When apple started doing mac address randomization on the iphone, we used a metal trash can to test that in a controlled environment. It worked quite well for wifi isolation. We did not tape the lid.
I did a much lower fidelity experiment this past week with one of my kids.
I have some radios I threw in metal boxes on the off chance something like this happened so we’d have some way to get emergency alerts. To check how well it shielded we threw my phone in it and they called to see if it rang. It did.
So we tried some other things - the microwave (worked), a tool chest (didn’t), a faraday bag (worked), miscellaneous storage boxes (didn’t).
Fortunately, the box with the radio was an old box and some paint had worn from the edges. We made a “seal” out of aluminum foil and tried again. It worked.
This only tested high frequency signals and probably doesn’t reflect real EMP risk in any way, but it was fun to do.
Technically I'm measuring in the "wrong direction" since I would be very surprised if an EMP were initiated inside a trash can in my basement, but shielding works the same in both directions so this doesn't matter.
It really doesn't, with 1.5GHz you're still in near field regime inside the can.
For my money, a triple burrito wrap of foil and ziploc gives 90+ dB attenuation plus moisture and mechanical protection.
Also nitpick, but the E1 pulse doesn't fry beefy transformers, instead it's the long-period E3 pulse (seconds to minutes) that raises the grid voltage and overvolts the transformers.
Since you already suspect that any EMP will come from above why didn't this guy simply turn the trash can upside down and place it over the test setup?
There would be no need to seal anything since the can has a continuous rolled seam. Just use a standard trash can instead of one of those kitchen trash cans that likely has a plastic bottom for easy clean-up.
This kind of prepping is silly. I suppose it's a way for adults to build pillow forts.
AI isn't likely to deliberately kill anyone. It's likely to make them entirely economically uncompetitive, and treat the humans on the dole as a cost center, gradually making them do with less.
Automating the economy is the risk to humans, not EMPs.
I have some radios I threw in metal boxes on the off chance something like this happened so we’d have some way to get emergency alerts. To check how well it shielded we threw my phone in it and they called to see if it rang. It did.
So we tried some other things - the microwave (worked), a tool chest (didn’t), a faraday bag (worked), miscellaneous storage boxes (didn’t).
Fortunately, the box with the radio was an old box and some paint had worn from the edges. We made a “seal” out of aluminum foil and tried again. It worked.
This only tested high frequency signals and probably doesn’t reflect real EMP risk in any way, but it was fun to do.
It really doesn't, with 1.5GHz you're still in near field regime inside the can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMct99DiZak
For my money, a triple burrito wrap of foil and ziploc gives 90+ dB attenuation plus moisture and mechanical protection.
Also nitpick, but the E1 pulse doesn't fry beefy transformers, instead it's the long-period E3 pulse (seconds to minutes) that raises the grid voltage and overvolts the transformers.
There would be no need to seal anything since the can has a continuous rolled seam. Just use a standard trash can instead of one of those kitchen trash cans that likely has a plastic bottom for easy clean-up.
AI isn't likely to deliberately kill anyone. It's likely to make them entirely economically uncompetitive, and treat the humans on the dole as a cost center, gradually making them do with less.
Automating the economy is the risk to humans, not EMPs.