I'm not sure how an EMP attack would cause gunpowder to become inert, but maybe those Hollywood boys know something I don't ...
/johnny
Reading the book “One Second After” woke me up to the threat.
But, another thought; if there is a movie or tv series about it it won’t happen. (Hopefully!)
Hunting/Fishing/Camping/Hiking - Recreational Activities/Hobbies that can pay dividends.
Apocalypse soon ping
IIRC the Whitney Streiber book “Warday” covered this scenario quite extensively. The depression caused by loss of currency in electronic tranit was the most significant result as well as the physical destruction caused by the relatively few warheads that were able to reach their targets after the EMP was set off. In that story, the US and Soviet (yes, it predates the breakup of the USSR) EMP weapons were hidden in satellites that were able to maneuver over the target countries and eject their weapons.
*yawn* This makes 5,024 stories about living after the end of tech. These Bozos clearly have no knowledge of sci fi.
Put me in the camp that believes the EMP threat is being hyped to a certain extent. Yes, it could be very disruptive, but so much is theoritical about how much would be disrupted, for how long and the extent of the areas affected.
Walking Dead without the zombies.
Wouldn’t older cars work??
As an electrical engineer, I’m pretty sure I’ll figure out a way to have my and my neighbors’ lights back on soon after. That show is full of characters who can’t even change a tire.
From the promos, I thought it was more like S.M Sterlings “Dies The Fire”, where all modern technology and even firearms are disabled by witchcraft.
Even with the power off, those people in the promos aren’t going to get too far slinging a sword against rifles, pistols and shotguns.
Saw the first episode of this series at Comic-Con last month. Bad acting, bad story, not the least bit realistic.
I'm still curious with all the above ground and air nuclear testing in the 50's and 60's why this never occurred. Also, what ever happened to all the fallout that was supposed to kill the world back then? Too small of yield?
Help me here, nuclear physicists.
The basic problem with the EMP threat is that nobody can predict which devices will be damaged to the extent they cannot function. That is why is makes a poor military weapon, even though it will certainly be an economic one.
Recall that we have tens of thousands of cell phone towers, and thousands of taller towers for television, FM radio, and public service two-way service. Then there are the thousands of towers maintained by the FAA for aircraft communications and navigation use.
The equipment that use these towers is built to survive in the event there is a lightning strike, and most often that is what happens. Less frequently, lightning strikes take out a rack-full of equipment.
We also must recall that long distance power lines, by their very nature are lightning catchers. And then on the personal level, how often does a nearby lightning strike destroy all electronics in a home, how often are only a few devices zapped, and how often is there no damage at all?
This is not to say that when EMP will not have any effect. The problem is that its effect will be diffuse and widespread, so that even if only a few devices on a power line are zapped, it only takes the failure of one to disable the power line.
If we face an EMP threat, which I think we do, it is just stupid to not quickly work towards an EMP-resilient power grid while we are rushing towards installing a smart grid. But I get the distinct impression that those in government and academia who are in a breathless rush for a smart grid are doing so for reasons that are at odds with national security.
In the meantime, it is just prudent for everyone to have sufficient food and supplies to survive for a month until some services can be restored should we have an EMP attack.
It is just prudent to have such a stash anyway. Who knows what disruptions, either man-made or natural will come. And in an era where we can reasonably expect food price inflation, buying ahead is a means of saving money. A stash is a two-fer.
/s
The current government, in collusion with the EPA, FDA, the tree huggers, and the NIMBY and BANANA crowd are already trying to hurtle us back into the 18th century. The only difference is that their methods take a bit longer. EMP and rad hardening equipment is not too difficult (ask the military), it just takes some planning and a technical understanding. Effective shielding could be devised to protect sensitve electronics, similar to lightning and EMI protection, albeit more robust.
It’s JJ Abrams, it’s gonna be a lot weirder than EMP. Which is good because people ridiculously over blow the threat of EMP.