For the past few days, we’ve basically had fog. That in itself is not so much a problem. However, it can have interesting implications for above ground electrical transmission lines. The buildup of dust and stuff on wires and insulators through the winter months provides ripe conditions for excitement.
Tonight so far, there’s been a power spike that was enough to confuse my desktop computer. I had to hard power it off for about half a minute before it would reboot. It also caused my server colocated at the office to reboot but then it’s not on UPS power, either. At least it rebooted.
Then, about half an hour ago, there was a loud bang and a bright flash of light outside the window. The power didn’t flicker that time. Near as I can tell, the buildup of dust and stuff combined with the fog caused the power lines along McKnight Blvd to short to ground. It looks like it caused the traffic lights at Edmonton Trail to get confused; they’ve switched to flashing red four ways. More worrying, though, is the fact that you can see periodic arcking around the insulators on the power lines. It makes for a pretty show but it does make one wonder just how safe things are.
Well, all we need is a nice heavy rain for a bit to wash everything clean. Too bad it’s March and that’s not likely to happenfor a while.
Back to watching animé now.