this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2026
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I'm liking the idea of a grassroots terrestrial version of Rods From God: use utility poles (or sections thereof), launched from a pneumatic launcher hidden inside box trucks and/or trailers. Apply some good old kinetic energy to the right inputs/outputs/interconnections and we should be good.
But it might even be easier than that - use augers to target the data lines. I will admit I'm not sure whether such lines are typically underground, but that should be a matter of public record, no?
If you can build the capability of launching a telephone pole that far, you could cause a lot more damage by launching an equal weight of explosives and/or incendiaries instead. If you're going to the trouble of making a hidden pneumatic launcher in a box truck, you might as well make the payload as destructive as possible.
Incoming power lines won't be buried and will be easier targets. Especially the transformers -- oil-cooled power transformers (as would be typical for that role) can easily be disabled by a single hit from a decently powerful rifle, which will punch a hole in the casing, allow the oil to leak out, and result in the transformer overheating and failing.
Except I can get utility poles free, especially if I cut them down in the form of trees. 100% under the radar, unlike diesel and fertilizer, which will get you on a watchlist.
I'd sooner go for the data centers that operate their own turbines or generators. They're horrifically polluting, and that stuff is expensive as fuck. You take out a turbine, that's a major bill and not an easy thing to replace.