Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:Pirate Party Australia not Impressed (Score 1) 108

Somehow, I doubt they will be avoiding efforts to regulate. Just look at how copyright has slowly but surely increased over the years. Music and movie cartels will always keep pushing and pushing to get more and more. I'm hoping that government will wake up, realize that this will eventually stagnate their population's creative juices, and slap them down hard but I'm realistic enough to realize that won't happen until enough people are screaming in hordes at their doors.

Comment Re:AC vs DC? (Score 1) 67

I put in my guess as to 'why'.

Lightning causes the 'starting' bolt up in the air to ionize and creates some plasma. Now, lightning is electrons which, when moving, create magnetic fields. Even straight copper lines can cause RF interference when voltage oscillates because of this effect. The thin 'coating' of plasma around the lightning could be creating an electromagnetic field of it's own due to induction that only becomes strong enough when enough plasma is created -- 200 ft or more. Thus, the lightning bolt creates a electromagnetic plasma 'pipe' that the lightning bolt can use to fly down the long journey to earth. Once the tunnel is complete the ionizing trail remains long enough for the bolt that goes up.

Naturally, this plasma is unstable and too much lightning might break through the plasma tunnel to create new tunnels repelled by the other branches.

Eh, that my pop theory.

Slashdot Top Deals

"Ninety percent of baseball is half mental." -- Yogi Berra

Working...