Sunspots

jerkface writes: "The biggest sunspot in 10 years has released an outburst of solar matter that will likely reach Earth on Friday, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). See space.com or the NOAA. There is a chance this will lead to a geomagnetic storm Friday or early Saturday." The standard sysadmin response for what caused a computer problem is actually valid now.

Comments

Re:Northern Lights

[mph]

Northern USA? Bah! We got a crimson light show at Palomar Observatory, 33 degrees N latitude. I've read a report of auroral activity visible from El Paso, TX, as well at 31 degrees N.

UPDATE: Massive Coronal Ejection Sunday Morning

[Cy Guy]

Sunspot 9393 with the surface area 13 times larger than the Earth, has ejected a coronal mass due to arrive Tuesday. A smaller ejection Thursday resulted in fantastic Aurora displays as far south as Carlsbad, NM, and Stoneville, NC. The downside is that the resulting magnetic storm could disrupt satellites, or even interfere with powergrids.

Though the ejection did occur on 4/1/01, this isn't April Fool's joke. SpaceWeather.com rates this ejection as M5, capable of causing significant radio interference, though probably unlikely to interfere with power transmission. But the spot 9393 is still facing Earth and appears to be building up to another ejection which could be much more devastating (especially if you live in California where the grid is already so stretched).

Like That Movie..

[vbrtrmn]

Wasn't there a TV movie on UPN about this :)

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microsoft, it's what's for dinner

bq--3b7y4vyll6xi5x2rnrj7q.com

Re:Your troll .sig

[SpanishInquisition]

USA , a socialist country? lol! You remind me of Trotsky saying that the USSR had become a capitalistic country. The only reason welfare and social security don't work in your country is because you people don't believe in them so you don't invest in them. There are things that we call "society choices", those thing are expensive but depending on your value they may be worth it. If your social values are a strong army and a tax cut for the rich, wellfare seems like a waste of money, but for me a multi-billion space shield is a waste of money, descent lifes for millions of people is not.
Really maybe I don't understand a thing about economy but ther real reason I am not a captalist is that I don't like the idea of filthy rich people existing next to people that don't even own there own life. I know you Americans don't know that thing called 'guilt' but I can't help but to feel it. Maybe I should take a pill, maybe you have a pill for this, hey, you have a pill for everything.
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Capitalism is slavery.

[SpanishInquisition]

"Someone who is enslaved to another person is limited in their ability to make decisions in the market, therefore slavery is *not* acceptable."

When you don't possess your mean of production, you are a slave ( especially if you abolish minimum wage).

"Here again is the will of the majority at work, something that in your socialist enviroment is perfectely acceptable"

Happy to see an American that can accept the fact that democracy and socialism can go hand in hand.

"I personally don't care how I'm viewed, I definately have a different outlook on life than everyone else. Especially different than those in the majority of this country."

Funny, you sound like a typical American to me...
So go ahead, you abolish the income tax, the minimum wage, medicare, welfare, you get more money in your pocket, and then what?

Capitalist Utopia is no better than Communist Utopia.

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Re:Capitalism is slavery.

[Sheepdot]

When you don't possess your mean of production, you are a slave ( especially if you abolish minimum wage).

One could argue as such, but indeed that is not the definition of slave. Capitalism gives people choices. Socialism does not.

Happy to see an American that can accept the fact that democracy and socialism can go hand in hand.

They always do till a point, and inevitably socialism always overtakes democracy when one person will appoint themselves head of a nation. It is very easy for this to happen since in a socialist country you cannot have property rights. Actually *read* Marx's writings sometimes, I think you'd be suprised at how evil the man really was. He wanted all property collectively owned. He wanted newborn children taken from their parents to prevent them from being influenced by them.

Funny, you sound like a typical American to me... So go ahead, you abolish the income tax, the minimum wage, medicare, welfare, you get more money in your pocket, and then what?

Then actual working people will live a happy, productive life, while those that are incompetent and lazy will suffer horribly. Welfare would turn back to what it used to be before FDR, with communities and other charitable organizations taking care of the poor and helping them get back on their feet, rather than the government cutting out paychecks so people can get by.

Capitalist Utopia is no better than Communist Utopia.

And here is where you fail to have structured any point. Not only that, but you seem to have shown a favor toward communism over socialism. Oh boy..

Communism entails building buildings and breaking them down so you can build them again since everyone is entitled to a job. No one has any chance of moving up in the world, and no choice is given on what you can eat. You are appropriated what you need to survive.

That's a real fun world. I think I'm done arguing as you haven't the competence to keep up with me.

Solar storm as a cause of computer failure.

[SpanishInquisition]

We all know that this is not possible, the chances of that happ#@$*..34-34539udsu$$9sd0jbjx 45 2g5 g54 g54

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Re:Solar storm as a cause of computer failure.

[chaobell]

Now someone's going to summon up a crawling plague of network-cable infesting sand fleas, I bet.

Re:Great Light Show

[Nos.]

"amazing to see something like that outside of alaska"

Not really. I live in southern Saskatchewan (that's in Canada, right above North Dakota), and its not unusual to see them at all. On a good night, they stretch high enough in the sky that it wouldn't be surprising if the southern states could see them.

I've been waiting for something like this to attempt to photograph the northern lights. Looks like I'll have to head out into the field with my tripod and camera. If this is going to be one of the best/brightest shows, it will make photographing them MUCH easier.

Re:Great Light Show

[Nos.]

Of course I should have realized that I posted this message a couple of days AFTER the fact!

Your troll .sig

[Sheepdot]

If capitalism works, why are there so many stupid rich people?

Because wealth and stupidity are totally independent of each other in a capitalistic system. In all fairness you fail to mention two very important things in your .sig troll:

1) "So many" is not very clear. Are you implying millions, thousands, or hundreds?

2) The current economic system in (what I'm assuming you're talking about) the United States only retains small hints of what used to be a capitalist structure.

I don't mind ardent socialists on /. or k5, I do mind their mistaken and oft misleading .sig's.

1) One word : Ebay

2) So what is it then?

1) You are implying that it is "stupid" to pay large amounts of money for something that the majority of people find a waste of money. If this is the case, why does the government (an extension of the will of the majority) continue to invest in programs that are failures, most notably welfare and social security?

For example: I don't see much use in an Ultima Online account that I spent time developing. I sell my character and it goes for thousands of dollars. *You*, and perhaps a majority of individuals, will look at the sale as something that signifies stupidity on the part of the wealthy party that bought the account.

*I* see the purchase made as a great benefit to myself as I can use the cash. The purchaser sees the purchase as worthwhile since the money means nothing to them, they value the time spent in the character moreso than the few thousand they are paying to obtain it.

The majority of the people in this country feel that it is the responsibility of the "collective soul" to take care of those less fortunate. Thus they work to implement programs that will do so.

I view this as a failure from the start, as individuals are better able to manage their own finances than any collective body of people who will inevitably feed off the money they are given themselves.

Because my view is held in the minority my views default to "evil" and the views of the majority are set at "good". It is the assurance that "everything will be fine" that is enough to please the majority, but I demand more reasoning and logic.

You may feel fine living in a world where "majority rules" but the truth is, there is always an issue where you will be in the minority.

2) In line with the majority/minority spiel I just gave, I think it will suffice to say that we live in a twisted socialistic economy, but are taught in school that it is a capitalistic enviroment. I have a feeling you were poorly educated on what capitalism really is and are only lashing out against it because it is the cool thing to do.

Please wise up and offer complete arguments regarding your views on capitalism, I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say.

Re:Your troll .sig

[Sheepdot]

Indeed we are. David Held (who some socialists refer to as a God) has commented that since FDR the US *has* indeed been a socialist country. His evidence comes from the capitalist system built upon socialist government roots especially in the areas of Research and Development. Large numbers of US universities are funded using taxpayer money. These universities then partially sell their services in R&D to capital enterprises.

We have something in the United States called Corporate Welfare, where businesses can apply to get money from the government. This is *NOT* capitalism, as the general rule of capitalism is to let failed businesses die. Big businesses are also reaching into Corporate Welfare money.

We have a minimum wage, which is something a capitalist country should not have. Businesses in the United States pay little or no taxes while employees pay around 40% to income tax, people don't think they are paying that much because they are told the business pays half, and they pay half. But employers would be able to afford 40% more in each of their respective salaries if income tax was abolished.

You are extremely wrong about welfare and social security. I can't even begin to address your lack of competence in this area. The citizens of this country *do* believe in them, that is why they haven't scraped either program yet. Only a hanful more believe it isn't working properly, but definately *not* the majority.

My social values are *not* a strong army and *not* a tax cut for the rich. In these two areas you have my position gravely mistaken. I would like to see an army of volunteers only, with perhaps a handful of paid positions. And rather than a tax cut for the rich, I would like to see an income tax elimination across the board, where *no one* pays taxes. After all, that'd be the only fair way, right?

Or maybe I'm wrong, you seem to have fallen into the trap of "tax cut for the rich". I'd like you to go ahead and reason this out for me. Granted, you *can* reason that the Bush (who I don't like) plan is a tax cut for the rich, but it definately does not benefit them percentage-wise more than any other American. It is only because they pay more of their income to taxes that they appear to be recieving the best deal.

And I feel really sorry for you if you bought into Gore's statements regarding the Bush tax plan.

You are right, a multi-billion dollar space shield is a complete waste of money. Here again is the will of the majority at work, something that in your socialist enviroment is perfectely acceptable.

Did you know that there is enough money being put into welfare that the United States government could cut everyone on it a 40,000 dollar check each year? You know why this will never happen? Because welfare now employees several million people across the country, whose incomes you are now paying for.

"I don't like the idea of filthy rich people existing next to people that don't even own there own life."

Capitalism in and of itself requires that people compete in a market with equal ability to make decisions. Someone who is enslaved to another person is limited in their ability to make decisions in the market, therefore slavery is *not* acceptable.

In a truly capitalist enviroment each individual is reponsible for their own success, so if anyone is wealthy, it is because they got there, not because they inherited it through a tax-free system while everyone else had to pay them.

Americans are always portrayed as bloodthirsty, gutless, soulless people. I personally don't care how I'm viewed, I definately have a different outlook on life than everyone else. Especially different than those in the majority of this country.

Northern Lights

[RulesLawyer]

It should be noted (for those who don't know such things) that this geomagnetic storm will likely produce a great light show in the northern skies, including most of the northern USA (albeit low on the horizon).

Great Light Show

[IWAssassin]

Walked out of my house in Phoenix, Arizona. Got a great view of a red cloud with the naked eye... tried to explain what that was and seems that it in fact *was* the Aurora... amazing to see something like that outside of alaska.