Scientists warn of $2,000bn solar ‘Katrina’

ft.com ^ | Please respect FT.com's ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for | Clive Cookson

[haroldeveryman]

“we simpleton lower societal level humans are helpless and we need government to protect us from the sun.”

Some medieval English king once commanded the sea to retreat. He intended this in order to demonstrate to his people that even a king’s power has limits. Even during the dark ages they were way ahead of today’s political scientists.

[Hawthorn]

>> I believe that it doesn’t matter if it is plugged in or not <<

Depends on the equipment in question — solid-state stuff will be most vulnerable. For example, antique cars, vacuum-tube radios and your 30-year-old refrigerator should be fine as long as unplugged.

But when it comes to your new car, desktop computer and flatscreen TV, you’ll probably want to stash them in a big Faraday box.

On the other hand, your cell phone, digital camera and small AM-FM radio should do OK if wrapped in a layer or two of aluminum foil, then attached by a ground wire to the nearest water pipe — assuming of course that you don’t have vinyl plumbing!

[Charles Martel]

This thread would've been a perfect fit with the "Space Weirdness" ping list that The Comedian was maintaining. I see his account is suspended but his last few posts don't look zot-worthy.

Anyone know what transpired?

[Farmer Dean]

I was kidding you actually.I know how ill prepared/stupid most people are.

[kiltie65]

King Canute. I also heard Dumbo Obama declare he was going to restore the sea levels...he’ll be just about as effective at that as everything else he has touched.

[Deagle]

Just another case of understanding that the Sun and its activity has a major effect on our environment.

Seems to be something that scientists (global warming variety can NOT fathom)...

[Farmer Dean]

I was wondering what happened to him too.

[backwoods-engineer]

Site requires registration to read the article. No thanks.

[mazda77]

Actually, it is so-called (I hate it when the media overuses this term) scientist’s bank accounts are getting low and they need a new gubermint grant for next week’s tofu slog.

[JRandomFreeper]

After about 30 days most of the people in this country would be dead

I'm ready. Been ready for years. Stupid to not know how to do basic stuff.

/johnny

[eyedigress]

But only New Orleans would be affected, if I understand the BS right.

[SubMareener]

NOAA’s solar predictions for the start of Cycle 24 have slid to the right for the past two years. It looks as if it has actually started, but the slope of the curve is shallower than predicted. We could be heading toward the Gore Minimum and another Little Ice Age. At least that is what the dead Palm Tree in my Southern Arizona front yard thought before it died. ;-)

[eyedigress]

Did Alabama fans get you as well...............

[barb-tex]

May I still drive my SUV? Keep my Assault Rifle? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Big Bronson]

I’d be more worried about a gamma ray burst.

[xone]

bump

[Zeppo]

About 2 AM on the 18th the auroral oval plot at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/index.html really lit up, and I was hoping that there might have been a visible aurora in Southern New England, however it was overcast so no luck.

That was the best recent opportunity that I've seen... (I last saw one, a particularly brilliant, vibrant one, in about 1976 or 1977 - been hoping for another one since then, but it hasn't happened.)

[beethovenfan]

$2,000 billion is $2 trillion. Hell, Obama can spend that over a weekend.

[mazda77]

See ya down at the Sonic drive in. I’ll be in my F350 Dually Longbed Quad Cab!

[maine yankee]

I’ll be able to make my popcorn in my tin-foil hat and never have to leave the basement.