Wires on sticks?

[Raynine]

When you read about power outages do you wonder why most electricity is delivered to homes and businesses in our time the same way it worked when Samuel Morse, Thomas Edison, and others were developing the telegraph? They put wires on sticks out in the open where rain, wind, and falling trees could disrupt the power source. We built the Panama Canal, the Interstate Highway system and put a man on the Moon. But we still string wires on sticks? Why didn't Washington demand that every state protect power sources by putting all the electric wires underground where they are protected? The telegraph was used in the 1840's. We have had nearly two hundred years to protect the electricity. Why has that not been done?

Too expensive? Bull. Have we wasted all the money on less important things?

 

[1srelluc]

In a way it's a good thing transmission lines run through the hinterlands least the cities get uppity.

 

[odanny]

Greed prevents power lines from being run underground, it is really that simple. Imagine what Lahaina would look like now if this was done, same for California.

 

[Raynine]

So this is just accepted? Wait till the blackouts and brownouts begin and they are coming. Who owns these things? Do you know? Do you care?

wichita lineman - Search Videos

www.bing.com

The guy is up on the wires trying to justify why he is up there. The sweat, the toil, the danger. He loves his wife or significant other. He tells himself that. But why? He is in Kansas, where the weather can be treacherous. That guy may not exist soon because we are living in an age of manipulated cognitive dissonance. What happened to technology? Why is that guy still hanging up on the wires? I wonder.

 

[Dekster]

View attachment 875658

When you read about power outages do you wonder why most electricity is delivered to homes and businesses in our time the same way it worked when Samuel Morse, Thomas Edison, and others were developing the telegraph? They put wires on sticks out in the open where rain, wind, and falling trees could disrupt the power source. We built the Panama Canal, the Interstate Highway system and put a man on the Moon. But we still string wires on sticks? Why didn't Washington demand that every state protect power sources by putting all the electric wires underground where they are protected? The telegraph was used in the 1840's. We have had nearly two hundred years to protect the electricity. Why has that not been done?

Too expensive? Bull. Have we wasted all the money on less important things?

Too time intensive which very much becomes money intensive. It is taking them a month of blue moons just to install fiber underground in our area. There is a poop ton of underground crap already they have to navigate around and a lot of that stuff that currently isn't a problem becomes a problem when they fiddle near it. When they decided to short cut one of the fiber routes through the hood next to mine to keep from having to close a lane in a major roadway for months, before they were quarter of mile they had to go back and start replacing all the gas lines and then the sewer lines because ancient galvanized piping doesn't heart being fiddled with or about and once they started doing that, they ended up having to redo the gas lines in the whole neighborhood. Eventually all that was going to replaced anyway, but it got done a lot sooner than planned for because our closest thing to a megachurch just had to have fiber run to it.

 

[Raynine]

Too time intensive which very much becomes money intensive. It is taking them a month of blue moons just to install fiber underground in our area. There is a poop ton of underground crap already they have to navigate around and a lot of that stuff that currently isn't a problem becomes a problem when they fiddle near it. When they decided to short cut one of the fiber routes through the hood next to mine to keep from having to close a lane in a major roadway for months, before they were quarter of mile they had to go back and start replacing all the gas lines and then the sewer lines because ancient galvanized piping doesn't heart being fiddled with or about and once they started doing that, they ended up having to redo the gas lines in the whole neighborhood. Eventually all that was going to replaced anyway, but it got done a lot sooner than planned for because our closest thing to a megachurch just had to have fiber run to it.

I get it, but that is today. We plug into the wall and expect the juice to run. What happens when the juice does not come? How will that be used to control us? Would it not the fisrt step of a Great Society to make sure the people have the magic power that makes ecerything work? What happens when the magic is gone or rationed? How did it get to be like this? Was it planned? I wonder.

 

[Dekster]

I get it, but that is today. We plug into the wall and expect the juice to run. What happens when the juice does not come? How will that be used to control us? Would it not the fisrt step of a Great Society to make sure the people have the magic power that makes ecerything work? What happens when the magic is gone or rationed? How did it get to be like this? Was it planned? I wonder.

Most of our electrification infrastructure dates back to FDR's era if not before. It isn't necessarily all bad. Those old systems can survive a bolt of lightening and be back online quick. The new ones, not so much. A storm several years back took out almost all of my city's inbound transmission lines. There was only one that stayed in full operation. It took about a week to get almost everybody back up and only that long because there was a utility pole shortage at the time. I mean it was a hell of an irritable week, but kind of impressive at the same time. They have an expansive network of workers who back each other up when things get rough--as do telephone and cable companies. I think I heard somewhere when Hurricane Sandy whacked NY/NJ, verizon trucks led the way before rescue workers in opening up road ways to get in to restore service.

 

[Raynine]

Most of our electrification infrastructure dates back to FDR's era if not before. It isn't necessarily all bad. Those old systems can survive a bolt of lightening and be back online quick. The new ones, not so much. A storm several years back took out almost all of my city's inbound transmission lines. There was only one that stayed in full operation. It took about a week to get almost everybody back up and only that long because there was a utility pole shortage at the time. I mean it was a hell of an irritable week, but kind of impressive at the same time. They have an expansive network of workers who back each other up when things get rough--as do telephone and cable companies. I think I heard somewhere when Hurricane Sandy whacked NY/NJ, verizon trucks led the way before rescue workers in opening up road ways to get in to restore service.

February 25–27, 2010 North American blizzard - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

My daughter's power was out for three weeks. They brought the kids over to take showers a few times- a 40- mile trip. They had a generator for a refrigerator and lights and were luckier than many.

 

[Dekster]

February 25–27, 2010 North American blizzard - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

My daughter's power was out for three weeks. They brought the kids over to take showers a few times- a 40- mile trip. They had a generator for a refrigerator and lights and were luckier than many.

They should have just put their fridge contents on the front porch. I am guessing a blizzard will keep them chilled.

If I lived in New England, I would have a propane or gas generator, a wood stove, and lots of canned goods as a bare minimum in life.

Anyway, there is another problem with retrofitting--a legal one. A lot of these legacy utility rights of way are overhead rights of way, not surface rights of way beyond poles. They would need a legion of lawyers just to sort the legal paperwork and litigate as necessary to go plowing through everyone in America's yard.

I personally would prefer it all be underground, but it is a lot more expensive and then would still be vulnerable to flooding. I mean I would hate for the old lady who walks her equally old poodle to be fried alive because it rained the day before.

 

[Moonglow]

The system is above ground because it's easier to fix and find when broken.

 

[Grumblenuts]

The Wichita lineman's problem was that he worked for the county. It's actually a good, meaningful, rewarding job relatively speaking. That said, yes, we should all be producing and managing our own power locally by now, doing most things wirelessly and/or with low voltage DC.

 

[Anomalism]

It's a lot less expensive to install and maintain them above ground. They wouldn't be invincible underground. They'd still need maintenance, and it's kind of a bitch like that.

 

[Raynine]

It's a lot less expensive to install and maintain them above ground. They wouldn't be invincible underground. They'd still need maintenance, and it's kind of a bitch like that.

Let me get to the heart of what I am saying. We cannot exist as a population of our size without the magic that comes out of those wires. The system is fragile and for some reason was never upgraded to protect itself against many things that can take it out overnight. We are completely dependent on electricity. If it goes, we go with it as a population. Do you want to live in a state of nature? Look that up. The Deagle report was taken down right after Covid. The fragility of the power grid could easily be our doom. We had chances to fortify and modernize the system and we never took them. If we go down we will probably deserve it.