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Do Mobile Phones Attract Lightning?
from the apparently-they-do-in-China dept
China is warning people not to use mobile phones during thunderstorms after a report that fifteen people were injured when a mobile phone acted as a lightening rod. The story certainly has all the elements of an urban legend, so it seemed worthwhile to dig a bit deeper on this one. According to a hoax-busting site, this story has been making the rounds over email for quite some time, with no facts to support it. In fact, many sites recommend you use a mobile phone rather than a fixed line phone in a thunderstorm, since they're much safer. While the news article quotes a professor claiming that "the electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phones are quite good conductors of electricity," the hoax busting site quotes someone from Motorola saying: "No, lightning won't 'follow the radio waves' back to your phone.... I really doubt that 600 mW of omnidirectional RF can ionize anything, let alone make a more conductive path between the clouds and ground. It does make a nice urban legend, though." From the sound of all this, it sounds like the injuries in question from the article may simply be because the people struck by lightning were the tallest items around (they were standing on the Great Wall) and not because of the mobile phone someone was using.
Reader Comments
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What about green lightning from the sky?
What if someone points an illegal 15-milliwatt laser at an Olympic athlete to temporarily blind them? You can buy these things over the net. The power to blind entire crowds of people at the push of a button.
http://www.megalaser.com/20.htm
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Techdirt attracks dorpus
Techdirt attracks dorpus
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all lies
Myself and many like minded people have high powered laser pointers from sellers such as www.dragonlasers.com
We do not advocate the unsafe use of laser pointers. Laser pointers are no different from guns. It is the user who is dangerous, not the tool.
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lasers are awesome
As a long time owner of a Wicked Lasers from www.wickedlasers.com, I can tell you that there is no safe uses for these laser pointers. They are overpowered, and too dangerous to use in any setting outside a controlled Class A laboratory. My Wicked Laser is locked up with my service gun in my safe.
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all lies
luvlasers,
What I can tell you is Wicked Lasers are not overpowered. From experience, because most of my customers from my website, dragonlasers.com do not own laser power meters, they don't know what they are getting.
Hell, we send out 50mW lasers when the customers pay for the 125mW lasers, and we almost never get a complaint, beat that Wicked!
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Re: all lies
This is such an obvious attempt by to defame Dragonalasers. No one with an IQ higher than a retarded cockroache would publicly state they cheat customers.
Every one else i know who have bought from Dragonlasers and myself have nothing but praise for them. Check any laser forum not owned by wickedlasers for proof to easily substantiate this claim.
They clearly state on their website at www.dragonlasers.com they have an excellent return policy and if you have a problem, they even offer life support online.
If you have a personal grudge with Dragonlasers
I suggest you get a life and do something productive with your time.
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Lightning and cell phones
There are new antenna designs that enable great quantities of energy to enter resonating antennas. While no conventional engineering theory applies, I,for one, will not be using my cell phone in a rain storm.
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NASA's jack mandeville
Hello Jack,
are you my solar heat pump buddy who designed space systems at one time?
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Re: NASA's jack mandeville
William Daniel: You got me. I'm in Nevada now. Let's chat.
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Better safe than sorry
There might be an unknown mechanism that creates the danger. I wouldnt want to personally test it! Jade Great Wall photos
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I bought a high power green laser pointer at with awesome cheap price.
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i am using my mobile phone, even there is a lightning, thanks for this story
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