Alpha Geek Blog 30
It had to happen!
Being an east coast transplant to the SF Bay Area, you knew it was only a matter of time. Apparently, there was one other minor one when I was back east in July. I complained about not being here for it. Now, I realize I really wasn’t missing anything and am probably better off not being here when it happens.
In case you haven’t guessed, here is what happened.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/36.38.-123.-121.php
It was (at least what I consider) minor (here) except that there was obvious building/ground shaking. I have no idea how long it lasted maybe 30 seconds or so? It felt longer. I paused Tivo, sat in the chair and waited to see if it would stop or worsent. It stopped.
Here are the top ten thoughts that went through my head at the time:
- Am I going to fall in the ocean? I do live only about 500 feet from there. Should I put on a wetsuit?
- Would the shaking please stop, so I can finish watching “The View”
- What happens if my Balcony falls off?
- What if I was standing on my balcony and it Falls off? What would I grab on to?
- Am I better off living on the third floor? the first floor? or sandwiched in the middle?
- We had a thunderstorm yesterday, I think their related.
- Why isn’t Mindi’s phone ringing when I call?
- Why don’t my East Coast friends answer the phone even if it’s after 11 PM there. Don’t know they know this is important?
- After finding out the epicenter was 47.5 miles away, how long did it take to for it to travel here?
- Is this like a snow-storm back east and we don’t have to go to work or school tomorrow?
In the past 20 or so minutes, I have determined that it was a practice run. It was just enough to alert me to the fact that there could be a bigger one and one should be prepared. So from now on, as soon as I walk in the door, I’m putting on my wetsuit. Wait, I don’t even have a wetsuit. I’ll have to add that to the list.
The other thing it did was spark my interest in real-time reporting of Earthquake data. I was able to answer some quick questions, key in my zip code, and “Rate the Quake”. Way cool if you ask me. I love instant feedback to validate that what I felt was what I felt. If only I had Twitterific running, I might have known sooner.
This goes back to a conversation Rob and I had in the office last week about the Southern California fires and emergency communication/distribution of news. It’s something I’ve always been interested in. How does recent technology enhance emergency communication channels. What are the communication channels? What happens when the outages are so great that no communication goes through?
Ok, I’m going back to watching “The View” now, and yes, I watch “The View”.
