[IRCA] OT: Electricity as a form of dementia

[Charles A Taylor <MWDXer@xxxxxxx>]

At 10:20 AM 4/22/2007 -0600, you wrote:
> > Interesting that you and Mike should be interested in this sort of
> > thing. I've had chasing power lines and visiting substations (both
> > distribution and transmission) as a second hobby for about 30 years.
>
>Charlie:
>I was not that interested in it. It was just a matter of observation.
>Everytime I went over there, and in the past I used to do it regularly, I
>would drive by it many times and note the increase in progress of
>construction at the site. It was very hard to miss as it covers many acres
>and like I said, it's right beside the M20 motorway.
>
>Mike in St Isidore, AB
>

Mike,

You're more sane than I am. To be a BCB DXer, one has to have a few shorted
diode on the logic board.

I went everyone on this list one, two, three better. I have a hobby that I
only know of two other living individuals here in the US who did the
same.

I had about 500 KB of data I collected over the years about substations,
generator plants, distribution lines and transmission lines. I came by the
interesting and worthless information that the voltages used on the above
lines are 98% based on the old lamps that Edison made and their optimal
voltages: 110, 115 and 120 volts. Someone ask me why sometime.

Back in 1998, there were only floppies and Zip disks (aside from hard drives
and tapes). Floppies only held 1.44 MB of data. I had to store our vital
data on something. I chose Zip disks from Iomega. BIG MISTAKE. Turned out
they weren't for storing data, but for transporting it.

The two Zip disks that got their directories totally corrupted were the ones
that I stored my electric utility data. One was worthless because I couldn't
read the data anymore, and the other wouldn't eject from the drive. Not my
fault, it was the drive's fault.

I sent the drive with the Zip in it to Iomega. They wanted $600 to extract the
data off the remaining disk.

Maybe will start all over again. Probably not. Nowadays, anyone down here in
Yankeeland who shows an excessive interest in electrical installations or
in railroads is a terrorist. Or at least after X number of hours of pursuing
either hobby is certain to be questioned by police.

Nonetheless, no matter where I go I always give too much attention to power
lines. Get too careless driving.

At least, while we're ensconced in the comfort (squalour?) of our DX dens,
no one suspects anything (other than our significant others).

73,

Charles


Charles A Taylor, WD4INP
Greenville, North Carolina 


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