121–130 of 137 posts
If anyone needs historic data, let me know. They don't give it out if you're not a contributor, but becoming a contributor costs over a hundred euros and has a multi-decade waitlist if you're not from an area without coverage (very good coverage in Europe, of course..) so I decided not to wait for that. The data is Creative Commons so I felt it should be okay to collect for research and fun purposes
Facts are not protected by copyright.
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Sponge bath lying down in insulated closet is safest option
There is a chocking hazard with the sponge.
If anyone needs historic data, let me know. They don't give it out if you're not a contributor, but becoming a contributor costs over a hundred euros and has a multi-decade waitlist if you're not from an area without coverage (very good coverage in Europe, of course..) so I decided not to wait for that. The data is Creative Commons so I felt it should be okay to collect for research and fun purposes
> The data is Creative Commons Facts are not protected by copyright.
And is there no creativity in the way they decide where the strike was based on the hundreds of measurements made? Besides not wanting to fight that one out in court, I'm also simply not wanting to be an asshole so I pay attention to their chosen license and pay it forward
Wow! some of the distances from detectors to strike location are thousands of km. Now I am curious how it works. my guess is some sort of low frequency radio detector(long antenna?) and a good(gps disciplined?) timer. As the station integrator gets the reports it solves for what point could of generated this collection of time stamps. Update: found the info page. It took me longer than it should have, but in my defen…
But yeah, timing is critical to get an actual location.
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That is easier said than done, especially in an old house.
But its still a massively better approach long term rather than making up some hacking project, quadruple that if one owns the place. I mean sure its nice to see such creativity, but in our lifetimes how often do we see some... lets say a bit different folks being obsessed in one topic, neglecting all other aspects or much simpler, yet less 'hacked on my own' solutions. I mean it literally, one example out of endless…
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The difference in expected utility from showering (either during a lightning storm or not) is minimally affected by the choice to postpone it. That's why I'm content to call it a binary rule. The choice of showering/bathing at all has a different risk profile, yes, and also a different expected utility. Comparing the two is a false equivalence. Statistically speaking: our kids (and their parents) simply enjoy watchin…
You could improve the grounding instead of spending time making such a light.
If anyone needs historic data, let me know. They don't give it out if you're not a contributor, but becoming a contributor costs over a hundred euros and has a multi-decade waitlist if you're not from an area without coverage (very good coverage in Europe, of course..) so I decided not to wait for that. The data is Creative Commons so I felt it should be okay to collect for research and fun purposes
> The data is Creative Commons Facts are not protected by copyright.
For my kids, I have a virtual light switch in HomeKit called "Shower Is Safe". It's pinned to the top of the Home app. I use the Home Assistant integration to fetch this data and run some calculations on the past few minutes of lightning activity. Since the API returns lightning strike time and bearing from a given location, I can (in combination with wind direction) determine if the lightning is approaching or reced…
I don't want to frighten your family more, but shower NEVER is safe. Unlike lightning, slips and falls in the bathroom are quite common and sometimes result in death or lifelong injury.
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Yes, especially in older homes or homes with poor grounding. Lightning can discharge through water supply lines[0]. There are even cases of toilets exploding due to lightning strikes[1]. (Google for more) Sure, it's exceedingly rare. But it's also exceedingly easy to avoid. I've taught my kids that some decisions are easier when defined as binary rules; judgment calls in cases like this just don't offer any tangible…
I don't know about this approach. Seems a bit panicky / heavy-handed to turn this particular risk into a "judgment call" compared to all the other risky things kids do. Could just be an occasional conversation / reminder: - "We can't take a bath / shower right now. There's a big lightning storm outside." - "Why not?" - "The lightning hits the ground and it can spread through the water. It's not safe." - "OK" Is it re…
My kids aren't paranoid, they don't freak out about the storms. It's just a natural thing, and a reminder that there's a potential that nature's best light show is in store for them. A nice side effect is that they're not afraid of storms—they look forward to watching them.
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Install this, instead of a light in the bathroom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_rod
In a lightning strike, electricity doesn't exclusively follow the lightning rod. That's the problem. The major part of the current will flow through the rod, but a small remainder can and will cross into the house - TV/radio/sat antennae and overhead electric/phone wires are the main culprits here, but belowground cables and water/gas/metal sewer pipes can also serve as a point of ingress. Normally you're supposed to…