Amp test
You know what they say about testing your backups? Well, that applies equally to testing your UPS (uninterruptible power supply).
After my nasty little encounter this morning (my UPS couldn't handle the load for less than a second), I checked my power supplies and cabling. Seems that my APC BackUPS Pro 420 (420 watts of load) won't handle the computer, the network router, the cable modem - and my 19-inch Hitachi monitor, my bright workstation light, the speakers, or the printer.
Gee, what what exactly do I need to keep running in a power-out?
I reduced the UPS load to the computer, router, modem - and monitor. Monitor kills the supply in about 2 seconds, but that would have kept me alive during this morning's little burp. So I moved the monitor to a surge protector - I don't care about seeing my screen 24/7, I just don't want to lose any work.
At least I wasn't programming this morning! Thanks to WingIDE, I don't bother saving any files until I run the program.