What If The Power Went Out?

It's been a long time since I had to redesign a blog- technology sometimes makes my head spin! I see kids now with all these new networking gadgets, and I wonder- what would happen if we ever lost our link with the networking world?

Teens would panic, business people would cry out in fear, and even us stay-at-home moms would be upset- imagine life without being able to email someone!

I lived on the cusp of the computer age as a teen; they had just brought PC's to my high school when I was a junior, and we were taught how to make programs. Things like 'GoTo' and 'Line 80' were droned into our heads, and it took forever to get a program to run right.
After that I never touched a computer screen until the late 80's, when the Xerox machines became computerized.
I worked in a copy shop when things were simple- it looked much like the original Star Trek show, where the buttons and displays on the copiers were just monochromatic covers over top a push button. But then the machines were upgraded, and I was dealing with high-tech- or at least high-tech for that time. Now there are touch screens for every possible copy combination and the machine does everything for you.

But that can also be it's most fatal flaw. Once the electricity goes off, you're doomed.

So what would happen if there was no power worldwide? Pandemonium, that's what.

Kids would panic when their computer screens went blank, and they would be forced to play outside, having to get along with the other children. Teens would have to go to each other's houses to talk to each other, instead of sitting on the couch texting fifteen friends at the same time. And since there's no more emailing, people would have to start writing letters to communicate. Even meals would change, and we'd be forced to cook on the grill, go back to lighting up gas stoves with a match, or start using those wood stoves you used to see on Ebay under 'Antiques'.

Car batteries would die eventually too, and people would have to start biking everywhere to get where they needed to be. I wonder just how long it would take someone to invent a human-powered generator by hooking up a treadmill or bike to a battery, just so some things would start working again. Can you imagine having your teenager running on a treadmill just so he could take the car out for the evening? Me neither, but it's a nice thought.

People would lose weight too. All those people exercising just to get a few precious hours of power to fulfill their needs. Eventually people would start to feel better, and not miss those TV shows or the DVD player as much as they used to.

We would be talking to each other a lot more- and finally see the faces of people as we speak to them- not just some made-up photoshopped image on a screen. I just knew Aunt Bev didn't really look like a anime chipmunk!

And don't forget- people would go to bed earlier too, because there would be no lights.

You know, I think I'm starting to like this idea!

More sleep, less weight, happier people because we're actually talking to one another, and kids that have learned to get along and stop hurting each other, because there are no violent movies to emulate.

I don't know about you, but I think I'll be praying for a blackout tonight!