Bail Bag

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Fred588
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Bail Bag

Postby Fred588 » Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:24 pm

I expect very few here live in places that are remote and isolated the way Studio 588 is but thought it might be interesting to share this.

Because something like a snow or ice storm has the potential to cause me to be cut off for days at a time, possibly without electricity, I watch the forecasts carefully and I keep what I call a "bail bag" handy. The bail bag is a medium sized suitcase with clothing and other things I could need for several days. Right next to it I keep a few other small bags with stuff I might need staying in a hotel for a few days. If a storm is forecast I will bring these out and park them next to the door after making certain nothing is missing. Then I will stage my laptops, phone, etc. right next to them. I can then simply put them in the car and go if I decide it is warranted

I've done this for several years and have yet to actually bail, although there is still a month this year when it could be necessary. If a storm looks like it is tracking a little to the north I will bail to the south or I can bail to the north n the opposite case.
Studio 588 currently offers more than 2200 different HD and QD quicksand videos and has supported production of well over 2400 video scenes and other projects by 13 different producers. Info may be found at:
http://studio588qs.com
http://quicksandland.com
http://psychicworldjungleland.com

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BogDog
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Location: California

Re: Bail Bag

Postby BogDog » Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:35 pm

Do you have a generator on site? I spent a week up in northern California in a cabin, and that was our ONLY source of power. It was funny when the lights would go out and someone would go outside to re-fuel it. ;)
"Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne

Fred588
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Posts: 16650
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:37 pm
Location: Central Arkansas (At Studio 588)
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Re: Bail Bag

Postby Fred588 » Wed Feb 12, 2020 5:14 pm

BogDog wrote:Do you have a generator on site? I spent a week up in northern California in a cabin, and that was our ONLY source of power. It was funny when the lights would go out and someone would go outside to re-fuel it. ;)


I do not. I looked into it a couple of years ago and concluded it was not economically feasible. Although a basic generator is not that expensive, to do one that can be connected to the house itself and to make it stable enough to run my computers would raise the installed cost by about 400 percent. Really, however, the real problem is not the loss of power but being trapped by fallen trees and ice on the road. If I ever was trapped like that I could still stay warm by moving into the greenhouse, which is heated with propane, and I could still prepare food as the stove also uses propane. Looking at the issue from a purely economic point of view, a few nights in a hotel is FAR less expensive than a generator. Compare $70.00 a night for, say, five nights, to $8000.00 for a generator.
Studio 588 currently offers more than 2200 different HD and QD quicksand videos and has supported production of well over 2400 video scenes and other projects by 13 different producers. Info may be found at:
http://studio588qs.com
http://quicksandland.com
http://psychicworldjungleland.com

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Mynock
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Re: Bail Bag

Postby Mynock » Wed Feb 12, 2020 5:21 pm

Always good to be prepared. If you try to pack last minute you're bound to forget something.
If you're looking for emergency heat do some research on "Little Buddy" and "Big Buddy" propane heaters. They're safe to run indoors and can easily heat a room or two.
"Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."
--Sun Tzu

Fred588
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Re: Bail Bag

Postby Fred588 » Wed Feb 12, 2020 5:53 pm

Mynock wrote:Always good to be prepared. If you try to pack last minute you're bound to forget something.
If you're looking for emergency heat do some research on "Little Buddy" and "Big Buddy" propane heaters. They're safe to run indoors and can easily heat a room or two.


A heater of that type certainly could be useful in some cases. Here, however, I do have the permanently installed Mr Heater in the greenhouse. I even have a brand new replacement unit for that should it ever be needed. I'd get more done from a hotel though, at least for a couple of days. The greenhouse, for those who do not know, is attached to the house. Its really more of a sun room with a dirt floor, wooden roof, and one long wall of almost all glass. Its full of plants this time of year. Its 12 by 24 feet and way smaller than I'd like.
Studio 588 currently offers more than 2200 different HD and QD quicksand videos and has supported production of well over 2400 video scenes and other projects by 13 different producers. Info may be found at:
http://studio588qs.com
http://quicksandland.com
http://psychicworldjungleland.com

Fred588
Producer
Posts: 16650
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:37 pm
Location: Central Arkansas (At Studio 588)
Contact:

Re: Bail Bag

Postby Fred588 » Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:10 pm

As I said earlier I have not yet had an actual "bail" due to weather or other emergency. I have had, however, several excursions to hotels in which I used the bail bag. I did three different two-night trips during the fall and early winter to use the much faster internet connections I could get at a hotel, and a couple of overnights for other purposes. Those, especially the first, served as rehearsals for a real bail and resulted in a couple of new innovations. One innovation, for example, which is ow kept in readiness, is what I call a "soup kit." That consists of a tool box with small containers of Wyler's cubes, pasta, rice, barley, and some containers. With these items I can use the microwave found in almost any hotel room to make soup and avoid too much fast food. And just last week I acquired a much better laptop I can use to keep up my productivity and internet connection from a remote location.

The one item I discovered I needed to add after the first trip was a better pillow. Super 8 is not a bad hotel but their pillows are way too thick.
Studio 588 currently offers more than 2200 different HD and QD quicksand videos and has supported production of well over 2400 video scenes and other projects by 13 different producers. Info may be found at:
http://studio588qs.com
http://quicksandland.com
http://psychicworldjungleland.com

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BogDog
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Location: California

Re: Bail Bag

Postby BogDog » Fri Feb 14, 2020 4:54 pm

Fred588 wrote:
BogDog wrote:Do you have a generator on site? I spent a week up in northern California in a cabin, and that was our ONLY source of power. It was funny when the lights would go out and someone would go outside to re-fuel it. ;)


I do not. I looked into it a couple of years ago and concluded it was not economically feasible. Although a basic generator is not that expensive, to do one that can be connected to the house itself and to make it stable enough to run my computers would raise the installed cost by about 400 percent. Really, however, the real problem is not the loss of power but being trapped by fallen trees and ice on the road. If I ever was trapped like that I could still stay warm by moving into the greenhouse, which is heated with propane, and I could still prepare food as the stove also uses propane. Looking at the issue from a purely economic point of view, a few nights in a hotel is FAR less expensive than a generator. Compare $70.00 a night for, say, five nights, to $8000.00 for a generator.




I got ya. In my case, it was nice to have power, and the nearest hotel/motel was a good 2 hours drive away on narrow mountain roads. I don't know if I could run a PC on generator power (a line conditioner would help), but I was able to charge my laptop ;) And the cabin didn't have to smell like propane fumes (we had a pot belly stove for heat). It's all good.
"Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne

Fred588
Producer
Posts: 16650
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:37 pm
Location: Central Arkansas (At Studio 588)
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Re: Bail Bag

Postby Fred588 » Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:44 pm

BogDog wrote:
Fred588 wrote:
BogDog wrote:Do you have a generator on site? I spent a week up in northern California in a cabin, and that was our ONLY source of power. It was funny when the lights would go out and someone would go outside to re-fuel it. ;)


I do not. I looked into it a couple of years ago and concluded it was not economically feasible. Although a basic generator is not that expensive, to do one that can be connected to the house itself and to make it stable enough to run my computers would raise the installed cost by about 400 percent. Really, however, the real problem is not the loss of power but being trapped by fallen trees and ice on the road. If I ever was trapped like that I could still stay warm by moving into the greenhouse, which is heated with propane, and I could still prepare food as the stove also uses propane. Looking at the issue from a purely economic point of view, a few nights in a hotel is FAR less expensive than a generator. Compare $70.00 a night for, say, five nights, to $8000.00 for a generator.




I got ya. In my case, it was nice to have power, and the nearest hotel/motel was a good 2 hours drive away on narrow mountain roads. I don't know if I could run a PC on generator power (a line conditioner would help), but I was able to charge my laptop ;) And the cabin didn't have to smell like propane fumes (we had a pot belly stove for heat). It's all good.


In my case its not just a laptop. While I could certainly get along with less for a few days the Studio 588 office actually has six computers, two of which are laptops used only when on the road. Connected to the four desktops are twenty two external hard drives with something on the order of .14 pB, all of which have to have power. There are five UPS units including one supporting the satellite modem and router. It takes more than a line conditioner to connect a generator to a whole house. Aside from protecting all connected devices from the peculiarities of the generator the whole system has to be designed to prevent any hint of current getting past the meter to the grid. Without that some lineman could get seriously electrocuted.
Studio 588 currently offers more than 2200 different HD and QD quicksand videos and has supported production of well over 2400 video scenes and other projects by 13 different producers. Info may be found at:
http://studio588qs.com
http://quicksandland.com
http://psychicworldjungleland.com

Fred588
Producer
Posts: 16650
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:37 pm
Location: Central Arkansas (At Studio 588)
Contact:

Re: Bail Bag

Postby Fred588 » Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:47 pm

There are "snow showers" forecast for next Wednesday here. If we can get past that it will be March in a few days and just maybe the bail bag will not be needed this year. It can still snow even into April but the chances of anything requiring a bail out should go down sharply in about 10 days.
Studio 588 currently offers more than 2200 different HD and QD quicksand videos and has supported production of well over 2400 video scenes and other projects by 13 different producers. Info may be found at:
http://studio588qs.com
http://quicksandland.com
http://psychicworldjungleland.com

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Mynock
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Location: PA

Re: Bail Bag

Postby Mynock » Sat Feb 22, 2020 1:18 am

The Whistle Pig said Spring will be early this year. A rare prediction but he's also rarely wrong. ;)
"Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."
--Sun Tzu


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