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Comment by kamranjon | Hacker News Reader

I wonder if any of the stories of people who get struck by lightning multiple times throughout their lives have any merit and if there is any scientific explanation for that given how rare it is to even get struck in the first place.

Maybe it’s like a psychological thing, after getting struck once they start to subconsciously crave it and expose themselves to situations where it is likely to happen again?

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Possibly they live a lifestyle or have physical objects near or on them or live in a specific location that makes them more likely targets.

A thousand years ago we said "demons did it". Now we say "the subconsciousness did it". Both mere handwaving.

I like the Navajo take on it. Once struck by lightning you are forever infected with strangeness.

Modern theory says that lightning is the amplified voice of a distant pulsar. Very distant. Outside our galaxy. Superstrange. Basically an alien god.

Which would explain a lot.

navajo knew about pulsars?

> Modern theory says that lightning is the amplified voice of a distant pulsar

It does?

The electric field from the cloud is usually not high enough to break down air on its own, but some particles from space can ionize the air enough to start the process.

This counts as an amplifier in the same way that avalanche photodiodes do.

And if you filter the thunder properly you can clearly hear Azathoth's orchestra.

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