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PopSci Show Us The Science Behind Lightning With Some Awesome YouTube Footage
Posted by Nick Broughall at 12:00 PM on October 23, 2008
Ever wondered about what really happens when lightning strikes? This great video on PopSci breaks down the phenomenon using the best scientific footage available - YouTube videos.
Even if you don't care what happens when lightning strikes, it's still worth a watch just so you can join the people behind the video camera swearing at how frickin' close the lightning gets to them.
[PopSci]
Well, this is just about the most amazing thing I've ever seen. It's a lightning bolt that's shooting down from the sky, shot in slow motion. I'm not sure exactly how fast this camera is, but it's got to be shooting at a speed faster than the 
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It appears that the Gods hate gadgets, which is why they have been 
If there's one thing that Storm from the X-men has taught us, it's that controlling lightning is pretty cool. Controlling it as a weapon? Even cooler. That's why Applied Energetics (formerly Ionatron) is developing gigantic lightning guns that will be able to stall a car from afar. Initially, they were focused on zapping people, but have since shifted their focus to harnessing lightning to shorting out vehicles and IEDs.
You think China inducing rain to prevent a washed-out Olympics is impressive? Whatever. Check this out: a group of scientists has just shot a laser into some clouds and triggered lightning.
This is the Sony NHS-130C, a monolithic black rack that offers high-end HD video and audio through an entire house, from home theaters to a master bedroom. In fact, Sony says the NHS-130C offers multi-room "control of movies, audio, lighting, temperature, security systems," and by the look of it, probably 
Lichtenberg figures are fantastic; they perfectly display branching electric charges that occur within, or on the surface of, certain insulating materials. Sure, that may sound like a whole load of boring, but check the image above to see why you are wrong—they look amazing. Popsci is hosting a video that shows you how to make your very own with some office supplies, a metal point and some shag carpeting. 
Sure you could use the 12,000 watt AE Techron Model 7796 DC-Coupled AC Amplifier to play music, but power like that cannot be relegated to music alone. It needs to be harnessed for something bigger—like unholy experimentation with the forces of nature. In fact, the very first customer to purchase one of these amps is planning on wiring 12 of them up in three phases to simulate lightning strikes on a Boeing 787 airplane. Other Techron models have already been used to test relays in the power industry.
