"Revolution"s blackout answer "scientifically plausible"

[David]

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/

'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
by James Hibberd

Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn’t want to hold onto the NBC
drama’s central mystery — What caused the blackout? — too much longer.
And he’s giving some hints about what the answer might entail.

“We’re talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
blackout] before end of this season,” Kripke tells EW. The answer is
something that’s passed muster from a physicist consulted by the
producers. So expect what caused the blackout to be at least somewhat
scientifically plausible.

“The sweet spot is to find an answer that’s actually scarier than what
you were thinking,” Kripke says. “Like, ‘Oh wait, this is not even
just about electricity.’ And that’s what we’re designing. I don’t see
any reason to withhold it much longer.”

Billy Burke, who plays Miles on the breakout drama, says Kripke’s
blackout answer has managed to assure the actors, who have had many of
the same questions about why certain technologies no longer function
as fans. “We’re asking those questions on a daily basis,” Burke says.
“We have conversations on set all the time — ‘What about this? What
about that? Wouldn’t that work?’ There always seem to be a
technologically sound answer for the questions.”

One fan question about the epic power loss that’s been asked since the
pilot — Wouldn’t steam engines work? — was answered in a recent
episode that showed a steam train. Another recent episode featuring a
thunderstorm resulted in a debate in the writers room over whether
lightning would still work (it does).

A giant Revolution revelation makes creative sense. Fans of the show
don’t tune in each week for nuggets about the blackout mystery, so
it’s really unlikely answering that question will result in a ratings
drain. Whereas holding onto mysteries too long sometimes annoys
viewers. The show’s characters, frankly, have bigger things to worry
about. Noting that the blackout occurred 15 years before the show’s
main storyline, Kripke asks, “How much are you sweating what happened
in 1997?”

For more scoop on Revolution, check out this week’s issue of
EntertainmentWeekly for a feature story on the show.

[AC]

I kinda think that one should only reveal a central "mystery" if and
only if doing so properly opens up a wider mystery.

This reminds me of B5:Crusade where the show was based on finding a cure
for a virus. The plan there was to reveal and solve that problem early
in (IIRC) season 2, and that would have revealed a greater story. If
they reveal the "best" bit early with nothing to follow, then obviously
the show is probably done. If they stretch it too far, it then become a
Lost type disaster.

It sounds like the Revolution lot have this in mind. If so, I might be
interested in having another go at watching it.

--
AC

[Mason Barge]

On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:24:17 -0400, David <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/
>
>'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
>by James Hibberd
>
>Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn’t want to hold onto the NBC
>drama’s central mystery — What caused the blackout? — too much longer.
>And he’s giving some hints about what the answer might entail.
>
>“We’re talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
>blackout] before end of this season,” Kripke tells EW. The answer is
>something that’s passed muster from a physicist consulted by the
>producers. So expect what caused the blackout to be at least somewhat
>scientifically plausible.
>
>“The sweet spot is to find an answer that’s actually scarier than what
>you were thinking,”

The sweet spot is to find a retcon that will actually be plausible
scientifically!

[Your Name]

In article <00j598pm5rn5vo58f...@4ax.com>, David

<diml...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/
>
> 'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
> by James Hibberd
>
> Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn�t want to hold onto the NBC
> drama�s central mystery � What caused the blackout? � too much longer.
> And he�s giving some hints about what the answer might entail.
>
> �We�re talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
> blackout] before end of this season,� Kripke tells EW. The answer is
> something that�s passed muster from a physicist consulted by the
> producers. So expect what caused the blackout to be at least somewhat
> scientifically plausible.

More likely it will be just like Lost's "non-sci-fi" answer that in
reality turned out to be time travelling thanks to them making the whole
thing up as they went along. :-\

[Jerry Brown]

On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:24:17 -0400, David <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/
>
>'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
>by James Hibberd
>
>Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn’t want to hold onto the NBC
>drama’s central mystery — What caused the blackout? — too much longer.
>And he’s giving some hints about what the answer might entail.
>
>“We’re talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
>blackout] before end of this season,” Kripke tells EW. The answer is
>something that’s passed muster from a physicist consulted by the
>producers. So expect what caused the blackout to be at least somewhat
>scientifically plausible.
>
>“The sweet spot is to find an answer that’s actually scarier than what
>you were thinking,” Kripke says. “Like, ‘Oh wait, this is not even
>just about electricity.’ And that’s what we’re designing. I don’t see
>any reason to withhold it much longer.”

A mass illusion caused by orbital mind control lasers, which can be
suppressed locally with the lucky charms?

--
Jerry Brown

A cat may look at a king
(but probably won't bother)

[Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy]

David <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:00j598pm5rn5vo58f...@4ax.com:

> http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/
>
> 'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
> by James Hibberd
>
> Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn’t want to hold onto the
> NBC drama’s central mystery — What caused the blackout? — too
> much longer. And he’s giving some hints about what the answer
> might entail.
>
> “We’re talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
> blackout] before end of this season,” Kripke tells EW. The
> answer is something that’s passed muster from a physicist
> consulted by the producers. So expect what caused the blackout
> to be at least somewhat scientifically plausible.

In a laughable, comic book sort of way, perhaps.

If they'd consulted with an engineer in the power industry, well,
they'd have to just admit it's a mgic premise and the show is
fantasy, not science fiction, but oh well.

--
Terry Austin

"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."
-- David Bilek

Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.

[JRStern]

On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:44:21 +0000, Jerry Brown
<je...@jwbrown.co.uk.invalid> wrote:

>A mass illusion caused by orbital mind control lasers, which can be
>suppressed locally with the lucky charms?

oooh, I like it!

J.

[JRStern]

On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:24:17 -0400, David <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Fans of the show ...

As if.

J.

[Jerry Brown]

On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:23:23 -0700, JRStern <JRS...@foobar.invalid>
wrote:

Much as I'd like to be correct, I think having a real scientist say
that mind control lasers are possible is not going to help the show's
credibility anymore than the currently assumed current dampening
field.

I suppose a certain segment of the population may stand up and say "I
knew it!" but I doubt these are the target audience that advertisers
would want to appeal to.

[JRStern]

On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:55:56 +0000, Jerry Brown

<je...@jwbrown.co.uk.invalid> wrote:

>On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:23:23 -0700, JRStern <JRS...@foobar.invalid>
>wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:44:21 +0000, Jerry Brown
>><je...@jwbrown.co.uk.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>>A mass illusion caused by orbital mind control lasers, which can be
>>>suppressed locally with the lucky charms?
>>
>>oooh, I like it!
>>
>
>Much as I'd like to be correct, I think having a real scientist say
>that mind control lasers are possible is not going to help the show's
>credibility anymore than the currently assumed current dampening
>field.

oh yeah, credibility, ... well, you can't have everything!


J.

[Your Name]

In article <XnsA0FE929F35C...@69.16.186.7>, Gutless Umbrella

Carrying Sissy <taus...@gmail.com> wrote:
> David <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:00j598pm5rn5vo58f...@4ax.com:
> >
> > http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/
> >
> > 'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
> > by James Hibberd
> >
> > Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn�t want to hold onto the
> > NBC drama�s central mystery � What caused the blackout? � too
> > much longer. And he�s giving some hints about what the answer
> > might entail.
> >
> > �We�re talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
> > blackout] before end of this season,� Kripke tells EW. The
> > answer is something that�s passed muster from a physicist
> > consulted by the producers. So expect what caused the blackout
> > to be at least somewhat scientifically plausible.
>
> In a laughable, comic book sort of way, perhaps.
>
> If they'd consulted with an engineer in the power industry, well,
> they'd have to just admit it's a mgic premise and the show is
> fantasy, not science fiction, but oh well.

It'll be a mouse that chewed on the main cable ... then again, all of
Auckalnd's (New Zealand's largest city) power supply *was* cut off because
someone dropped a wrench onto the city's SINGLE incoming power cable and
shorted the whole system. :-\

[Don Bruder]

In article
<YourName-021...@203-118-187-104.dsl.dyn.ihug.co.nz>,

Yikes... That musta made one HELLUVA "kaboom!"

Town I grew up in once had what was determined to be (from the
crispy-fried remains) a pair of seagulls who were apparently scrapping
with each other then lit one on each peg of the primary distribution
station's input terminals, reached across to each other, and blew
themselves to hell, shutting the whole town off for about 6 hours.
Bystanders reported that it sounded like a cross between a cannon going
off and the sound of the world's biggest set of barber clippers.

MUCH smaller town than Aukland, though - 25K-ish population at the time.

--
If the door is baroque don't be Hayden. Come around Bach and jiggle the Handel

[Your Name]

In article <k6veds$h7l$1...@dont-email.me>, Don Bruder

Not sure how many people in Auckland (1.5 - 2 million), but the entire
country only has 4 million people.

Despite the accident above, which was a couple of years ago now, Auckland
STILL only has one single line coming in. They planning to build a new
line, but it will come in to the same sub-station, so there will still
only be one line into the city itself. These idiots in management are so
busy stuffing their own wallets (with the ever-increasing power bills we
have to pay) that they never have any common sense and never learn. :-(

[Hunter]

On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:24:17 -0400, David <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/
>
>'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
>by James Hibberd
>
>Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn’t want to hold onto the NBC
>drama’s central mystery — What caused the blackout? — too much longer.
>And he’s giving some hints about what the answer might entail.
>
>“We’re talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
>blackout] before end of this season,” Kripke tells EW. The answer is
>something that’s passed muster from a physicist consulted by the
>producers. So expect what caused the blackout to be at least somewhat
>scientifically plausible.

-----
As long as it has a grain of truth to it I'm okay with it.

>
>“The sweet spot is to find an answer that’s actually scarier than what
>you were thinking,” Kripke says. “Like, ‘Oh wait, this is not even
>just about electricity.’ And that’s what we’re designing. I don’t see
>any reason to withhold it much longer.”

-----
Well, since the Department of Defense seems to be involved (Ben and
his wife worked for the DoD) maybe it isn't a desire to see a green
world.

>
>Billy Burke, who plays Miles on the breakout drama, says Kripke’s
>blackout answer has managed to assure the actors, who have had many of
>the same questions about why certain technologies no longer function
>as fans. “We’re asking those questions on a daily basis,” Burke says.
>“We have conversations on set all the time — ‘What about this? What
>about that? Wouldn’t that work?’ There always seem to be a
>technologically sound answer for the questions.”

-----
Well simply anything involving electricity in anyway likely won't
work. It seems naturally generated electricity works but not
electricity from a artificial source. That seems fantastic but the
answer could be ased on that.

>
>One fan question about the epic power loss that’s been asked since the
>pilot — Wouldn’t steam engines work? — was answered in a recent
>episode that showed a steam train. Another recent episode featuring a
>thunderstorm resulted in a debate in the writers room over whether
>lightning would still work (it does).

----
I can understand the lightning question, but anyone who questioned
whether or not a steam engine would work is an idiot.

>
>A giant Revolution revelation makes creative sense. Fans of the show
>don’t tune in each week for nuggets about the blackout mystery, so
>it’s really unlikely answering that question will result in a ratings
>drain. Whereas holding onto mysteries too long sometimes annoys
>viewers. The show’s characters, frankly, have bigger things to worry
>about. Noting that the blackout occurred 15 years before the show’s
>main storyline, Kripke asks, “How much are you sweating what happened
>in 1997?”

-----
I see what he meant, still I like to know the character's background.
I liked how before the blackout Tom was a mouse of a man and then over
compensated to the max. Aaron was a mouse of a man too but he isn't
going to over compensate like Tom did.
(snip)

------>Hunter

"No man in the wrong can stand up against
a fellow that's in the right and keeps on acomin'."

-----William J. McDonald
Captain, Texas Rangers from 1891 to 1907

[Don Bruder]

In article <5093b6b3...@news.optonline.net>,

Hunter <buffh...@my-deja.com> (Hunter) wrote:

> On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:24:17 -0400, David <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >One fan question about the epic power loss that‚s been asked since the
> >pilot ˜ Wouldn‚t steam engines work? ˜ was answered in a recent
> >episode that showed a steam train. Another recent episode featuring a
> >thunderstorm resulted in a debate in the writers room over whether
> >lightning would still work (it does).
> ----
> I can understand the lightning question, but anyone who questioned
> whether or not a steam engine would work is an idiot.

Not really... The show positively *REEKS* of Stirling's "Emberverse"
series, where, among other things, electricity, gunpowder/explosives,
and steam engines don't work. Well, I take that back - They can be made
to function, but their power output is so low (too low to be useful for
anything non-trivial) that they might as well be considered
non-operational. Anyone who has read Emberverse is likely to be at least
somewhat attracted to the show by the similarity, and would probably be
asking about whether steam power is operational.

[JRStern]

On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 06:55:44 -0700, Don Bruder <fa...@spamdump.invalid>
wrote:

Yah, same as in Saberhagen's Empire/Swords worlds. What no longer
works is "technology", due to some kind of dicking with subatomic
fields and forces, details unspecified. Yet people work, and now
magic works, and some technological artifacts like flashlights
continue to work indefinitely, for reasons also unspecified.

A certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required,
"plausibility" isn't going to happen, what you want in technobabble is
more like "consistency".


J.

[Hunter]

On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 06:55:44 -0700, Don Bruder <fa...@spamdump.invalid>
wrote:

----
Well I never heard of the work Emberverse and I will run to its
wikipage as soon as I post this so I guess "idiot" was way too harsh,
but the premise of "Revolution" was always said to be that electricity
doesn't work, nothing else is affected. Nothing was ever said
otherwise to my knowledge.

[William December Starr]

In article <pdo7981k0e15fsciv...@4ax.com>,

JRStern <JRS...@foobar.invalid> said:

> Yah, same as in Saberhagen's Empire/Swords worlds. What no longer
> works is "technology", due to some kind of dicking with subatomic
> fields and forces, details unspecified.

Of course (as you know, Bob), that was only _half_ of the change to
the world there...

("Empire of the East" trilogy, _really_ good stuff. The "Swords"
and "Lost Swords" books, well, I read the first one and wasn't
impressed enough to keep going.)

-- wds

[Bill Steele]

In article <pdo7981k0e15fsciv...@4ax.com>,

If electricity doesn't work it means electrons either can't travel
through conductors or don't want to because the attraction between
positive and negative is gone. With that, every living thing drops dead.
Whatever they come up with ain't gonna be "plausible."

[JRStern]

On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:50:25 -0400, Bill Steele <ws...@cornell.edu>
wrote:

One or more of the basic forces is not just turned off, it is replaced
by something just different enough, but actually still amenable to
exploitation once you learn how.

J.

[JRStern]

On 2 Nov 2012 14:23:52 -0400, wds...@panix.com (William December

The first three swords books were OK by me, more than OK actually.

The Lost Swords - never bought them, they didn't look so hot, I did
buy Saberhagen's very last, and it wasn't so hot.

If Revolution doesn't steal more from them, then the Empire stuff is
still primo for Hollywood, I mean even has some limited sexual content
and all.

J.


>
>-- wds

[Stan Brown]

On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:11:12 -0700, JRStern wrote:
> On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 06:55:44 -0700, Don Bruder <fa...@spamdump.invalid>
> wrote:
>

> > [quoted text muted]

> >anything non-trivial) that they might as well be considered
> >non-operational. Anyone who has read Emberverse is likely to be at least
> >somewhat attracted to the show by the similarity, and would probably be
> >asking about whether steam power is operational.
>
> Yah, same as in Saberhagen's Empire/Swords worlds. What no longer
> works is "technology", due to some kind of dicking with subatomic
> fields and forces, details unspecified.

That's a common trope in sic-fi or fantasy.

One or my favorites is /Worlds of the Wall/ by MacApp. The hero is a
Terran astronaut who is stranded in a world where there is magic, but
only in regions where allowed by treaty. He tries to make simple
machines such as a wind-driven water pump work, but the forces of the
world prevent it in increasingly inventive ways. (That's just one
chapter of the novel.)



--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

[Harold Groot]

On Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:16:18 GMT, Hunter <buffh...@my-deja.com>
(Hunter) wrote:

>but the premise of "Revolution" was always said to be that electricity
>doesn't work, nothing else is affected. Nothing was ever said
>otherwise to my knowledge.

Rec.arts.sf.tv had VERY long discussions about these matters through
the summer, and not a single instance of early promotional material
was pointed to where Revolutions said it would be only ELECTRICAL
power going out. Instead, it was that "all power" was going to be
negated. It was only shortly before the fall premiere that there were
indications that it was going to be ONLY electrical power that was
negated.

[Ashton Crusher]

On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:25:09 -0700, Don Bruder <fa...@spamdump.invalid>
wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIkNY5xjy5k

[Klaatu]

"David" <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:00j598pm5rn5vo58f...@4ax.com...

> http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/
>
> 'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
> by James Hibberd
>
> Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn't want to hold onto the NBC

> drama's central mystery - What caused the blackout? - too much longer.

> And he's giving some hints about what the answer might entail.
>
> "We're talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
> blackout] before end of this season," Kripke tells EW. The answer is
> something that's passed muster from a physicist consulted by the
> producers. So expect what caused the blackout to be at least somewhat
> scientifically plausible.
>
> "The sweet spot is to find an answer that's actually scarier than what
> you were thinking," Kripke says. "Like, 'Oh wait, this is not even
> just about electricity.' And that's what we're designing. I don't see
> any reason to withhold it much longer."
>
> Billy Burke, who plays Miles on the breakout drama, says Kripke's
> blackout answer has managed to assure the actors, who have had many of
> the same questions about why certain technologies no longer function
> as fans. "We're asking those questions on a daily basis," Burke says.

> "We have conversations on set all the time - 'What about this? What

> about that? Wouldn't that work?' There always seem to be a
> technologically sound answer for the questions."
>
> One fan question about the epic power loss that's been asked since the

> pilot - Wouldn't steam engines work? - was answered in a recent

> episode that showed a steam train. Another recent episode featuring a
> thunderstorm resulted in a debate in the writers room over whether
> lightning would still work (it does).
>
> A giant Revolution revelation makes creative sense. Fans of the show
> don't tune in each week for nuggets about the blackout mystery, so
> it's really unlikely answering that question will result in a ratings
> drain. Whereas holding onto mysteries too long sometimes annoys
> viewers. The show's characters, frankly, have bigger things to worry
> about. Noting that the blackout occurred 15 years before the show's
> main storyline, Kripke asks, "How much are you sweating what happened
> in 1997?"
>
> For more scoop on Revolution, check out this week's issue of
> EntertainmentWeekly for a feature story on the show.

The answer is a device, shielded by a larger version of the pendants, which
creates a field that disrupts electrical devices. Worldwide. It continues
to operate.
It was a DARPA project, powered by a small atomic pile, also shielded, that
created the blackout. The pendants are small shield generators which
nullify, in a small area, the effects of the first DARPA device.

[anim8rFSK]

In article <gdydnbQbFJx6LgvN...@giganews.com>,

While it almost has to be something like this, it's perplexing how
nobody notices that the power generating stations are still operating,
and that juice is still running through the lines.

--
"Every time a Kardashian gets a TV show, an angel dies."

[Klaatu]

"anim8rFSK" <anim...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:anim8rfsk-F8E7B...@news.easynews.com...

Um, no. I see no street lights, signs, nothing to indicate power stations
are still working. Power source for the computer that the mystery woman was
using wasn't indicated, but could have been solar/battery with an inverter,
also under the influence of her pendant. After 15 years, I was surprised
whats-her-name's iphone was still able to show a picture of her kids. Now
THAT'S unlikely.

[Ed Stasiak]

> Klaatu

>
> After 15 years, I was surprised whats-her-name's iphone
> was still able to show a picture of her kids.

The iPhone powering up clearly implies the Magic USB Amulets
also provide power, not just create a "bubble" where electricity
can once again function.

Even if electricity could be made to work within the bubble, the
iPhone's battery would have died 15 years ago and it wouldn't
have worked on its own.

[David Johnston]

On 11/4/2012 5:27 PM, Ed Stasiak wrote:
>> Klaatu
>>
>> After 15 years, I was surprised whats-her-name's iphone
>> was still able to show a picture of her kids.
>
> The iPhone powering up clearly implies the Magic USB Amulets
> also provide power, not just create a "bubble" where electricity
> can once again function.

Yeah, that's why I keep saying it must be a misused broadcast power
technology.

[Obveeus]

Agreed.

Side note: why aren't large sections of the upper Midwest uninhabitable due
to radiation? it seems to me that if electricity shut off, those things
would not go through a nice safe shutdown procedure, so shouldn't there have
been some core meltdowns near Chicago?

[Harold Groot]

On Sun, 4 Nov 2012 20:27:42 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:

>
>Side note: why aren't large sections of the upper Midwest uninhabitable due
>to radiation?

What makes you think the areas around nuclear plants AREN'T currently
areas of very high radioactivity?

Let's consider Fukishima. They already had a hot shutdown, but the
tidal wave took them back to a "no power for the pumps" situation.
That lasted for a short period of time (as opposed to 15 years) - but
vehicles could still move, new generators could still be brought in,
helicopters could still make drops of seawater and so on. We saw how
well they handled that situation.

Here it would be "At full operation you suddenly have no controls
responding at all, no pumps working at all, no backup generators or
batteries to give you even a temporary respite, and even if there is a
scram system that works entirely on gravity and massive springs that
can be set off without controls, there is still the matter of all the
residual heat in the pile that stops getting removed. The water boils
away, the core melts, etc." Then we'd see if the containment shells
are REALLY as robust as they claim that they are.

In the early "all sources of power are negated" discussions this
wasn't going to be a huge problem, since it appeared that they were
going to be saying that nuclear fission/radiation was suppressed along
with everything else. But if they are going to have just "all
electricity goes out" then you've got major problems with the nuke
plants.

But hey - if 99.9% of the population has already died, it's not as if
land is in short supply. At that point having uninhabitable zones is
not your primary concern.

[JRStern]

On Sun, 4 Nov 2012 20:27:42 -0500, "Obveeus" <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:

>

>"Ed Stasiak" <esta...@att.net> wrote:
>>> Klaatu
>>>
>>> After 15 years, I was surprised whats-her-name's iphone
>>> was still able to show a picture of her kids.
>>
>> The iPhone powering up clearly implies the Magic USB Amulets
>> also provide power, not just create a "bubble" where electricity
>> can once again function.
>>
>> Even if electricity could be made to work within the bubble, the
>> iPhone's battery would have died 15 years ago and it wouldn't
>> have worked on its own.

Oh, the phenomenon magically preserves the stuff it affects, didn't
you read the fine print?

>
>Agreed.
>
>Side note: why aren't large sections of the upper Midwest uninhabitable due
>to radiation? it seems to me that if electricity shut off, those things
>would not go through a nice safe shutdown procedure, so shouldn't there have
>been some core meltdowns near Chicago?

Hmm, nice point.

Maybe atomic radiation *slows* the effect so they managed to cool
down. Or also slows down common nuclear reactions, too. We'll put in
an addendum or something.

J.

[Ed Stasiak]

> Harold Groot
> > Obveeus

> >
> > Side note: why aren't large sections of the upper Midwest
> > uninhabitable due to radiation?
>
> What makes you think the areas around nuclear plants AREN'T
> currently areas of very high radioactivity?

I've heard that nuke plants have mechanical safeties that don't
rely on electricity but then I ain't no scientist.

But if the nuke plants did fail, the Monroe Republic would be
an uninhabited radioactive wasteland;

http://crasstalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/USNuclearPowerPlants.jpg

[Professor Bubba]

In article
<daec180f-92cd-4068...@10g2000vbu.googlegroups.com>, Ed

Stasiak <esta...@att.net> wrote:

> > Harold Groot
> > > Obveeus
> > >
> > > Side note: why aren't large sections of the upper Midwest
> > > uninhabitable due to radiation?
> >
> > What makes you think the areas around nuclear plants AREN'T
> > currently areas of very high radioactivity?

Because they're not. Sheesh.

> I've heard that nuke plants have mechanical safeties that don't
> rely on electricity but then I ain't no scientist.

A nuclear reactor can scram safely without electricity. It would be
rendered harmless.

> But if the nuke plants did fail, the Monroe Republic would be
> an uninhabited radioactive wasteland;
>
> http://crasstalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/USNuclearPowerPlants.jpg

But here's the rub: While the reactors themselves wouldn't pose a
threat, the spent nuclear fuel rods in storage at every plant in
America would soon turn very dangerous. Thanks to politics, there's no
repository for the rods, so they're being kept "temporarily" on site in
pools of water. The water has to be kept circulating to cool the rods.
If the water boils away, the rods will overheat and catch on fire,
spewing highly radioactive smoke downwind. This would happen within
two or three days of a Revolution-style power outage. Radioactive
levels in affected areas would return to normal within a decade, but
you wouldn't want to be anywhere near those areas during that time. I
don't think you'd want to grow crops inside the fallout zones.

So there's no "if." The Monroe Republic would still be recovering from
what amounts to a heavy barrage of fallout.

[Jim G.]

Hunter sent the following on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:04:24 GMT:

> On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:24:17 -0400, David <diml...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/01/revolution-blackout-answer/
> >
> >'Revolution' showrunner teases blackout mystery solution
> >by James Hibberd
> >
> >Revolution showrunner Eric Kripke doesn’t want to hold onto the NBC
> >drama’s central mystery — What caused the blackout? — too much longer.
> >And he’s giving some hints about what the answer might entail.
> >
> >“We’re talking very seriously about revealing [what caused the
> >blackout] before end of this season,” Kripke tells EW. The answer is
> >something that’s passed muster from a physicist consulted by the
> >producers. So expect what caused the blackout to be at least somewhat
> >scientifically plausible.
> -----
> As long as it has a grain of truth to it I'm okay with it.

We know, Hunter. We know.

--
Jim G. | A fan of the good and the bad, but not the mediocre
"I'm really ready for this day to be over." -- Duke Crocker, HAVEN

[Ubiquitous]

TROLL-O-METER

5* 6* *7
4* *8
3* *9
2* *10
1* | *stuporous
0* -*- *catatonic
* |\ *comatose
* \ *clinical death
* \ *biological death
* _\/ *demonic apparition
* * *damned for all eternity