A News Video I thought to post.

[texcaliber]

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/23860281/index.html

I look forward to you comments.

tex

[Texas_Bryan]

I read an article this morning regarding a Senator, and NASA folk, that wanted a hundred million to 'protect' us from the solar storms.  Don't spend my money on these unknowns.  I hold this stuff on the same level as global warming and global freezing, a bunch of scientist that want their names on a building or in a bill, and want to be able to push their will on others.

[Hazcat]

Tex,

Solar flares or 'sun spots' are a well proved occurrence that does interfere with communications.  Similar to EMP but not as powerful.

[tombogan03884]

This was a good blurb for a show about solar flairs, no doom and gloom, just straight explanation of observed phenomenon.
I need to warn Texas Bryan, that this actually IS a valid concern. Back around the turn of the Century ( 19th / 20th ).
We had a series of solar storms so severe that they knocked out telegraph service in places. Think how much more damage these would cause today when EVERYTHING is computerized. My ex wife used to be an assembler at Cabletron, the components are so delicate that they have to be packed in special baggies that do not generate static electricity and the workers have to wear grounding straps.
The next cycle is thought to be as potent or even more so.
Another thing, all our surveillance satellites are looking inward.  Considering the amount of crap flying around in space, and the number of times the Earth and Moon have taken major hit's (like the one that formed the Gulf of Mexico )
this is like walking into the street with out checking for traffic.  
Here are a couple links .

http://www.onesecondafter.com/pb/wp_d10e87d9/wp_d10e87d9.html

http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=7334.0

http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=9521.msg123291#msg123291

[Texas_Bryan]

This was a good blurb for a show about solar flairs, no doom and gloom, just straight explanation of observed phenomenon.
I need to warn Texas Bryan, that this actually IS a valid concern. Back around the turn of the Century ( 19th / 20th ).
We had a series of solar storms so severe that they knocked out telegraph service in places. Think how much more damage these would cause today when EVERYTHING is computerized. My ex wife used to be an assembler at Cabletron, the components are so delicate that they have to be packed in special baggies that do not generate static electricity and the workers have to wear grounding straps.
The next cycle is thought to be as potent or even more so.
Another thing, all our surveillance satellites are looking inward.  Considering the amount of crap flying around in space, and the number of times the Earth and Moon have taken major hit's (like the one that formed the Gulf of Mexico )
this is like walking into the street with out checking for traffic.  

They package everything in static bags nowadays, for little purpose I've found.  And the static grounds are standard too working on anything.  Working on computers for almost half a decade, I know its nothing, I've never had a failure, but I can appreciate good practices.  But most people form their concerns and opinions on this subject based off of yellow sensationalized documentaries on television, not science.  The same way they form opinions on global warming.  If this is a big concern fine, but don't sell me, 'I saw an episode of 'The Day Everyone Died in a Big Sun Explosion' and now I think we should...'.

[Sponsor]

[Solus]

This was a good blurb for a show about solar flairs, no doom and gloom, just straight explanation of observed phenomenon.
I need to warn Texas Bryan, that this actually IS a valid concern. Back around the turn of the Century ( 19th / 20th ).
We had a series of solar storms so severe that they knocked out telegraph service in places. Think how much more damage these would cause today when EVERYTHING is computerized. My ex wife used to be an assembler at Cabletron, the components are so delicate that they have to be packed in special baggies that do not generate static electricity and the workers have to wear grounding straps.
The next cycle is thought to be as potent or even more so.
Another thing, all our surveillance satellites are looking inward.  Considering the amount of crap flying around in space, and the number of times the Earth and Moon have taken major hit's (like the one that formed the Gulf of Mexico )
this is like walking into the street with out checking for traffic.  

Agreed.  With increasing density of integrated circuits the effects of solar storms will be more pronounced.  

The 'rough' asteroid threat is also real.

The designers of communications satellites, power grid equipment and other sensitive components should we aware of the possible effects of solar storms on the equipment they employ.  It is in their best interest to have the gear able to withstand solar storms and they won't need a government grant to do the research.

The asteroid issue is a concern where resources need to be allocated.  

When BHO proposed an asteroid landing as the next NASA goal, I don't know if he had this in mind, but it might be a first step in addressing the problem.  Not sure if we can do enough tracking from near earth observatories.

 

[tombogan03884]

From Solus :
"The designers of communications satellites, power grid equipment and other sensitive components should we aware of the possible effects of solar storms on the equipment they employ.  It is in their best interest to have the gear able to withstand solar storms and they won't need a government grant to do the research."

This is very true, but the sad fact is that they are so blind to anything outside their specialty that they even overlooked the dangers of changing from 1999 to 2000 in the date.

[fightingquaker13]

From Solus :
"The designers of communications satellites, power grid equipment and other sensitive components should we aware of the possible effects of solar storms on the equipment they employ.  It is in their best interest to have the gear able to withstand solar storms and they won't need a government grant to do the research."

This is very true, but the sad fact is that they are so blind to anything outside their specialty that they even overlooked the dangers of changing from 1999 to 2000 in the date.

It never even crossed their minds. Just an industry wide "Doh!" moment. Of course the upside is that it did sell a lot of generators and MREs to those who expect the Endtimes to begin next Tuesday.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

It never even crossed their minds. Just an industry wide "Doh!" moment. Of course the upside is that it did sell a lot of generators and MREs to those who expect the Endtimes to begin next Tuesday.
FQ13

You live in Fl. and you STILL don't "get it" ?    

The people who bought MRE's and generators with the ones with sense enough to realize that with our societies  increasing use of computers, and microcirctry the odds of, as you say, "the Endtimes to begin next Tuesday", continue to increase.

quick example, the North East Black out 1967 ( ? ) MB will remember the year.    

[Solus]

From Solus :
"The designers of communications satellites, power grid equipment and other sensitive components should we aware of the possible effects of solar storms on the equipment they employ.  It is in their best interest to have the gear able to withstand solar storms and they won't need a government grant to do the research."

This is very true, but the sad fact is that they are so blind to anything outside their specialty that they even overlooked the dangers of changing from 1999 to 2000 in the date.

I worked in the IT industry during the Y2K 'Crisis'.

The problem was that it was the practice to use a 2 digit year to save computer memory and disk storage during a time when computer memory cost $1000s per 1024 bytes.  

The folks in the industry were well aware of the problem many years before Y2K and more modern systems used a 4 digit year and steps were taken to well in advance to avert any problems that might occur.  Successfully, I might add.

The media generated panic was where all the 'crisis' existed.  I spoke to folks who thought the problem was some how "Cosmic" in nature and thought simply turning off the computer over night on New Year's Eve would avoid the problem.

Correcting the problem was rather simple...a one or two line change where needed.  The time and expense was incurred in finding all the places in existing programs where the code needed to be changed.