
There's a Mysterious Field of Electrical Energy Outside Google London - danso
http://www.businessinsider.com/mysterious-field-of-static-electrical-energy-at-google-in-london-2014-11
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mrb
This reminds of the more spectacular "Invisible Electrostatic Wall" incident
at a 3M adhesive tape plant
([http://amasci.com/weird/unusual/e-wall.html](http://amasci.com/weird/unusual/e-wall.html)).

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lotsofmangos
Perhaps the brig on future starships will be located just above a floor
containing a tape factory.

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lifeisstillgood
"I cannae unroll the Sellotape fast enough capt'n! "

I can see that red shirt might come to a sticky end however. But at least the
plot holes could be patched up.

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MiguelHudnandez
It's exciting to think that they might be testing some wild tech to charge
cell phones from a distance or something, but in all likelihood there is a
static electricity buildup from a forced-air system or a gas line.

The local utility is likely digging up the sidewalk now to properly ground
whatever conduit might be generating the static electricity.

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Crito
Honest question: How do you ground something that is already buried in the
ground? Is there some sort of anti-corrosion covering that could act as a
dielectric?

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CapitalistCartr
Dry soil can be enough, but more likely, yes, there is probably an anti-
corrosion coating. Either way, a ground clamp, a piece of #8-#4 bare copper,
and an 8' ground rod, will solve the problem.

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mschuster91
Copper? In plain earth? That will only give you complete corrosion in,
depending on conditions, not even a whole year.

Usual standard is zinc-coated steel, 10mm (or larger, depending on stuff like
attached lightning protectors, the diameter of the supply line and a number of
other factors).

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CapitalistCartr
The connector wire is copper, sized from #8 to #4. The ground rod is 5/8"
galvanized steel. That's the standard ground in the USA since water pipes went
to PVC. And the copper will last underground indefinitely.

As mschuster91 said, there is always a risk of hitting existing lines when
driving a rod in the ground.

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mschuster91
Ah, the connector. Sorry, misunderstood you - I thought you meant the entire
thing to be made out of copper.

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lotsofmangos
I wouldn't hang around any mysterious fields of electricity above pavements in
London, given the spate of exploding link boxes -
[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/exploding-pavements-
are...](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/exploding-pavements-are-on-the-
rise-in-london-9738044.html)

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thom_nic
I just got a kick out of the fact that Business Insider cited a Reddit user
named "master_poop" as a news source.

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jonah
I thought this was going to be a story about Ingress.

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pmontra
Nope, but it's almost Christmas so the Doctor will be investigating soon.

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Animats
Hasn't anyone been there with instruments yet? Is there a big electrostatic
field, which looks like a big DC potential? A high-frequency AC field, as from
a Tesla coil? Current running through the ground because of an open neutral
somewhere nearby?

University College London has a good EE department. Somebody in London please
contact them.

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trhway
getting hairs to stand up takes more than several volts/centimeter i'd guess.
Makes all the sense to wear tin hat (alum foil :) there to avoid
headache/nosebleeds/increased mental abilities/etc...

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moioci
likely Jon Skeet's aura

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ares2012
Any sightings of the Tardis?

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dingdingdang
Come-on, lets get this (in-)validated, get on the streets Londoners!

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freehunter
Validated how? With more amateur video like the ones on reddit?

