Friday, January 30, 2009

Alaska Bandwidth Ain't World Bandwidth

Apparently there are so many people trying to visit the Alaska Volcanoes Observatory website that the server has crashed. This is due to the the imminent eruption of Mt. Redoubt, which is 170 miles SW of Anchorage.

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the attention is coming from the MSM, hoping for a volcano eruption disaster that they can blame on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.


update: Instalanche! Thank you, Glenn Reynolds! Welcome, Instapundit readers!

update 2: The Alaska Volcano Website is back up, with an advisory about the increased traffic. The website is in a limited text-only mode.

update 3: Pic of Redoubt, just after dawn this morning, via webcam placed 10 miles away:

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the attention is coming from the MSM, hoping for a volcano eruption disaster that they can blame on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin."

Yes, because we all know that Katrina was caused by FEMA.

I can see the concerned talking head now, looking into the camera with a furrowed brow, "Today in Alaska the failed Republican Vice Presidential nominee, former beauty contestant Sarah Palin proved impotent to stop the erupting volcano which was caused by global warming. As tons of lava flowed over polar bears and moose, Sarah could do nothing to stop it and busied herself getting the humans out of the path of Gaia's wrath. Liberal scientists today voiced concern that the people we caused by a lack of birth control options."

It is so sad to now that a significant proportion of the MSM hates her because she is Republican, and did so much to actively undermine her election.

If the volcano does blow, I hope they are able to keep all the citizens and rescue workers safe.

Anonymous said...

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the attention is coming from the MSM, hoping for a volcano eruption disaster that they can blame on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Nah, it's just that big explosions are interesting, and you don't get much bigger than a volcanic eruption short of touching off a nuke.

I hope everyone gets word to clear out before it goes off.

Anonymous said...

I am in awe, tyree, you hit every talking point! Well done.

Retread

Anonymous said...

Nope, just the MSM looking for something else to blame "Global Warming" for.

Think I'm kidding...just wait and see.

Anonymous said...

thanks Retread,
It's a gift that derives from decades of experience and years of Tigerhawk, Instapundit and Patterico.

Anonymous said...

"that they can blame on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin."

Obama is President.

Everything bad that happens in the world is his sole responsibility.

Just like Blanco got a pass on Katrina.

Anonymous said...

No, it's not political. People don't even care who's governor or who ran for what last time when a big volcano is about to go off.
It's sort of like 1980 all over again; interest in Mount St. Helens before the eruption was just unbelievable.

And it's Alaska, and winter, and there's whole "fire and ice" factor, too.

Redoubt eruptions can be spectacular, and the last time time it erupted, a big jet almost crashed after flying into its ash cloud. Also, nearby Augustine Volcano erupted a few years ago, and that may have introduced a lot of people on the Web to the AVO and the world of Alaskan volcanoes in general.

I'd say the AVO server problem was from an Instalanche, but the Instapundit post is marked 9:33 a.m. and AVO was having problems hours before that. I don't know when Drudge linked it. People just really love this stuff, and on the Web, you can look at a volcano's seismograms (not for Redoubt - the AVO Webicorders aren't online any more) and all sorts of interesting stuff, including that lovely picture you have posted.

Sarah who cares (and I normally DO care - Go! Sarah! Go!) when a big mountain is about to explode.