Blackouts

Over on whatever John Scalzi has been complaining about power outages. So has the rest of the state of Ohio thanks to a nasty winter storm blowing through that state. It’s affecting his work and sleep schedule. Living in Karachi I know exactly how that feels, so he has all my sympathies. Power outages are the norm over here and I’ve adapted by installing a UPS. It can run my computer and DSL connection for at least 2 hours, plenty of time to ride out the outage.

Pakistan has an aging and overburdened power grid in dire need of a complete overhaul. Plus a growing population is creating more demand for energy and additional power plants need to be built. But thanks to incompetent and corrupt officials required resources are not gathered for these endeavors.

Then again winter storms and lethargic bureaucrats may not be the only reason for blackouts…