Lost two hours of work after a power surge at a coffee shop downtown

I was at Brew Lab on 3rd Avenue last Tuesday finishing a RAID rebuild when the whole block lost power for maybe 10 seconds, and my laptop shut down dirty. Has anyone else started using a battery backup for on-site work after something like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.kevin9d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah "lost two hours of work" hits way too close to home for me. I had almost the exact same thing happen at a different coffee shop a few months back and it made me swear by carrying a little UPS in my bag now. It's a bit annoying to lug around but honestly it's saved me at least three times since then when the power flickered or someone tripped over a cord. I'd recommend getting one of the smaller ones that's just big enough for a laptop and phone, you don't need a huge server rack battery for a coffee shop setup.

barbara4298d ago

...and honestly I think you're just creating a problem to solve. A UPS for a coffee shop laptop session? That's like wearing a helmet to walk to the mailbox. Most places have outlets everywhere and if the power goes out that often, maybe find a better coffee shop. And here's the thing, that little UPS in your bag is heavy, takes up space, and you have to remember to charge it. For what? A few times a year you might lose some work? I've been working from cafes for years and I can count on one hand the times I've lost more than a few minutes. The real move is just saving your work obsessively and using autosave. Every word processor has it now. Plus, if you're doing two hours of work without saving once, that's on you, not the power company. A UPS is just a crutch for bad habits.