Mike (re updates) Let me suggest a different explanation. Limited updating is not a sign of anything, and certainly not a sign of quality. All software is buggy, including all the good stuff. Writing enhancements and new features, bug fixes, problem corrections, is ongoing and never ending for all software developers. Most choose to issue such updates as they become ready for prime time. When enhancements and changes are substantial, you can call it a new version and sell it anew. Apple chooses, as a marketing ploy, to hold back all but essential OS updates and release them once a year as a "New version". And they usually charge for it. Do you think it's coincidental that OS X new version development wraps up all necessary work by the same time every year to allow a release in the July-Oct time frame? No, the release time is set well in advance, they put in what is ready, and defer the rest until the next "new version". If you look into it, you'll find IOS and OSX "new versions' contain plenty of bug fixes. They use different terminology, because of course, Apple software has no bugs. (!?!)

Books? Ipads? Nah. The real way to save money is to make the kids buy slates. Or not even bother educating them at all! Kids know far more about computers and how to treat and use them than we do, and can teach us a thing or two. My three-year-old gdtr made a little video for me on my brand new tablet. Imagine my surprise and delight when, several days after she had gone home, I was learning to use my tablet and came across her sweet little video, her sweet voice singing a silly song, her beautiful face bouncing around on my screen. I have no idea how she did it; I was consulting my manual, reading step-by-step, trying to figure out how to make a video when she popped up! Maybe I will ask her how to post it here next time I see her, so you can see for yourselves. As a book lover, I am sad to think that books, of all things, are not permanent! But I do believe that computers are the future. Kids will have their school-pads AND their personal pads. And cell phones. And fuel-efficient vehices. And everything else, as things come along. We will still have our slates and buggy whips, our gas-guzzlers and short-sightedness. My great-grandmother, born in 1873, would have nothing to do with airplanes!

I updated my mini. I don't see it as an improvement at all. It feels like change for change sake -- something to make the stockholders happy. No common sense applied. I spent two hours with the online cheat sheets undoing "improvements." It's harder to read. I hate the ugly blue background and it forced me to take a photo of my table and use that temporarily because they deleted the other choices. Some of the icons are weird looking. It's slow and not all the apps are fully compatible. I'm waiting to update the other device until I'm forced to because that's the one I use every day. Perhaps there is something this new OS does better than the old one. I just haven't found it.

I have multiples of many types of emergency lights. I have some great battery operated led lanterns I bought at big Lots for $10 each, several of the headset led lights which are great for doing things because your hands are free and the light is on your work or whatever you are reading. I have the small led flashlights all over the house in every room. We have some big super powered led lights too one military grade, you can see for a mile with that thing. I have a collection of oil lamps, some antiques from my family some I have bought at various places, I keep several bottles of lamp oil in the garage. They are wonderful for lighting a whole room. I have many candles but I rarely use them for these types of situations. Candles are too dangerous. We also have a generator for the house or rv. Having lived in Louisiana with hurricanes, Oklahoma with tornadoes, and Texas with both I try to stay well prepared! You can always charge your tablet and phones in the car using a charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter, I have several of those in all the vehicles they are dirt cheap and available just about any where. Leaving a candle that is poured into a glass jar lit for hours is extremely dangerous they tend to cause the glass to Crack and sometimes even explode. I have a few that I checked and the glass had cracks in it and I never let them burn long time. The only ones I would ever trust are the Circle E candles because the glass is extremely thick. They are my favorite candles they are good quality and the best smelling, they don't trigger my scent allergies.