Massive Texas power outage

[crossy]

They just don't make trees like they use to.

I'm assuming they still use trees coz they're cheap?

Over here in 3rd-world Thailand all power poles are concrete, if someone plays power-pole dominoes (usually a cement truck pulls down a whole string) the supply chaps just arrive with their crane and stand them back up (sticking some concrete around the base) and all is good.

 

[Zwy]

Lots. Unless you’re out west.

I thought TX was the Old West?

I haven't been to east TX but a few other spots in northern TX and never saw much for trees like here. I hope you Texans don't think of scrub brush as real trees.

 

[DPC]

I thought TX was the Old West?

I haven't been to east TX but a few other spots in northern TX and never saw much for trees like here. I hope you Texans don't think of scrub brush as real trees.

I never been there myself.
All I know is what holllywood tells me, Texas is a place in Italy
..

Interesting read in the Atlantic this morning
here's a snip and a link.
"Houstonians are, sadly, old hands at this. Lots of people have invested in generators—which have basically become an essential household appliance—to power things like fridges and fans and portable AC units. But there have even been issues in getting gas to fill those generators. Gas stations with no power mean inactive pumps. And with limited power in the city, cars are lined up 10, 20, 30 deep at the stations that are functioning."

Houston Is on a Path to an All-Out Power Crisis

The city’s widespread outage is a preview of how bad things could get this hurricane season.

www.theatlantic.com

And this caught my eye too.
In 05 I became concerned these sorts of things might happen and Simply put it out of my mind a long with fear of shortage of other commodities like oil and strategic minerals.
Now its front and centre again, especially in places like Texas where so much food and fuel is going to be in short supply for a while.

The Sad Future of Grocery Shopping

Food shortages will make grocery shopping more expensive and less fun.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[Citlalatonac]

I'm assuming they still use trees coz they're cheap?

Over here in 3rd-world Thailand all power poles are concrete, if someone plays power-pole dominoes (usually a cement truck pulls down a whole string) the supply chaps just arrive with their crane and stand them back up (sticking some concrete around the base) and all is good.

Yeah, same reason US houses are primarily wood frame. We have 2,0000,000 sqkm of commercial forests. About 20% of that is southern pine, which grows incredibly fast and extremely straight. They are able to put on a meter of growth per year, for decades.

https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ah/ah420_vol1.pdf

 

[DPC]

Mono culture perfect rows of trees waiting for a fire or insect to wipe out.
Ya i grew up watching them do that up here too.
Terrible way to manage a forest.

Southern pine does grow fast.
But its not the premium timber you want for most construction.
It warps the grain is not consistent.

Now northern spruce, pine.
Thats much nicer to work with.

 

[Citlalatonac]

Mono culture perfect rows of trees waiting for a fire or insect to wipe out.
Ya i grew up watching them do that up here too.
Terrible way to manage a forest.

Southern pine does grow fast.
But its not the premium timber you want for most construction.
It warps the grain is not consistent.

Now northern spruce, pine.
Thats much nicer to work with.

Yeah, walking around in pine plantations is sad, it's quiet, brown, and lifeless. It's good for getting sqft of wood and that's about it. I'm still happy for cheap toilet paper.

 

[Bluedog225]

I had a former centerpoint director tell me that they were fixing stuff by hooking it to trees after Harvey. He said no one went back and fixed it correctly after. No surprise wind find takes it out.

 

[OffGridForGood]

Mono culture perfect rows of trees waiting for a fire or insect to wipe out.
Ya i grew up watching them do that up here too.
Terrible way to manage a "forest".

One speies of tree, genetically identical, all the same age is not a forest, its a Plantation.

 

[Dave911]

I never been there myself.
All I know is what holllywood tells me, Texas is a place in Italy
View attachment 228441..

Interesting read in the Atlantic this morning
here's a snip and a link.
"Houstonians are, sadly, old hands at this. Lots of people have invested in generators—which have basically become an essential household appliance—to power things like fridges and fans and portable AC units. But there have even been issues in getting gas to fill those generators. Gas stations with no power mean inactive pumps. And with limited power in the city, cars are lined up 10, 20, 30 deep at the stations that are functioning."

Houston Is on a Path to an All-Out Power Crisis

The city’s widespread outage is a preview of how bad things could get this hurricane season.

www.theatlantic.com

And this caught my eye too.
In 05 I became concerned these sorts of things might happen and Simply put it out of my mind a long with fear of shortage of other commodities like oil and strategic minerals.
Now its front and centre again, especially in places like Texas where so much food and fuel is going to be in short supply for a while.

The Sad Future of Grocery Shopping

Food shortages will make grocery shopping more expensive and less fun.

www.theatlantic.com

Thats west Texas, except parts look plainer than that. Think of a gravel pit, but fairly flat.

 

[DPC]

For the moment I am going to forget about all this

I'm going to get in my 77 starcraft, with my 77 Merc....
Pretend its sometime in the early 80s...

Totally ignore the invasive large mouth bass I catch or the Black locust tree thorns and little brown ticks biting my dogs or the blistering heat...
I'm going to pretend that nothing has changed or is changing around me and and pretend that large mouth bass taste like Pickerel...