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4.0 Earthquake Near Concord, California

Posted by timothy on from the live-from-the-scene dept.

craighansen writes: Just felt a small earthquake, which I confirmed at USGS was a magnitude 4.0 at 2015-05-03 22:13:19 UTC, followed by a magnitude 2.7 a minute later, both located near Concord, California.

128 comments

  1. A story for those who by justthinkit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A story for those who don't understand orders of magnitude?

    --
    I come here for the love
    1. Re:A story for those who by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 2

      It appears to be strong enough to break the slashdot RSS feed... every link goes to a "Moved Permanently" page with yet another link... the quake must have shifted some bits around in storage...

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    2. Re:A story for those who by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      A story for those who don't understand orders of magnitude?

      To be fair, Dice Holdings is located in Urbandale, Iowa. It's not like they get many earthquakes in that part of the US.

    3. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      craighansen must either be new to California or just a pussy. I live in SoCal and we get earthquakes all of the time. Had one last night and a couple of days before.

      This isn't news. It's barely worth mentioning to your friends even.

    4. Re:A story for those who by Rei · · Score: 3, Funny

      Speak for yourself. My lander was near the epicenter and I lost five crew :( I was aiming for Diablo Canyon to pick up some radioactives but I had to return to orbit to recrew.

      --
      Sigur RÃs: I didn't know that Heaven had a rock band.
    5. Re:A story for those who by craighansen · · Score: 1

      I didn't put it on the front page. I did follow up with a comment that this was a group of 4 quakes, the first of which, magnitude 2.5 was about 10 minutes before the largest at magnitude 4.0. Slashdot's editors must have chosen to ignore the followup. There was another smaller one about an hour later. Yes, 4.0 is a small quake and I wasn't upset about it. Perhaps it would be interesting to note that quakes do follow each other in statistical groupings, so a small quake can indicate another following quake with increased probability - a ten minute warning is arguably more meaningful than the tens of seconds we can get by outrunning the p- and s- waves with electromagnetic waves.

    6. Re:A story for those who by choprboy · · Score: 5, Informative

      A story for those who don't understand orders of magnitude?

      As a former Californian, the magnitude scale goes something like this:
      3.5 - Huh, what? When did that happen?
      4.0 - Ehh, something moved slightly...
      4.5 - Oh, I actually felt that one there.
      5.0 - Heh, that actually qualifies as an earthquake.
      5.5 - Oh boy, we are starting to shake pretty good. Stay away from the glass, this one might be a little rough.
      6.0 - Find a doorway quick and hang on! This one will be rough.
      6.5 - Oh crap, duck and cover! 20sec of destruction, 2 weeks of "The Big One is coming! Are you prepared? Will you die?!" news stories.
      7.0 - Oh $h17!!! This one is going to hurt.
      8.0 - Wait, what? You mean the Big One is real?

      Scale +/-0.5 depending on where you are located in California (i.e. Bay area vs. Inland empire). A 4.0 ranks as barely noticable ...

    7. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe it would be better to actually talk about those probabilities and "statistical groupings." About 40% of earthquakes include foreshocks, and that rises up to about 60-70% for large earthquakes. But the number of large earthquakes that follow small ones is very tiny, considering that for each increase in magnitude number, you get about a factor of ten reduction in occurrence frequency. There are a couple thousand magnitude 2-3 earthquakes a day, while only a couple dozen magnitude 4-5.

    8. Re:A story for those who by thunderclap · · Score: 1

      actually I would care. I would be concerned for my friends who live out there. And for the internet out there. And all the wine. But as all the problems California has Those i don't care about.

    9. Re:A story for those who by monkeyzoo · · Score: 4, Informative

      Below are the California earthquakes of equal or greater magnitude (i.e., not much to speak of) this year...
      The point is, a 4.0 earthquale is NOT NEWS! Sorry

      5/3 4.01 in Concord
      4/24 2 quakes at 5.5 off the coast near Eureka
      4/10 4 quakes: 4.5, 4.5, 4.85, & 4.8 off the coast near Eureka
      3/30 4.02 in Baker
      3/27 4.2 near Fresno
      2/14 4.49 near Death Valley
      1/29 4.26 near Eureka
      1/28 2 quakes: 5.14 & 5.6 near Eureka
      1/20 2 quakes: 4.71 & 4.9 near Monterey
      1/14 4.06 near Eureka
      1/4 4.5 near Santa Clarita
      1/1 5.3 off the coast near Eureka

    10. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry your parents were mean to you and made you such an asshole. So did you go out and celebrate when the Nepal earthquake happened? Or do you just revel in human suffering when it meets your political agenda? Dude, seriously, get some perspective. Not everything is about Obama care.

    11. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A 4.0 in CA is not news, but the 4.2 we just had in MI is damn near interesting.

    12. Re:A story for those who by Eristone · · Score: 1

      I'm out of mod points else would definitely give you a +1 informative. And based on the map, I was about a 1/2 mile from the epicenter of this one and didn't feel it - but I think we were in the car coming from the latest Avengers movie so really paid no attention to it. Anything under a 5 is not worth talking about unless they are foreshocks.. .

    13. Re:A story for those who by craighansen · · Score: 2

      An expression of caution following a quake "predicts" many more quakes than will really occur, as the probability is still less than 50%. Knowing of increased probability merely opens considerations of what to do during a "cautionary" period - minor adjustments such as lowering speed on the Transbay tunnel, or postponing crane lifts or tower climbs might be the kinds of things to do, but people may well tire of making these adjustments when nothing happens repeatedly. Bringing all life to a screaming halt or evacuating the cities isn't an appropriate response, but expressing relief at small shocks is what got those Italian scientists/bureaucrats convicted (all but one overturned on appeal). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...

      I earned some ridicule today because a 4.0 quake wasn't followed by a larger quake - was even adjusted to a 3.6 magnitude. I was surprised when it posted to the front page - I thought it was just a note that might get combined into some other posting - slow news day, I guess. A few thousand people posted to the "I felt it" links on the USGS and similar sites, and enough people pressed "+" on the firehose to outweigh my own personal "-".

    14. Re:A story for those who by craighansen · · Score: 1

      It was barely noticeable - that's why I went to the USGS site to see what it was. Didn't know we had to edumacate Slashdot on the Richter/Mercalli scale, particularly the editors who choose what random notes to put on the front page. Still, a magnitude 4.0 is a release of more energy than a MOAB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G... , so I felt it even though 100km away. Those living in Concord would've felt a little more.

    15. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      as the probability is still less than 50%

      More like less than 5%. It is one thing your false positives are at least of the same order of magnitude of actual events, another if there is a larger gap.

    16. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was big news a few years back where I live when we had a 3.8.

      In central Illinois.

      And people on the ground floor noticed almost nothing.

    17. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a water cooler at home and I often wonder if it's a little top-heavy for the location (Bay Area). I recently "downgraded" to a 3 gallon bottle, just in case...

    18. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed.

      Any quake below 6.0 is not worth the air to mention. We had a 5.6 in Taiwan yesterday. Who cares. Last week or so we had a day with five quakes over 5.0, of which only the 6.3 was worth mentioning to colleagues -- and that only because the office is 20 stories up (the building can creek and sway in a scary way in quakes above 6.0).

      A 4.0 is big MEH.

    19. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tell him that.

    20. Re:A story for those who by twosat · · Score: 1

      We get earthquakes like that all the time in New Zealand. Given that it was 14.6 km (9.0 miles) deep it probably would hardly even be felt unless you were nearly right on top of it. How they are felt depends very much on their depth. After the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 that badly damaged Christchurch, we got www.geonet.org.nz that automatically reports on the location and magnitude of any earthquakes as well as how they are actually felt on the surface. Here's a 5.8 magnitude, 4km deep one from today, 30 km away from Wanaka. http://www.geonet.org.nz/quake...

    21. Re:A story for those who by jittles · · Score: 1

      A story for those who don't understand orders of magnitude?

      Seriously. I grew up in that area. One day I was standing on a stool that was unstable, it was missing a leg. A 4.0 earthquake hit about 10 miles away and I didn't even feel it on my precarious perch. I'm guessing whoever submitted this story is either not from California, or has never actually been in an earthquake before.

    22. Re:A story for those who by justthinkit · · Score: 1

      I'm getting too old to lift those 5-gallon jugs too.

      --
      I come here for the love
    23. Re:A story for those who by jdmuskrat · · Score: 0

      i live about a mile from the epicenter. it lasted maybe 3 seconds. and every news outlet and guv agencies here listed it as 3.6 magnitude (sic) not 4.0 barely a blip on the radar screen of life.

    24. Re:A story for those who by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Knowing of increased probability merely opens considerations of what to do during a "cautionary" period - minor adjustments such as lowering speed on the Transbay tunnel, or postponing crane lifts or tower climbs might be the kinds of things to do,

      Over what time period? Foreshocks can easily be a day ahead of time, and places like the Bay area get a 2.0+ earthquake on average once a day.

    25. Re:A story for those who by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      This is a pretty rough crowd.

      Best to always wear your helmet.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    26. Re:A story for those who by sconeu · · Score: 1

      My definition of 4.0: Who farted?

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    27. Re:A story for those who by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Exactly.

      4.0 to 4.9 -- Noticeable shaking of indoor objects and rattling noises. Felt by most people in the affected area. Slightly felt outside. Generally causes none to minimal damage.

      And a 4.0 is on the lowest end of that scale, almost 10x less powerful than a 4.9. There are over 13,000 4.0-4.9 magnitude earthquakes around the world each year. It's a non-story, except to ask your friend if he felt that. The commuter train passing by my office building causes that much shaking several times a day.

      --
      https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
    28. Re:A story for those who by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Even the arabs think the apocolypse will happen somwhere around sanfransico.

      Which "Arabs" are those? Conservative Wahabbis and Salafis like the folks in ISIS/ISIL/whatever believe that the apocalypse will occur when the armies of "Rome" invade northern Syria (specifically, the town of Dabiq, which happens to be the name of the Islamic State's official magazine). The defeat of Rome will lead to a chain of events resulting in the final showdown with the anti-Messiah in Jerusalem.

      But yeah, no one thinks the apocalypse will be near San Francisco.

    29. Re:A story for those who by scm · · Score: 1

      I live in Oakland just a few miles away, and I didn't even notice it.

  2. Seriously, Why is this a Story? by aaronmd · · Score: 1

    A 4.0? That's just a little strong than a freight train going by.

    1. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by war4peace · · Score: 1

      Anything rare enough becomes a story.
      The question is: Why is this a story posted on Slashdot? I might get it as a local story, if all they got during the last decade is less than a 3-pointer, but for Slashdot, there should be literally hundreds of such stories every day... would it publish them all?

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    2. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      Imagine a line between Redding and Yuma. Anything that happens West of there is "news for nerds" according to Slashdot.

      Now where's the weekly Australia story?

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    3. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by ColdWetDog · · Score: 2

      Hey, it's not raining at my house. Moreover, we're going to have dinner in a little while.

      Is Slashdot trying to out-twitter Twitter?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    4. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by Felinoid · · Score: 1

      Slackware was published in Walnut Creek, California right next door to Concord. (I live in Concord, had a chance to visit Slackware HQ and never did)
      I think after WC CDrom shut down Slackware moved to Concord.
      That may be why it matters.

      Also building code enforcement takes bribes so even a 4.0 might fuck some buildings up.

      --
      I don't actually exist.
    5. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      had a chance to visit Slackware HQ and never did).

      Cool story, bro. What other things have you not done?

    6. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      Is Slashdot trying to out-twitter Twitter?

      I think so. I mean sure I could see a earthquake story if it hit Ontario or Quebec, part of central/northern Michigan or something. That's in/part of the Laurentian Plateau and doesn't get anymore stable, but California? Peh.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    7. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by thunderclap · · Score: 1

      You mean the one where they talk about the Prime Minister and his fetish for pulling women's ponytails or the one about KIm Dot com and his endless issues?

    8. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL

    9. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your mom. But no one else wants to do that, either...

    10. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because it shook the world!

    11. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not necessarily true, for the people right on top of the epicenter... as a kid, I experienced a swarm of ~1.0-2.0 quakes where the epicenter was just about directly under our neighborhood, and they were very sharp jolts that would make you stumble and make the houses sound like they were hit by a bus. In the aftermath, probably 50% of the houses on our street had to have their masonry chimneys replaced due to cracks that had formed.

      This earthquake today was interesting to me only because it was a few miles from my parents house, while down here in Los Angeles I was awoken this morning by an approximately 3.8 quake a few miles from us. Just a fun coincidence...

    12. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by elvesrus · · Score: 1

      I thought the cutoff was I-5

    13. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by twosat · · Score: 1

      That was John Key, the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Australia is over 3 hours away by commercial jet plane.

    14. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      They thought is was a reference to the game Quake 4.0, which was released in 2005. You know, recycling old news. Coming up next - Bennett Haselton pontificating on what this apparent coincidence means for the upcoming release of Quake 5, which will happen when a story about a 5.0 earthquake makes it to the front page.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    15. Re:Seriously, Why is this a Story? by JimFive · · Score: 1

      I know I'm late, but there was a 4.2 earthquake in Michigan on Saturday 5/2.

      --
      Please stop using the word theory when you mean hypothesis.
  3. OMG 4.0!!!1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Michigan had a bigger earthquake yesterday............. Since when is a 4.0 earthquake in CA news?

  4. 4.0? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Since when did a tiny tremor like thiscoubt as news?

    Seriously, a 4.0 does no damage, ithrt than maybe knocking a few things off a wallbor table. This is about as newsworthy as celebrity gossip or political promises.

    1. Re:4.0? by nightsky30 · · Score: 1

      Since when did a tiny tremor like thiscoubt as news?

      Seriously, a 4.0 does no damage, ithrt than maybe knocking a few things off a wallbor table. This is about as newsworthy as celebrity gossip or political promises.

      I propose the ACUSGS. We can use ACs like seismographs. If you see one typing like this, then we can safely guess there was an earthquake or they had a bit too much to drink. :)

    2. Re:4.0? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah, in California the only destructive effect of a 4.0 is to derail all conversation into everybody recounting the worst quake they've been through.

    3. Re:4.0? by styrotech · · Score: 1

      Let me fix that for you:

      "Yeah, in California the only destructive effect of a 4.0 is to derail all conversation into everybody recounting the worst quake they've been through this week."

    4. Re:4.0? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Give Timothy a break, he's been living in Texas. We don't know much about quakes here.

  5. Hai Guyz by dohzer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hai guys I just saw a bird fly past my window at 2015-05-03 22:32:45 UTC, followed by a moth seven minutes later.

    1. Re:Hai Guyz by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where's your proof?

    2. Re:Hai Guyz by dissy · · Score: 2

      * Dissy has liked this post.
      * Dissy retweets.
      * Dissy has donated $5 to your kickstarter.

    3. Re:Hai Guyz by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      They want you to think it's a mere bird.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
  6. Slow news day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's okay, you don't have to have news that matter all the time.

  7. "which I confirmed at USGS" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Exciting news. Nerd learns how to use Interwebs. Stop the front page!

    And 4.0 is meh.

  8. Most likely cause is: by bobstreo · · Score: 1

    Nestle fracking water out of the ground to put in plastic bottles.

    1. Re:Most likely cause is: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agree so much. Never drink that stuff, evar

  9. Seriously? by Malenx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Michigan had a 4.2 earthquake over the weekend and all we posted were memes like http://i.imgur.com/bExOngH.png. You'd think California of all places would be less surprised.

    1. Re:Seriously? by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 1

      OK, you win the interwebs for today...

    2. Re:Seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The funny thing about that meme, is that an earthquake big enough to topple over a lawn chair like that _would_ be worthy of note.

    3. Re:Seriously? by nightsky30 · · Score: 1

      Sooo good, LOL!

  10. k great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    thx

  11. In what fucking way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is this news for nerds?

    1. Re:In what fucking way by maliqua · · Score: 1

      No, nor is it news by any other standard

    2. Re:In what fucking way by nightsky30 · · Score: 1

      What about the substandard?

  12. What the... by DigitAl56K · · Score: 2

    Jesus, timothy.

    I just took a shit. It was kind of average as far as shits go. Maybe it's front-page material now though?

    1. Re:What the... by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      Some hell of a shit to cause a 4-quake. No more chili-burgers for you.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    2. Re:What the... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many "Courics" did your crap weigh? Bono doesn't like being "number two".

  13. Must be a slow news day... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    CNN ran a spot on a minor earthquake in Los Angeles several years ago with black-and-white video surveillance of a grocery to demonstrate the severe shaking that took place. Nothing moved. Nothing fell off the shelves. The camera didn't even shake. I guess California moved a hair closer to falling into the Pacific Ocean. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

  14. Could not feel it here in Concord by basecastula+ · · Score: 1

    I didnt feel a thing. May have happened while I was driving from Clayton to Pittsburg.

    1. Re:Could not feel it here in Concord by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh, my brother was driving our bouncy old pickup truck during the Loma Prieta earthquake and didn't know it happened until he got home 10 minutes later. I'd pretty much frozen in place, mesmerized by the obvious sine waves rolling through the floor of our house! (We had conventional California construction where each floor joist stands on short pilings over a crawl space, so each one got pushed up and down with the wave rolling through the soil.)

  15. frackin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm 'elling you, it's the frackin'. Why do you think it's called "frackin'?" Anyone? Anyboby?
    Yup, that's it.

  16. Me generation: Tech Bubble == Culture Bubble too. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    BTW, there was a 4.9 in Tomioka, Japan too today.

    (and a 5.2 in New Guniea, but does anyone near SF care? Mind that /.?)

  17. Not news, especially in California by sjbe · · Score: 1

    There was a 4.2 earthquake in western Michigan yesterday. An earthquake that size isn't news particularly in California. It was barely news in Michigan and they don't get earthquakes that size.

  18. Galesburg, Michigan had a 4.2 Earthquake yesterday by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and it didn't make Slashdot.

  19. Just felt a small.. by fisted · · Score: 1

    Just felt a small vibration in the general area of my stomach, which I confirmed to be a massive turd waiting for departure, followed by a much more violent pressure release 2.7 minutes later on the crapper.

    --
    CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
    1. Re:Just felt a small.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wonderful, we all look forward to every new Hurd release.

    2. Re:Just felt a small.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tip: Never eat a pound of black licorice followed by Mcdonalds, it'll rumble and squirt black liquid.

    3. Re:Just felt a small.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL :D

  20. Stuff That Matters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I felt it; I damn near spilled my lunch.
    The Earthquake was centered a few hundred feet East of the Concord Fry's Electronics, and almost right below where the old Fry's Supermarket used to be. (Yes, they are related...)
    It occurred right where the Concord Fault crosses Concord Blvd.

  21. Not news by r.samuel.klatchko · · Score: 3, Informative

    According to the USGS Earthquake Facts and Statistics, there are 13,000 4.0 - 4.9 earthquakes every year (so about 1 every 40 minutes).

    1. Re:Not news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so *thats* what causes the dupes here....

  22. Concord gets those all the time .... by TechnoGrl · · Score: 1

    I lived in Walnut creek - you get those all the time. Like the guy above me said - it is about as news/noteworthy as the rain.

    --
    ----- In Your Cubicle No One Can Hear You Scream...
    1. Re:Concord gets those all the time .... by Brett+Buck · · Score: 2

      Rain would be a far bigger story.

    2. Re:Concord gets those all the time .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unless it was caused my a huge pile of old shareware CDs falling over...

    3. Re:Concord gets those all the time .... by nightsky30 · · Score: 1

      Shareware CDs perhaps, but nothing compares to a tsunami of AOL CDs.

  23. This is a story but not the Michigan earthquake? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Earthquakes around 4.0 or less happen all the time in California, you barely feel them. Less than 24 hours ago Michigan had its strongest earthquake since 1917. And this honestly what Slashdot thinks should be better story to comment on? and the Michigan earthquake is not? Really?

  24. ALSO... by monkeyzoo · · Score: 5, Funny

    I looked out the window today in Seattle and saw what looked like water falling from the sky. It was collecting on the ground in puddle and making cars wet. I just consulted the NOAA website and confirmed that there was indeed "precipitation" in the Seattle area. Stay tuned for updates.

    1. Re:ALSO... by thunderclap · · Score: 1

      mod +1 if I had it.

    2. Re:ALSO... by hack++slash · · Score: 1, Funny

      Some hours ago I noticed the sun had gone, I hope whoever stole it will return it in the morning or it's going to be a very dark Monday.

      --
      To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
    3. Re:ALSO... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i live in seattle, you insensitive clod!

      i'm pretty sure you didn't check noaa, and weren't in seattle. it was bright and sunny there today.

    4. Re:ALSO... by khallow · · Score: 1

      Was the water wet?

  25. so? by lophophore · · Score: 1

    There was a 4.2 near Portage, Michigan, where people are not used to earthquakes.

    There were THREE earthquakes in New Hampshire in the last couple weeks, where people are also not used to earthquakes.

    How is this news?

    Another slow news day at Slashdot?

    Get a grip, Timothy. NOT NEWS.

    --
    there are 3 kinds of people:
    * those who can count
    * those who can't
  26. Instagram? by wisnoskij · · Score: 1

    Is /. turning into instagram? What is next, pictures of Cmd Taco's lunch?

    --
    Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
    1. Re:Instagram? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or Cmdr. Taco's tummy rumblingis, with video!!!

  27. I wanked at 4.2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wanked at magnitude 4.2 today, geyser was a bit of a let down since I've wanked too much. Should I cum in my mouth next time, or push a wooden spoon up my ass?

    1. Re: I wanked at 4.2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The sperm scooping rim of my penis is about 4.5 mm wide. Hope this helps

  28. Still operational by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm pretty close to Concord and my roomba still seems to be working OK, I've got some clothes in the dryer too.

  29. 4.0? That's all? by Walter+White · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Pfffft! Michigan had a 4.2 yesterday. http://www.detroitnews.com/sto...

    1. Re:4.0? That's all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah but this is about California the center of the universe and the only place that matters.

    2. Re:4.0? That's all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah but this is about California the center of the universe and the only place that matters.

      Will it still matter after the big one?

    3. Re:4.0? That's all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It raised the dust of the city into a cloud...

  30. I'll see your feeble 3.6 and raise you to 3.9 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    12 hours prior
    http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci37374008#general_summary

  31. Hoping for a Big One by dfgfgfdgsgsdfsdf · · Score: 1

    I really really hope that a much larger quake hits the bay area. It's just about the only thing that could negatively impact the bloodsucking landlords...

  32. And Northern California Yawns by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 3, Informative

    For those of us who actually live in northern California (where Concord is located), nothing under 5.0 is worthy of notice. Perhaps in Concord, New Hampshire it might be newsworthy.

    --
    Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
    1. Re:And Northern California Yawns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In NH, we just had a 2.1 one

  33. 3.6 here by Eythian · · Score: 1

    I just had a 3.6 here. Should I submit a new story for it?

  34. Stay Safe Craig Hansen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Has anyone set up a donation page yet?

    1. Re:Stay Safe Craig Hansen by hax4bux · · Score: 1

      Snicker

  35. Re: Galesburg, Michigan had a 4.2 Earthquake yeste by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did it shake in Climax, Mich. about 8 miles east?

  36. So? Ontario and Quebec had up to a 5.2 magnitude.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Earthquake: 5.2 quake felt in Toronto, began in Ottawa Valley; more tremors expected "
    http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/17/earthquake_47_magnitude_quake_felt_in_toronto_started_in_ottawa_valley.html

    And the news called that a minor earthquake. What's the point of a 4.0 magnitude story?

  37. Just felt a small fart coming on. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But it woke up the neighbor's dog...

  38. Re: Galesburg, Michigan had a 4.2 Earthquake yeste by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yes. 18 responses, according to the mouseover, at intensity V, moderate shaking, very light damage.

  39. Manufacturing news on a slow day.... by Alomex · · Score: 1

    A movement of 4.2 used to be called a tremor, until news organizations such as CNN and the Weather Channel got a hold of them and became earthquakes. FLASH. BREAKING NEWS. CUE GRAPHICS. CUE JINGLE followed by 48 hrs of non stop coverage.

    Before that at least one structure had to topple over for a tremor to be called an earthquake.

  40. Oh shit by sootman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I take it no one on Slashdot's esteemed editorial team has every lived in an earthquake area? As a former northern CA resident, I'm here to agree with the others that anything less than a 5.0 is not news. Seriously, if I felt a 4.0 at night, I probably wouldn't even mention it to friends the next day. If they're going to start posting about every 4.0 earthquake, I'll have to leave. There are a lot of those. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ear...

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  41. really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    slow news day eh?

  42. Meh! NZ had a 5.8 an hour ago ... by MarkTina · · Score: 1

    http://www.geonet.org.nz/

  43. Welp, I'm out! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fare well Slashdot!

  44. You must be new to California. by Leslie43 · · Score: 1

    Seriously they happen all day long all up and down the state.

  45. No Big Deal by tquasar · · Score: 1

    The San Andreas and other faults shake all the time. Wake me up when San Francisco falls into the ocean.

  46. Kalamazoo, MI 4.2 Saturday by franblets · · Score: 1

    Are we supposed to report these?

  47. It was just... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yo mamma falling off the couch reaching for the bag of Cheetos.

  48. No news here. Move along. by Helldesk+Hound · · Score: 1

    Wanaka yesterday, had a Magnatude 6 earthquake. Chile regularly gets magnitude 7 and 8 quakes.

    No news here. Move along.