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Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

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Re: Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

#51

Post by sillyfluke »

makeitdouble wrote: post #42
sillyfluke wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> All my money is electronic Yes, one positive aspect of these types of events is that the hazing against the cash-first minority worldwide has ebbed slightly. Sweden seems to be backtracking from their cashless push due to the threat of Russian cyberattacks as well. In related news, high-speed trains appear to have been sabotaged in Spain today, causing transportation chaos again. This happened while they have not b…

> hazing against the cash-first minority That's...a pretty strong opinion. Otherwise cash will still have it's issue during a blackout. For instance I'm not sure most shops would operate their POS during a blackout or without any connectivity, at least if there is any hope of resuming normal operations within days, it would screw the ledgers. ATMs of course are dead. Vending machines are also probably not ready for t…

>That's...a pretty strong opinion.

I'll go out on a limb and say it's only a strong opinion for anyone who isn't familiar with trying to use cash exclusively for all physical transcations under 1000 dollars in their day-to-day lives.

In London, they have tube stations with a single coffee stand on the platform that's card-only. It's a fucking outrage in my humble opinion. and just another form of debanking, pure and simple.

Re: Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

#52

Post by Funes- »

>Germans take a 1 hour lunch from 12-1pm. Spaniards have a later lunch, starting around 1pm, and going on until 4 or 5pm. This could possibly be due to the tradition of afternoon siesta.

This is not only untrue, but I would argue it also borders on being defamatory, consciously or not. Lunch breaks are typically one to two hours long in Spain, not three to four hours long--that's ridiculous. What the author is describing there would better fit what we tend to do during weekends, where "sobremesa" (coffee and drinks after we're done with the main dishes) can admittedly get a bit out of hand, but absolutely not on working days.

Re: Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

#53

Post by metronomer »

alexpotato wrote: post #3

> Germans take a 1 hour lunch from 12-1pm. Spaniards have a later lunch, starting around 1pm, and going on until 4 or 5pm. This could possibly be due to the tradition of afternoon siesta. NPR had a podcast episode (Planet Money maybe?) about how the EU was supposed to make it easier for firms to hire cross border and employees to move around. The idea was to be more like the United States. Apparently, this didn't qui…

tbh that's in mostly an exaggeration, specially among new gens who tend to do more quick lunchs and take-aways. Even though we have lunch significantly later than the european average (I'd even say closer to 2pm or even up to 3pm rather than 1pm), something that somewhat awkwardly here I agree it's excessive, I doubt anyone (unless they're exploiting the cultural-difference thing and somehow it's working) stays until 5pm lunchin' midweek. Perhaps it may only be applicable in the context of the weekend (when lots of gatherings at bars and tapa overdoses for who-knows-how much time happen), but overall for at least 5 out of 7 days a week that's an oversimplification.

Re: Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

#54

Post by coldpie »

makeitdouble wrote: post #42
sillyfluke wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> All my money is electronic Yes, one positive aspect of these types of events is that the hazing against the cash-first minority worldwide has ebbed slightly. Sweden seems to be backtracking from their cashless push due to the threat of Russian cyberattacks as well. In related news, high-speed trains appear to have been sabotaged in Spain today, causing transportation chaos again. This happened while they have not b…

> hazing against the cash-first minority That's...a pretty strong opinion. Otherwise cash will still have it's issue during a blackout. For instance I'm not sure most shops would operate their POS during a blackout or without any connectivity, at least if there is any hope of resuming normal operations within days, it would screw the ledgers. ATMs of course are dead. Vending machines are also probably not ready for t…

> That's...a pretty strong opinion.

If you're a person who uses cash a lot, the comments you hear do start to feel a bit like hazing. You very often hear jokes like "who uses cash anymore?" both directed at you and not, like you're a crazy person for preferring not to support Visa's advertising empire with a ~1-3% tithe on every purchase.

Re: Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

#55

Post by mjevans »

prof-dr-ir wrote: post #46
codetrotter wrote: post #2

> some information services were still able to stay online and available I’m in Valencia, Spain. The mobile internet connectivity here during the power outage was very unstable. Cellular phone signal strength was also very very low for the majority of the time. Even sending SMS or WhatsApp messages would not work most of the day, because of just how unusable mobile connection was for me and my girlfriend and our fami…

> The next day the first thing I did was walk to the nearest ATM and withdraw several hundred euros, and I bought a bunch of water. That is a very good idea for everyone. Putting together an emergency supplies kit is what various European governments, and now also the European Commission, are beginning to officially recommend: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/26/brussels-ask-e... > What’s going on? How bad…

Many of these also have small solar panels. Enough to recharge the device and sometimes build up a charge for other devices like a tablet or cell phone. It wouldn't be enough to continuously run that greedy screen, but it would be enough to maintain standby radio contact.

Re: Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

#56

Post by dukeofdoom »

Something similar happened in Ontario many years ago, it was out for like 7 days. The neighbours came outside and talked, and everyone spent a lot more time outdoors. Saw the stars, and people burned candles in the evening. I actually look fondly at it, and feel like everyone should experience this. Now in the back of my mind is this feeling of wanting to live in a world without modern technology. Take a time travel vacation to the 17th century.

Re: Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

#59

Post by kranke155 »

Funes- wrote: post #52

>Germans take a 1 hour lunch from 12-1pm. Spaniards have a later lunch, starting around 1pm, and going on until 4 or 5pm. This could possibly be due to the tradition of afternoon siesta. This is not only untrue, but I would argue it also borders on being defamatory, consciously or not. Lunch breaks are typically one to two hours long in Spain, not three to four hours long--that's ridiculous . What the author is descr…

The siesta essentially does not exist in a lot of workplaces in Spain anyway.

Re: Internet usage pattern during power outage in Spain and Portugal

#60

Post by echelon »

Funes- wrote: post #52

>Germans take a 1 hour lunch from 12-1pm. Spaniards have a later lunch, starting around 1pm, and going on until 4 or 5pm. This could possibly be due to the tradition of afternoon siesta. This is not only untrue, but I would argue it also borders on being defamatory, consciously or not. Lunch breaks are typically one to two hours long in Spain, not three to four hours long--that's ridiculous . What the author is descr…

> Lunch breaks are [...] two hours long in Spain

Wow.

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