Yes, it should have been solved at the design level. I'm not saying that what happened is a completely unsolvable problem or that it should have happened. I'm trying to explain how this could have happened.

Sacrificial anodes are a form of cathodic protection. I think you're talking about Impressed Current Cathodic Protection which is kind of a problem for a sophisticated warship with sensitive instruments.

If you use zinc, yes. This is why the navy doesn't use zinc anodes for warships that are deployed for long periods of time. They typically use aluminum instead, but you can't use aluminum anodes on an aluminum hull.

You try sticking a soft HCP metal like zinc in an impellar housing and let me know how it goes. Also, see how long it lasts.

Zinc still gets used, but its impractical for long-term deployment which navy ships need to be capable of. Unlike beryllium the carbonate formation is fairly slow, but still not slow enough.

Galvanic corrosion occurs any time you can form a circuit between two dissimilar metals. Just like when you stuck an iron nail and a piece of copper in a lemon in science class, you'll get current flow and galvanic corrosion on the metal that serves as the anode. The current involved is ordinarily CREATED by the…

Article got it wrong. It was a cellphone ringing, not a lighter.

That... that's not how galvanic corrosion works. Please read my summary on the problem (long, separate post). ;)

This is a mildly hilarious problem. Quick materials science lesson for you all because if I don't use my degree at least once a year I get sad about how much money it cost me:

Except that AT&T will use this as an excuse to stall on build out. The problem with AT&T's coverage is that they stopped expanding their network some time ago. There are graphs out there showing their gross revenue, operating expenditures, and network build out expenditures. The three are proportional for some time…

I love this technology. For those who missed it, there were quite a few videos like this made during the Haiti aftermath. On a crazier note, did everyone else see the guy on the burning building at the very end of the clip? Pan around to the inferno and you can see him on the awning directly above the flaming…

I give it 10 months (post close) for them to drive it into the ground.

Prediction: 9,990 years from now stupid people are going to start freaking out about how the ancient clock is about to end and how it means the rapture/apocalypse is coming.

RIP RIM

You're right. Driving 110 didn't kill him. The abrupt transition from 110 to 0 did.

Seriously, did you miss the FMRI study that discovered that extreme brand loyalties are nearly identical to religious fanaticism? The fans went nuts because the fans were nuts.

That was in response to the device's hardware specs and performance, not physical dimensions. The physical dimensions are inconsequential, like a patient's favorite color.

Yes, god forbid someone at Motorola were to learn the physical dimensions of the iPad 2 ahead of time. They could totally retool their entire manufacturing process for the Xoom to... wait. Why the fuck would this be valuable knowledge in the first place?

I wasn't laughing. ;)

Holy crap, someone saw the "Yes Men" presentation and didn't realize it was satire.