No email. No internet. How will we survive? Well, we did.

Like many of you in central Iowa, we were without those services for much of the day and into the evening last Thursday. The problem, apparently, stemmed from an internal water pipe break at the Lumen facility in Des Moines that had “diminished” its electrical capacity, according to the Polk County Emergency Management Agency. This outage impacted internet and landline phones services, including calls to 911 and area hospitals. The impact was widespread, as hospital, banking, restaurant and other industries felt the pinch, too. Thankfully, the problem was mostly resolved by the evening, but not until it operationally and financially impacted many.

All this mayhem stemmed from one water main break in one building in one city. That should be a wake-up call for all of us, as terrorists are certainly taking note. For us, the experience was a not-so-subtle reminder that relying too much on electronic communication and not enough in-person is dangerous. Not too many years ago, we didn't have email or the internet to send copy or photos or ad proofs. We gathered and reviewed these items face to face or by phone.

Most all of you are familiar with the phrase “cut and paste.” In our world, that is exactly what we did when putting our publications together. We printed pages of copy, cut news columns into strips, adhered a “paste” on them via what we fondly called the “waxer,” and rolled it all on layout sheets to prepare them for the printer — and this was a massive improvement from the processes used for decades prior.

I had the pleasure of tearing out dark rooms, horizontal cameras, light tables and the related “composing” equipment as we transformed multiple operations to digital. Gone were the days of driving the layout pages to the printer. We thought we were high tech by storing the pages on zip drives and taking those to the printer. In the big picture, this wasn’t that long ago — about three decades. Let’s just say if internet and email went down in those days, it would not have been a big deal. To be fair, internet was dial-up, and most all of us shared one email account.

Just a few years ago, a similar outage happened in a school building where a friend of mine was teaching. He said the staff didn’t know what to do. He suggested opening a book and actually talking to the students. He received many puzzled looks. Instead, they cancelled classes.

We worked all day Thursday at our operations, as best we could. Those with initiative resorted to Plan B or Plan C and made sure the work was covered… while I tried to find the waxer.

Have a memorable Monday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See Shane Goodman's previous columns here.

WALKS OF LIFE
Organ donors

Compiled from the Iowa Living magazines

For many people with organ failure, a transplant is their one hope for a return to good health. In the U.S., more than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ donation — and, for many, the wait can be five or more years. For 17 people each day, time runs out before a match can be found (organdonor.gov). Those fortunate enough to receive a transplant are given not only a gift of health, but of hope — and a future to enjoy.

[...]

A backyard oasis
Water feature soothes Clausens.

By Colson Thayer

The Paige and Chris Clausen’s deck overlooks a gorgeous backyard scene. A sheet of red rocks covers the hill in their yard. Scattered throughout the area are potted plants, birdfeeders suspended from shepherd hooks, garden statues of various designs, Victorian cast iron chairs and even an archway with clematis growing up the sides. But those do not even compare to the uniqueness of their outdoor water features.

One spews water out of the top of a rock. Gravity pulls the water down through a narrow crevice before it falls into a shallow reserve. An arrangement of flat rocks forms the spout of the other. The water pours into a tiered pond, trickling down the hill and into each tier. At the bottom, it joins a half-dome fountain that glimmers as it is hit with sunlight. At night, lights illuminate the space, creating a Midwestern oasis.

[...]

]These celebrities were born on this date: Raul Castro, Ian Hunter, Hale Irwin, Penelope Wilton, Too Slim, Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez, Vik Sahay, Lyfe Jennings, Arianne Zucker, Anderson Cooper, Al Horford, Jalen Suggs

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to yesterday's riddle:

What is the name of the final roadside stop for eggy desserts? CUSTARD'S LAST STAND. - Rex Post, Gail Tomlinson, Mark Arends, Carolyn Rogers, Randy Lagerblade, Lori Bluml. Other creative answers from Mark Arends, William Snyder

Today's riddle

Why do I sympathize with batteries?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in the Daily Umbrella, Guthrie Center Times, Panora Times, Lake Panorama Times and Guthrie County Times Vedette, contact:

KERRY JACOBSEN
Account Executive
Office: 641-755-2115
Mobile: 515-619-2788
kerry@iowalivingmagazines.com

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