Too much bamboo
Yes Jeremy, there is such a thing as too much bamboo.
Outside my study window, on the other side of the road, is a stand of bamboo. It grows intermixed with Bougainvillea and brings me pleasure as it waves in the breeze.
Yesterday, buffeted by a westerly, the bamboo brushed the power cables that run from pole to pole in the street. There were sparks and crackling noises, the lights dimmed, and my computer shut down. Power wires were falling in a cloud of sparks. Inside our house, smoke came from the electrical wiring and control box. In the street, dry leaves under the bamboo caught fire.
People rushed out of their houses, idiots walked too close to the live cables, people yelled. After eight hours services were back; police officers, fire fighters, power linesmen and TV cable guys had gone; it was time to check for damage inside the house. The hot water system wiring was fried and, worse, my computer was playing up. With <expletive deleted> deadlines next week.
Late last night, and most of today, I have spent testing and troubleshooting. Everthing’s working now, except for a PCI SCSI card and a flatbed scanner tranny adapter. <irony>I really enjoy sorting out SCSI problems. It’s as much fun as doing my Business Activity Statement and writing the cheque for Goods and Services Tax</irony>. Which reminds me…