Any coronal ejection EMP pointed at us will arrive just at the time we see it giving us a warning time of a day, perhaps.
But what could we DO about it?
Here's a quote from one Mr. Carrington (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/06may_carringtonflare.htm) from the last time this happened in 1859:
On that morning, he was capturing the likeness of an enormous group of sunspots. Suddenly, before his eyes, two brilliant beads of blinding white light appeared over the sunspots, intensified rapidly, and became kidney-shaped. Realizing that he was witnessing something unprecedented and "being somewhat flurried by the surprise," Carrington later wrote, "I hastily ran to call someone to witness the exhibition with me. On returning within 60 seconds, I was mortified to find that it was already much changed and enfeebled." He and his witness watched the white spots contract to mere pinpoints and disappear.
It was 11:23 AM. Only five minutes had passed.
Just before dawn the next day, skies all over planet Earth erupted in red, green, and purple auroras so brilliant that newspapers could be read as easily as in daylight. Indeed, stunning auroras pulsated even at near tropical latitudes over Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Hawaii.
Even more disconcerting, telegraph systems worldwide went haywire. Spark discharges shocked telegraph operators and set the telegraph paper on fire. Even when telegraphers disconnected the batteries powering the lines, aurora-induced electric currents in the wires still allowed messages to be transmitted.
You've allowed the media to frame the debate and your thoughts for you. "Isms" are also a con job, an a rather outmoded 19th century con job at that.
Interesting that you think that because I see the wealthy as an enemy you assume I have communist or Marxist sympathies. I'm of Estonian descent. My uncle was murdered by Stalinists and my Grandfather was given a free Siberian vacation, so you might want to rethink that one.
Complex systems theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_systems) provides more useful (i.e. predictive) answers about what's happening. IBM is moving to where it can exploit resources with the least output of resources like any other parasite. The behavior of the world's wealthy in general is more like an organism without a head, like a algae colony. Each cell receives and reacts to, signals in it's environment. Such colonies often act to the detriment of organisms nearby. That's us. It's not personal, but if you're poor, it can be harmful or deadly.
There are only money corporations. Those who run multinational organizations care nothing about whether their money comes from China, India, the USA or Mars. They have no loyalty to the USA or its people, and as the government and people of India and China will soon discover, they have no loyalty to them either. The wealthy can live anywhere. It's all one world to them. Only the sets and the local operating environments change.
The poor of the world have no enemy but the wealthy. Loyalty to "country" or political affiliation is just a con for the rubes.
And you. Yes, I'm talking to YOU. You wanted to be assimilated, right? Well, let me tell you what I'm going to do just for YOU sonny. That's right for only FORTY NINE, NINENY NAHN dollahs, you can have this here I/O port screwed right into your head! Takes care o' that vision, proprioception, and I don't have to tell you about skin sensation. Eh? EH? Wink. Wink. Nudge Nudge.....
I have been leaking methane for some years now. Friends and co-workers have made the argument that I alone, contribute significantly to global warming and localized pollution, however, I am applying for a stimulus grant for research into myself as a viable energy source.
Windows can patch itself to hell. Firefox and Adobe too, for all I care -
AS LONG AS THEY DON'T INTERRUPT, STEAL MY FOCUS, PUT UP CRAP ERROR MESSAGES OR REBOOT WITHOUT ASKING!
There's a portable at home I open only on weekends. Want to guess what happens for the first 30 minutes after I turn it on? Yup. An unusable computer that's *updating* itself. Java. Adobe. Firefox. Firefox *add-ins", Windows, and possibly, the current timeline in which I exist.
Needless to say, ALL of these want me to agree/disagree, actually *view* their updates, click a modal dialog, or reboot - repeatedly. I really don't care if updates have to happen, BUT KEEP THEM OUT OF MY FACE.
And don't slow the computer to a crawl. If the update takes all day, do I care? Not if it doesn't interfere with me.
Computers exist to serve ME. Make the computer wait, NOT ME!
when the first paleolithic software writer retired and the sandstone media deteriorated. Given the evidence, the original program probably had something to do with viewing naked women. More research into naked women is continuing.
Uh, certainly, it couldn't be gratuitous pricing on the part of the vendor. I'd love to see the original manufacturing cost. I'd be surprised if it was over $65 USD.
Tell me again why I'd want to colonize the bottom of a gravity well when sunshine is ubiquitous, water comets are floating about nearby and metallic asteroids are just waiting to be spun, melted with mirrors and mined for metals?
Africa? Immune? I think you're making a lot of optimistic assumptions. You seem to think that this event would be short, singular and not intense enough to affect the equatorial regions, as opposed to multiple events extended over the course of days or weeks that may well extend all the way to the equator.
Even if only Europe, the America's, Australia and countries nearer the poles were knocked out, do you really think this would be without consequence? Shipping? Finance? Defense? Would you like to be living in Taiwan or the Middle East if this happened?
Slashdot Mirror
Any coronal ejection EMP pointed at us will arrive just at the time we see it giving us a warning time of a day, perhaps.
But what could we DO about it?
Here's a quote from one Mr. Carrington (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/06may_carringtonflare.htm) from the last time this happened in 1859:
On that morning, he was capturing the likeness of an enormous group of sunspots. Suddenly, before his eyes, two brilliant beads of blinding white light appeared over the sunspots, intensified rapidly, and became kidney-shaped. Realizing that he was witnessing something unprecedented and "being somewhat flurried by the surprise," Carrington later wrote, "I hastily ran to call someone to witness the exhibition with me. On returning within 60 seconds, I was mortified to find that it was already much changed and enfeebled." He and his witness watched the white spots contract to mere pinpoints and disappear.
It was 11:23 AM. Only five minutes had passed.
Just before dawn the next day, skies all over planet Earth erupted in red, green, and purple auroras so brilliant that newspapers could be read as easily as in daylight. Indeed, stunning auroras pulsated even at near tropical latitudes over Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Hawaii.
Even more disconcerting, telegraph systems worldwide went haywire. Spark discharges shocked telegraph operators and set the telegraph paper on fire. Even when telegraphers disconnected the batteries powering the lines, aurora-induced electric currents in the wires still allowed messages to be transmitted.
Sigh. We've talked to Mom about that, but, well, you know....
actually landed in the DR Congo some years back?
You've allowed the media to frame the debate and your thoughts for you. "Isms" are also a con job, an a rather outmoded 19th century con job at that.
Interesting that you think that because I see the wealthy as an enemy you assume I have communist or Marxist sympathies. I'm of Estonian descent. My uncle was murdered by Stalinists and my Grandfather was given a free Siberian vacation, so you might want to rethink that one.
Complex systems theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_systems) provides more useful (i.e. predictive) answers about what's happening. IBM is moving to where it can exploit resources with the least output of resources like any other parasite. The behavior of the world's wealthy in general is more like an organism without a head, like a algae colony. Each cell receives and reacts to, signals in it's environment. Such colonies often act to the detriment of organisms nearby. That's us. It's not personal, but if you're poor, it can be harmful or deadly.
There are only money corporations. Those who run multinational organizations care nothing about whether their money comes from China, India, the USA or Mars. They have no loyalty to the USA or its people, and as the government and people of India and China will soon discover, they have no loyalty to them either. The wealthy can live anywhere. It's all one world to them. Only the sets and the local operating environments change.
The poor of the world have no enemy but the wealthy. Loyalty to "country" or political affiliation is just a con for the rubes.
Well, there's um... here. Admit it. It's happened.
Practice. Practice. Practice....
And you. Yes, I'm talking to YOU. You wanted to be assimilated, right? Well, let me tell you what I'm going to do just for YOU sonny. That's right for only FORTY NINE, NINENY NAHN dollahs, you can have this here I/O port screwed right into your head! Takes care o' that vision, proprioception, and I don't have to tell you about skin sensation. Eh? EH? Wink. Wink. Nudge Nudge.....
No. No! Windows is so improbable that its difficult to fathom how it came about in a rule based universe.
Admittedly Windows is a major factor in increasing the rate of entropy, but the relationship details are still unclear.
Does this mean we're gradually increasing improbability in the universe? This would *so* explain Microsoft Windows.
it depends on how many times you lift them.
prevented this thing from blowing up the universe again? Man, this is worse than last night's "Lost" episode.
True, but MBAs and the over-testosteroned in general are famous for believing their own BS.
A government good at tax collection, or enforcement of other blatantly stupid laws like the drug laws would be pretty onerous.
All hail paper manila folders!
welcome our new Anti-Strange Hypernucleic over... er, I mean under... I mean inside-out .... Um. Let me get back to you on that one.
I have been leaking methane for some years now. Friends and co-workers have made the argument that I alone, contribute significantly to global warming and localized pollution, however, I am applying for a stimulus grant for research into myself as a viable energy source.
Windows can patch itself to hell. Firefox and Adobe too, for all I care -
AS LONG AS THEY DON'T INTERRUPT, STEAL MY FOCUS, PUT UP CRAP ERROR MESSAGES OR REBOOT WITHOUT ASKING!
There's a portable at home I open only on weekends. Want to guess what happens for the first 30 minutes after I turn it on? Yup. An unusable computer that's *updating* itself. Java. Adobe. Firefox. Firefox *add-ins", Windows, and possibly, the current timeline in which I exist.
Needless to say, ALL of these want me to agree/disagree, actually *view* their updates, click a modal dialog, or reboot - repeatedly. I really don't care if updates have to happen, BUT KEEP THEM OUT OF MY FACE.
And don't slow the computer to a crawl. If the update takes all day, do I care? Not if it doesn't interfere with me.
Computers exist to serve ME. Make the computer wait, NOT ME!
when the first paleolithic software writer retired and the sandstone media deteriorated. Given the evidence, the original program probably had something to do with viewing naked women. More research into naked women is continuing.
Or are you advised by fearless leader to just try and eat it as "food substitute?"
Uh, certainly, it couldn't be gratuitous pricing on the part of the vendor. I'd love to see the original manufacturing cost. I'd be surprised if it was over $65 USD.
And we still can't run an advanced economy without bubbles?
Well, if you were already living in space, and didn't want to pay the gravity lifting price, you'd look at mining the free floating stuff.
Um. Thanks for emphasizing the point I was making (i.e. sunshine is ubiquitous, in space, not on the moon.)
Tell me again why I'd want to colonize the bottom of a gravity well when sunshine is ubiquitous, water comets are floating about nearby and metallic asteroids are just waiting to be spun, melted with mirrors and mined for metals?
Africa? Immune? I think you're making a lot of optimistic assumptions. You seem to think that this event would be short, singular and not intense enough to affect the equatorial regions, as opposed to multiple events extended over the course of days or weeks that may well extend all the way to the equator.
Even if only Europe, the America's, Australia and countries nearer the poles were knocked out, do you really think this would be without consequence? Shipping? Finance? Defense? Would you like to be living in Taiwan or the Middle East if this happened?