Slashdot Mirror
Deregulation and Niagara Mohawk - Is There a Story?
It's just a few hours after the Northeast U.S. power outage, and facts are trickling in; as of right now, it looks like an accidental overload knocked out a large part of the Niagara Mohawk power grid. A few years ago, California went through rolling blackouts that were largely due to a poorly-executed deregulation of that state's power industry. The question that's probably occurring to many of us is, did late-'90s deregulation play a role in today's power event? I don't know the answer, so I'm turning it over to you -- moderators, please check links and up-mod the most informative, pro or con. Here is some information to get you started:
"We support deregulation 100 percent..." (N-M spokesman, 1997; notes N-M wanted to sell generators and "concentrate on the transmission and distribution of energy" -- did it?);
N-M made some bad investments and is
scheduled to request a rate hike (did it?);
and N-M's own website says:
"Deregulation [has] changed the laws and regulations governing the electricity industry to promote competition..." (how so?).
...if you asked us to pass judgment on the guilt of Scott Peterson or Kobe Bryant. It's way too early to turn this into a rant against deregulation.
"We support deregulation 100 percent..." (N-M spokesman, 1997; notes N-M wanted to sell generators and "concentrate on the transmission and distribution of energy" -- did it?);
N-M made some bad investments and is scheduled to request a rate hike (did it?);
and N-M's own website says: "Deregulation [has] changed the laws and regulations governing the electricity industry to promote competition..." (how so?).
Also, show your work.
Pencils down!
Yes. Let's turn slashdot into a rumour-mill.
Oh wait...
Oh God no, no power to run the computers.
You mean I actually have to interact with people?????
i think that we should hold on this discussion topic until those from the north east coast can join in. everyone please stop posting.
You must be new here.
Wild speculation is our business.
*Sees 4-digit UID* oh...wait
How can I steal data if all the computers are off?
Ohhh, you mean stealing in real life.
That ain't gonna happen, there's natural light out there. You know what natural light does to a well CRT-baked skin.
Sorry everyone, this one was my fault... I accidentally plugged my toaster oven in the same outlet as my microwave. :(
NO CARRIER
Which means that CNN hasn't found a suitable Republican to pin this on. Give it a few hours, they'll find somebody.
You must be new here. Wild speculation is our business.
Yeah, but not just ANY wild speculation. We can achieve wild speculation based on crazy assumptions, tortured logic, and all in the lack of a single relevant datum! Geeze... don't sell us short!
At least it's a break from hearing about the recall in California (and I live here).
I live ze unknown. I love ze unknown. I am ze unknown.
Go outside? But there's this weird kind of light. It doesn't seem to make any kind of buzzing sound at all. I don't trust it.
Sigs are like bumper stickers.
If the damn Sims would simply accept paying more taxes, I could build the nuclear plant and maybe get a stadium too. It would make them all happier too!
Why Is My Power Plant Aging So Quickly?
Hmm. Night approaches....
Why Am I Getting Riots?
"I may be Love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it."
Oh cmon!! Its natural for journalism to delve into a story for sheer *thrill*, THEN report the facts after the fact on page 18 in small print three days later.
This is a test. This is a test of the emergency sig system. This has been only a test.
Thanks god idiots like you don't receive karma for those "jokes" anymore.
Yep. That's why I got modded up. Twice.
Yeah, CNN has been so hard on the Republicans these days, which is so unfair because so many Republicans have been doing so many things so very well. The way they blow any little scandal all out of context and proportion and just harp on it for weeks on end, their steady refusal to walk the party line, their whole anti-war attitude, their open mockery of the president, it's just ridiculous. And I hate how they have that "Impeach Bush" ticker running across the bottom of the screen all the time. Damn liberal media. That's why I only watch Fox.
Let's all have a moment of silence for all the linux and *bsd boxen whose legendary uptimes were mercilessly snuffed out by this service interruption. Some clung to their UPS's bravely until every ampere of juice had been drained.
They will be missed, and we will build even longer uptimes to replace them.
microsoftword.mp3 - it doesn't care that they're not words...
"The people that RUN THE FSCKING GRID do not know what went wrong and /. is posting articles asking if X caused it???"
It's my firm belief that not sacrificing enough geek virgins is what caused it. The geek gods are displeased.
I wonder if the systems at the power plants had DCOM enabled.... :-)
LINUX FOR THE NUKES!!!
I suppose we'll find out the facts soon enough, though.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an optomist among us.
But they now have the perfect excuse for a rate hike. A quarter or two will look bad but profits will be up in the near future (or so I surmise, based on my long experience playing Alpha Centauri, whacking people with sticks in the SCA and drinking large amounts of Guinness listening to Clan N'gal late at night).
I drank what? -- Socrates
Kids these days, with their fancy 4-digit UIDs. Why, back in my day, wild speculation was all we had, and we were grateful. Doesn't anyone show any respect anymore?
hehehehe
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
The california problems were cronic problems
cronic? Yeah, I guess the power failures did happen at regular intervals.
Intelligent Life on Earth
1100MW nuclear reactor
Would that be one point one jigga-watts?!?
We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from the machinations of the wicked.
Obviously this is the work of the 10,000 volt ghost and rest assured Scoob and the gang are already at work medelling around for clues.
if there is place to put the blame, CNN hasn't found it yet
Oh, but they will... they will. Even if they get it wrong the first time, they can always contradict themselves later.
(Score: -1, Stupid)