This was a serious business, and my hope is that whoever thought this one up will spend the most productive years of a lifetime in a cramped jail cell mulling over the consequences of their decision. AT&T is posting a US$250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator(s). In a tight economy I can't think of a more worthwhile way to make a buck.

Now, let's talk about me (because, as my family and friends routinely remind me, it's always about me).

I was among those affected and it was an enlightening experience. I'm accustomed to power outages given that a single drop of moisture touching a power line after the first day of spring is enough to short out the works in my neighborhood. However, I have a couple of uninterruptible power supplies that keep my Internet connection alive and a MacBook Pro with an always-charged battery. If necessary I can keep the wheels turning for a couple of hours. And if push comes to shove, I can drive to where I can receive a cell signal and work from my iPhone.

But this was different. I had no Internet access. I couldn't call the office to alert my boss that I was off the grid. And my iPhone was no good with its constant No Service heading regardless of where I drove. I was completely unplugged.

After drying the tears from the realization that Twitter, e-mail, and Web-surfing were off the day's menu, I resolved to carry on with a long-term project. Yet even there I was thwarted.