Power to the people

I get a charge out of you
London, ON
November 2014
Thematic. Faves of the year. Here.

It's a scene that's played out countless times over the past year: I finish up an interview in the local studio, then wander through the newsroom on my way out to the parking lot. In many ways this place has become a home away from home for me, a place where everyone knows me and always manages to connect with a kind word before I have to get back to the outside world.

It's also something of a toy store for grown-ups, stuffed with technology and tools that allow professionals - not the wannabes like me - to produce real television news, day in and day out. And every time I'm here, my eye catches something else that seems to beg for a little lens time.

This day is no different as I catch sight of something you don't see much of anymore. The classic 9-volt battery was a staple of my childhood, as it powered more kids' toys than you can imagine. More often than not, I had to fetch my dad to help me unscrew the battery compartment and, of course, fetch a fresh new battery from the store. Or wherever he kept them stashed in the house.

Today, we charge and recharge our devices. And my kids are just as likely to ask to borrow my adapter as they are to ask where I've hidden the replacement batteries. The world has changed. Yet here, where the news waits for no one, being caught without power, even for a second, simply isn't part of the equation.

I'm glad I stopped in here today. I'm guessing more optical delights await in this welcoming place in the new year.

Your turn: Have you had a blast from the past recently?