Power-up 101

First let me start by sending out my very best wishes for a speedy recovery to all the folks who have been devastated by this last of the four major storms that have ravaged the northeast in as many years.

My husband and I were very lucky in this one. We only lost power for a few hours. New Canaan Public Schools is closed for the week, which suggests that the town was hard-hit again. I've been following the recovery effort's progress on the New Canaan Office of Emergency Management's Facebook page, which was launched during Hurricane Irene by Nick Howard, NCHS class of 2012, and co-creator of the ALA award-winning Why I Need My Library video. The Facebook page is a great resource to the entire New Canaan community in times of distress. So thank you, Nick! I've often wondered if he'd have thought of creating it if he'd attended a high school that prohibited the use of Facebook. Just wondering...

We did loose Internet and cable TV service at my house. It's not a big deal. My phone works as a hotspot, so I still have Internet service when I really need it. I just need to be judicious about it. This post, for example, is decadent. I know better.

I wandered down to the Westport Public Library this morning during the few hours we lost power to power-up my mobile devices and grab a little free WiFi. Our library, like so many public libraries, is a refuge for power-less community members during these crises. The above photo does not do justice to their responsiveness. Additional seating, tables, and power strips abounded throughout the facility, and it was packed! Really packed! So packed, in fact, that the WiFi was tapped out. Fair enough.

What did bother me was my fellow patrons' use of power strips - particularly Apple users' use of power strips. The above photo represents a power strip sharer's worst nightmare. It's just downright rude - especially when the power strip plugs are arrange horizontally, not vertically. So naturally, this inspired me to create a tutorial, Power-up 101: How to be courteous when charging your mobile devices in public spaces. It follows.