>>>Nice idea. My brother saw them last year in Iceland. He has more disposable income than me so he gets to do that sort of thing :-)
>>
>>Back then, we had plenty of disposable income too. Now we don't even have *any* income!!! Startups are sure a drain on one's savings! <g>
>>
>>> I think I'll have to wait for a Carrington event.
>>
>>I don't think that will be much fun, if we ever have one of those! I recently finished reading an article about that in the June issue of National Geographic. It would be a pretty nasty event in our technologically dependent world!
>
>I was just googling this and came across: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmdfence/1552/155205.htm#n19
>
>Bit off topic but Snip:
>"33. In July 1962, the United States conducted an experiment with the detonation of a 1.4 megaton nuclear weapon (Starfish Prime) 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean, around 900 miles from Hawaii. The effect of this explosion was the generation of an electromagnetic pulse that was far larger than expected. The EMP caused damage to electrical equipment in Hawaii, knocking out streetlights, setting off fire alarms and damaging telephone equipment. There were also visible auroras in the sky following the detonation. In 1962, the Soviet Union also performed a series of three high-altitude nuclear tests in space over Kazakhstan. The weapons used were smaller than that of the US's Starfish Prime test, but the EMP effects were reportedly more significant, as the detonations occurred over a populated area. While there is little information available about these tests at least in the public domain, what there is suggests . that there was significant damage to telephone wires and power cables. "
>
>I never knew they did that !

It's amazing that people don't know about EMP and the consequences if used in a war.

One of the main reasons to worry about North Korea and Iran is that they are both close to having the capability of popping EMP bursts over the US or Europe.

In the 60's the effect was very limited due to mostly tube type equipment and lack of any dense low voltage DC solid state electronics.

If such a thing happened now it could easily lead to the collapse of the US or Europe as we know them. Immediate elimination of the majority of communications (fried - not short term), elimination of financial capabilities (from the POS to the federal records), elimination of production capability (what doesn't rely on communications, automation, robotics?), elimination of transportation (unless you're still driving the machine from the '60s), devastation of medical capabilities, elimination of the electrical grid, etc.. Follow that with starvation and disease.

Then let someone from the other hemisphere try to help. Threaten them with equal treatment and help isn't coming.

Faraday Cages - look them up. I've got a fair investment in equipment in them.