ObiWan, the need for entertainment is strong with this one.....

I'm sorry, you're out of character, pmontra, and we now have to usurp you. Please wait in the queue on your left to be assimilated. You signed away the rights, and we saw you there, in the restroom, tapping your foot. Now your works are ours.

No one points out a secondary auth, which adds quite a bit of layering-- that admittedly might be able to be hacked through-- to prevent unauthorized settings changes.

If only Unbreakable Linux were.....

The OS is only part of it. I am not a fanboi, but Apple does several things nicely:

-it creates reality distortion fields of billion dollar size
-it has consistent build quality that reflects serious engineering feats, and vendor liaison and supply-chain discipline
-it has remarkable consistency, good and bad, mostly good
-they are very good at supporting their users and are very connected/focused on their users
-they are masters, perhaps wizards at meme control.

The OS is very important, but that's not why they get top dollar for their goods. Their assets don't depreciate as rapidly, and they are fiendishly consistent.

It's my belief that there are many, many more than just the slashdotters that are of the belief that the communications shenanigans are tough. If you don't speak up, you give tacit silent approval. So, speak up. Educate the populace regarding the history of utilities, monopolies, and how this affects them. Then do it again. That's why I posted. That's why you posted. Don't give up.

This isn't telephony. It's a data communications issue, upon which rides both time-sensitive data (audio, video) and non-time sensitive data. AT&T's arrogance is that of Southwestern Bell's (remember, this is not the AT&T of old) vision for profits.

It's a monopolistic view. It's the old "we own the highway" versus "we gave you rights of way because you were a municipal and regional utility". I say we reclaim the rights of way, and meter AT&T for their belligerence. That'll fix it for everyone.

Oh, geez. Not click-bait enough. Sun spots to kill grid! Everything dead! Your iStuff bleeding on the floor!

You've got the right formula.

There would be stuff that would obviously croak beyond repair. Other than a little tanner, that's about it save for certain parts of the grid, which could indeed see whopping coulombs dumped in unexpected places. But mass hysteria sells clicks.

If I used phone lines, I'd have MOVs on them. Many telcos over-earth where necessary, just to ensure low damage. I ground together my cable box with my other earths, but hey-- I'm an engineer.

Really good.

And many supplies have MOVs and LC networks that would help mitigate the problem. In the old days, telegraph wires weren't earthed, and so became enormous antennas that could readily be charged by ionization.

Satellites are less protected, and there, sensitive low-power (especially CMOS) products might easily fry. However, they're already shielded and exposed to the elements in a way unlike us on the ground.

We're smart enough to tie most neutrals to earth in home wiring boxes. OTOH, the skin effect could fry stuff. Your car's ECM might be just fine because it's under a metal hood, albeit insulated from the earth by the tires. As such, it's not really a capacitor or joule/coulomb tank.

Major electrical grid problems would ensue, but recovery might not be as tough as you think.

UBdaFool. ROFL.

So you used a bogus email addy when you established your account here?

Nice to test the political waters but there are lot of just clueless sociopathic idiots that get fat consulting contracts, then spew nonesense until your ears bleed.

Some idiots are lucky. It's like the old adage that nothing is foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

OTOH, Cousin Ernie may have gotten the gig for reasons that don't meet the test of credulity, either. Never leave to conspiracy that which can be explained by sloth.

Add to the costs: fuel. Overhauls from hell, with designs that haven't improved much since the 1940s. Draconian IFR costs. Jepps that break the bank. Tie down fees from the depths of hell. NOTAMs only a mother could love or an engineer understand, and plentiful poundage of them. Insurance costs.

Yeah, older planes still fly, fewer pilots, new plane costs far higher than the cost of an average new home.

And people wonder why sales are in the crapper.

And so you didn't read it. Paying for a report doesn't pay for its bias, although it could. You could find out by climbing into what's being said. A healthy skepticism is required, of course.

Funded science occurs all the time, and it doesn't necessarily buy results. Certainly bad results often are buried, but this is more about joining forces, rather than projection or statistical nonesence. That said, I don't believe that nuclear development at this time is a good idea no matter the crux of their science, as the main issues are still untenable for future generations until they can be resolved, and nothing resolves them in this report other than furthering the concept that current generation methodologies, like coal, natural gas, and others are unsustainable. Nothing new there.

Not necessarily. Read the report. It's more like the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Nonetheless, one source is largely renewable and works from small to large scales, recycles its parts fairly well, and is a store-and-forward technology. The other has onerous disposal problems, and a vicious amount of potential vulnerabilities.

Perhaps one day, spent nuclear fuel could be repurposed and made harmless, but not today. And with rotten designs and poor oversight, nuclear power represents great danger to the environment as a potential hazard. Some may argue increased plant safety, but external events show that safety isn't inherent.