The power went off at 13:30 while I was waiting in my dentist’s office to get a tooth pulled.
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I met my rather ancient neighbor trundling up Ollerias looking a bit panicked, so I took her bags for her and asked her how she was. I told her she was welcome to heat up food at my house since I have a gas stove.
She said she was worried for all the young people who didn’t know how to cope without phones. I joked that they’d just start having to amuse each other and gave her a pack of candles from the stash I’d picked up.
While all the big stores were closed, the market and all the smaller stores run by Chinese and Moroccan immigrants were going gangbusters because they can still add up with a pencil and paper, and their scales are mechanical. But Fatima - at the greengrocers - said she didn’t have any candles so I gave her a pack too.
I spent a lovely evening playing vicious candle-lit scrabble with Don, with both cats sitting like loafed sentinals on either side of the board.
It was a lovely day. #apagon
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While all the big stores were closed, the market and all the smaller stores run by Chinese and Moroccan immigrants were going gangbusters because they can still add up with a pencil and paper, and their scales are mechanical. But Fatima - at the greengrocers - said she didn’t have any candles so I gave her a pack too.
I spent a lovely evening playing vicious candle-lit scrabble with Don, with both cats sitting like loafed sentinals on either side of the board.
It was a lovely day. #apagon
I had completely forgotten what a shockingly aggressive scrabble player I am.
Also, no, Don, rabbit is spelled with two Bs.
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I had completely forgotten what a shockingly aggressive scrabble player I am.
Also, no, Don, rabbit is spelled with two Bs.
All in all, I think we should have these blackouts on a regular basis. It gets people talking to each other, and helping each other and, while it’s sad that it takes a country-wide blackout to do it, it really does bring out the best and most social in most people. #apagon
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All in all, I think we should have these blackouts on a regular basis. It gets people talking to each other, and helping each other and, while it’s sad that it takes a country-wide blackout to do it, it really does bring out the best and most social in most people. #apagon
@Remittancegirl my biggest problem with blackouts is my mum's hospital bed is electric. Can't adjust without power. Moving and positioning her manually very difficult. She's totally bed bound these days and needs moving every few hours plus other care that involves repositioning.
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@Remittancegirl my biggest problem with blackouts is my mum's hospital bed is electric. Can't adjust without power. Moving and positioning her manually very difficult. She's totally bed bound these days and needs moving every few hours plus other care that involves repositioning.
@psychopoesie @Remittancegirl That sounds indeed very inconvenient.
For around € 150 you can buy a device called an Uninterruptible Power Supply, UPS in short.
This device will provide power from a built in battery. It is usually used for computers but it can also provide power to the motors of a hospital bed.
Sometimes the manufacturer of the bed offers a backup battery option. As an alternative one can use an external UPS unit to do exactly the same thing.
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@psychopoesie @Remittancegirl That sounds indeed very inconvenient.
For around € 150 you can buy a device called an Uninterruptible Power Supply, UPS in short.
This device will provide power from a built in battery. It is usually used for computers but it can also provide power to the motors of a hospital bed.
Sometimes the manufacturer of the bed offers a backup battery option. As an alternative one can use an external UPS unit to do exactly the same thing.
@alterelefant @Remittancegirl wow! Did not know those were even a thing. That would help so much. Thank you!
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@alterelefant @Remittancegirl wow! Did not know those were even a thing. That would help so much. Thank you!
@psychopoesie @Remittancegirl You are welcome.
A bed like that usually has a peak demand of something around 330 W. When you look at UPS units it will show you a VA value. The UPS VA rating should be a minimum of 15% higher than the W rating of the device you are planning to power. In this example the UPS should be a 380 VA or more. You can safely choose a 500 VA version for this application.
So please check the Watt rating of the power supply of the bed first before selecting a UPS.
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@psychopoesie @Remittancegirl You are welcome.
A bed like that usually has a peak demand of something around 330 W. When you look at UPS units it will show you a VA value. The UPS VA rating should be a minimum of 15% higher than the W rating of the device you are planning to power. In this example the UPS should be a 380 VA or more. You can safely choose a 500 VA version for this application.
So please check the Watt rating of the power supply of the bed first before selecting a UPS.
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@alterelefant will do.
@RemittancegirlI can’t say how many times I’ve had excellent generous advice from really knowledgeable people on Mastodon.
It’s a really vibrant and informed community.
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I can’t say how many times I’ve had excellent generous advice from really knowledgeable people on Mastodon.
It’s a really vibrant and informed community.
@Remittancegirl @psychopoesie @alterelefant
I agree. I love asking Mastodon for help. What comes back is always - well - helpful. Knowing Social Media that's no small thing.
