storm

How to keep pesky thunderbolts at bay

Maybe we're missing something, but we can't quite figure out why gadget makers seem obsessed with lightning these days. In recent weeks, we've seen everything from a "Personal Lightning Detector" to a planned Nokia phone that warns of approaching electrical storms.

And now we have yet another lightning finder, the "75-Mile Range Thunderstorm Detector." How does it work? Here's just one excerpt from Hammacher Schlemmer's description: "Its built-in microprocessor and software analyzes the waveform and voltage the antenna detects to tell you how far away a lightning strike was, which … Read more

Hurricane watch: blow by blow

Climate change predictions have included warnings that hurricanes and other tropical storms could become more extreme. So this may be coming at just the right time to save at least some of you who live along the Gulf and Atlantic coastlines.

Scientists now have a system that uses data from twenty Doppler radar stations along the eastern and southern seaboard of the U.S. When a hurricane's within 120 miles of landfall, the radar data is aggregated. Using a computerized system meteorologists now can get three-dimensional views of the hurricane that are updated every six minutes. This is far … Read more

Solar storm warning: You have a year to prepare

The federal government now predicts a new cycle of solar storms will start in March 2008. Those storms are expected to peak around the end of 2011. That's the conclusion of some scientists at NOAA.

Solar storms lead to violent eruptions on the sun's surface. There'll be solar flares and explosions sending highly charged matter toward Earth's atmosphere. This jolts Earth's geomagnetic field and ionosphere. That can lead to disruption of electric grids and communications systems.

Sunspot predictions for this coming storm cycle run from 90 to 140. There were different prediction models among the … Read more

A 'personal lightning detector' (seriously)

This item ranks right up there with the "qStart," that device that reminds you which side of the road to drive on.

The "StrikeAlert" describes itself as "the world's first convenient, dependable and easy-to-use personal lightning detector." During a thunderstorm it supposedly gauges the distance of lightning based on the decibel level of their crackle up to 40 miles away, according to OhGizmo.

Forgive us, but we must ask: Do we really need a gadget to tell us that lightning is approaching? Would it not be more prudent, say, to just weather the … Read more

News roundup: Google, Congoo, RateItAll + MuseStorm, Mashtracker

Google rolls out pay-per-action. Google's got a new advertising scheme, and it's set up to help small-time advertisers avoid the dangers of click fraud. Instead of just paying by the click, advertisers can set up predetermined actions the user must go through, such as purchasing an item or browsing a certain section of the site. The new system has sparked controversy in the blogosphere as a potential destroyer of smaller affiliate marketing services.

Congoo launches News Portals. Premium news content distributor Congoo ( previous coverage) has rolled out a customizable single-page-aggregation service that pulls stories from user-selected topics. Users … Read more

Your yacht needs an HD satellite

Now that you've ordered your Porsche yacht, what will you do in it when not racing? Raymarine has just the antidote to your boredom with its satellite HDTV system.

The seagoing dish is made specifically to work in boats, according to Gizmowatch, with antennae that continually change angles for optimal reception. The package, which includes an HD DirecTV receiver, is designed for uninterrupted signals even in extreme weather and oceanic conditions.

Depending on the model, it can cost as much as $9,000. But that's a drop in the Atlantic compared with the $300,000 you'll be … Read more