Re: Percentage of SA electricity stolen ?

> Why is the factor of electricity stolen in SA not discussed ?

> > Are the pe> Neither. It's not disregarded, and there are government-paid > advertising campaigns to discourage the practice. >

I mean in the context of the current crisis: as a factor/excuse NOW. The theft of CABLES was advertised-against. And the illegal connections were condemned mostly in the context of DANGER - continuing the idea that electricity like water is god-given and not a commodity subject to economic laws - part of the leftist's human-rights myth.

> I've read that in India something like 30% is 'connected > > illegally'. What's a good goog-phrase, since it's obviously well > > documented in/about India - they don't suffer from > > PC-inhibitions. > It would be hard to quantify. I wonder how they quantify the > percentage of illegal connections in India - or any other country. By > definition it can't be metered. They might come up with a reasonable > ball park number of connections, but that's not usage. It's always in > the nature of these things that users do not consume proportionally. >

The quote marks mean THINK beyond the abreviated [inet-style] text. In long-hand: "30% of generated electricy power [less transmission losses] is estimated to be diverted to illegal connections". Besides the 'Subject:' refers to percentage electricity stolen, NOT percentage illegal connections.

Oh.. and what is a "goog-phrase"? >

Google is the name of a [currently] very effective search engine. In order to use google, one needs to supply parameters: typically word[s] or phrases. In the case that an applicable but uncommon word is on hand, this may be effectively used as a search parameter. When no suitable word[s] are on hand, a phrase might succeed to locate the required material, at the same time omitting irrelevant material. Since Google is an uncommon word and has become familiar with inet/newsGroup users, I assume the word "goog" will be recognised as an abreviated for "Google" ..................

> Some one tried to make me believe the following story: > > Phinias Chipekwe took his new TV back to the supplier for > > repair, telling that it went on & off by itself. > > > When Phinias returned to collect the repaired set, he was told > > that a thorough long time test has found nothing wrong. > > > When Phinias got his TV home it still was defective. > > He managed to get some one from the repair-shop > > to witness the problem: it was switching off according to > > the nearby traffic lights. > I say that's bollocks. Because traffic lights CHANGE, they don't > switch off. You know... green goes out, red comes on. It's not a > difficult thing to grasp. >

"green goes out" sounds like "switch off" to me ?

Perhaps you think the switching mechanism is in each pole with the lights. Technology would make this possible/and-cheaper today. But the indusrty is very conservative.

Since there is typically more than one 'pole' bearing lights at an intersection, this 'system of poles' needs to be mutually syncronised. Which means one controlling master and one or more controlled slaves. Which means that at least one light-pole is remote from the switching mechanism. Which means that any wire feeding a slave pole which is live at some time can be expected to be non-live at a different time of the cycle. Which would switch of Phinias' TV.

Technically a control signal, plus a constantly live single pair to power, a pole is possible, and is more economical with the price ratio of copper to electronic circuitry. But many/most existing systems don't do this yet AFAIK.

> I know there are za.politics readers who 'can't connect the dots'. > > Ask some one to explain it to you. > I'm sure you can make recommendations. I'd wager that you have to have > things explained to you quite frequently. > > > BTW do new TV's 'show' in less time than a traffic-light-cycle ? > Well first you have to assume that a "traffic-light cycle" is a > uniform measure of time. Or you have to be trying to impress people > with your ready wit. And failing.

There's a thing which I need to have explained to me: how/why: 'you have to assume that a "traffic-light cycle" is a uniform measure of time' ??

BTW "do new TV's 'show' " translates/expands to:

  • the new technology [possibly faster],
  • stabilise electrically/optically sufficient to show the image.

Older CRTs [cathode ray tubes] would not have sufficient time to heat up the cathode element in a normal [take your pick: red, green, amber on cycle ...]. Oh shit I can't continue these kindergarten explanations !

problems@gmail wrote:

> Why is the factor of electricity stolen in SA not discussed ? > > Are the people stooopid or is it just too un-PC ?

Moira de Swardt wrote:-

Well, at least one of "the people" appears to be "stooopid". > > Here, let me explain it to you. > > The power supply to traffic lights is constant.

Perhaps you mean that if the green light 'goes off' this is compensated for by the corresponding red light 'going on', which tend to make the electricity consumption constant. Which seems to me an interesting observation but not relevant to the discussion ?

The different > coloured lights are controlled by switches. So it's not a case of the > green light power supply going off and the red light power supply > coming on.

I believe it is, but please elaborate.

> In fact the traffic light switches are even cleverer than > simple switches. They have synchronised switches! When the lights in > one direction change the lights in the other direction also change, > but to the opposite pattern. And then there are yellow lights, > flashing arrows etc. But it's all too complex to explain to someone > who can't even work out how to steal electricity from the nearest sub- > station, something Phinias mastered years ago.

The nearest street light would be nearer [on average] than the nearest traffic-light-pole, which would be nearer than the nearest substation.

Based on observations in Joburg, many light-pole cover plates are missing, exposing the wires since the ANC was given political control. I guess the street light poles are mostly centrally controlled, although I've heard of one's which switch individually via their own day-light detectors.

So ! If Phinias wants electricy supply during the day, he has problems to locate a mostly live line. Perhaps he's at a low traffic location, where the default is steady and cycling is initiatied by [rare] traffic.

I'm cross-posting this to to some tech-groups to spread the laughter.

== Chris Glur. .....be happy, don't worry.

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problems
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An interesting story concerning electricity theft was posted in the New York Times today (2/10).

A spokesman for Consolidated Edison said... "Of those 88942 cases,

11371 were confirmed as thefts, including 104 referred for prosecution. There were 83 arrests and convictions."

11371 cases of confirmed electricity thefts in just one company service area?! My God! There must be electrical thieves in every neighborhood. Is it really that easy to do?

I could see this happening in 3rd world places like parts of Mexico or India where sometimes the utility wiring is slipshod, even on the primary side, but why is this happening in places like New York City and Long Island?

Also, it sounds like a pretty stupid thing to do. If you are a renter or an owner who does something illegal like this on your property, the evidence is going to be left there for the investigators. It's not like you can run away and abandon your property...

Beachcomber

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Beachcomber

So that means it's not taboo [politically incorrect with racial implications] to discuss it there ? I know that it's regularly mentioned as a factor impeding India's industrialisation.

Not so, they tap-in 'before' their meter, or fiddle the meter.

And re. abandoning buildings, but not for electricity supply reasons, we know that large areas of NY were abanoned in the 70's. Since also many buidings were abandoned here in new-SA, after the ANC was handed power and encouraged their supporters to squat; I tried to get information of how it eventually 'unfolded' in NY. One could learn from those who 'walk ahead'. But I could never get any information from NYkers. It's like when I visited Russsia in 1998, they all pretended not to know about communism and implied that it was just my imagination.

Reply to
problems

| 11371 cases of confirmed electricity thefts in just one company | service area?! My God! There must be electrical thieves in every | neighborhood. Is it really that easy to do? | | I could see this happening in 3rd world places like parts of Mexico or | India where sometimes the utility wiring is slipshod, even on the | primary side, but why is this happening in places like New York City | and Long Island?

It's not necessarily just running your own wires up the pole. It can be simply bypassing the meter, or rigging it for reduced billing in the hope that the computer doesn't kick out a zero billing.

| Also, it sounds like a pretty stupid thing to do. If you are a renter | or an owner who does something illegal like this on your property, the | evidence is going to be left there for the investigators. It's not | like you can run away and abandon your property...

In some cases it can be rent squatters. People break into a unit that is unoccupied. Then they connect up the electricity, too.

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| Phil Howard KA9WGN (ka9wgn.ham.org)  /  Do not send to the address below |
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phil-news-nospam

Sure. Give me an hour in the basement of a tenement building... I might even do it safely.

Because free is "good"?

Run the odds from the above numbers. 83 prosecutions out of 88,000 cases means there is less than a .1% chance of being prosecuted. Sure beats holding up a gas station for $40, or even a bank for $4000.

--
Keith
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krw

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