# fast boards today due to power cuts? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 14, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264 "2003-08-14T23:08:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264/1 "2003-08-14T23:08:21Z")
as I type this I assume the power cuts are over, but are they? and if not - is that why the boards are unusually fast? ---
**Author:** ![arachnidlove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@arachnidlove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arachnidlove)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264/2 "2003-08-14T23:19:20Z")
I was assuming the same thing. Actually, I usually avoid the boards during the day because they’re soooo slow. But when I heard about the power being out, I signed on to see if the board was faster. …and it is! ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264/3 "2003-08-14T23:49:48Z")
Not so much due to the lack of power… so much as due to the great many people who, due to lack of power, cannot be WITH us here right now… …but I suspect they’ll make up for it when they get here. Any interesting stories, New Yorkers? Torontoans? Clevelanders? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264/4 "2003-08-14T23:54:45Z")
We missed the power outage by a hair’s breath. I’m sorry that it took the entire northeast not logging on to make the boards rock and roll, but I must say, it’s pretty darn cool to be here today! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264/5 "2003-08-15T13:57:34Z")
Hey, screw you guys! 😛 –Q.E.D from New Jersey ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264/6 "2003-08-16T01:17:03Z")
How’s the recovery of power going Q.E.D. And, since you are **Q.E.D.** the man of knowledge - explain to me, in simple terms, (as if I am 12) why would the outage of one power station cause them all to go down? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264/7 "2003-08-16T02:09:05Z")
We got our power back in about 4 hours. I feel pretty lucky compared to some. The cascade failure of multiple power grids is pretty simple to understand once you realize a fundamental operating principle: When one grid needs more power than its generating plant can provide, another power grid will supply what it can to boost the other. Of one power plant fails entirely, a second one might find itself attempting to power two grids, then _it_ overloads and fails, and so ad nauseum. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fast-boards-today-due-to-power-cuts/195264/8 "2003-08-16T03:39:18Z")
SO isn’t there a way to have a power plant refuse to power the ‘down’ grid? or is that physically impossible ( no way to isolate one ‘grid’ from another entirely)