2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami

Sam the Eagle · Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 2475 Location: 192.168.0.1

Two new items, one of which seriously worries me for family reasons.

First off, this Japan's reconstruction minister resigns after offending tsunami victims

Sam the Eagle · Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 2475 Location: 192.168.0.1

W.T.F!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVuGwc9dlhQ&feature=related

Seriously, wtf.
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Darqcyde · Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 3:39 pm Post subject:

Sam the Eagle · Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 2475 Location: 192.168.0.1

Many things were said in here, and I won't resurrect this glowing dead-horse anymore after this parting piece. Something I came upon yesterday, almost 5 months after the tsunami:

Highest radiation to date at Fukushima plant another hurdle for TEPCO

E-boy · Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:51 pm Post subject:

Well no matter how you slice people are going to take a dim view of nuclear power now. It's very difficult to plan for every eventuality and the more eventualities you think of the more expensive the plant.

Speaking of eventualities our government is trying to very quietly prepare for the solar equivalent of a 100 year storm. It seems someone finally got through to them what a really big solar storm could do to modern infrastructure. The good news is they are planning and procuring for it now. The bad news is some of this stuff (Like certain spare parts for our grid) will take literally years to prepare. Keep your fingers crossed.

P.S. if you don't know what a really big solar storm could do to our infra structure it's BAD BAD BAD. Think solar wind strong enough to flatten our magnetic field, induced currents on any metal objects (The last big one hit during the era of the telegraph and people were killed by induced current on the lines). It would be capable of knocking down our grid, communications, sattelites, etc. On the upside you'd be able to see the northern lights pretty much every freaking where.
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"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid" ~ SGT John Stryker from "Sands of Iwo Jima".

CTrees · Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 3772

One of the most interesting, to me, bits about a major solar storm - insurance companies would likely pay exactly zero. Force majeure would be guaranteed to kick in, and, well, it would be the sad trombone heard round the world. No one - no one - insures against mayan gods getting cranky.
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E-boy · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 5:57 am Post subject:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=power-companies-prepare-as-solar-st

It's almost a case of "Speak of the Devil". These storms, while they may be bad, are probably not of the hundred year variety(the whole hundred year thing is a metaphor stolen from terrestrial weather). The article does discuss some of what occured in the 1800's although it makes no mention of fatalities. It does mention the northern lights being visible in the Carribean.
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"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid" ~ SGT John Stryker from "Sands of Iwo Jima".

Darqcyde · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 12:04 pm Post subject:

E-boy · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:15 pm Post subject:

I don't see how it could. It would mostly induce currents on metallic objects and other conductors this would mostly be a threat to satellites in orbit and our electrical grid. But some of the higher risk components of afore mentioned grid do not currently have spare capacity (in this case I am referring to large expensive parts rather than electrical capacity). The Department of homeland security has mandated that spares be produced ASAP. Even with this expedition of the task it will take a while. We are not presently remotely ready for a worst case scenario.
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"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid" ~ SGT John Stryker from "Sands of Iwo Jima".