Facebook Outage - Memories of Powerless Nights in Northern Ontario

Up on Yonge Street (Toronto), when the lights went out, well, you got out a flashlight, turned on a portable radio or sat and talked to the person you were with. Some of you remember talking to people . . . right?

Up in Ontario cottage country - for me it was Muskoka, lots of beautiful places have no electricity, so that was good training for the times we have lost power here in East Texas. When it was 'way too cold, we could get in the car and turn the heater on.

How did we survive? Quite well, actually. We heated water on a wood-burning stove to wash dishes, wash ourselves. Of course, we had all that water from the lake and we also had a nifty creek which not only yielded water but also small fish. We usually cooked on the barbecue. Ah, to recall the time some of the fellows wrapped some stones in foil to replace Uncle Jimmy's potatoes. There was lots of kibitzing!

What did we do up there in the evenings? We played cards or board games by battery-powered lanterns or candles. We sang - my favorite was an improvised, "I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskokee" . . . a knock off from Merle Haggard's famous hit.

I guess I forgot to mention we also had an outhouse and an uncle who liked to scare us with bear noises after dark. No indoor plumbing?

There is a phenomenon in Ontario where people work very hard to purchase a beautiful, fully equipped City Home and then when they have really made it, they purchase a place up in Northern Ontario where they have no amenities. They rough it, as it were. Roughing it . . . camping . . . it is a nice way of life, really. People interact with each other and have lots of good times. We have lost the ability to sit down and talk to another person, to sing songs, to tell jokes and stories.

Here in Texas, we lose power because it is hot and all the air-conditioning systems tax the electricity sources. Sometimes we lose power because there is a storm - heavy rainstorm, hurricane, tornado - and the lights go off.

When the lights go off in Texas, especially in the summertime, we got trouble - yup, Trouble Right Here in River City, as the song went. We have had an extremely hot summer this year and there are some people who live in small homes who don't have enough to eat, much less air-conditioning. Those people - hopefully - are visited by neighbours and church members who take them to somewhere cooler.

Well, when the power goes off, so do computers, internet, TV - you name it!

We have come to rely heavily on communication and automation and frills which we consider necessities. We do not live better, just different.

So, today, it looks like Facebook - the love it or hate it social network is down - at least for a while. Guess we will have to talk to someone in person!

I will miss the Farm (Farmville/Farm Town - take your pick) but I think I can survive.

There is lots of talk these days about Facebook - a 1600 pound gorilla that is probably not going anyplace any time soon. It invades our privacy, causes people to divulge information they may later be sorry they did. Some people make comments that they might not even realize could be hurtful to someone. Some people make inappropriate remarks that someone they did not think would see it, in fact does see it and has hurt feelings from it.

Some people give a burglar a perfect opportunity but telling everyone with access to their page when they will be leaving their home.

I won't go on, because you know the the good, the bad and the ugly of Facebook and Twitter.

I kind of like Twitter, especially, because I can quickly let people know I have posted a new blog and more people will read it.

But mostly . . . just miss the farm.