December 12th, 2008
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail they said could stop the BlackBerry
It’s been a bit of a long day…you’ll see very shortly why I’m only posting one entry for the day.
We had one heck of an ice storm last night and along about 2:00am I woke up to the smell of smoke. We’d lost power, so of course the pellet stove shut off, filling our kitchen with smoke.
Fortunately, I’d gone to bed with my BlackBerry clipped to my PJs since I expected the superintendent to call and have me activate our automated calling system (I really need to show him how to do that himself). Anyway, I used the bright screen to see my way down the steps and check on the stove, light some candles, and make my way back upstairs.
Then I used my BlackBerry to check the weather (more freezing rain) and went back to sleep. My super called me at 5:00 to cancel school and, although I lacked Internet access (no power), I had recorded all of the automated call system information on my BlackBerry and activated it from there.
Then I used the light of my BlackBerry to make my way to my cars that happened to be parked under trees that were quickly losing large limbs under the weight of the ice.
Later, after we made breakfast (go propane stoves!) and I used the light of my BlackBerry to clean up the worst of the mess in the foot of water in my dark basement, I wrote this post on my BlackBerry.
The mail never made it to us this morning, but my BlackBerry came through.
Follow Chris Dawson on Twitter! Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts and a member of the Internet Press Guild. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations, but always keep in mind that the opinions expressed here are his own and not those of his daytime employer, even if he talks incessantly about his day job.
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