We're doomed! No MN! Life is over...

[Housemum]

Love this scaremongering story that popped up on Yahoo solar flares could cause blackouts

How long before we get the comspiracy theorists and loonies talking about FlashForwards?! But seriously, a solar flare wiping out electronic devices? No CBeebies/MN/Facebook/e-mail??? I'd have to talk to (whisper) people? We're all doomed...

if you dig deep enough there are some quite convincing tidbits actually, did you know that they are building humungous stoarage containers in iceland? (or somewhere) and every (rich enough) country has invested and they will hold grains and pulses and livestock and rich people

why now?

Have you got a link?

i don't, but can get some tomorrow, dp has them all on his pc, ooops about the baby comment i'm sure it will be fine

Ok, lets get a bit of training for what is going to come. Switch the computer off, turn the lights off, forget about completing any task you have set yourself for tomorrow, and go back to bed.

You can't do nothing until it happens, and probably not even then.

On a practical note, get some candles and a deck of cards.

this is script taken from a more reputable source i believe but i just found it on a different website but is what i was talking about

you won't need candles chandra didn't you hear? the world is going to BURN!!

The question I have is why on earth would any individuals want to survive? Surely it's better to accept the situation, be with your family and what will be will be?

I've heard of that seed bank before. It sounds like common sense protection against our own incompetence with nature. Tell your DH to stop worrying you!

very sensible attitude GS

'Aaarf at the thought of people dying because their GPS fails. Have we forgotten how to read maps already? It's only been a few years!'

OMG, I don't own a GPS. Am I dead already?

Due to the geography of the area we live in, we do not receive mobile phone reception, radio, TV and the broadband service is limited. Many in the area do not receive broadband at all.
GPS is also a bit hit and miss. You get used to not having the technology and adapt.

I may go and stockpile chocolate, however.

My main concern would be the correlation between solar flare ups and the affect on crops - droughts and the shifting of the jet stream? Is this correct?

Ditto SwansEatQuince. No mobile reception at home or in most of surroundings, no TV reception other than via satellite, slow satellite broadband only, have never used GPS outside of work - definitely haven't got one of those stupid in car navigation devices. It's hardly end of the world stuff missing out on these things!

lol at all this! funnily enough the last solar maxima was only 9 years ago and while we have moved on somewhat since then it isn't that drastically different.

However reasonable press release from Royal Astronomical society which perhaps demonstrates that whilst as individuals we don't need to be concerned, there should be investment at government and industry levels to protect our supplies and satellites.

and a news report from 2003 when solar flares did cause some issues.

swans. I have not seen any correlation between solar maxima and the jet stream. I am not sure why one would influence the other.

Beta - hadn't seen that noaa do space weather. Cool

If you want your very own alerts for solar flares subscribe to aurora watch Tis uk-centric (as it is for predicting aurora visible form the British Isles. You do get the very very occasional false alarm as well but in general they are pretty good.

OhYouBadBadKitten- I take notions into my head and get things all wrong. Like Chicken Licken and the Sky Falling on Head issue...

paper on the effect in Medieval times

Interesting paper - I'll take time to read it properly later

I know there is some postulation that the solar cycle does affect the weather and certainly it is logical that if more energy is put into the atmosphere then that will affect the weather, but I've not seen anything that talks directly about certain patterns like the jet stream. Though just because I've not seen it doesnt mean its not there (will do a bit of research) I certainly don't have chance to read all the latest papers that come out on it the subject.

I think if you want to worry about the jet stream and crop failure in Europe this is actually a pretty good year to worry about it.

If the world is supposed to end at Xmas 2012, shall I delay Xmas shopping that year? Think I'd get away with that? Sorry, Santa didn't bring you anything cos we all thought the world was going to end and when it didn't I couldn't face the queue at Argos?

Wasn't the world supposed to end in the late 80's (I'm sure i remember a scare story when I was in 6th form), then 1999, then 2000, then when the Large Hadron Collider was switched on (though it's not up to speed yet, is it?) - why are we so intent on working ourselves up into doomsday predictions?

Get the candles, they always provide some spiritual consolation while you await the catastrophe. The cards will keep the children out of your hair provided you get them addicted to poker and betting before the time arrives (yeah, no point to worry about betting habits if nobody is going to get paid)

Get the candles, they always provide some spiritual consolation while you await the catastrophe. The cards will keep the children out of your hair provided you get them addicted to poker and betting before the time arrives (yeah, no point to worry about betting habits if nobody is going to get paid)

As you can imagine with my varied interests I do actually have a reasonable emergency kit with cooking, lighting and long life food. Those of you who had prolonged power cuts in the snow this winter will appreciate how handy having a week or two's worth of stuff in is.

Tis no good saying you can do with out all the modern stuff if you don't have the basic kit to deal with when it fails.

OYBK is as ever the voice of doom wisdom. Although it is summer I have over 1 tonne of logs sitting in my dining room just in case.

lol at it being in your dining room! ours is sensibly stored in our log shed

lol, we did that before the election! We were convinced that it would be a hung parlement, the Tories would ignore that and just swan into power anyway, and there would be massive general strikes and riots.

...tbf, we do tend to do a big stock up every now and again anyway, in case of money issues, major injuries, snow etc preventing us going to the shop or getting a delivery. We MAY be slightly paranoid... :D