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Control the Rain - Cloud Seeding

Posted by michael on from the stormy-weather dept.

Zzzt writes "The Times Online reports that Russian president Putin will assure plesant weather at the Russian St. Petersburg 300th anniversary festival by seeding clouds. They plan to shoot dry ice into the clouds to get the moisture to condense prematurely. 'Vladimir Stepanenko, head physicist of St Petersburg's Geophysics Observatory, said: 'Our aim is to empty all clouds of rain before they hit the city borders.'' There is also brief mention of other fun things Russians do with weather control."

5 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. In mother russia by Loosewire · · Score: 3, Funny

    The weather no longer controls you :(

    --
    Slashdot - The one stop shop for procrastination
  2. Sucks to be the little people.... by malakai · · Score: 4, Funny
    from the article:
    Approximately one kilogram of dry ice is used for every square kilometre of rain cloud. Rainclouds will be burst at a safe distance of 30 miles (50km) outside the city, where locals, used to sudden rain on fine days, will have their umbrellas ready

    For the good of mother russia you will enjoy a shitty Friday. Dosvidanya!

    Russia's first private weather controlling agency, the Atmosphere Technologies Agency, will be taking part in the delicate operation. It is hoping for rainclouds. "No rainclouds equals no pay," Viktor Petrov, the deputy director, said.

    Man, what a business model...

    -Malakai
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    -Malakai
    A Dragon Lives in my Garage
    1. Re:Sucks to be the little people.... by Shoggoth+of+Maul · · Score: 2, Funny

      Especially when it would be a helluva lot cheaper to just pass out umbrellas. Imagine:

      "Vladimir Putin Designer Umbrellas! The Fashion Statement of the Season!"
      "What season is it, by the way?"
      "I dunno. Now that we control the weather, it's kinda hard to tell."

  3. Hope they will pour some oil into Baltic sea by Muhammar · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...to calm the waves. And prevent the earthquake by releasing tectonic tensions with few megatonns detonated underground. They should also facade-lift the buildings, clean the rooftops, paint the grass greener in parks and re-locate all unsightly individuals out of city.

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    I doubt that we will ever figure out - and I suspect that even if we did figure out we couldn't do much about it
  4. Re:Correcting the history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Is it eastasia or westasia that we've always been at war with, Mr. Orwell?