A fill out your brackets GOOD MORNING!!! to you all! Yup, it’s that time! Get your March Madness Bracket filled out at place your bets! Every year (almost) at least one major upset has occurred. Not saying it will this year…buuuuuuuttttttttt!
What Would You Do Wednesday Ed-vise today. Cause it’s WEDNESDAY! And I do love WEDNESDAYS!
OK, we finally watched Leave the World Behind.
It’s the one with Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon.
In a nutshell the US gets attacked. Via cyber attacks on the power grid and the internet. Then, with the sound wave that was complained about in Havana Cuba a few years back.
Ed’s rating: it was OK.
I prefer zombie apocalypse or massive plague or something along those lines. But, this one was an interesting concept about how to take down Good Ol’ ‘Murica.
It did spark some curiosity about back up systems. More so about if the military does have any back up systems to our high tech military type stuff.
Yes, we have cool bombs and guns; boats and planes. But, what about detection systems? The radar systems that the US has in place, just like at the airports, are all based on computers and computer software. So, if internet goes out, it would be an issue…IF the defense grid was entirely reliant on the internet for operating.
But it doesn’t.
Picture it like this. A loan radar set up in the frozen tundra of Alaska. It’s a concrete building with a big radar thing on top that spins around. Sometimes, for fun, the operators will throw their coffee out the door to see if it will be ice when it hits the ground. True story.
The computer in that building has a primary purpose of analyzing information that gets detected by that radar. Secondarily, it transmits that data, via the internet, to whoever wants it. Usually super secret stuff.
If the internet goes down, then the operators use their cell phones to maintain communication with whoever they need to. If those don’t work, as was seen in the movie, guess what? THERE IS A BACKUP!
It’s called…a LANDLINE!
The old school phone system is still in place. It still works. Miles and miles and miles of cable strung all over the world. To include under the ocean to Europe and other countries.
If the power grid goes down…plenty of back up generators.
Then, there is this really cool little thing that when comms and such go down, we send up a whole bunch of planes to keep a look out. We basically go on high alert. It’s all actually pretty cool.
See, believe it or not, the US military has many, shall we say, basic fall back practices to keep ‘Murica up and going.
Very basic things like using actual humans to gather intelligence. Kind of like in WW2 when they had look outs on Hawaii watching for Japanese bombers. Even if the admirals ignored the call from these guys.
We still have field phones. Phones that are basically a wire between two hand held phones that generate power by clicking a button. No battery, just a little charger built into the phone.
The Navy still uses Morse Code and Semaphore to communicate between ships.
So, outside threats shouldn’t really be a problem. The challenge will come from within. When the discomfort of not having the internet and social media to keep us company. To keep us informed. Not having power to make coffee in the morning. Do you have the know how to make Camp Coffee? If not, you can stop by my house and I’ll share mine.
In the end, I think I’ll open up a store called “Prepper’s Paradise.” I’ll sell Aloha Shirts and the necessities to take care of you and your family for extended periods of time without power. Without the internet. However, all my information will come from the internet. Stay tuned on that.
I’m just saying
That’s it for today. Be the person your dog thinks you are. Check in on each other and remember Dr. Pepper is a…FIZZ-ICIAN! BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHA…say AAAAGHHHH!
Peace
Ed-vise 