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Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

mainichi.jp

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Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#101

Post by sandworm101 »

shiftpgdn wrote: post #100
sandworm101 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pools are expensive. The same weight of gravel or sand would produce a similar effect. Put the server farm under a multi-level car park structure.

Water is one of the most effective radiation shields we have for cosmic rays. NASA has contemplated using a water shield for Mars astronauts. There is a reason most fallout shelters are built under a pool when possible.

Nasa has also contemplated using human feces as shielding. The mixed use, dual purpose systems for spaceflight are a special case. What really matters is mass. Sand is cheaper than pool water.

Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#102

Post by sandworm101 »

sunsipples wrote: post #97
sandworm101 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wonderful. Yet another reason for the IT office to be relegated to a sub-basement.

should turn the entire floor into a big toilet

There are places lower than the basement.

Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#103

Post by thamer »

notum wrote: post #16

Cosmic rays are, or rather were, the reason why manufactures avoid shipping high end cameras by plane, cosmic rays kill pixels in imaging sensors: https://youtu.be/98FZ8C6HneE?t=479 It's also the reason why all ISS footage has dead pixels on it.

Astronauts[1] also report seeing random flashes of light from time to time, believed to be due to high-energy particles interacting with their optical nerves, or cells in the retina, or maybe neurons too. Space is not a very friendly environment.

This is somewhat similar – although on a much different scale – to when Anatoli Bugorski[2] had an accident in 1978 involving a beam of protons traveling at over 99% the speed of light going through his head. He also described it as a flash "brighter than a thousand suns".

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_ray_visual_phenomena

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski

Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#104

Post by oconnor663 »

shiftpgdn wrote: post #62
oconnor663 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or for example, old cables and improperly installed cooling fans might tend to get fixed during a move. Hard to know for sure.

Well yeah, that's why it's presented as an anecdote. :)

Totally. Kind of reminds me of http://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail.html

Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#105

Post by kevin_nisbet »

sandworm101 wrote: post #101
shiftpgdn wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Water is one of the most effective radiation shields we have for cosmic rays. NASA has contemplated using a water shield for Mars astronauts. There is a reason most fallout shelters are built under a pool when possible.

Nasa has also contemplated using human feces as shielding. The mixed use, dual purpose systems for spaceflight are a special case. What really matters is mass. Sand is cheaper than pool water.

Doing some quick searching, looks like there has been some research into what materials are better than others for shielding for cosmic rays. The couple minute look to me suggests there is more complexity than just mass, different materials have different properties, including at different energy levels for the cosmic rays. Although I suppose material cost and construction cost would also be a factor, where alot of sand might be easier to build a facility than the equivalent shielding in water. Although we're probably at the point where it's better to use something like a mine that is no longer used.

Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#107

Post by rambojazz »

notum wrote: post #16

Cosmic rays are, or rather were, the reason why manufactures avoid shipping high end cameras by plane, cosmic rays kill pixels in imaging sensors: https://youtu.be/98FZ8C6HneE?t=479 It's also the reason why all ISS footage has dead pixels on it.

Interesting, where can I see an example of the ISS footage with dead pixels? I've never noticed them before.

Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#108

Post by pezezin »

robbmorganf wrote: post #27
tyingq wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Polyethylene is supposedly good at blocking cosmic rays. It would be funny to me if the fix was just a drop ceiling full of old grocery bags.

Have a source? That seems like an awesome way to recycle grocery bags.

I work for a particle accelerator, and I can confirm you that our beam dump uses polyethylene for neutron shielding: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092037961...

Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#109

Post by notum »

rambojazz wrote: post #107
notum wrote: post #16

Cosmic rays are, or rather were, the reason why manufactures avoid shipping high end cameras by plane, cosmic rays kill pixels in imaging sensors: https://youtu.be/98FZ8C6HneE?t=479 It's also the reason why all ISS footage has dead pixels on it.

Interesting, where can I see an example of the ISS footage with dead pixels? I've never noticed them before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvTmdIhYnes

Modern camera firmware detects stuck and dead pixels and tries to fill them in with neighbor data., but when there's too many... there's not enough data to fill in.

Keep watching top left part of the video. Most visible at 0:30.

Re: Cosmic rays causing 30k network malfunctions in Japan each year

#110

Post by notum »

sandworm101 wrote: post #91
woodruffw wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a fascinating claim (and video), but I can't find a ton of corroborating evidence for it: searches for "digital camera cosmic rays" bring up (1) considerations for cameras in space ( much higher background radiation levels than a commercial flight), and (2) consumer photography forums where people are discussing that 2011 talk. Some of the latter seem to think that Kodak has/had a vested interest in spreading…

Any ray that might damage a ccd would also impact film stock, exposing sections into bright dots. Did kodak also not ship film by air?

Not really, no. It might be too brief to cause a chemical reaction, but powerful enough to induce a very high voltage.
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