lawn
fifty kw tree – you better not walk on
there’s a star in the East but it’s only me
with my fifty kilowatt tree
Shepherds quake at a neon angel
strobe lights in the stable
wise men worship at a motor driven manger
and it’s all been wired for cable
My neighbors call me ostentatious
but I know they envy me
lighting up my yard like downtown Las Vegas
It’s my fifty kilowatt tree
Fifty kw tree – it’s a giant spruce
fifty kw tree – draws a lot of juice
fifty kw tree – I’ve got a lovely lawn
fifty kw tree – You better not walk on
there’s a star in the East but it’s only me
with my fifty kilowatt tree
I’m stopping traffic, I’m boss of the block
you better park your car, get out and walk
Fifty kw tree – I’m proud of my display
fifty kw tree – reindeer pull my sleigh
fifty kw tree – I’ve got a lovely lawn
fifty kw tree – you better not walk on
there’s a star in the East but it’s only me
with my fifty kilowatt tree
> it was 5:00 pm, and the Christmas lights went
> on automatically, overloading the circuit,
> which happened to be the same circuit the
> home office was on.
Haha, but it’s funnier to think that Outlook is just that offensive that it blew the fuse =D
— S.
Ha! You’re right.
I figure I’ve converted L to Firefox, it was too much of a stretch to move her away from Outlook. Maybe next year.