Sunday Links: SF Had Same Mass Outage in 2003 on December 20, Starting at PG&E's Mission Substation

"San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey pointed out that a fire at PG&E's Mission and 8th substation 22 years ago on December 20 led to the same massive power outage as Saturday's meltdown, which also affected a third of the city. Uncannily, the SFGate article from 2003 reads almost word-for-word as if it happened in 2025, except replace the thriving mall full of shoppers with glitched-out Waymos (and an hours-long police standoff at a five-star hotel). [SFGate]"

"The Internet Archive, which recently hit 1 trillion pages, is holding a short film contest highlighting works in the public domain deadline January 7. They're especially interested in works from 1930, which are set to enter the domain on January 1, including classic literature, early sound films, cartoons, music, and art. [Internet Archive] The shooting that took place at San Jose's Westfield Valley Fair Mall last month, injuring three and causing the evacuation of hundreds of Black Friday shoppers,"

A fire at PG&E's Mission and 8th substation 22 years ago produced a massive outage that paralleled a recent blackout affecting about a third of San Francisco. The Internet Archive launched a short film contest for public-domain works, emphasizing 1930 releases that enter the domain on January 1 and setting a January 7 deadline. A shooting at San Jose's Westfield Valley Fair Mall injured three and prompted large evacuations; police say the attack was motivated by a black-and-teal hat with the letter m. San Francisco's immigration court now has only four judges, down from 21 earlier this year. Dozens of 7-Eleven gas customers reported erroneous $4,000 charges. Authorities are searching for 12-year-old Esha Peairs last seen near Foxworthy and New Jersey avenues.

Read at sfist.com