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Unlike the millennium bug (which i lold at at the time due to the media's obvious hyping..."OMG, the end is nigh!"), CME's are real and are more common when the sun is in it's 11 year solar maximum phase, as it's entering now. the grid is not protected, that's fact, 1 more fact is that for what is a paltry sum we can protect the system and be prepared for a giant CME. will a giant CME happen, the answer is obviously yes, it's just a matter of time, that time could be tomorrow, could be in 100 or 1000 years time, my point is, why take the chance it does happen tomorrow when you can prepare....it's that line from AvP (yes i know it was a terrible film) "why do you have a gun? it's the same as carrying a condom, i would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it."

Does that equate to "scaremongering" or simply playing safe?

[KMA]Avenger wrote:Unlike the millennium bug (which i lold at at the time due to the media's obvious hyping..."OMG, the end is nigh!"), CME's are real and are more common when the sun is in it's 11 year solar maximum phase, as it's entering now. the grid is not protected, that's fact, 1 more fact is that for what is a paltry sum we can protect the system and be prepared for a giant CME. will a giant CME happen, the answer is obviously yes, it's just a matter of time, that time could be tomorrow, could be in 100 or 1000 years time, my point is, why take the chance it does happen tomorrow when you can prepare....it's that line from AvP (yes i know it was a terrible film) "why do you have a gun? it's the same as carrying a condom, i would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it."

Does that equate to "scaremongering" or simply playing safe?

Seeing as the grid is getting into disrepair (from what I've seen from your previous posts, correct me if I'm wrong), I think that would be playing it safe. The grid should be protected anyways. The President has a gross number of bodyguards and the Secret Service "just in case"; I would think the grid should have safeguards against any such thread like CMEs and should be kept in top shape.

ramen07 wrote:Seeing as the grid is getting into disrepair (from what I've seen from your previous posts, correct me if I'm wrong), I think that would be playing it safe.

LOL, i can't remember i don't think i did say that. might have been something else

ramen07 wrote:The grid should be protected anyways. The President has a gross number of bodyguards and the Secret Service "just in case"; I would think the grid should have safeguards against any such thread like CMEs and should be kept in top shape.

That's my point exactly and i couldn't agree more. it's so obvious when you think about it.

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What doesn't make sense mate is bailing out the banking industry because it was reckless gambling on the derivatives market with it's customers funds and us bailing them out to the global tune of Quadrillions, but not taking adequate precautions on something the entire planet is so dependant on...regardless of the frequency of CME events.

Adequate precautions have been taken for the people who deserve it, and for those who paid for it. Surely someone as informed of these things as you would know this, dear G. As far as a worldwide collapse goes.. *grin* Only makes mopping up the pieces that much easier.


@deni's magnetic field disappearing; alternative method of shielding is in late stages of development. High altitude atmospheric excitation provides a 'rock solid shield' (a little joke, since it is the opposite) for the estimated duration of heavy solar winds. All recently launched (1998 and after) satellites have - wherever cost-effective - maneuvring capability to move them within the high atmosphere and inside 'the shield' (and out again).



Thing one would need to worry about (and then, since its lethality is 100% in our civilization's current stage, one might as well ignore it) is a gamma ray burst, but our Sun is in its current life cycle incapable of producing such as far as current heliological research goes.

Kit-Fox wrote:No it doesnt make sense to spend all that money across the world protecting electrical infrastructure on something that only happens once in a blue moon

The companies wont pay for it, the shareholders wont pay for it & the governments cant afford to pay for it.


As said, the chance of a powerful enough CME to have a major effect on ground level equipment is rare, very rare. Sure it happens, but its cheaper to jsut replace the equipment than to protect it in faraday cages and other protection measures.

Upkeep doesn't happen because of one possibility, I get that. But there are more...practical? risks for not keeping such a critical system in top shape other than a cosmic catastrophe.

[KMA]Avenger wrote:What doesn't make sense mate is bailing out the banking industry because it was reckless gambling on the derivatives market with it's customers funds and us bailing them out to the global tune of Quadrillions, but not taking adequate precautions on something the entire planet is so dependant on...regardless of the frequency of CME events.

That reckless gambling is what makes global economy turn. Reckless investment = money flowing into businesses = capital for stocking a product, R&D, even (if the large corporations have the heart) investment into smaller businesses. Without risky investments, there is no room for real growth.

T-X wrote:As far as a worldwide collapse goes.. *grin* Only makes mopping up the pieces that much easier.

With whose money? Whose resources and manpower?