[PatrickHenry]

What about wind?

That's my biggest question. But when I think of the mass of the thread, half of which is extending above the orbiting center of gravity, even a strong wind at the bottom might be analogous to trying to turn a supertanker around by squiring the bow with a water hose. It's all in the numbers.

[RightWhale]

They were talking about making the base 50 kilometers high. If it is a solid structure, it would be the only part of the elevator inside the atmosphere. Would wind affect the base? Like the wind affects pyramids and mountains. A little erosion noticeable after 1000 years. Would they even feel a vibration up in the cable?

[Doctor Stochastic]

What about the 250,000 to 500,000 volt atmospheric potential from the Earth to the ionisphere? This looks like a big lightening rod.