DTV and LG&E

With all the empty talk and infomercials dealing with the transition to digital television and now the subsequent delay in the switch-over, I think we may be forgetting to ask ourselves an important question: Are we setting ourselves up for failure?

The Commonwealth is still in the midst of a massive power outage in the wake of the freakishly large and menacing "Ice Storm 2009", and many folks are now complaining they knew little on where to go for help or government efforts to aid citizens because of the lack of power. For those who can actually see it, I bet it looks mighty good for the Governor and the Mayor to be on television crowing about ongoing repairs, emergency shelters and giving lectures on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

But what about the majority without power who couldn't?

Things will seemingly get worse once the transition to digital television is complete. The switch will make your old, reliable, "emergency-only" battery-operated televisions obsolete, and the digital converters that are required to "catch" the new digital signal have to be plugged into the wall outlet.

These storms are not going away, and the electrical utilities utterly refuse to take a proactive approach to protecting the power infrastructure (i.e. buried power lines).

It's not a pretty picture, even if it is broadcast in high definition.

Radio seems to be the last resort, but with public service announcements and real news being pushed to the rear in favor of flimsy "talk" radio programs, you may have to suffer through a few hours of Rush Limbaugh in order to find out what is going on. It is a strange time, indeed. The most highly advanced technology the world has ever known is at our fingertips, yet without something as simple as a 110 volt outlet the equipment is totally useless.

Buy a generator. And hope for the best.