Hi Norm,
Yeah, those old LED machines will really suck up the power...why do you think they come up in FIX 2?
They'll find you by tracing the red-hot wires all the way back to your house.
That'll teach you never to use a penny in the fuse box.
By the way, I live on Long Island, New York. The blackout hit at 4:12 PM local time, giving us over three hours of daylight for the commuters to find their way home. I live and work in the suburbs, so no problem for me. Power was restored to my house at about 3:15 AM. I had no damage or problems, just had to clean out the fridge and reset a couple of clocks.
I was proud to see that my fellow New Yorkers took it all in stride...civilians directing traffic, just about everyone polite, no looting, crime or fires. There was a little bit of oppurtunistic price gouging ($5 bottles of water, $2 hot dogs) but one store was giving stuff away for free -- flashlights, sneakers, etc.
There were no deaths reported and perhaps just minor injuries caused by the blackout. It's inconveinent but maybe we should have one of these things every 20 years or so, just to show everyone (and ourselves) just how decent New Yorkers can be. It won't offset the bad publicity of the other 19 years, but what the heck.
- Michael