Lack of electricity does not leave this techie powerless

My reliance on my computer and Internet connection is downright scary. Even so, most of the time I don't give it a second thought. That is until the power goes out.

This happened to me last week during a mild thunderstorm. Thankfully, my UPS gave me enough time to save my files and shut down my computer.

I waited for about 10 minutes hoping the power would come back on but it didn't. I thought about powering up my laptop but since my cable modem and wireless router both require power I wasn't going to get very far without an Internet connection. You have to realize that I live on the Internet (no smarty-pants, not literally).

The next best thing

So I did the next best thing. I packed up my laptop, hopped in the car and drove to my favorite local coffee shop. I ordered a coffee, powered up my laptop and connected to the coffee shop's free wi-fi. I was back in business.

What enabled me to do this is the fact that most of my work on my computer can be done in what techies call "the cloud". The cloud is for all intents and purposes the Internet. By working in the cloud, it means that my email, documents and software almost all exist on the Internet, not on my computer. So in a sense, it doesn't really even matter what computer I use as long as it has an Internet connection. Although I must say I am pretty partial to my own laptop.

Now I'd love to hear from you. Are you powerless when the power goes out? Is there life without the Internet? Inquiring minds want to know.