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Could the internet ever be switched off – or destroyed?

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July 21st, 2015 at 3:18:53 PM permalink

rxwine

Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 189
Posts: 18764

somewhat related.

Quote:
NASA is hard at work on a spacecraft known as Solar Probe One—the first mission designed to dip into the Sun’s outer atmosphere—and, more impressively, live to tell the tale. Slated for a 2018 launch, the craft will try to figure out why solar storms happen and how they send blasts of particles out to threaten Earth with electronic disaster.

But that’s only one focus of the mission. Another is to answer the 60-year-old mystery of how the Sun’s surface can hover at around 10,000°F (5,500°C) while the thin gas immediately above, known as the corona, is at least a hundred times hotter. Nobody fully understands how this can be. It might be caused by the Sun’s powerful magnetic fields, says Kasper, lead scientist for one of Solar Probe’s five instruments. Or it might have to do with the Sun’s turbulent, roiling surface, which triggers pressure waves that that dissipate their energy in the corona “like waves crashing on the beach.”

It's hot out there. Cup of ice, please.

http://science.time.com/2013/09/24/sun-bombing-a-spacecraft-will-brave-the-solar-fires/

You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?

July 21st, 2015 at 3:49:05 PM permalink

Nareed

Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545

Quote: Face
Load it with Au. When a star uses up all its H, then its He, and on and on, it eventually reaches Au. That's when it goes boom.

I'm not sure about that. Gold is way beyond the break-even point of fusion (gold is denser than lead). That is, a fusion reaction that produces gold uses up more energy than it will give out. I think a star goes Super Nova well before then. At the Super Nova collapse phase is when heavier elements get "made", I think.

Quote:
I dunno how it'd work if there was Au present while still having H to burn. I also don't know how much would be needed to set something off. But the idea of a giant golden rocket plunging into the sun amuses me for some reason.

It is amusing. But alas, even if that were the case, I don't think there's enough gold on Earth to affect the Sun. Also, you'd have to dump it near the center, wouldn't you? If you drop it on the surface, it would just boil away and be dragged off by the Solar wind.

It's still a neat idea. it has possibilities, maybe a reboot of James Bond with Goldfinger as the ultimate villain?

Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER

July 21st, 2015 at 4:40:12 PM permalink
reno Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 58 Posts: 1384	Quote: AZDuffman Methinks there is an error here. The Sun is 93 million miles away IIRC. Whoops. You're right, I got the numbers mixed up. Proxima Centauri is 4.24 light years away from earth. 1 light year = 5.88 trillion miles 4.24 x 5.87849981 × 10^12 miles = almost 25 trillion miles. I'm rounding up because it just doesn't matter if I'm off by 10s of billions of miles.

July 22nd, 2015 at 2:21:13 AM permalink
Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569	Quote: reno Assuming our nuke could go as fast as the fastest unmanned space probe in history (Helios 2), you're looking at a travel time of 19,000 human years. More trouble than it's worth, eh? Wow! I calculate closer to 18,000 years. In comparison the oldest buildings extant are less than 7000 years old.

July 22nd, 2015 at 7:15:36 AM permalink
Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545	Quote: reno I'm rounding up because it just doesn't matter if I'm off by 10s of billions of miles. If the ship wakes you up from suspended animation a few tens of billions of miles away from the target, you'll find it did matter :) Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER

July 22nd, 2015 at 12:37:04 PM permalink
chickenman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 0 Posts: 368	Quote: Face Where is the internet? Some actually know. Al Gore for one since he invented it. :P But seriously, like anything else, a determined attacker can take down anything. I think a sophisticated attack on the redundancy, then a simple DDoS does the trick. Probably the Chinese, Russians and Israelis already have the capability, as does the US. He's everywhere, he's everywhere...!

July 22nd, 2015 at 12:56:46 PM permalink
Ayecarumba Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 89 Posts: 1744	What would be the loss if the entire internet went down? No cat videos? I think the world would adjust after a few months, and we would all be fine... Except we'd be getting totally reamed by the phone companies charging to reconnect landlines.

July 22nd, 2015 at 12:58:04 PM permalink
Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545	Quote: Ayecarumba What would be the loss if the entire internet went down? Begin by looking up daily figures for e-commerce, then take it from there. And that's just economics. The social aspect is also very important. Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER

July 22nd, 2015 at 1:02:04 PM permalink

rxwine

Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 189
Posts: 18764

Quote: Ayecarumba
What would be the loss if the entire internet went down?

One day there will be the last generation who can remember when the world didn't have instant connectivity on so many levels.

(if any of you end up being the world oldest person one day, remember to mention that when they interview you. After all, you'll likely only be months away to giving away your title)

You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?

July 22nd, 2015 at 4:52:31 PM permalink

AZDuffman

Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18212

Quote: Ayecarumba
What would be the loss if the entire internet went down? No cat videos? I think the world would adjust after a few months, and we would all be fine... Except we'd be getting totally reamed by the phone companies charging to reconnect landlines.

Much commerce would grind to a halt. For starters, home sales would collapse because most title searches and mortgage processing would become impossible. Ditto for health care providers. Little freight would move. It would take years to adjust because most of the population under 35 years old is so dependent on tech that they cannot do things in the old ways.

And how would I call the phone company to connect my landline?

The President is a fink.

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