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xbox w.p. carey tests technology failure studying students state press short circuit power outages parking mouse Evil Controllers college CIS 105 blackouts asu arizona state university arizona public service

Technology may be pretty advanced nowadays, but I guess its no match for a rough and tumble, lean and mean…mouse? Okay, seriously guys!! That has to be a joke!!

This past Monday, April 11, I left Evil Controllers two hours early to be able to study with a friend before my CIS 105 exam (because yes, I did wait til my last semester of my senior year to take CIS 105). When we got there, I first noticed things were a little off when we were remarkably let into the parking structure for free – when ASU even gives their prized overpriced income raising parking for free, you know something is wrong. As we walked to campus, conversation was buzzing loudly around the W.P. Carey building about a power outage. Apparently, the power had gone out about an hour prior, and no one knew why or how or when the power would be back on. Some speculated the construction workers hit a main line or something, but no one really knew. Thus, even though I had the idea my test would be canceled, my friend Heather and I sat around studying and waiting, just in case things were to change.

However, nothing changed. When 2 p.m. rolled around, my teacher announced the test would be moved to Wednesday, causing celebration from the kids who didnt study and annoyance from the ones like me who did, who wanted to just get it over with. Frankly I wish he would have just put the damn thing online! As someone working 9-5 with the exception of this one in-person class, it would have been much easier.

Anyways, later on ASU and Arizona Public Service officials announced the cause to this disaster that scared the hell out of students in the lowest basement floors and Michael Crow alike. A teeny, tiny mousey rodent baby had chewed through two feeder circuits and created a short, affecting the entire campus. To say the very least, it was horrifying, said junior Megan Graber, as quoted in the State Press regarding her experience. Graber was alone in the downstairs of Payne Hall and had to use walls to feel her way to an exit. In other news, the mouse inevitably died from electrocution.

This makes me think, how much can we really rely on technology? All it took was a baby creature that probably looked something like this

to completely disable the largest college campus in the United States for over five hours. The Internet wasnt working because the routers couldnt get electricity. No one could use the buildings, as very few had generators. What could be said for the future, with more and more of our lives relying on electricity to power everything we interact with and use for basic functioning? Our cell phones that need charging, our computers to do everything from work to entertainment to answering simple questions? More yet, our Xboxes, which have provided me an entire job for the past 8 months, and provided millions of gamers with something to do and a place to socially connect?

Interesting thought. Lets hope the rodents dont some day figure out a way to rise against us and cause nationwide blackouts and chaos! Yikes!