Black Friday is nearly here, and we’ll soon be buried under messages from brands pushing things they couldn’t sell to people who didn’t really want them the first time. The supermarket scrums for giant TVs have gone, replaced by the scramble to unsubscribe from emails.
But were you ready for Black(out) Monday?
When Amazon Web Services crashed this week, half the internet went with it. Snapchat, Duolingo, even HMRC. I wasn’t chatting, learning, or paying tax. I was just trying to update my website, and that was glitchy enough.
Maybe it was a glimpse of a brighter future, where we forget about shopping, scrolling, and online everything for a while.
So, what did you do?
My own tools we fine. They’ve never needed servers or logins.
– Bic Matic Original mechanical pencil
– Pentel Sign Pen S520, black
– 3M Post-it Notes, square and yellow
– White 80gsm photocopy paper
The tools of creativity.
The paper where ideas begin. Scratchy pencil sketches, rough doodles, scribbles that slowly make sense. Larger words on Post-its. Bold phrases. Thought bombs. Moved around until something clicks.
That’s how creativity starts. Not with a blank web form, but with a mark on paper, a line that leads somewhere new.
Of course, I’ll need the digital world to bring it to life, but there’s comfort in knowing the first step doesn’t rely on the cloud.
Maybe the question isn’t how the internet failed, but how we cope when it does.
What’s your plan when servers dim?
Do you have tools that still work when the servers don’t?
Because resilience isn’t just about backups and passwords. It’s knowing you can still think, write, and create when the world goes offline.
Grab a sheet of paper and a pen. It's very satisfying
My only problem?
I buy all my stationery from Amazon.
Better stock up while it’s still online.
Enjoy your Quick PINT.
Nigel
Read about the Amazn outage on The Guardian
Dan Milmo
