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Community A sign of things to come? For many people – especially those of a liberal-minded per- suasion – 2016 was a shocker, with more unlikely plot twists than an episode of Sherlock. But if they had any hopes that things would settle down in 2017, Mr D Trump has quickly disabused them of that notion. He's not got his feet under the desk of his new job and he's already insulted the CIA, NBC, and 76-year-old black Congressman John Lewis. The latter he derided for being all "talk, talk, talk – no action. Sad". Lewis, a compatriot of Martin Luther King, took part in the iconic civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 where he was beaten by police. Trump tweeted his comments on 14 January, the eve of Martin Luther King Day, which is a federal holiday in the US. Such niceties matter not one whit to Donald, of course. Aer all, this is the man who questioned whether senator John McCain should really be regarded as a war hero since he got captured. McCain's crime, like Lewis, was to be critical of Donald. In Lewis's case, he voiced concern that Russian hacking may have influenced the elec- tion, something Trump has already dismissed despite the CIA and FBI taking it seriously. In fact, Trump is happy dismissing anything he regards as inconvenient, such as cyber- crime and climate change, both of which are in their own ways existential threats. The latter is obvious, but the former is growing. Many nations indulge in cyber-spying for political and commercial reasons, if they have the technical ability to do so, but the Russians seem to be taking it to a whole new level. And the more reliant we become on computers, the more profound the risk is. Indeed, an electrical com- pany in the US state of Vermont recently found malware code called "Grizzly Steppe", alleg- edly used by Russian hackers, on one of its company laptops. The Burlington Electric Department said it had taken "immediate action to isolate" the computer, which was not connected to the electrical grid. Is this a sign of things to come? From air traffic control systems to electricity grids, our lives depend on critical systems that in turn depend on comput- ers, and the consequences of them suddenly turning off could be disastrous. It's an issue that keeps businesspeople and civil servants awake at night. But not Donald Trump. Maybe his aides should explain to him that if the power grid went down, he could get stuck between floors in his gold elevator. Reality bites. Of course, by the time this copy of Utility Week hits peo- ple's desks, Mr T will be swear- ing the oath of office. Or maybe he'll just be swearing… Zombie alert In even worse news this week, it transpires that in the event of a zombie apocalypse, it would take only 100 days for almost all human life on earth to be wiped out, whatever fake docu- mentary The Walking Dead has to say to the contrary. We know this because students at Leicester University were given the task of calculat- ing the exact amount of time it would take for a zombie virus to infect every individual on Earth. They developed a mathematical model, which predicted that 100 days into a zombie outbreak, just over 100 survivors would be le unin- fected. And within six months, these stragglers would also die. Disconnector doesn't know which is more alarming: that the human race couldn't survive a zombie apocalypse, or that this is what degree-level students are being asked to do to prepare them for the job market. At least it will give them something interesting to talk about at the interview. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: janegray@ fav-house.com; Insights editor: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathewbeech@fav-house. com; News editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Networks correspondent: Lucinda Dann, t: 01342 332083, e: lucindadann@fav-house.com; Reporter: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Richard Powell, t: 01342 332062, e: richardpowell@fav-house.com; Business development executive: Nigel Searle, t: 01342 332009, e: nigelsearle@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@ fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2015 Membership subscriptions: UK £669 per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the editor, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk Jonathan Gaventa @jonathangaventa I want to like tidal power. But current risk is UK only does expensive stuff while leaving cheap options (efficiency, onshore wind) untapped Catrin Jones @Cat_of_Nant Incredible reaction to Hendry report today, looking promising for being able to get on with Swansea Bay #tidallagoon Good Energy @GoodEnergy 2016 was a great year for renewables! British energy was the cleanest it has been in 60 years! #Renewables #energy Kevin M. Kruse @KevinMKruse Obama's first Energy Secretary won a Nobel Prize. Trump's Energy Secretary lost "Dancing with the Stars" Bernie Sanders @SenSanders With or without Mr. Trump we must remain focused. Our job is to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels. Waterscan @Waterscan 'Over 90% of the world's supply of fresh #water is located in #Antarctica' @Waterwise #funfact William Marchant @richonlyinname For the trillionth time in a row, Energy UK issues a press release saying switching is at a record level. Though it isn't. & it knows that. The White House @WhiteHouse Since 2008: 50x more solar power ✓ 3x more wind power ✓ This is what progress looks like. Elton Castee @EltonCastee I have to sleep w/ music on now b/c if not I'll hear the rat building its nuclear power-plant in my bedroom ceiling all night. Nick Grealy @ReImagineGas Luckily, UK has so much money, it's more important to fight two trucks every day defiling the landscape with "controversial" shale gas. Top Tweets UTILITY WEEK | 20TH - 26TH JANUARY 2017 | 31