I've always thought this is how the Antichrist would show up, if he existed. Beating down all the pussies with his fists, and no one can stop him. No blades, no lightning bolts. Just badass viking everyone like a boss.

Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt!

*clap clap clap*

...some cropped web page....

Let's take a look at the process through which lightning is known to be formed. Lightning occurs because of a difference in charge between a storm cloud and the ground.

First, the base of a cloud sends down a little electric discharge, called a stepped leader. It descends to the ground in steps, each about 50 yards (about 46 meters) in length. This process is extremely fast and impossible to see with the naked eye. Each step is less than a millionth of a second long. The interval between steps works out to about fifty-millionths of a second. This process can only be observed with the assistance of extremely quick-exposure cameras.

The stepped leader generally moves at about 75 miles per second (120 km/s) towards the ground. A typical trip duration is 20 milliseconds. Atoms pass along electrical charge much more quickly than sound vibrations.

The stepped leader carries tons of negative charge. As it nears the ground, it induces enormous quantities of positive charge in the earth, especially at the tips of tall objects. Because opposites attract, the stepped leader and the negative charge at the ground reach towards each other and quickly meet. The path from storm cloud to the surface is complete and "the floodgates are open", so to speak.

Because the cloud is filled with negative charge, it has a lot of current to offer to the newly created discharge path. This charge quickly moves from being distributed throughout the cloud to being concentrated at the point where the stepped leader first dropped from the cloud, into the ground or an elevated object. This discharge is called the return stroke, and is what we think of when we hear the word "lightning".

The return stroke takes around 100 millionths of a second to reach the ground. The immense flash generated is enough to leave an afterimage in our eyes for seconds at a time, giving us the illusion that the lightning flash is longer than it really is. In reality, our eyes cannot resolve any of the steps involved. We only see the final product - a lightning bolt.

Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt!

Excellent, 2 Hoorays for LSD in the span of 5 minutes!

Lightning Bolt!!!

I'm all for higher bandwidth conections having a lightning bolt icon is not exactly the most intelligent thing not only will that confuse noobs who will think its realted to power , its going to be stupid in 6 years time when its jokingly slow compared to other interfaces.

also with external ports like this compatibly is probably more important than speed for example many people have SATA outputs on the mobo but most people use usb.

@bamdrew: "If this logic were strictly adhered to I don't see how you could ever return to your original future once you've gone to the past" -- Nice theory, but it's proven wrong in BTTF 1 where Marty didn't return to his original future. He landed in the altered future (where his brother's a lawyer, his father's an author, he has a truck, etc.).

@campionidelmondo: Those are some great thoughts that will help me sleep at night. I like the idea of #2, as it reminds me of Bill and Ted: "Later, I'll travel back to before we got locked in this cage and give myself the key... Now I have the key!"

Glad I'm not the only one who overlooked this gaping hole for so many, many years. That's how you know these movies are really great- they're capable of distracting you by entertaining you so thoroughly.

Side note: I learned in the new special features that the original ending was written so that Marty drove the Delorean into a nuclear bomb test detonation in the desert rather than hitting the lightning cable at precisely 88 mph. (And what are the odds he could hit the cable at the split second the lightning bolt was hitting it? Another quirk that's started bothering me.)

Lightning bolt... LIGHTNING BOLT!!!

>> ^thinker247:

Also, to any other member of the human race who tells me what I can and cannot do, without rational evidence as to why I must obey...fuck you.


I am highly offended by your comment. Dance on unicorns to the magical valley as penitence or you will be on the receiving end of vengeful lightning bolts!!

>> ^spaceman:

The lightning is caused by a massive amount of kinetic energy from the gas molecules which in turn ionizes the air molecules which gives them charge. What this does is allows for one charge to have a connect point through the ionized air molecules to an opposite charge somewhere else. This connect point allows current to flow which is the basic property of a lightning bolt.


It's Thetans escaping you nincompoop.

The lightning is caused by a massive amount of kinetic energy from the gas molecules which in turn ionizes the air molecules which gives them charge. What this does is allows for one charge to have a connect point through the ionized air molecules to an opposite charge somewhere else. This connect point allows current to flow which is the basic property of a lightning bolt.

Wow if marking yourself with a Lightning bolt on the forehead is bad, I'm screwed. I have the Dark Mark tattooed on my forearm! I must be possessed by the devil!

Tags for this video have been changed from 'avatar, LARP, pool, comedy, blue, na vi, l a r p' to 'avatar, LARP, pool, comedy, blue, na vi, l a r p, lightning bolt' - edited by swampgirl

*promote -ing my old favs... lightning bolt!