I figure I have a couple of things

 to get done as I have a feeling this is going to be a wierd winter.

Last winter was exceptionally mild and I didn't even have to fire up the snow blower once. This generally means we are going to be clobbered the following winter but there really is no telling how.

It's been a few years since we had an ice storm of any magnitude so I figure that maybe this is the year for one because of a number of factors including the fact that I have installed a 43 foot vertical antenna in the back yard.

Anyway, ice storms have a pretty good way of knocking out power and there is no telling how that is going to go over suffice to say that I will likely have to take steps when that happens if it gets exceptionally cold afterwards.

Right now I am trying to figure out how to set up a generator that will run the furnace and be easy for Mrs. Pic or one of the neighbors to set up.

That means that I will likely make some sort of check list and do a little teaching which is OK. It also means I have to make out a check list and carefully explain everything on it because there are a lot of peole that have problems with simple check lists.

There are reasons people have problems with check lists and for some it is because they feel that they have to understand things in order to do them. Others with an argumentative nature have some deep seated need to feel that they know better than the person that made the check list.

Of course, there is a third class of operators out there that have a "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Big deal. it don't matter which order you do things." attitude.

All three of these types have likely cost the public one hell of a lot of money over the years.

Check lists are made for people that don't understand things and they are made for people that DO understand things.

When the 15,000 flying hours under his belt pilot driving a 747 with your precious ass on board is getting ready to take you to where you are going, it's a lead pipe cinch that the co-pilot is up there reading him a check list and he is carefully setting things up in the correct order.

When a trainee somewhere is learning to run a piece of equipment somewhere it is very possible that he is reading what to do and in what order.

Just to make things easy for some and easy for others I think that for this particular project I am going to have to make 2 check lists.

One will just be a simple "1.Turn this upper switch off. 2. Turn that lower switch off. 3. Plug the unit into the generator and the other end of the cord into the furnace. 4. Start the generator. 5. when the generator is running smoothly turn the lower switch on, making sure the upper switch is still off." This will be a simple page of instructions.

The other will likely take several pages and start like this:

1. Turn the upper switch off. This switch segregates the furnace from the house's electrical system so when municipal power returns it will not backfeed into the generator, burn it out and start a fire. While running the furnace on generator power this switch is to be left OFF.

2. Turn the lower switch off. This will prevent a power surge to the furnace as the generator starts. It will be turned back on when the generator smooths out.

And so on.

I have managed to get things done over the years and used numerous simple checklists. Once I have done the whatever it was using the simple checklist I generally figure out what I am doing on my own.

When I was learning the basics of using a computer I ran into a lot of people that would overload my brain all at once with a humngous over-explaination. I would generally stop them and ask them simply to give me the keystrokes to get the job done. "Click this, type that in, double click that" and so on.

I am a Keep It Simple sort of guy.

Still, I suppose not everyone else is so I suppose I'll wind up making 2 checklists out.

One for each type of person. It'll make things easier in the long run.




my other blog is: http://officerpiccolo.blogspot.com/ http://piccolosbutler.blogspot.com/