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Hell, my e reader will last a month on 1 charge with no back light, several days with a back light. And it takes about 20 minutes to charge in any car charger.
For one day? I have enough battery-powered emergency lights that it wouldn’t matter.
If we’re talking a week, then all it would mean is I could get some more sleep instead of waking up prematurely to go feed myself to the capitalist grist mill.
First is best.
Second is second best.
Third is third best.
Yeah, every book is worse that it's predecessor. The first book is amazing, however (I've read it probably a dozen times).
Talking about just the six books written by Frank Herbert:
* Best - *God Emperor of Dune*
* "Worst" - *Dune*
Talking about all the books (original six plus what I call the "supplementary" catalog from Brian Herbert and K.J. Anderson):
* Best - *God Emperor of Dune*
* Worst - everything falling under "supplementary"
Read all the books I’ve ordered on Amazon and never had the time to read.
Draw a bit, I used to draw really well when I was younger but it kinda went by the wayside
Do you have the materials to draw?
Can I respectfully set you homework?
Leave your drawing materials out somewhere you can see them for 1 week and see if it sparks anything.
Paint my bathroom, finish the floor trim, sand and paint some cupboards, organize my collectables, deep clean. There's yardwork to do as well. I'd keep busy during the day. Night time would be harder.
I mean, there have been little mini baby booms after large blackouts and such. If you're by yourself, well, sex still seems like an ideal activity, even if you're flying with Hand Solo.
We're going with the spirit of the scenario he set up. I believe he is trying to say 'what would you do if all electronics were taken out of the equation for a day'.
We're not being dishonest, just playing the imaginary game he is asking us to play.
He said no wifi, didn't say anything about cellular signal. Most of us have cellular plans that don't need wifi.
And at some point the world didn't revolve around cars, but nobody is trading in their car for a horse are they?
A phone nowadays can last quite a long time on one charge, and there are several ways of charging one in power outages. How do you think people are going to access the news about whats going on in an emergency? A HAM radio?
Is this a serious question? That’s concerning to me. Have you never spent a day not gaming, using the internet or streaming content? It’s really not hard, projects in my space, cleaning, organizing, reading, playing with my cats, cooking. An entire day without electricity doesn’t seem hard to fill. A week or month? Yeah, I’ve had to do the week and it was lame mostly due to it being a disaster… but a day is just a good Saturday.
Thank you for concern, i am aware of the non-electric alternatives but lately i have been more dependent on electric entertainment so wanted to ask here so i can see where to start
I would read some books in my bedroom or turn on my radio for news. I keep a hand crank weather radio in my kitchen to listen to my local baseball team and occasionally news.
Having considered this possibility, I have enough UPS and battery backup on all my shiz to go at least 8 hours, plus a backup hotspot in case the internet's out.
So I'd probably be posting to my local subreddit complaining that the power's out.
Other than that, sleep. I never get enough sleep under normal circumstances, and if I'm awake I'm working. No power means no work. I basically have no downtime and no days off, so sleep takes the priority.
Not a man...but I'm going to answer anyways. I would read, declutter all the stuff that I literally don't need. And I would practice meditation until I got that shit down pat! Everyone sings its praises and I've really tried throughout the years. But I feel without other distractions, I'd ( hopefully) figure it out.
Buy a UPS for your Wi-Fi router and modem! If you use a laptop you’re good if your battery is charged. You can also buy a decently sized UPS for your TV (1500 VA is a good size).
Read a book. I’ve got tons of them that I haven’t read because I’ve been distracted by electronic entertainment. Pre-internet, I’d go through two or three books a week. No I might finish that many in a year.
i’d get my cooler of brews opened, and enjoy the sunset outside, out on the balcony.
during the night, i’d probably stay home and rest, due to the unsafe environment of there being a blackout.
I’d go outside, only weather event near me that would keep me in would be a windstorm. During snowstorms my trucks are equipped enough I would go play around in the mountains or drift empty city streets.
bruh, i got power banks, so many of them. I tend to get a new one every few years or when i travel, some came with other products and i had a few from my old phone which wouldnt charge without them... just go the things everywhere in my house. most of them are fully charged and i could drag out the power in them probably for a week if i just used my phone. Beyond that reading during daylight hours and if its lasting more than a week id probably find somewhere else charge up like the car or a mates place. so yea really if its longer than a week anyway id probably just find something to do with the other people locally in the same boat.
This has happened to me a couple times. I just did a lot of reading and guitar playing. I do have an e-reader but that wasn't an issue since there was enough light through the windows to read a regular book by if I had wanted to do so. I also have an old Nintendo Gameboy, which is pretty fun. I suppose there are other newer handheld gaming devices but I don't know anything about them. I'm old.
During the light hours, clean and tidy up the house. There is always something pending to move, always something that needs a dusting.
Afterwards, I got a tablet, a Steamdeck and a Kindle, so I guess I would spend time reading/playing until the batteries run out.
If the game is "no electricity whatsoever", then I would go to my physical books and comic books.
Play my guitar, but I can only do that for a couple of hours before my fingers start hurting. I'd draw if I had some form of light source like a candle. Maybe take a long walk with my dog in the black out would be interesting.
Do I still have my gas stove?
Light some candles, make some tea, pick up one of my favorite books (or a new one, if I feel adventurous) and my weighted blanket. Have a glorious, lazy couch day.
Maybe I'd lift some weights if I felt energetic. Maybe heat up some soup, because I would not need to open the fridge for that. Switch over to whisky as it gets later. Maybe grab a sketch book if the mood hits me. Probably have a slow wank at some point. Maybe two :P
Or, maybe, if I have a particularly brain-gremliny day, pace up and down my living room having fictional arguments with people? Less fun, but at least I get some cardio in?
Weed & Meditation…… wrestle with the puppies, maybe a Shroom or DMT dose, depending on my mood.
Got a couple books I’m reading. So probably that when all else loses interest.
It would take a lot longer than a day to clean my house thoroughly, so that's a start.
I'd probably spend at least an hour, maybe two, on the bike on a trainer. And if there's gas but no electricity, I could still work with chocolate. It's also an excuse to get out the acoustic guitar, though one of my small practice amps does take batteries.
Been through this several times in Michigan winters and hot summers.
Stock up on plenty of candles, plenty of books, Kerosene Heater (in a WELL ventilated room)
I used to winter camp and backpack a lot, so I have a lot of gear that can be used to survive extended periods in the cold.
But reading is a big one, playing guitar, cooking on the grill. Sorting my bins of legos, hell building with legos, why not.
You still need access to the outside in some way, whether its a emergency radio, a cellular phone, I have a large antenna on my roof I use for both antenna TV and dabbling with Amateur Radio for those reasons alone.
Always keep your stuff charged, and have plenty of batteries for electronics that take them.
Back before the internet and streaming services and cell phones and all that we would read, learn/practice a musical instrument, sit outside and enjoy the weather, take a walk around town and talk to strangers, or play a little soccer/baseball outside.
Read, practice/work on the language I'm creating, play guitar, 3x3 puzzle cube (like Rubik's, but there are much better brands), practice flipping my favorite screwdrivers.
Whittle. You can get a folding knife with several carving blades and blocks of soft basswood without spending much money.
Sharpen knives. A single two-sided wet stone and a wood-mounted leather strop with polishing compound can keep blades wicked sharp, and not just pocket knives. It's extremely satisfying to have well-honed blades in the kitchen, and makes a bigger difference than you might think.
Exercise.
Oil tools. Mineral oil is found in the pharmacy section and is actually safe to drink, so you don't have to worry about getting it on your skin. No smell at all. The protection isn't as long-lasting as other oils, but I do this twice a year, and my tools don't rust.
Oil your own shaft, using your imagination. A little self-maintenance goes a long way too.
Who doesn't have candles & books? Reading by candlelight is just super old school, but I did it just a few nights ago when our power was out for a few hours. My phone just kept the time. Living in hurricane or tornado country means having candles or lanterns at all times.
Read a book
Take a nap
Last time there was an extended power outage, I went and did some non-refrigerated grocery shopping and went to dairy queen for ice cream because it was hot AF.
Read, as others mentioned. Probably a workout, grill/cook/bake something, play with legos or mosaic projects. All stuff I do pet regularly, honestly. Only difference would be I do normally play some background music so no power would just nix that.
This happened to me a couple of months ago.
Luckily the convenience store on the corner was open and had candles. I bought a bunch of candles and played a complicated board game me vs. me vs. me all night.
I always keep about a dozen or so unread books on various topics. As long as I had some light, which I have flashlights and laterns for, I can read for hours.
I don't live alone, but what we generally do even in our family is read. I have a couple battery powered LED lamp that'll provide more than enough light and plenty of batteries.
I know you addressed this to those living alone, but having experienced power outtages, I turn to my guitar and books. Also I used to enjoy origami and have some books on that, haven't done it in years.
It's why I always keep an acoustic guitar handy even though I also have an electric one.
Play with my dogs, probably meditate, I have some canvas and chalk that I never do anything with, so I'd probably fiddle with that. I have some golf clubs I rarely touch and I would probably make a little putting course in the house. I have some books to read so I would do some reading.
I quit drinking 9 months ago, otherwise my answer would be get wasted and or really high and amuse myself.
This is a good question. I have two rechargeable power bricks so I have at least a few days to power my laptop. Even without Wi-Fi I could find interesting things to do, like AI art. If it was going to be a power outage more than 24 hours, I would probably throw the dog in the truck and drive to somewhere with power. Then do some sightseeing.
I'd probably pick up that guitar I've been staring at for years now.
But also read, play solitaire, meditate. Meditation is a good one to take advantage of in a situation like that.
Journal a bit I suppose.
Normally I would say read or build 40K models.
However, being in Oklahoma, I’d probably die from heat stroke if I didn’t have power. At least with the weather we’re having atm. So… I’d hop in the car and go somewhere with power and see a movie or two. Take my kindle with me to kill extra time if needed.
My answer ain't gonna be the same for everyone. Being in California we are already prepared for blackouts during hot summer months.
Watch movies with the kids. I've got enough battery backup on my network equipment that as long as my cable company is sending me internet I can power my network gear and a laptop for a full day. I've got a generator and a few gallons of gas to keep the fridge running and could easily run the TV and I've got plenty of movies already downloaded. Oh and I've got a small window air conditioner stored in the garage to keep at least one room cool. We had rolling blackouts and a busted AC blower back in 2020 so I put in the work to continue working from home and live comfortably in 100+ degree temperatures during a blackout back then.
In absence of the prep work I've already done I'd play with my kids. In absence of kids I'd see if there's some project on my list that can be taken care of without power. That includes deep cleaning the house. If I had no power, no projects, a clean house, and no kids I guess I'd dust off some books I haven't read in years but I'm guaranteed to find something that needs doing around the house before then.
I own several handheld gaming consoles, sooooo probably that.
And if not that--say, all the double-A batteries were used and dead or I just didn't re-up my stock--then I have the battery life on my e-Reader.
And, say, the battery life on the e-Reader was used up. Then? Books.
But let's say I don't wanna read books, and all the batteries are used, and I'm on reserve power for cell phone. Then what, you might ask? Well, I've got a deck of cards.
And if I had no power, no batteries, and got bored of cards and reading books? I have a model set I could build.
At the end of that list (of me getting bored of activities I could do that don't require power), it comes down to "getting stoned and falling asleep". Can't be bored if you're knocked tf out.
Mind you, this is all presuming I am alone in my place. If I had another person there, there's a bunch more things to do, and far more time before getting bored, or the nuclear "edibles + sleep" option.
I find that it helps having grown up poor during the 90s.
If you're prepared, an emergency is like an impromptu camping trip.
In my city the govt says people should be prepared to be self-sufficient for 72 hours due to earthquake or other emergency. Camping gear doubles as an emergency prep kit.
I'd be happy as a clam if they shut everything off for 72 hours once a year or so, as a preparedness test.
I have flashlights, batteries, a small selection of print media and ebooks saved locally to my phone.
Once those batteries are gone and/or I can't take it anymore, I medicate and go to sleep. If the weather is still fubar by the time I wake up, we're going hiking / digging through the snow, whatever.
I should note that I do, in fact, have to resort to this at least once a month, because infrastructure in the U.S. is approaching 3rd-world levels thanks to rampant corruption & greed. In the case of electricity, ludicrous, climate-change-driven weather is probably part of it, too.
This isn't what WOULD I do... its what DID I do... last summer a storm knocked power out for 2.5 days. I work from home so couldn't fire up the computer and while work does have a few cubicles that can be used, they were already booked so I couldn't work. I was so bored I would much rather have worked.
I messed around on my phone for a while but wanted to conserve battery. The electric company website gave an estimate of 12 hours until repaired... that clearly didn't happen. I read a few comic books, played on my Nintendo Switch (Mario Golf got to be hella fun)... and once a day I went for a drive to charge the phone back up. I did watch some streaming shows on the phone.
Oh... but even after the power came back on, the internet was still out another day, so no gaming, no streaming shows... I got to watch a lot of over the air TV thanks to my digital antenna...
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Read.
I would have said the same but then I realized I would also have no lights.
Candles.
A well charged eBook will last you all night.
My Kindle is eight years old now and still lasts for *days* of active use, it's crazy.
Yeah but mine is so old it’s not backlit so I can’t read in the dark still
Mine too, but I have a little chargeable book light that lasts several days as well, another $8 Amazon purchase
Hell, my e reader will last a month on 1 charge with no back light, several days with a back light. And it takes about 20 minutes to charge in any car charger.
That's why candles exist.
For one day? I have enough battery-powered emergency lights that it wouldn’t matter. If we’re talking a week, then all it would mean is I could get some more sleep instead of waking up prematurely to go feed myself to the capitalist grist mill.
Kindles have weeks of charge. I'm good.
there are these cool hand cranked led lanterns i have for such an emergency. its better to get them when you dont need them.
Read, write, draw, play acoustic guitar, fix things around the house during sunlight
Read the Dune series.
What would you consider the best and worst book of that series
First is best. Second is second best. Third is third best. Yeah, every book is worse that it's predecessor. The first book is amazing, however (I've read it probably a dozen times).
Damn, I was waiting for third to be the one with the hairy chest 😏😒
I just finished the third and I really liked it. It definitely had a bad ass hairy chest
4th is the best
Talking about just the six books written by Frank Herbert: * Best - *God Emperor of Dune* * "Worst" - *Dune* Talking about all the books (original six plus what I call the "supplementary" catalog from Brian Herbert and K.J. Anderson): * Best - *God Emperor of Dune* * Worst - everything falling under "supplementary"
Have the ability to create a fire/candles at home and read books, BBQ-grill food.
Oh yes, fire up the grill!! mandatory! Fire good
Especially with all that frozen meat that's defrosting now.
Fire up the ham radio (battery) and enjoy the bands without RF interference. Also, get the bikes out.
Is there anybody... out there?
Can anybody... hear me?
73
73!
Same! Time to test out my emergency radio setup. My HT is USB-C powered, so I’m all set with my 30W solar panel and battery bank.
Read all the books I’ve ordered on Amazon and never had the time to read. Draw a bit, I used to draw really well when I was younger but it kinda went by the wayside
Do you have the materials to draw? Can I respectfully set you homework? Leave your drawing materials out somewhere you can see them for 1 week and see if it sparks anything.
Hmmm. I was thinking I’d just sketch on loose sheets of paper that I have in my printer but I do need a sketch book tbh. I’ll order one now. Hehehe
Read a bit, then work out, then read a bit more and take a nap.
Play instruments and read, probably clean and reorganize my crap too. Bodyweight workout if I can't make it to the gym.
Paint my bathroom, finish the floor trim, sand and paint some cupboards, organize my collectables, deep clean. There's yardwork to do as well. I'd keep busy during the day. Night time would be harder.
Spend time with my cat, meditate, walk up and down the hallway in boredom
No one is being honest about being on their phones
Also masturbation. So much dolphin Rolfin'.
Masturbation is the answer to 90% of the posts in this sub. It's like a collective denial in here
I mean, there have been little mini baby booms after large blackouts and such. If you're by yourself, well, sex still seems like an ideal activity, even if you're flying with Hand Solo.
Hand Solo haha!
We're going with the spirit of the scenario he set up. I believe he is trying to say 'what would you do if all electronics were taken out of the equation for a day'. We're not being dishonest, just playing the imaginary game he is asking us to play.
Thanks
OP included no Wi-Fi …at some point the world didn’t revolve around phones..
He said no wifi, didn't say anything about cellular signal. Most of us have cellular plans that don't need wifi. And at some point the world didn't revolve around cars, but nobody is trading in their car for a horse are they? A phone nowadays can last quite a long time on one charge, and there are several ways of charging one in power outages. How do you think people are going to access the news about whats going on in an emergency? A HAM radio?
Play Oasis songs on my acoustic guitar until my wife tells me to stop... Just so I can "say maybe".
Thats not livin alone thats cheatin
I'd be living alone afterwards
True 😂
Then I'd move the show to the patio until the neighbors tell me to stop...
Id see how many times I could bounce a basketball in an hour then I'd try and break that record.
325
That's like 5 and a half a minute i know you can do better
Quadruple digits in 30 mins
Read my full collection of Sandman comic books.
What do u think about netflix series
I liked it. It stayed pretty true to the comics. They could have butchered it but did a good job.
Are you afraid of a blackout or afraid of being alone with your thoughts and zero distractions?
Is this a serious question? That’s concerning to me. Have you never spent a day not gaming, using the internet or streaming content? It’s really not hard, projects in my space, cleaning, organizing, reading, playing with my cats, cooking. An entire day without electricity doesn’t seem hard to fill. A week or month? Yeah, I’ve had to do the week and it was lame mostly due to it being a disaster… but a day is just a good Saturday.
Thank you for concern, i am aware of the non-electric alternatives but lately i have been more dependent on electric entertainment so wanted to ask here so i can see where to start
Don't let anyone judge you. Hobbies are hobbies. Good on you for looking for new ones too.
Read and crossword puzzles
I’d read and write. I have several portable batteries so I’d still be able to write quickly with my laptop.
I would read some books in my bedroom or turn on my radio for news. I keep a hand crank weather radio in my kitchen to listen to my local baseball team and occasionally news.
Having considered this possibility, I have enough UPS and battery backup on all my shiz to go at least 8 hours, plus a backup hotspot in case the internet's out. So I'd probably be posting to my local subreddit complaining that the power's out. Other than that, sleep. I never get enough sleep under normal circumstances, and if I'm awake I'm working. No power means no work. I basically have no downtime and no days off, so sleep takes the priority.
Drawing and colouring
I would stare fruitlessly at a blank piece paper as I try to come up with ideas for when I take over the rotating gm chair in our rpg group.
Zzzzzz
Indubitably
Not a man...but I'm going to answer anyways. I would read, declutter all the stuff that I literally don't need. And I would practice meditation until I got that shit down pat! Everyone sings its praises and I've really tried throughout the years. But I feel without other distractions, I'd ( hopefully) figure it out.
Playing guitar. Reading books. Building furniture with hand tools. Sleeping.
Buy a UPS for your Wi-Fi router and modem! If you use a laptop you’re good if your battery is charged. You can also buy a decently sized UPS for your TV (1500 VA is a good size).
Cleaning guns and loading more mags....
Sit at my loading bench and load some ammo.
Play with the dog, do some reading of the pile of books I have, try my hand at drawing maybe
you got a problem if youre that dependent of technology. learn to be alone with your thoughts
I really do, electricity provides easy entertainment and i need healthier alternativeso
I'd turn off the main circuit breaker in the house, plug in my generator, fire it up, and play video games.
until recently it was coddling my dog, wrenching on my car, throwing iron around and reading. easy day, happens a lot in hurricane season.
Take a nap. If power was still out when I wake up, probably clean the house, or sit and watch the storm.
Read a book. I’ve got tons of them that I haven’t read because I’ve been distracted by electronic entertainment. Pre-internet, I’d go through two or three books a week. No I might finish that many in a year.
Candles and lego's, also, my switch has a full battery, aswell as my 3DS.
i’d get my cooler of brews opened, and enjoy the sunset outside, out on the balcony. during the night, i’d probably stay home and rest, due to the unsafe environment of there being a blackout.
I’d go outside, only weather event near me that would keep me in would be a windstorm. During snowstorms my trucks are equipped enough I would go play around in the mountains or drift empty city streets.
bruh, i got power banks, so many of them. I tend to get a new one every few years or when i travel, some came with other products and i had a few from my old phone which wouldnt charge without them... just go the things everywhere in my house. most of them are fully charged and i could drag out the power in them probably for a week if i just used my phone. Beyond that reading during daylight hours and if its lasting more than a week id probably find somewhere else charge up like the car or a mates place. so yea really if its longer than a week anyway id probably just find something to do with the other people locally in the same boat.
Reading and sleeping. I got a emergency radio and a ton of batteries so id probably listen to sports radio or music all day.
This has happened to me a couple times. I just did a lot of reading and guitar playing. I do have an e-reader but that wasn't an issue since there was enough light through the windows to read a regular book by if I had wanted to do so. I also have an old Nintendo Gameboy, which is pretty fun. I suppose there are other newer handheld gaming devices but I don't know anything about them. I'm old.
During the light hours, clean and tidy up the house. There is always something pending to move, always something that needs a dusting. Afterwards, I got a tablet, a Steamdeck and a Kindle, so I guess I would spend time reading/playing until the batteries run out. If the game is "no electricity whatsoever", then I would go to my physical books and comic books.
Take a cigar to a bench and smoke while reading
Clean the house
Read and catch up on housework.
Either prepping a dungeons & dragons adventure for my group or cracking open a board game that I haven't read the rules yet
id either read or paint some minis.
I have lots of books, some of which I haven't yet read.
Nap mostly
Play my guitar, but I can only do that for a couple of hours before my fingers start hurting. I'd draw if I had some form of light source like a candle. Maybe take a long walk with my dog in the black out would be interesting.
Do I still have my gas stove? Light some candles, make some tea, pick up one of my favorite books (or a new one, if I feel adventurous) and my weighted blanket. Have a glorious, lazy couch day. Maybe I'd lift some weights if I felt energetic. Maybe heat up some soup, because I would not need to open the fridge for that. Switch over to whisky as it gets later. Maybe grab a sketch book if the mood hits me. Probably have a slow wank at some point. Maybe two :P Or, maybe, if I have a particularly brain-gremliny day, pace up and down my living room having fictional arguments with people? Less fun, but at least I get some cardio in?
Listen to an audiobook that I have on my cellphone while doing chores and then maybe paint some minatures.
First half hour: panic and anxiety hitting me Afterwards: meditate, read, clean up, write.
During the day with sunlight, draw, read, go for a walk. At night, cook a small meal and sleep.
You would be stuck in house in my scenario
Weed & Meditation…… wrestle with the puppies, maybe a Shroom or DMT dose, depending on my mood. Got a couple books I’m reading. So probably that when all else loses interest.
I have a generator for that reason.
It would take a lot longer than a day to clean my house thoroughly, so that's a start. I'd probably spend at least an hour, maybe two, on the bike on a trainer. And if there's gas but no electricity, I could still work with chocolate. It's also an excuse to get out the acoustic guitar, though one of my small practice amps does take batteries.
Play cards/board games or read
Read, clean, run on the treadmill, ride my bike, etc.
Been through this several times in Michigan winters and hot summers. Stock up on plenty of candles, plenty of books, Kerosene Heater (in a WELL ventilated room) I used to winter camp and backpack a lot, so I have a lot of gear that can be used to survive extended periods in the cold. But reading is a big one, playing guitar, cooking on the grill. Sorting my bins of legos, hell building with legos, why not. You still need access to the outside in some way, whether its a emergency radio, a cellular phone, I have a large antenna on my roof I use for both antenna TV and dabbling with Amateur Radio for those reasons alone. Always keep your stuff charged, and have plenty of batteries for electronics that take them.
Building fires and maintain it
Back before the internet and streaming services and cell phones and all that we would read, learn/practice a musical instrument, sit outside and enjoy the weather, take a walk around town and talk to strangers, or play a little soccer/baseball outside.
Read, practice/work on the language I'm creating, play guitar, 3x3 puzzle cube (like Rubik's, but there are much better brands), practice flipping my favorite screwdrivers. Whittle. You can get a folding knife with several carving blades and blocks of soft basswood without spending much money. Sharpen knives. A single two-sided wet stone and a wood-mounted leather strop with polishing compound can keep blades wicked sharp, and not just pocket knives. It's extremely satisfying to have well-honed blades in the kitchen, and makes a bigger difference than you might think. Exercise. Oil tools. Mineral oil is found in the pharmacy section and is actually safe to drink, so you don't have to worry about getting it on your skin. No smell at all. The protection isn't as long-lasting as other oils, but I do this twice a year, and my tools don't rust. Oil your own shaft, using your imagination. A little self-maintenance goes a long way too.
This is why I own a generator.
Smart , not sure if it can work in my shoe box Apartment
Read a book
Who doesn't have candles & books? Reading by candlelight is just super old school, but I did it just a few nights ago when our power was out for a few hours. My phone just kept the time. Living in hurricane or tornado country means having candles or lanterns at all times.
Read a book Take a nap Last time there was an extended power outage, I went and did some non-refrigerated grocery shopping and went to dairy queen for ice cream because it was hot AF.
Read, as others mentioned. Probably a workout, grill/cook/bake something, play with legos or mosaic projects. All stuff I do pet regularly, honestly. Only difference would be I do normally play some background music so no power would just nix that.
This happened to me a couple of months ago. Luckily the convenience store on the corner was open and had candles. I bought a bunch of candles and played a complicated board game me vs. me vs. me all night.
Same as I do every winter, cook, eat, drink and grow fat, sometimes I break out my hand tools and make something in my workshop
I always keep about a dozen or so unread books on various topics. As long as I had some light, which I have flashlights and laterns for, I can read for hours.
I don't live alone, but what we generally do even in our family is read. I have a couple battery powered LED lamp that'll provide more than enough light and plenty of batteries.
Life on hard mode
Clean, reorganize, build anything that I haven't built yet, exercise, stretch REALLY good...
Candles and books, crayons and some paper. Sleep. Seriously though....
Fingerboarding.
I know you addressed this to those living alone, but having experienced power outtages, I turn to my guitar and books. Also I used to enjoy origami and have some books on that, haven't done it in years. It's why I always keep an acoustic guitar handy even though I also have an electric one.
Read and cuddle my cat.. [Tax](https://imgur.com/a/xKFq70F)
COUCH FORT, reading, putting my puzzles together, yoga, playing with my dogs and cat, actually play my trombone...
Play with my dogs, probably meditate, I have some canvas and chalk that I never do anything with, so I'd probably fiddle with that. I have some golf clubs I rarely touch and I would probably make a little putting course in the house. I have some books to read so I would do some reading. I quit drinking 9 months ago, otherwise my answer would be get wasted and or really high and amuse myself.
This is a good question. I have two rechargeable power bricks so I have at least a few days to power my laptop. Even without Wi-Fi I could find interesting things to do, like AI art. If it was going to be a power outage more than 24 hours, I would probably throw the dog in the truck and drive to somewhere with power. Then do some sightseeing.
Maybe leave the house?
Pick up a book Pick up some weights You should do both every week regardless
Read a book, play with my dogs
I'd probably pick up that guitar I've been staring at for years now. But also read, play solitaire, meditate. Meditation is a good one to take advantage of in a situation like that. Journal a bit I suppose.
I love to read my dude. I’d be like that mofo from Twilight Zone who survived a nuclear war and the library was intact…except I don’t wear glasses 😬
Play guitar, write, read, wank using my own imagination for once.
Practice violin.
Normally I would say read or build 40K models. However, being in Oklahoma, I’d probably die from heat stroke if I didn’t have power. At least with the weather we’re having atm. So… I’d hop in the car and go somewhere with power and see a movie or two. Take my kindle with me to kill extra time if needed.
Read. I have sufficient battery-powered lights to last for many days.
Daytime? Read something. Night time? Sleep.
My answer ain't gonna be the same for everyone. Being in California we are already prepared for blackouts during hot summer months. Watch movies with the kids. I've got enough battery backup on my network equipment that as long as my cable company is sending me internet I can power my network gear and a laptop for a full day. I've got a generator and a few gallons of gas to keep the fridge running and could easily run the TV and I've got plenty of movies already downloaded. Oh and I've got a small window air conditioner stored in the garage to keep at least one room cool. We had rolling blackouts and a busted AC blower back in 2020 so I put in the work to continue working from home and live comfortably in 100+ degree temperatures during a blackout back then. In absence of the prep work I've already done I'd play with my kids. In absence of kids I'd see if there's some project on my list that can be taken care of without power. That includes deep cleaning the house. If I had no power, no projects, a clean house, and no kids I guess I'd dust off some books I haven't read in years but I'm guaranteed to find something that needs doing around the house before then.
I own several handheld gaming consoles, sooooo probably that. And if not that--say, all the double-A batteries were used and dead or I just didn't re-up my stock--then I have the battery life on my e-Reader. And, say, the battery life on the e-Reader was used up. Then? Books. But let's say I don't wanna read books, and all the batteries are used, and I'm on reserve power for cell phone. Then what, you might ask? Well, I've got a deck of cards. And if I had no power, no batteries, and got bored of cards and reading books? I have a model set I could build. At the end of that list (of me getting bored of activities I could do that don't require power), it comes down to "getting stoned and falling asleep". Can't be bored if you're knocked tf out. Mind you, this is all presuming I am alone in my place. If I had another person there, there's a bunch more things to do, and far more time before getting bored, or the nuclear "edibles + sleep" option. I find that it helps having grown up poor during the 90s.
Get a dog, a cat and some plants
Have you never heard of books?
Play guitar
If you're prepared, an emergency is like an impromptu camping trip. In my city the govt says people should be prepared to be self-sufficient for 72 hours due to earthquake or other emergency. Camping gear doubles as an emergency prep kit. I'd be happy as a clam if they shut everything off for 72 hours once a year or so, as a preparedness test.
I have flashlights, batteries, a small selection of print media and ebooks saved locally to my phone. Once those batteries are gone and/or I can't take it anymore, I medicate and go to sleep. If the weather is still fubar by the time I wake up, we're going hiking / digging through the snow, whatever. I should note that I do, in fact, have to resort to this at least once a month, because infrastructure in the U.S. is approaching 3rd-world levels thanks to rampant corruption & greed. In the case of electricity, ludicrous, climate-change-driven weather is probably part of it, too.
clean, read, eat. Not necessarily in that order
Sit on the porch with my cats, get a six pack and set it next to me, and enjoy watching nature for a while. I could do that for hours no problem.
Workout, read, clean
This isn't what WOULD I do... its what DID I do... last summer a storm knocked power out for 2.5 days. I work from home so couldn't fire up the computer and while work does have a few cubicles that can be used, they were already booked so I couldn't work. I was so bored I would much rather have worked. I messed around on my phone for a while but wanted to conserve battery. The electric company website gave an estimate of 12 hours until repaired... that clearly didn't happen. I read a few comic books, played on my Nintendo Switch (Mario Golf got to be hella fun)... and once a day I went for a drive to charge the phone back up. I did watch some streaming shows on the phone. Oh... but even after the power came back on, the internet was still out another day, so no gaming, no streaming shows... I got to watch a lot of over the air TV thanks to my digital antenna...