Post-Wilma took a lot of the spark out of my favorite holiday this year, with most municipalities asking that children trick-or-treat during the day, and be safely tucked away after dark. I still picked up a bag on Tootsie Pops, just in case, but I confess that the idea of opening the door on darkness [...]
In what is becoming a tiresome refrain, I am still without power. I’m not alone, though; according to FPL, I am one of 272,700 customers (not individuals) in Miami-Dade County who are still in the dark. The best restoration date they will commit to is still November 22, over three weeks away. Jolly. But the [...]
It’s pre-dawn on Sunday morning as I write this. There’s a little bit of a breeze, but not quite enough to let me sleep. The drone of the neighbors’ generators keeps me a bit on edge, and now that’s been joined by the sound of police helicopters overhead. Obviously I have not yet been blessed [...]
While in the office I decided to take the plunge and start the move. I know, I know. What the hell is wrong with me that I would do something so radical when I don’t even have power at home to spend all night fixing it? Well, to be specific, it was permalinks what done [...]
We are still running on batteries and candles at HCHQ, although several of my friends and coworkers now have power. Still, it could be much worse: a few people are reporting problems with sewers and septic tanks backing up, putting raw sewage right into homes. With the temperatures rising, that’s going to be lovely. I [...]
Digital camera + candlelight + blackout fever = nightmare. Share/Bookmark
There aren’t any street lights, porch lights, or traffic lights. I can see the stars as if I am in the Everglades. There is the occasional flicker of candlelight from a window, or the bluish glow of a fluorescent lantern. The headlights of the few cars breaking curfew are almost painful. I am over a [...]
My office reopened this morning; a location only blocks from the county offices has its advantages. I was able to go in and recharge my laptop, and get caught up on a little work. Still no power at home, though, and the power company story at the moment is “95% of our customers will have [...]
A photo tour of my neighborhood, the day after Hurricane Wilma struck.
As expected, I’ve lost power. We made it through until almost 6:00 am, though, so that’s not too bad. I wonder how long it will take FPL to bring my neighborhood back on-line? Fortunately I have this handy little Verizon wireless card for my work laptop. It isn’t exactly power efficient, but if I use [...]
As yet another hurricane decides to disrupt what passes for normal life in the Hidden City, it occurs to me that those of you living in more hospitable climates may be interested in the preparations require for the event. So, here’s how I get ready for a storm predicted to bring hurricane-force winds and rain [...]
I am in the process of deleting all of Hidden City off my server. Before you ask, no, I’m not shutting it down. I’m just cleaning house as part of the redesign. Nonetheless, it’s a creepy feeling, seeing files start to disappear. It’s also rather melancholy, in part because memories are being revived that have [...]
I recently came across LibraryThing, an on-line system for cataloguing your books and sharing the list with others. It is linked to the Library of Congress, Amazon.com, and many other resources, so it has fairly good data for locating your books. I signed up for a free account and entered the first few books that [...]
All work and no play makes Kevin a dull boy. But I’ve been managing to get in a little play now and again. I read Anansi Boys, the new novel by Neil Gaiman. A light book, the kind of thing sometimes described uncharitably as “summer reading,” but better than you might think. Of Gaiman’s novels [...]