Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (1016592)	5/19/2017 10:44:34 AM
From: POKERSAM	1 Recommendation Recommended By TideGlider Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1588569

It should pass. The EPA is a great example of a bureaucracy run amuck. They had too much power and made law governing the American people with little oversight from Congress. The EPA overreach has been astounding. President Trump has already taken steps to reign in the bureaucracy gone rogue.

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (1016592)	5/19/2017 10:46:22 AM
From: longnshort	1 Recommendation Recommended By FJB Respond to of 1588569

Go Humans! We Inadvertently Created Artificial Protective Barrier Around Earth, NASA Says Humans take a beating when it comes to the environment. Sure, we're part of the natural order here on Planet Earth, but because we're at the top of the food chain, we get a lot of blame when things go wrong. Humans have driven thousands of species extinct, some by habitat destruction, others by pure gluttony (we literally ate all the flightless dodo birds — literally). And, of course, whenever the temperature warms (or cools), it's mankind's fault. But sometimes, every so often, the human race gets a little credit, too. Like this week, when NASA reported that space probes discovered an artificial barrier around Earth that was created purely by human activity. The barrier is caused by low frequency radio communications "interacting with particles in space, which results in a sort of shield protecting Earth from high energy radiation in space," Newsweek reports. This, scientists say, is potentially very good news, as we could use the barrier to protect Earth from extreme space weather resulting from events like coronal mass ejections—huge explosions on the sun, where plasmas and magnetic field are ejected from its corona, the outermost part of its atmosphere. These ejections can result in geomagnetic storms, which have the potential to knock out communication satellites and power grids. NASA scientists detected the barrier with the Van Allen Probes, which are designed to study electrons and ions in our new-space environment. Normally, very low frequency (VLF) signals from radio telescopes are transmitted from the ground and are used to communicate with submarines, deep below the surface of the ocean. However, they also end up going into the atmosphere. The result is a massive “VLF bubble” enshrouding Earth, NASA said. The bubble can be seen high above Earth’s surface in the space environment surrounding it. Further analysis showed the bubble extends almost exactly to the inner edge of Van Allen radiation belts. These three belts are zones of energetic charged particles that come from solar wind—the particles are then captured and held by Earth’s magnetic field. When the VLF bubble interacts with the radiation belts, it creates the barrier observed. The researchers report that without the barrier, the radiation belt boundary would be far closer to Earth. So, go humans!