I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

>I prefer a full size keyboard.

Also every laptop has a different - stupid - keyboard layout.

I _don't_ want to work on spreadsheets from my couch. In fact, I don't want to be able to work on spreadsheets on my couch. I want my couch to be a completely spreadsheet-free area!

Ooh, you're right, I retract. A few minutes for me, though, not "instantly".

I'm using a MacBook Pro with an external monitor, so I thought I would share my response. I'm pretty happy with my home office [1].

> 1. I like big, big monitors.

I've realized that I find it uncomfortable to use more than one screen, so I just use one 27″ 4K screen. But occasionally I open my laptop and put it on a stand to show some extra windows.

> 2. I prefer a full size keyboard.

My favorite keyboard is the older version of the Apple Wireless Keyboard powered by AA batteries. It feels really nice to type on it (maybe because I'm used to it.) I recently bought a brand new Apple keyboard because I thought it would be better (and I could recharge it over USB), but it's much worse.

> 3. I prefer a separate mouse.

I use an Apple trackpad, and I love it. I only go back to a mouse if I'm playing a game.

> 4. I prefer big freaking disk drives installed.

I have a 2 TB SSD, which is more than enough for me.

> 5. I put the desktop under my desk, and with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse, there is much less of a snarl on my desk.

I like to put my laptop on the desk, and I only plug in a single Thunderbolt 3 cable for charging, gigabit ethernet, and my monitor. I really love my CalDigit TS3 Plus dock [2].

It's really nice that I can unplug a single cable and take my laptop to any cafe or co-working space. (Before/after the pandemic.)

> 6. The desktop has an optical drive I still use.

I haven't used an optical drive for about 5 years, and I don't own any optical disks.

> 7. The desktop has lots of USB ports and they're all in use.

My dock has a lot of USB-A and USB-C ports, and it's in a very convenient location.

> 8. I can replace/alter parts of the machine without buying a new one.

That's a great point, and it's one of the major downsides of using an Apple laptop. I do have AppleCare, and Apple's support is really amazing.

> 9. Desktops are cheap.

That's very true! But I was using a 2012 MacBook for 8 years before I upgraded it, and I think I'll probably continue using my current laptop for another 8-10 years. It's expensive, but it's a very high quality machine and I think it will last for a very long time.

> 10. I can build what I want with parts from newegg. Premade powerful computers are always "gaming machines" and I don't want a gaming machine that comes with a graphics adapter that sounds like a 747 taking off.

I certainly can't do that for any kind of laptop (either Apple or other brands.)

> 11. I want an all-metal case because a machine caught fire once.

Nothing to worry about there

> Edit: 12. My desktop doesn't have a microphone or camera, so they cannot be surreptitiously turned on remotely.

MacBooks have a hardware light that turns on when the camera is active, and I haven't heard any reports about hackers being able to disable it. Although one disadvantage with the newest MacBook is that you can't attach a sliding camera cover anymore, because it will crack the screen when you close it.

The microphone can be surreptitiously turned on, but it's not something I'm too worried about.

[1] https://imgur.com/a/soE6TMJ

[2] https://www.caldigit.com/ts3-plus/

People who live in low-density rural areas almost anywhere will occasionally have power outages because branches and other things picked up by the wind will hit overhead HV lines and rural areas are often served by a single radial HV feeder.

In a 240V system, that feeder will typically feed one or more pad-mounted distribution substations which feed properties and in very rural areas a number of pole-mounted smaller distribution transformers.

In a 110V system, many more properties are fed from pole-mounted transformers (because you want to minimise length of 110V runs due to resistance losses and you therefore do not want the extensive LV mains used in a 240V system.

In general, the US has longer lengths of vulnerable HV lines but fewer of them are radials (in other words, more US HV runs between two HV/EHV subs and can therefore be sectionalised and run from either end). Therefore an HV fault is more common in the US but it is less likely to take out as many people for as long.

In this case though, it scarcely matters since either system is likely to have properties connected to only a single HV line which comes off as a spur from an EHV/HV substation. These HV lines are often on poles in rural areas and therefore vulnerable to damage in heavy weather. This happens less in urban areas because HV lines tend to be buried there. In The Netherlands which is one extreme, everything under 50kV is buried but NL is a very dense country.

There is no point comparing your experience of power cuts in Amsterdam, London, Copenhagen, vs Chicago or NYC because power cuts are quite rare in all of these places. If you live in the English Lake District in a small village or in a small town in a rural area of the US, you are likely to have experienced power cuts. Performance on continuity of service measures like TIEPI varies much more within countries than between them.