> It records messages when the power is dead? Remember, most people of us
> stayed outside where it was cooler and only came in once or twice.
>
> (BTW, can I assume this is not a cordless? That's a feature most of us
> don't want to give up.)
That's true -- answering machines won't work without a UPS (unless there are battery-powered ones that I don't know about.)
As for giving up cordless -- we're talking about emergencies. All you need is one of the stylish jobbies (you can get them in drugstores for even less than Doug paid) to keep on hand to plug in when the power fails. Like a flashlight. (What's this about all the people with candles risking burning down their residences? Has everyone forgotten about flashlights? Or were they being romantic? Just remember not to keep the batteries in them all pointed in the same direction -- reverse one so that they don't drain dry between power failures.)
The big unanswerable problem I can think of is your freezer contents thawing out. If these grid break-downs keep up, we may have to go back to salting our meat and fish. And of course electricity-dependent heating systems not working in cold weather.
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org ________________________________ Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. - Frank Zappa