The On Coming Storm

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/space-weather-coming-storm-093430742.html

Interesting article, looks like they are realising if it does happen it could be serious.

What it doesn't mention is that if its strong enough to burn the Transformers out (They just say about switching them all on to spread the load) The power companies & governments will only have a short time in which to make the decision to switch them all off.

Switching them off before a big solar storm hits would preserve them, but leave entire regions with no power for the length of the storm.

That would be chaos & not many politicians would want to make that sort of decision.

But the alternative could be a lot worse.

The article doesn't mention that the manufacturers can only produce 3 Transformers a year, so some countries could be without a grid for years.

 

I think it says a lot when we have become so dependent on technology that it is a real crisis when it fails. I know that's been the case for a long long time. It is a common strategy in warfare to target comms and power grids and has been for decades, but it doesn't change the fact that we're the only animal on the planet that has come to depend on stuff way outside of our local environment.

Lets hope it doesn't get too bad. I remember a few years ago a significant chunk of Canada had its power wiped out and it caused utter chaos. If I remember right it actually cost lives.

 

Ziggy, the new *dim*

 

I've got a generator and a stockpile of fuel.

 

I'm stockpiling candles.

 

Yes that was a massive freak ice storm that caused that. Some places were without power for months!! Loads of people either froze to death or were killed by burning stuff indoors without proper ventilation. Not to mention treacherous road conditions and falling trees and power lines caused by the weight of ice. We just are NOT prepared for ANY kind of natural disaster on that sort of scale!!

 

I've always been like that, its just that Dim would outshine me by bringing conspiracies in as well.

 

I'm stockpiling transformers.

 

From now Ziggy has been renamed , "doomwatch"

 

Just keeping you on your toes & prepared for whatever gets thrown at us

Remember, if Ziggy says shut down your laptop its coming, then it probably is. No false alarms till then though.

http://www.solarham.net/

 

I'm stockpiling stockpiles.
Seriously though,we don't realise how potentially fragile our systems are.
Our food is imported and delivered on a 'just in time' structure.
We're net importers of fossil fuels,
and our energy infrastructure commonly runs at near full capacity.
Just look at the panic when the fuel tankers went on strike,even when there was a threat of strike action.