When the Internet and all Electronics Hard-Reset

[univurshul]

I had a discussion with my father a couple years ago about gamma rays from space or man-made conditions that have the potential to damage every electronic/sensitive device on Earth.

humans have the same the power to create a nuke that detonates far above the hemisphere in the upper-level atmosphere, which in-turn has the same effect: cars built after 1986 that don't start, dead computers, power grids down. The theory is that the damage erases all electronic data, fries vulnerable components.

Does anybody believe this could happen? According to radioactive/gamma-ray theory, these signals can penetrate miles beneath the Earth's crust. This suggests underground archive chambers are exposed to the same risks.

Start building hard drives encased in pure lead? Will that even work?

If everything is purely in digital-form in 300 years--all of our modern books, recorded data, essentially the manuals to our progress as a species--do we run the risk of a hard-reset, losing the entire web of information from catastrophic electrical/radio waves?

Although I'm not a doomsdayer, I think the concept of an global 'hard-reset' could be a reality. If it already has been proven to occur on a small-scale (crashing, surging, and gamma-tests up against devices), one could imagine this could occur at the most unthinkable level.

[spamsickle]

A nearby (i.e., within the Milky Way galaxy) gamma ray burst that's pointed at Earth will probably reset life, so I wouldn't worry about whether or not electronic records were still legible. On the other hand, it's unlikely that such an event will occur -- they are extremely rare to begin with, and there is theory to suggest that in a metal-rich galaxy like ours is today, they would be even more unlikely. The chances of one happening, AND being pointed at us, AND taking place within the window of technological vulnerability is miniscule.

An electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear detonation should only destroy transistors and integrated circuits. The actual data on hard drives and optical media should still be there, once new components could be fabricated to read them. If technological man has survived, I think most of our important literature could be recovered even if it was all electronic, but I don't see paper going away for centuries, if ever.

Bottom line, I wouldn't lose any sleep over either of these scenarios. If either were to occur, the integrity of your ebooks would be the least of your problems.

[Turtle]

A complete shutdown of all media and electronics, in my opinion, is a good thing. We will have some quiet time to look into our spirituality and begin to grow food in our own backyard and not depend on large industries. We will begin to work together with our local neighbors to create a new, sustainable system using new, clean and improved technology. Entrepreneurs will rush out and sell new electronic goods, including backup copies of books they've scanned as long as long as somebody doesn't tax them heavily. If you cry out for government aids then the taxes will be raised on entrepreneurs. They will not rush out and sell new electronic goods if they have too much restrictions. If a solar flare or an EMP strikes, this event will be a great adventure as long as we are free to create.

To protect your essentials such as ham radios, your ebooks, or sd cards is to put them in a zip lock bag. Wrap aluminum foil all around them then put it inside another zip lock bag. They must be airtight. This is what some low budget electronic sellers do. Others use commercial grade shielded bags. They are always ready to sell goods to you. For those that fear then end is near, just think that you can prevent this, able to solve it quickly or that the solar flares can't harm your body, then your fears will go away. Even if some older folks who can't cope, because of the lack of modern conveniences, they will just have to think positive. Satellites aren't immune from solar flares because of its location but the fiber optics Internet might be up and running within days in critical business infrastructures. I'd lived all my life without satellite services and I'm still doing good.

For those who don't believe the solar flares are coming check out Michio Kaku on Youtube. The planetary alignment predicted by the Mayan calender could cause a major flare, cause by planetary gravitation, around 2012, right in the middle of the Olympic games event. The magnetic pole shift could also allow radiation to enter our atmosphere. Scientist have shown that a magnetic pole shift is a something of a greater possibility then we expect. I think this could happen during the planetary alignment, who knows. This is an an exciting time I want to live long enough to see, so I'm eating healthy, less meat products. I was not around when the most powerful solar storm in recorded history last happen in 1859.

[univurshul]

There's an interesting book out there called The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley.

http://www.rationaloptimist.com/ It's not about Doomsday or a "hard-reset", but it does illustrate some very excellent assessments of society, civilization.

[StevePoling]

EMPs are a common event, you hear of them with each thunderclap. My dad was once hit by lightning, not by the actual bolt, but by an induced 2ndary charge. However, they are much more localized than a nuke going off a few hundred miles above Kansas. They were discovered by nuke tests over Hawaii back in the 1960s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime

A nuclear blast strips loose electrons from atoms the rarefied atmosphere sends them outward. Should this electron tidal wave encounter a conductor, say an antenna or a power transmission line, they are directed along it. Should there be something like a lightning arrestor or surge suppressor in the circuit, it could trip protecting the electronics who'd be smoked otherwise. Or it might just be overwhelmed. Idunno.

I believe conventional-explosive-pumped EMP weapons were tested by the US against Iraq with limited success. If you are paranoid, you can easily fabricate an Faraday cage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage and cache electronics therein. However, if you're that paranoid, you might better cache guns.

I worked in DOD back during the Reagan administration, we scoffed that our jets were so much better than the Ruskies b/c they were still using vacuum tubes in their avionics. Until one of the boffins noted that vacuum tubes are more robust in the face of EMP. If the balloon went up, our fly-by-wire fighters would fall out of the sky while the MIGs would still be flying. Thereafter I recall seeing contract proposals to make avionics EMP hardened. Since the Internet was designed to survive a nuclear war, and since it was designed after we knew about nuke-induced EMP, I strongly suspect some portions of it will survive an EMP attack.

Gamma-ray flux from a nearby nova/supernova would indeed be a disaster of biblical proportions, and the only preparations for that are biblical in nature.

[univurshul]

These are great insights Steve,

There's at least a week's worth of reading and information-digesting in your post. Intense stuff.

'Starfish Prime'; sounds like Hollywood script yet to be written.

I suppose the underlying concern for me comes down to fear of loss. We know we can lose our entire digital libraries if we don't back them up. I suppose that conversation I had with my father was contingent that humans actually live through an EMP unscathed (despite the science suggesting death is imminent), while our species' technology is simultaneously obliterated in one-go. We are then instantly sent into an 'information dark age'. It more or less set off a series of thoughts about not having the unique access to information that we do in the modern world. It affects so many things--on a gradual or immediate level--like food, health, transportation, etc.

The Faraday cage was invented in 1836? If you don't call that 'ahead of the curve', I don't know what is. Crazy.

[TaylorR137]

Here's a great thread on physics forums that explains the issue http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/in ... 11717.html

Gamma rays are very energetic, no (reasonable) amount of tin-foil or other faraday cage is going to stop them, and they can damage electronics - especially modern processors.

Our society is dependent upon our modern technologies. Some people may have more time to think in such an event, but many more would starve to death.

If a gamma ray burst were to cause this, it would need to be in our galaxy, and pointed towards us, but this is extremely rare. Our electronics would't be the primary concern. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-ray_ ... ts_on_life

[StevePoling]

Guys, let's not confuse gamma rays from a supernova with EMPs from, say, an unfriendly foreign power or terrorist organization. An EMP is energetic electrons and gamma rays are high frequency photons. Completely different critters. I think I hinted that if we experience a serious gamma ray flux event, our most effective action will be to make your peace with God because we're all as good as dead. Conversely, if it's an EMP, there'll be a lot of tripped circuit breakers, and some fried gear, but we won't descend to Mad Max savagery.

[Antoha-spb]

Guys, let's not confuse gamma rays from a supernova with EMPs from, say, an unfriendly foreign power or terrorist organization. An EMP is energetic electrons and gamma rays are high frequency photons. Completely different critters. I think I hinted that if we experience a serious gamma ray flux event, our most effective action will be to make your peace with God because we're all as good as dead. Conversely, if it's an EMP, there'll be a lot of tripped circuit breakers, and some fried gear, but we won't descend to Mad Max savagery.

Fully agree to that. After the known accident at Chernobyl power plant in 1986 many lives were hard-reset with radiation sickness and cancer or in best case - loosing home and all belongings there. For a few years people living or having summer houses in Ukraine and Belarus (like our family) watched the food with a dosimeter. And nobody took much care of tapes and films that are also vulnerable to the charged particles...

PS for doomsdayers - recently found nice wirstwatches with dosimeter feature...

[StevePoling]

I neglected to mention solar flares. I read about an event in 1859 that had a major impact on telegraph lines, but there was no electrical grid back then. If one of those monster solar flares hit the earth, it'll wreck transformers that are big and not quickly replaced. And not manufactured in the states. This could take down large swaths of the electrical grid for a very long time. Months.

However, when we lost power for a week after a bad windstorm several years ago a lot of portable electric generators were pulled out of sheds and put to work. Those hand-crank radios are handy. I keep two in my camping gear. After the power came back on I waited 3 months then bought a generator. It's like carrying an umbrella to make sure it doesn't rain. Haven't lost power since.