I was just hit by lightning!

[DesignDawg]

Damn, J...


You live in the lightning capital of the world, man. I know you know this. It was only a matter of time. Whenever I'm down there visiting my parents, watching Bay News 9, I always like to count the lightning strike victim stories. Sometimes during the summer it's like 5 a day!! Glad you're OK. Stay in Tampa, and you'll end up a toasty one for sure...like that guy on "The Great Outdoors."

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[thraashman]

KDOG,
That's pretty pathetic that you were 14 when you did that. I'd understand if you were like 6, but 14 you should've known better.

jonnyGURU,
It may be a really good idea to get checked out by a doctor. You never know what could go wrong. Something really bad might have happened, like you may be impotent for the rest of your life or something, and that would suck a big one.

 

[Damaged]

<< Any of the following may have been tied (or capacitively coupled) to either the lightning spike voltage or to something much different... Things get wierd when your whole neighborhood is part of a 2MV/m gradient field. Earth ground doesn't exist, water pipes, heating ducts, electrical wiring, network and phone wires, major appliances (with big metallic bodies), and the change in your pocket (okay, slight exaggeration) will all affect the &quot;shape&quot; and density of the electric field around and near them. Conductors in general will try to 'balance' their potential more evenly...

So if you've got generic-metallic-stuff stretching out in opposite directions with no electrical connection between, you've effectively concentrated the electric field in the gap. It only forms an arc when it gets over 50,000 Volts per inch, and for long enough for the air to ionize. Damage can be done well before that.

Cool stuff from Physics 101. >>



I found this quote from MLUG (the Milwaukee Linux User's Group) when someone was asking about damage to their computer from a lightening strike. I just found it so apropos!

BTW, Rick Miller is the guys name.

 

[teknoid]

Aint living in Florida just a thrill a minute???

Folks who don't live here don't realize what kind of storms we get. Yea I know everybody gets thunderstorms but here in FL we get some of the worst in country.

I've known 3 people who've had close encounters with lightning (4 if you count me) One died from it. We're not even going to talk about the damage it does to equipment. I've got a customer system on my bench right now that is completely toasted from lightning.

At least it doesn't snow here...

 

[cxim]

jonnyG,

Don't go to the Doc. If you did not get a burn, there is nothing for a doc to do, a waste of your time &amp; money ! Just like getting a zap from a cap !

The past 2 weeks have been full of electrical activity. The last 2 days several Hrs per day of big strikes. The power co is working their butts off replacing transformers, did 2 down the street yesterday.

I have lost 3 tvs, stereos, an AC heatpump motor, radios, several VCRS, 1 motherboard, several cordless phones (the base) in the last 10 yrs in Florida from the big L. And this is with extra grounds, &amp; surge protectors out the wazoo. Have had 3 strikes to trees in my next door neighbors yard ( tall trees ).

Yesterday, it was better than the 4th of July fireworks. Booms &amp; cracks that shake the house

There is a lot of lightning activity in the Tampa Bay area this time of the year.

 

[DesignDawg]

<< Yea I know everybody gets thunderstorms but here in FL we get some of the worst in country. >>


Nah. You get a lot of LIGHTNING and thunder...but the storms themselves are WEAK. Very weak. Compared to where I grew up, the storms in FL (at least in the Tampa Bay area) are little piss-drizzlers. --But there is a LOT of electrical activity in them, no doubt!

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[jaydee]

<< When I was about 14 I accidently stuck a pair of tweezers in an electric socket(long story). >>



Hey man I'm up for long stories that include SHOVING TWEEZERS IN ELECTRICAL OUTLETs. YOU WERE FREAKIN' 14! Are shrooms involved in this story by chance?

 

[dennilfloss]

cxim,

He could develop incipient cardiac irregularity. He should get an electrocardiogram done unless the prospect of sudden heart stop does not scare him. Heart attacks are not always immediate consequences, they may come later.

When Doves Cry (Prince)

 

[Imaginer]

I am just glad I do not live in Brandon anymore. So close to that area too.

 

[hubbs]

The only thing that has ever happened in my family involving an electrical charge was when my mom was putting something in the oven and she set it down and the electrical line sent a shock through her arm and she like fell over. It was time to get a new oven. But the place we traded it into didn't have to know that it electricuted people

 

[reitz]

My sixth grade science teacher loved to share the story about the day he decided to fly a kite near some electrical wires...

The kite got tangled, he got jolted (and a week's stay in the hospital). At the end of the lecture he held up the pair of shoes he was wearing that day: There were quarter-sized holes burned completely through the bottom of both heels.

 

[Pennstate]

Johnny G:
You didn't happen to acquire any paranormal abilities did you? I heard somewhere somepeople did after being struck with lightning.

 

[SuperSix]

Damn Jonny.. and right before your vacation. Lois musta freaked!
Hope you're OK, Joe may go postal if anything happened to you!


As for the storms in Florida, it's not the severity of any given storm, it's the high amount of storms we get. Rains almost everyday during the summer, you can almost set your watch by it. (Not really, but everyone says that) Saturday, we had 10&quot; of rain and the lightning was cracking the whole time.

I live in north Tampa, and a few weeks ago, lightning struck 3 houses down. It was close enough to where I had to de-gauss my monitor to get rid of the purple. One of my 8 port hubs is now a six port w/o an uplink port, we lost one computer (Packard Bell - no real loss), and my 19&quot; RCA in my &quot;lab&quot; won't tune any cable channels below 50. :|

Lightning is suck..

Was that tin roof..... rusted? HAWHAWHAWHAW <errr> sorry..

 

[Livin4Real]

Dennilfloss, I didn't say you COULDN'T survive a direct hit I said he'd been riding in the back of an ambulance with the smell of burnt hair surrounding him.

 

[dennilfloss]

Living4Real,

Fair enough.

&quot;Was that tin roof..... rusted?&quot;

Err...rusty. I bet he was oogling Kate Pierson when it happened.

http://www.b52s.net/katewho.html
http://www.b52s.net/morekate.html

Long Day (Matchbox 20)

 

[Edog1955]

Man thats a bummer, had a friend that got a direct hit, while golfing, sadly he is not here to talk about it. Edog1955

 

[jonnyGURU]

Hey SuperSix! I just lost the hub with that strike.

I seem to be fine. Even the little red mark on the back of my leg is now gone.

We had more of that kind of lightning this morning.

I'm paranoid now. It took me 15 minutes to muster up enough strength to get in the car to drive to work.