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Detroit, 9:43 PM
Wed Nov 25
22 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #lightningandcars more →

    New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Cognitive Friction Cognitive Friction
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    BREAKING NEWS: Mother Nature seeks $17 billion bailout to restructure atmosphere
     Reply
    Cognitive Friction was starred Cognitive Friction was unstarred
    Image of brandegee brandegee
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    After all these years, Metallica is still riding the lightning. The band has become a waste of space. God willing their diesel-pusher buses will be vaporized by Zeus' instrument of choice.
     Reply
    brandegee was starred brandegee was unstarred
    Image of Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
    02/05/09

    @brandegee: I wasn't gonna say it, now I don't have to.. and what can be said about a band who peaked with their first album?
     Reply
    Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable was starred Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable was unstarred
    Image of lilwillie lilwillie
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    This has to be false. Every lifted four by four with whip antennas for the CB have no lightning marks on them.
     Reply
    lilwillie was starred lilwillie was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    02/05/09

    @lilwillie: Vehicles aren't grounded. Something about the air filled rubber tires. It's one of those sciency things. Makes them mostly invisible to lightning, which is looking for the easiest path to ground.
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    Make his fight through the hills in the traffic maze
    Constant chill deep inside
    Shouting cuss, making fuss through the endless haze
    On the fight, for they are right, yes, by who's to say?
    To a job, men would slog, why? they do not know
    Traffic lights test their pride
    Men of rage, gears engaged through the gridlock, slow
    Gone insane from the boredom they surely know


    For whom you pay tolls
    Time marches on

     Reply
    Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was starred Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was unstarred
    Image of X5SoB mourns Farrah X5SoB mourns Farrah
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    My question is, who paid for this study? And why? I swear this is the most irrelvent bullshit I've read in a long while.
     Reply
    X5SoB mourns Farrah was starred X5SoB mourns Farrah was unstarred
    Image of damnelantra™ damnelantra™
    02/05/09

    @X3SoB: families of victims of fatal lightning strikes?
     Reply
    damnelantra™ was starred damnelantra™ was unstarred
    Image of racerx racerx
    02/05/09

    @X3SoB: It's not really irrelevant from an environmental point of view as it shows that combustion-engined vehicles have yet another impact on the environment that we hadn't anticipated. Not saying it's a good or bad impact, just that there is one.
     Reply
    racerx was starred racerx was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    02/05/09

    @racerx: It doesn't necessarily "show" anything of the sort.
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of JDickson87 JDickson87
    02/05/09

    @beercheck: I really love my cars. But I also love my science. Do you honestly believe that there is no impact from the millions and millions of cars that are being driven, burning fossil fuels and releasing CO2, on anything? Because that's just naive.


    @X3SoB: Why, exactly, is this "irrelvent bullshit?" Because you don't agree with it? Because you don't think that there's a real link between exhaust and lightning strikes? I think it's plenty "relevant." It shows that air pollution can be responsible for more than we thought. Broaden the application of the conclusions to pollution in general, and you might find it to be more relevant than if you simply view it as a criticism against cars.

     Reply
    JDickson87 was starred JDickson87 was unstarred
    Image of SlowMo (actually, there's no E on my R) SlowMo (actually, there's no E on my R)
    02/05/09

    @jdickson87: Amen brother. I've always asked the naysayers if they can breathe what comes out of their tailpipes. If not, doesn't that leave open the possibility that our actions/pollutants could ultimately have an impact on a larger scale? It isn't just about cars either, it's our furnaces, water heaters, powerplants, etc. Still don't believe it? Since CA cleaned up the air in LA since the 70's it's best to go overseas for a good demonstration. So, go to Bejing, go for a jog, see how you feel... this is how human actions can alter the environment.
     Reply
    SlowMo (actually, there's no E on my R) was starred SlowMo (actually, there's no E on my R) was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    02/05/09

    @SlowMo: In some circumstances, the exhaust coming out of the modern tailpipe can be less polluted than the intake air. Of course, due to the nature of combustion, there is a depleted oxygen component, so trying to breathe it solely is contraindicated.
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of Jo Schmo Jo Schmo
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    I still can't get the mental image of a doomcloud tearing ass after your Festiva across the desert out of my head. That is hilarious
     Reply
    Jo Schmo was starred Jo Schmo was unstarred
    Image of engineerd engineerd
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    I am now eagerly awaiting the study that shows that electric and hybrid vehicles are more likely to attract swarms of Africanized honey bees.
     Reply
    engineerd was starred engineerd was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    02/05/09

    @engineerd - fighting zombies one sign at a time: Well we already know they attract angry-smug-limp-wristed-pansies who attack the elderly.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of engineerd engineerd
    02/05/09

    @leavethegun-takethecannoli: They attract French people?
     Reply
    engineerd was starred engineerd was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    It isn't applicable near urban areas. It appears to be more of an observation than a scientific study. He probably received grant money for this, needed an answer by a certain date, and was up all night the night before it was due spewing as much bullshit as he could, hoping it made sense when he printed it.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of damnelantra™ damnelantra™
    02/05/09

    @leavethegun-takethecannoli: ...damn you science?
     Reply
    damnelantra™ was starred damnelantra™ was unstarred
    Image of If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    Well, the upshot is that it's now that much easier for me to harness 1.21 gigawatts of electrical charge from a bolt of lightning in case I run out of plutonium.
     Reply
    If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
    Image of Jo Schmo Jo Schmo
    02/05/09

    @FromaBuick6: GREAT SCOTT 1.21 JIGGAWATTS!
     Reply
    Jo Schmo was starred Jo Schmo was unstarred
    Image of If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
    02/05/09

    @Jo Schmo *Now Bacon-Enhanced: Wait...what the hell is a jiggawatt?
     Reply
    If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
    Image of damnelantra™ damnelantra™
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    its not car exhaust, for it is mighty Thor target practicing on cars in the great american deserts. mighty Thor is a merciful god an knows that there are fewer people per square mile in the great american deserts; thus less chance of a bad throw knocking out a nopales farmer.


    mighty Thor also knows it is best to target cars rather then cute little desert cottontail due to the automobiles inherent grounding capabilities.


    damn you science!!

     Reply
    damnelantra™ was starred damnelantra™ was unstarred
    Image of scroggzilla raids again scroggzilla raids again
    02/05/09

    @damnelantra™: Pfft, everybody that didn't sleep through humanities class knows Zeus is the god chucking lightning bolts.


    Besides, Thor is into "other" pursuits these days.

     Reply
    scroggzilla raids again was starred scroggzilla raids again was unstarred
    Image of damnelantra™ damnelantra™
    02/05/09

    @SCROGGZILLA!!: nice bandwidth. but just because mighty Thor is damn good at his rage throws does not mean a bit of skill honing is not in order.


    hold your tongue sir or are you displaying idols of Jörmungandr in your home?

     Reply
    damnelantra™ was starred damnelantra™ was unstarred
    Image of scroggzilla raids again scroggzilla raids again
    02/05/09

    @damnelantra™: This link explains all
    [io9.com]
     Reply
    scroggzilla raids again was starred scroggzilla raids again was unstarred
    Image of Jo Schmo Jo Schmo
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go faster than 87 mph
     Reply
    Jo Schmo was starred Jo Schmo was unstarred
    Image of citroën67 citroën67
    02/05/09

    @Jo Schmo *Now Bacon-Enhanced: As long as your Mr. Fusion is out of banana peels and empty beer cans...you should be safe.


    and I must say you are on quite a streak with the funny comments this morning...I would say the extra sugar in your coffee is working out well. :)

     Reply
    citroën67 was starred citroën67 was unstarred
    Image of Jo Schmo Jo Schmo
    02/05/09

    @citroen67_now available with T-bar Roof!: two words: Breakfast Bourbon ;)
     Reply
    Jo Schmo was starred Jo Schmo was unstarred
    Image of Bumblebee Bumblebee
    02/05/09

    @Jo Schmo: Add a hamburger and you've got yourself a Happy Meal.


    Hell, you don't even need the burger.

     Reply
    Bumblebee was starred Bumblebee was unstarred
    Image of citroën67 citroën67
    02/05/09

    @Bumblebee: you people!!! I just called the Cable Company and cancelled my service...who needs Comedy Central, with this bunch. It is a good thing that my keyboard is sealed because I have snotted coffee at it twice now. I am going to have to just stop drinking the stuff while I read. Its a waste of both coffee and booze. :D
     Reply
    citroën67 was starred citroën67 was unstarred
    Image of Jo Schmo Jo Schmo
    02/05/09

    @citroen67_now available with T-bar Roof!: Invest in a screen wiper and splatter guard for your keyboard, well worth the money.
     Reply
    Jo Schmo was starred Jo Schmo was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    Sure it's not that the roadway has greater conductivity than the surrounding rock or soil, or that it might be built along a local high point or ridge?


    Anyway, I'll have to fire up the old Ford Lighting and head out to ride the lightning.

     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of TowerOfPower TowerOfPower
    02/05/09

    @Van Sarockin: Or the fact that telephone poles usually run along roadways, funny how variables to many of these studies are never mentioned.


    And I am suddenly in the mood for some Metallica to help me dominate some spreadsheets.

     Reply
    TowerOfPower was starred TowerOfPower was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    02/05/09

    @Van Sarockin: I appreciate your thinking.


    The phrase "new study" always gets an eye roll out of me.

     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
    02/05/09

    @TowerOfPower: Metallica ALWAYS dominates my spreadsheets.


    I actually sing formulas to "Fade to Black"


    lookup, A1, choose array
    On the 13th I get paid
    gotta sort the target list
    A to Z or stuff gets missed

     Reply
    Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was starred Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was unstarred
    Image of JDickson87 JDickson87
    02/05/09

    @Van Sarockin: Did you read the article? Because they also cite increased rainfall. I don't think that roadways attract increased rainfall, do they? Nor do telephone poles.


    Don't automatically dismiss any scientific study that blames cars for something.

     Reply
    JDickson87 was starred JDickson87 was unstarred
    Image of combat chuck combat chuck
    02/05/09

    @Ash78:

    Worksheet imprisoning me

    All that I see

    Absolute values

    I cannot SUM

    I cannot FIND

    Trapped in M12

    Data corrupted cell!
     Reply
    combat chuck was starred combat chuck was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    02/05/09

    @jdickson87: You're talking to the wrong guy on this one. Particulates present in vehicle exhaust can, in fact, lead to the increased formation of water droplets, which may then become rain, should conditions be appropriate.


    The study, as presented, did not seem to offer an entirely convincing chain of facts or argumentation. So I suggested some alternate factors that might have a larger influence in the behavior being studied. Let's see where the facts lead.

     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
    02/05/09

    @combat chuck: Awesome. I knew the tune right from the first line.
     Reply
    Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was starred Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was unstarred
    Image of JDickson87 JDickson87
    02/05/09

    @Van Sarockin: Fair enough. I apologize for my misinterpretation. How about this?

    Exhaust--->Clouds--->Static Buildup--->Lightning.


    I'll readily admit that my understanding of weather is pretty basic, but is that not unreasonable? It could essentially act as a cloud seeding agent. Add to this the generally thunderhead friendly nature of the Southwest, and I think it could be a reasonable link.

     Reply
    JDickson87 was starred JDickson87 was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    02/05/09

    @jdickson87: And there's also a goodly amount of water vapor in exhaust gasses. In combination with pollutants, the air near a road might be more conductive, helping to attract lightning.


    Would some kind soul please shovel a couple of million my way, so that I might drive the highways of our deserts and plains, seeking the scientific explanation for this quandary?

     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of 80honda 80honda
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    Stay away from areas with a high concentration of Hummers. ;-p
     Reply
    80honda was starred 80honda was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    02/05/09

    @80honda: You'd be shocked to know they are actually more fuel-efficient than quite a few SUVs.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of pauljones pauljones
    02/05/09

    @leavethegun-takethecannoli: ????


    Assuming that we are talking about OEM-stock vehicles, name one SUV currently on sale that is less fuel-efficient than a Hummer H2?

     Reply
    pauljones was starred pauljones was unstarred
    Image of The Jester of Darkness The Jester of Darkness
    02/05/09

    @pauljones: Hummer H1...
     Reply
    The Jester of Darkness was starred The Jester of Darkness was unstarred
    Image of racerx racerx
    02/05/09

    @The Jester of Darkness: They stopped making it a couple years ago:


    [jalopnik.com]

     Reply
    racerx was starred racerx was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    02/05/09

    @pauljones: I'll name one: The Infiniti QX56 and it's corporate cousing, the Nissan Armada.


    /puts asshat on backwards, tilted to one side, and walks away, whistling

     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    02/05/09

    @leavethegun-takethecannoli: cousin not cousing
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of The Jester of Darkness The Jester of Darkness
    02/05/09

    @racerx: How about a Bugatti Veyron at full bore compared to a Hummer at full throttle?
     Reply
    The Jester of Darkness was starred The Jester of Darkness was unstarred
    Image of pauljones pauljones
    02/05/09

    @leavethegun-takethecannoli:


    Infiniti QX56: 12/17


    Hummer H2: 11/14


    According to the Consumer Reports new car buying guide released in April of 2008.

     Reply
    pauljones was starred pauljones was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    02/05/09

    @pauljones: Believe me, you'll never see those numbers in the Infiniti. You'll be lucky if you get 8-9 around town, and 14 on the highway is more like it. The Armada is the same thing.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of damnelantra™ damnelantra™
    02/05/09

    @pauljones: yo pj, those are fuel usage figures, not pollutants emitted
     Reply
    damnelantra™ was starred damnelantra™ was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    02/05/09

    @The Jester of Darkness: That's true, but there aren't many Veyrons. There aren't that many Hummer either.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of leavethegun-takethecannoli leavethegun-takethecannoli
    02/05/09

    @damnelantra™: LOL. I was waiting for somebody to mention that.
     Reply
    leavethegun-takethecannoli was starred leavethegun-takethecannoli was unstarred
    Image of pauljones pauljones
    02/05/09

    @damnelantra™:


    I thought fuel usage was what we were talking about?


    [jalopnik.com]


    @leavethegun-takethecannoli:


    Same goes for the Hummer.

     Reply
    pauljones was starred pauljones was unstarred
    Image of damnelantra™ damnelantra™
    02/05/09

    @pauljones: shit, now im confused
     Reply
    damnelantra™ was starred damnelantra™ was unstarred
    Image of pauljones pauljones
    02/05/09

    In reply to New Study Confirms Car Exhaust Increases Lightning Strikes
    Think of it as added, all-natural infrastructure support for any electric vehicles traveling through the area.
     Reply
    pauljones was starred pauljones was unstarred
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