The Professor's Notes

I have been talking to a few people lately about being prepared for the potential of the “solar kill shot.”  The short version of this is that the sun is slowly waking from a long slumber and our reliance on all things electrical, coupled with the powerful “electro-magnetic pulse” from a solar Coronal Mass Ejection (CME, or ‘solar flare’) can wreak havoc on all things electronic.  Including cars. And computers, and power lines and phone systems, and… The list goes on.

This sort of scenario falls easily into the realm of “doom and gloomer” crackpots. (Ed Dames even has a Video The Killshot.)   But Scientists are warning that this particular solar cycle, and our dependence on electronics, could be catastrophic.  This article describes things in economic terms, but imagine the potential harm that can result in $2,000 BILLION in losses.

According to this story, we were visited by another flare, but luckily it was weak in comparison.  I include an excerpt below, but recommend you read the full article.

From the article:

The sun is waking up from a long quiet spell. Last week it sent out the strongest flare for four years – and scientists are warning that earth should prepare for an intense electromagnetic storm that, in the worst case, could be a “global Katrina” costing the world economy $2,000bn.

Senior officials responsible for policy on solar storms – also known as space weather – in the US, UK and Sweden urged more preparedness at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington.

…

In terms of terrestrial vulnerability, the biggest change since the 2000 peak is that the world has become more dependent on global positioning system satellites – and not just for navigation. The world’s mobile phone networks depend on ultra-precise GPS time signals for their co-ordination.

I have heard about the OtterBox cases for years, starting back when I wanted to find a case I could put my iPod in and listen while swimming.  It turns out Otter made a water-proof box that was designed specifically for water activities–but alas I wouldn’t spend the money required.

Recently, my wife switched over to the Samsung Captivate phone (the same one Android based phone that I use.)  She wanted to get a case for it, so she went to our local AT&T  store to find one.  The salesperson there recommended the Otterbox Commuter Series Shield for the Samsung I897 Captivate (Black).  I liked it, so I bought one as well.

Since getting the phone, I have been sporting a nice rubbery silicone case.  It provided some measure of protection, and generally kept my phone in good condition, but never quite “felt” right.  The hardshell cases that were available all made the phone too thick, taking away one of the advantages I saw in the Captivate–the sleek and thin design.

Enter the OtterBox.

The Otterbox combines an inner rubbery silicone case with a hardshell “sleeve” that provides impact protection and absorption.  In addition, the soft shell covers the power button and volume rocker, while also having a “plug” to protect the headset port from dirt, grime and fluids.  And it does all this while adding no significant bulk to the phone.  The case also comes with a self-adhering screen protector, but as you all know, I prefer to use ZAGG screens “invisishields.”

Oh–and while I bought mine at the AT&T “authorized dealer” store,¹  you can get the Otterbox series for about half the price through Amazon.

Photo: Did you get a new digital camera for the holidays, like many of our listeners at Real Tech for Real People? Is it all tricked out and lets you make all the adjustments? Spend time getting to know the “noise profile” of your digital camera. The sensors on the cameras will show “noise” when used at higher ISO ratings (you know, in film the 100, 200 and 400 ratings?) Today’s digital cameras are quite good, and the noise is relatively low even when the sensor’s sensitivity is dialed up quite high–as high as 6400 for some of the pro-sumer Nikons and Canons. But they still have “noise” or “Grain.”

Learn more about this tip, and many others, in Episode 69 of Real Tech for Real People.  You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes–simply search for RTFRP.