If it's bad enough, I'm unlikely to live through it.
You may ask, "Why?" After all, I'm armed, have a tiny amount of training and have plenty of well-armed, disaster-ready friends. I even keep a reserve of food and water on hand!
Yeah, but if things go nasty, my place will be at work. I'm in the communications game; if there's some kind of GENERIC TEOTWAWKI going on, my job is to make sure you (and all those less-ready folks) get as much useful information as can be pumped out to ya. This is what I do.
Ninety percent of time, the stuff I'm paid to help get to your living room or car is slightly less useful than the otherwise similar newspaper, 'cos you can use newsprint for a lot of things but what your TV and radio spit out is more ephemeral than smoke. But that 10%, it's pretty darned useful. I'm single, I don't have kids and other than my Mom, I'm not close to my family. Ayn Rand might not approve but I don't consider it a sacrifice to go do what I get paid to do under circumstances in which it might mean a whole more to the folks at home than mere advice on how to get brighter-whiter teeth and shiny new cars for no money down.
Short, small nasties -- ice storms and such -- I'm ready for. Medium-size and up? I'll take my chances on the job.
The rest of you? Dammit, don't screw up. Grab your spouse and kiddies and go do what needs doing.
(OTOH, all bets are off if this happens. I guess I could semaphore from a high place but I'm kind of rusty -- and who'd read it?)
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
7 comments:
I can drop a basket from the Super Cub for you. . but you're right, your dedication to what you do is amazing, and the rest of us can just sit back and watch.
It's not amazing (not as amazing as yours, and you troubleshoot some truly awful stuff, IMO). It's one of the few things I do well and I think I might be able to give a lot of folks a fighting chance of pulling through.
There will be a lot of people like me, if it ever comes to that.
Do what you can, then head to Farmer Frank's or some place close by that'll take you in. Trust me, you'll be needed to help rebuild the Commo Systems after TSHTF more than being Horatio at the Bridge.
Yeah, I figure my chances aren't that great, either, especially in a zombie apocalypse. Gimpy leg, no ability to run, way out of shape. All the food, water and ammo in the world may not save me, but I'll do what I can for as long as I can... if it comes to that.
That's whats needed.. People with skills doing what they do.
Me I'm been in C&C computers and communications for most of my life so
it's easy to see if TSHTF I'll be doing communications as there are a lot fewer people that know that.
A Carrington event is likely to be a communications, power infrastructure and then resulting economic event.
I'm old enough to remember the 1984 solar event and the great 1965 and again in '77 power outage (system failure) that blacked out the north east. I've also worked commercial radio during some of the notable radio blackouts resulting from flares.
Most of the commercial stuff it's power that will be most problematic.
the VHF and UHF comms are least affected as they are designed for short range. Sat based systems may not do so well with sats damaged and ground stations potentially off line.
The traditional LF/MW/HF circuits will have problems but most will recover when the ionization drops assuming there is power to run the stations.
Me I see the bigger problem is sheeple and panic. I'd want to be in a secure place when the mad stampede starts.
Eck!
I reckon there'll be a fair number of us giving the wife/husband/kids/dog a last hug and kiss and walking out the door with the words, "I'll be back when I can." Some of us may already know we're lying when we say that, some of us might believe it true.
"We few, we lucky few..."
'Tain't a "sacrifice" if you've considered the costs, and decided that the benefit (even if it's to others) is worth it.
In my opinion it's called Duty and Honor. Doesn't just apply to the military, it can be like a lineman splicing a high-voltage line during a storm. Those of us who appreciate the effort will be thanking you in our hearts, even if we're too busy dealing with stuff to do it right away.
Post a Comment