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> A world without power because of damaged transformers would become economically stagnant Economic stagnation would probably be the least of our problems. The

by brentm 10y ago

> A world without power because of damaged transformers would become economically stagnant Economic stagnation would probably be the least of our problems. The cascading issues from a world without power for an extended period of time are incredibly far reaching. It would most certainly be a form of chaos.

libraryatnight 10y ago
But this is Bloomberg so the focus is on what it will do to your money.
knz 10y ago
"One Second After" is often suggested reading about what those issues might look like. Like many books in the genre, it's interesting but the political leanings of the author quickly become apparent. Personally I'd love to see a "World War Z" style novel about the impact of space weather.
- kaitai 10y ago
  If we're suggesting fiction that deals with the aftereffects, Alyssa Cole has a short series of short novels called Off the Grid that explore the situation. They're in the romance genre, so perhaps a bit different than the usual HN fiction. Of course the political leanings of the author influence these books, as well.
  - knz 10y ago
    Thanks for the recommendation!
JumpCrisscross 10y ago
> a world without power A CME wouldn't cause a world without power. It would cause parts of the world to lose their power grids and satellites. Generators would almost certainly be hooked up to critical infrastructure and cities in rich countries.
- knz 10y ago
  Generators could maybe keep critical infrastructure up but long term brownouts/blackouts in areas accustomed to easy electricity would be a disaster, especially if it was during the winter. Obviously the scale of a CME is what matters - one city is a minor disaster but a whole region or country could alter the course of a nation.
  - woofyman 10y ago
    >especially if it was during the winter Or the summer if you live in the desert.
- rsync 10y ago
  "A CME wouldn't cause a world without power. It would cause parts of the world to lose their power grids and satellites. Generators would almost certainly be hooked up to critical infrastructure and cities in rich countries." This is true, of course, however I am pessimistic about the ability for manufacturers to resist cutesy network/cloud/status/monitoring functions in these devices. I am sure that somewhere, right now, there is a diesel generator acting as backup for something critical that is plugged into ethernet and queries a license server every five minutes.
  - JumpCrisscross 10y ago
    > I am pessimistic about the ability for manufacturers to resist cutesy network/cloud/status/monitoring functions in these devices Small electronics would probably not be affected by a coronal mass ejection [1]. CMEs wreak havoc with the power grid by "inducing a DC-like current" through transformers, thereby melting them [2]. Most diesel generators don't contain large transformers hooked up to miles and miles of conductive cabling. [1] http://www.computerworld.com/article/2643093/strong-solar-storm-set-to-arrive-wont-fry-electronics.html http://www.computerworld.com/article/2643093/strong-solar-st... [2] http://www.thepreparednesspodcast.com/the-difference-between-emp-and-cme/ http://www.thepreparednesspodcast.com/the-difference-between...
  - Retric 10y ago

by brentm 10y ago

libraryatnight 10y ago

But this is Bloomberg so the focus is on what it will do to your money.

knz 10y ago

"One Second After" is often suggested reading about what those issues might look like. Like many books in the genre, it's interesting but the political leanings of the author quickly become apparent. Personally I'd love to see a "World War Z" style novel about the impact of space weather.

kaitai 10y ago
If we're suggesting fiction that deals with the aftereffects, Alyssa Cole has a short series of short novels called Off the Grid that explore the situation. They're in the romance genre, so perhaps a bit different than the usual HN fiction. Of course the political leanings of the author influence these books, as well.
- knz 10y ago
  Thanks for the recommendation!

JumpCrisscross 10y ago

> a world without power A CME wouldn't cause a world without power. It would cause parts of the world to lose their power grids and satellites. Generators would almost certainly be hooked up to critical infrastructure and cities in rich countries.

knz 10y ago
Generators could maybe keep critical infrastructure up but long term brownouts/blackouts in areas accustomed to easy electricity would be a disaster, especially if it was during the winter. Obviously the scale of a CME is what matters - one city is a minor disaster but a whole region or country could alter the course of a nation.
- woofyman 10y ago
  >especially if it was during the winter Or the summer if you live in the desert.
rsync 10y ago
"A CME wouldn't cause a world without power. It would cause parts of the world to lose their power grids and satellites. Generators would almost certainly be hooked up to critical infrastructure and cities in rich countries." This is true, of course, however I am pessimistic about the ability for manufacturers to resist cutesy network/cloud/status/monitoring functions in these devices. I am sure that somewhere, right now, there is a diesel generator acting as backup for something critical that is plugged into ethernet and queries a license server every five minutes.
- JumpCrisscross 10y ago
  > I am pessimistic about the ability for manufacturers to resist cutesy network/cloud/status/monitoring functions in these devices Small electronics would probably not be affected by a coronal mass ejection [1]. CMEs wreak havoc with the power grid by "inducing a DC-like current" through transformers, thereby melting them [2]. Most diesel generators don't contain large transformers hooked up to miles and miles of conductive cabling. [1] http://www.computerworld.com/article/2643093/strong-solar-storm-set-to-arrive-wont-fry-electronics.html http://www.computerworld.com/article/2643093/strong-solar-st... [2] http://www.thepreparednesspodcast.com/the-difference-between-emp-and-cme/ http://www.thepreparednesspodcast.com/the-difference-between...
- Retric 10y ago