The Chronicle will expand its coverage of computers and other consumer technology with the debut Friday of a new Technology section. I learned this lesson the hard way after moving into a new house nearly two years ago in a distant suburb of Houston.
Power outages are routine, and seemingly at random.
Uninterruptible power supplies, or UPS, all work the same way. You plug the power cords for the various parts of your system into the UPS unit, then plug the UPS into the nearest power outlet. If there's a power failure, the unit switches to an internal battery in just milliseconds. The UPS should give you enough time to save your work and shut down the computer safely. The amount of time you have to shut down depends on the kind of system you have.