Shift in magnetic pole thingy.

[Deep Sea Isopod]

Any truth in this? What does it mean?

[mistermack]

The magnetic poles are constantly on the move. And they move in an unpredictable way, so it would be hard to read anything at all into this.
They completeley flip, north to south, on average every 300,000 years, and we haven't had a flip for about 700,000 years, so you might say we are due one.

But it's not a regular, predictable average, it varies enormously, so we might not get another flip for another 700,000 years, and then might get a run of lots of flips in quick succession.

The fact that it's moving means nothing, it's always on the move.
If we did get a flip, it's not likely to cause any damage. It takes about a thousand years to flip, and the magnetic field never disappears, it just moves around in an unpredictable way. So the Earth never loses it's magnetic protection from Solar radiation.

[Deep Sea Isopod]

Flip in hell! So it wont hurt us then? So it would be a cool experience if it did!

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

Magnetic N. is not actually at the physical N. pole but is, in fact somewhere in northern Canada.
Any map-reader/navigator worth his/her salt knows this and will allow for the magnetic variation by the appropriate number of degrees when plotting a course (grid to mag- add, mag to grid- get rid) depending on where they are in the world.
It's never been a problem and won't present a problem in the future other than the need to alter some signs/text occasionally.

[Faithfree]

Putting on geologist hat.

What they said. The magnetic poles are always on the move, sometimes slower, sometimes faster. When the south magnetic pole was first reached it was on land in Antarctica. Now it's well out in the ocean.

Here's progressive positions of the magnetic north pole:

[cowiz]

If it flips, I'll be a bloody southerner and have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!! On the upside, we'll have Xmas in the summer while the Aussies freeze their little kangaroo nuts off.

Or have I got this wrong?!?!?

[Faithfree]

If it flips, I'll be a bloody southerner and have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!! On the upside, we'll have Xmas in the summer while the Aussies freeze their little kangaroo nuts off.

Or have I got this wrong?!?!?

If it flips you'll have to read your compass the other way around; that's about it. Won't affect the climate. Animals that navigate by geomagnetism might be fucked, however.

.....have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!!

You're confusing us with the Poms.

[cowiz]

If it flips, I'll be a bloody southerner and have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!! On the upside, we'll have Xmas in the summer while the Aussies freeze their little kangaroo nuts off.

Or have I got this wrong?!?!?

If it flips you'll have to read your compass the other way around; that's about it. Won't affect the climate. Animals that navigate by geomagnetism might be fucked, however.

.....have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!!

You're confusing us with the Poms.

That's what the southern Poms do.

[Faithfree]

If it flips, I'll be a bloody southerner and have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!! On the upside, we'll have Xmas in the summer while the Aussies freeze their little kangaroo nuts off.

Or have I got this wrong?!?!?

If it flips you'll have to read your compass the other way around; that's about it. Won't affect the climate. Animals that navigate by geomagnetism might be fucked, however.

.....have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!!

You're confusing us with the Poms.

That's what the southern Poms do.

So what are jellied eels like anyway?

[cowiz]

If it flips, I'll be a bloody southerner and have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!! On the upside, we'll have Xmas in the summer while the Aussies freeze their little kangaroo nuts off.

Or have I got this wrong?!?!?

If it flips you'll have to read your compass the other way around; that's about it. Won't affect the climate. Animals that navigate by geomagnetism might be fucked, however.

.....have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!!

You're confusing us with the Poms.

That's what the southern Poms do.

So what are jellied eels like anyway?

No clue, won't touch the slimy fuckers

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

No clue, won't touch the slimy fuckers

+1.
I'm told eels taste like chicken and mud.

[Deep Sea Isopod]

If it flips, I'll be a bloody southerner and have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!! On the upside, we'll have Xmas in the summer while the Aussies freeze their little kangaroo nuts off.

Or have I got this wrong?!?!?

If it flips you'll have to read your compass the other way around; that's about it. Won't affect the climate. Animals that navigate by geomagnetism might be fucked, however.

.....have to start drinking beer with no head and eat jellied eels!!!

You're confusing us with the Poms.

That's what the southern Poms do.

So what are jellied eels like anyway?

No clue, won't touch the slimy fuckers

That's not a nice thing to call Southerners!

[mistermack]

I've eaten eel twice. (Freshwater eel).
First time was a big one, I took the skin off, and it tasted bloody beautiful. Whitefish like cod, but much tastier.
Second time it was cooked with the skin on. It was bloody horrible.
Jellied eels are cooked with the skin on, I think. It's supposed to be nice, but I'll stick to skin off, thanks very much.

I wonder if the eels use the magnetic field to navigate when they migrate? I doubt if anything really uses it, or they would be extinct now.
Maybe they just use it to tell them they are going in a straight line, but not WHERE to go.

[Ian]

Has nobody considered the possibility that Ming the Merciless might be attacking the Earth?

[JimC]

Has nobody considered the possibility that Ming the Merciless might be attacking the Earth?

That was my dad's nickname when he was a Battery Sergeant Major in the Australian artillery during WW2...

I think it was for his kind and forgiving nature...