What happens when the internet goes down?

After thinking about this for several months and reading a story from the Seattle Times, (link to Microsoft's new Office 365, an online version of Google Apps.) I began to wonder what would happen to those office workers and other people would do if the internet went down for several hours to several weeks?

With cloud computing becoming of a platform for Office applications, Email, BookMark Syncing and the list could go on?

What would happen? If your wireless router, business router, home router, link up the router food chain went out?

What would happen if your ISP went down and you had no connection to the internet. Or a Backbone provider kicked your ISP provider for failing to pay them for service and you were the customer of that ISP?

Even a natural disaster could take out communications for days, if not weeks, maybe months in a situation.

Maybe its time for the average home user starts thinking of backup solutions for this type of situation. And mobile platforms are not as secure as one thinks from this type of issue. Mobile phones could be kicked off for non-payment, overloading of phone circuits, bad tower connections or a natural disaster could knock them out completely. If this were to occur, I would think your LAST thought would be if your Cell phone, PDA, Iphone or connected tablet is your first issue!

If your business "depends" on the Internet access, even in the worst of times, what is your plan on having it? I know for the average person, they can wait until a phone, cable provider, internet service provider, local co-op or ? can come in with an installer, trouble-shooter and fix the average problem.

With more and more of our daily lives from Office Apps to Games to buying your average food, book or other online purchases through various providers, could you deal with no internet access? Do you have backup plans for no power or for an extended time without power?

There are a lot of questions that I have. May be someone out there has answers. I would love to hear them.

Daily Couve gives all the locals a stroke of laughter.!

If you have come to my blog, you'll have a further hoot to our local impersonator in electioneering who runs this hoot-n-blog over at the Daily Couve: http://dailycouve.blogspot.com .

Please do stop by if you are a clark county resident, have no sense of humor and need a good pick-me-up to talk to your local representatives at any level. And please do not fail to mention to them that they might be the next subject of a little jib or jab, in-jest fun!

C-tran eliminates low income all zone passes to Portland

All Adults C-tran bus passes will now as of September 1st, 2010 will no longer allow Adult All zone access to Portland. That basically means all travel passed Jantzen Beach or the Delta Park - VanPort Maxx station will require additional fare.

The only exception to this rule it seems is the Youth Pass, which will continue to have this attached to it.

If you want to verify this comment, please see the same source that I did.

Link: http://www.c-tran.com/Sept1_2010ApprovedFareGrid.html

And you can review further information here: (August Newsletter?)

http://www.c-tran.com/newsletter.html


I first saw the elimination on the #37 Highway 99 bus tonight while I was riding home. So if you are concerned about this, please contact your local C-tran representatives by phone at 360-695-0123, email off the c-tran website: http://www.c-tran.com

back from the Dead!

Well, I found my old blog from researching some fold friends that I used to known here in Clark County Washington. Boy, I was shocked to find this was still up and trawling the internets!

So I have decided to reconstitute this vestigate of blather (which by the way hopefully won't compete with the local newspapers editor) for keyword - seo scratchability or sound like I'm wondering if I can write better than a 5 year old with crayons.

And no, I hope to not pollute the community with another political blog or forum. There are way too many now as it is, fully loaded with comment from local wing-nutters who seem to have nothing better to do than complain or simply can't coherently write a sentence without mentioning a previous president or how the current president is screwed with name calling or some other fallacy tongue lashing.

Honestly, I could do without any of it. There are too many other local news stories not being covered or way too many good places to go in this wonderful heaven we have here. From a local river that brings in and lets go of billions of dollars a year to our local economy to some great local breweries and wine stewards - shops that do not seem to get the recognition they so richly deserve!

Sorry but I do not believe in always taking a huge leap of faith over the flowing puddle to just fly right back over it with loads of trinkets and junk that basically will perish with in the next 24 hours let alone the next 12 months if I seriously can't help not stepping on it because I misplaced it.

Hopefully I will get a chance to go to the new library soon to see its progress. With the economy so bad, at least I will get to see a bright spot coming to final fruition soon enough.

Trains, Trains!

Onward home to Vancouver Washington this morning aboard the Talgo made 80 mile per hour Amtrak trains. Its wonderful to be able to see all the lush greenery and islands from the San Juans to Northern Thurston and Pierce County Islands in the south.

This trip takes about 6 to 8 hours, depending on train traffic and stops. Its such a wonderful train ride that I have been doing for more than a decade!

Then on to Cowlitz county and the Chehalis and Cowlitz Rivers along with the wonderful molehills of Southwest Washington until we finally pull into the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad right across from the Port of Vancouver. (Too bad they built trees to cover up the Car Crushing - Metal crushing operation. I LOVE watching them crush up all of that metal! What a great reminder of our great recycling programs for bigger metal items!)

SuperBowl

I just wanted to wish the Pittsburgh Steelers a wonderful Superbowl win. Also to the Pheonix Cardinals for an awesome and very close games and coming back from a huge deficit to almost get near a come back win. 

One of the things though that I had noticed is a former Seahawks coach Norv Turner, Jereheme Urban on Offense, former Seahawk-Kansas City now Okeafor on Defense.  

It just seems so many past Seahawks players on their team. (I suspect a couple of other team members but I just could not place them.)

Good luck next year to the Seahawks, Steelers and Cardinal teams during the off season.

Vancouver Food Co-op

Here is a great way for some one who may be interested in supporting a Clark County food store that contains as much as possible, locally sourced, sustainable or other great things from Food stuffs to the household basics. 

Right now, they are working on many different fronts and probably would love to have any one who might want to volunteer and help them connect with other like minded companies, local csa and metropolitan portland area - southwest washington community events. 

If you would like to know more about this wonderful idea that is trying to be brought to the City of Vancouver, please do not hesitate to drop a line at their web site: 

http://vancouverfood.coop