Solar flares can cause damage to electronics as they did in 1989 but be reassured that both you and your electronic equipment are in no danger from this large and spectacular solar flare.  It is big, but not that big.

Those of you that live in higher latitudes may be lucky enough to see an extraordinary display of aurorae (aka Northern Lights).  Those of us in lower latitudes will just have to make do with photos of this beautiful phenomenon.

The answer to this question could be “it depends”, but I’m going to go right out to end of the tree limb and say the answer is “yes”, voltage regulators are necessary, even here in the United States where the delivery of power is pretty consistent.

Consistent to the extent that it is better than in developing nations, but perfectly consistent? No.  In the U.S. there is a voltage drop of about 3-15% from the point where the electrical service delivers the power to where the power is actually consumed within any given industrial facility, mainly due to wire impedance.