It’s only when the power goes out that it becomes clear how automated it is to repeatedly operate the same light switches in everyday life. Even when everything is dark, the hand instinctively keeps pressing on it. In recent decades, however, the Viennese have never had to go without electricity for particularly long periods of time; minor outages were usually quickly remedied. But the day-long blackout following an arson attack in Berlin shows how vulnerable energy infrastructure is – and how dependent we are on it.
