Particle Accelerator: Could it be the end of the world? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

jewels · 09-09-2008, 06:52 AM

There are some that believe this particle accelerator will cause black holes that will cause the Earth to self-destruct by next week. Yes, it's a small percentage, but they're physicists, too.

Personally, I'll trust in the larger consensus of physicists. I'm not sure why, but I'd love to understand what the risks are and what they could possibly fear. Any explanation would help satisfy curiosity of us laypersons.

For those that understand the technicalities of this process, do you have any concerns at all? Or are the physicists that fear the end of the world simply falling back on a subliminal religious or cultural belief?

Quote:

Why the fascination with the end of the world?
By Finlo Rohrer
BBC News Magazine

A huge particle accelerator experiment is about to start and a tiny group of people believe it could spell the end of the world. But why are we so obsessed with the possibility of apocalypse?

The world will end. That much is a certainty. But it may not be soon. And in all probability it will not come to a shuddering, fiery, boiling, cataclysmic end on Wednesday this week.

THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER
At Cern on French-Swiss border
One of biggest and most expensive experiments in human history
Critics say micro black holes could be created, that could swallow the earth
Cern says any black holes will evaporate quickly and harmlessly
Effects will be less than cosmic ray collisions in atmosphere
LHC collisions could shed light on creation of universe
First beam on Wednesday
First collision later in year
Action ongoing at European Court of Human Rights to stop experiments
LHC Kritiks lead opposition

That is when the Large Hadron Collider on the Swiss/French border has its first full beam. The collider is a giant particle accelerator which, by smashing one particle into another, will tell us amazing things about the birth of the universe, scientists hope.

But there are a small but significant group of naysayers who worry that the LHC is not 100% safe. Opponents say it is possible the collider could produce micro black holes and dangerous "strangelets", and that catastrophic effects from these cannot be ruled out.

In this worst case scenario the earth could very well have had its chips.

However, the consensus of physicists is that the collider is perfectly harmless. Micro black holes would vanish almost instantaneously.

But when you see a headline in a newspaper that says "Are we all going to die next Wednesday?", one can't help but wonder at our fascination with the idea of the end of the world.

FAILED PREDICTIONS
Jehovah's Witnesses have predicted end several times, but have stopped
Millerites predicted end of world for 22 October 1844 - day known to followers as Great Disappointment
Edgar C Whisenant wrote 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988 - followed up with predictions for 1989 , 1993 , and 1994
Argentinian goalie Carlos Roa gave up football in anticipation of end of world in 2000
Hal Lindsey in 1970's The Late, Great Planet Earth linked end of world to the EU
Whether you refer to it as eschatology (religious theory of the end of the world), millenarianism, end time belief, apocalypticism, or disaster scenario, it is one of humanity's most powerful ideas, and it goes way back.

"It is a very ancient pattern in human thought. It is rooted in ancient, even pre-biblical Middle Eastern myths of ultimate chaos and ultimate struggle between the forces of order and chaos," says cultural historian Paul S Boyer, author of When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture.

"It is deeply appealing at a psychological level because the idea of meaninglessness is deeply threatening. Human societies have always tried to create some kind of framework of meaning to give history and our own personal lives some kind of significance."

And although end of the world thinking crops up in many religions, those in the West are probably most aware of Christian eschatology. In the early days of the church it was taken as a given by many believers that the Second Coming and the end of the world were imminent.

Mainstream Christianity moved away from this type of thought, but large numbers of believers returned to it at various times.

"It isn't just the lunatic fringe, it's an integral part of all Christianity. But [in mainstream Christianity] it is put into perspective that it may happen 'one day'," says Stephen J Hunt, a sociologist of religion and author of Christian Millenarianism: From the Early Church to Waco.

"But certain groups and movements believe it is in their generation. They are saying we have got the truth and nobody else has."

Cataclysmic scenarios

There have been many groups that have predicted the end of the world, or Tribulation, or Rapture, dealt with it not coming to pass and then issued new ones.

Jehovah's Witnesses have issued predictions about cataclysmic scenarios that have manifestly failed to come to pass, only ceasing predictions of the end in recent years. Failed predictions seem not to have alienated core believers. Indeed, it is denied by some that specific predictions - as opposed to speculation based on scripture - have ever been made.

RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR
"End of world" concepts include:
Destruction of planet
Extinction of human race
Significant change in situation of human race
Secular scenarios include:
Catastrophic climate change
Asteroid or comet strike
Massive nuclear war
Destabilisation of earth or moon orbit
Religious scenarios include:
Islam refers to "last judgement"
Some Buddhists believe in disappearance of Buddha's teachings
Christian end of world linked to second coming of Jesus
Hindus believe in cycle of ages
Zoroastrians may have had first codified end of world theory
No such luck applied to the 19th Century Millerite sect, led by William Miller. He didn't just predict the end would be soon. He nailed the day - 22 October 1844. As the day neared the sect's popularity snowballed, with thousands of newspapers sold. Only one thing was able to derail the movement's popularity - the safe and unexpected arrival of 23 October 1844. The failure of the world to end was known as the "Great Disappointment" and followers left in droves.

"The current prophecy popularisers are much shrewder," says Prof Boyer. "They say no man knoweth the day or the hour, but it's coming soon."

Carlos Roa thought he kneweth the hour. The Argentinian goalkeeper, best known for his penalty heroics against England in the 1998 World Cup, refused to countenance a new contract at Real Mallorca as the year 2000 approached because he believed the world was going to end and he needed to prepare. When it didn't he was soon donning the gloves back in Mallorca.

And for all it is easy to mock those who have tried and failed, thinking about the ways the world might end, or the timing, may be fulfilling a basic human need.

"It comes down to an issue of power," says Michael Molcher, editor of the magazine The End is Nigh. "What you get during times of particular discontent or war or famine or during general bad times is a rise in apocalyptic preaching and ideas.

"It is a way for people to control the way their world works. The one thing we can never predict is the time and manner of our own deaths."

The great periods of millenarianism - Europe around the year 1000, the English Civil War, the Industrial Revolution on both sides of the Atlantic, and the 20th Century - have been periods of intense turbulence. Putting an eschatological spin on current events is extremely tempting.

"A lot of fundamentalists are what we call 'sign watching'. If there's another tornado in Florida it must be a punishment," says Dr Hunt.

Sometimes the links to the temporal world can be tortuous to say the least. A common theme on the fringes of Christian millenarianism is a revived Roman Empire led by the Antichrist and consisting of 10 European nations. The theme is drawn out from the description of a beast with 10 horns in the book of Revelation.

THE TERMINOLOGY
Eschatology: Religious theory of the end of the world
Millenarianism: In Christianity, belief in coming of thousand year golden age linked with second coming of Christ
Apocalypticism: Belief based on end of present world order
End time: The end of the world or the end of the current age
It was historically linked to the EU, but now there are 27 members attention has shifted to the 10-nation Western European Union.

And these end times beliefs seem easily to find their way into popular culture. The Left Behind series of novels have sold millions and cinema-goers have happily trooped in to see three instalments of the Omen.

But it is wrong to say that belief that the world could be about to end is entirely confined to religious people. When the Cold War was going on, the likely culprit was nuclear weapons, at the moment it might be a catastrophic climate change scenario that leaves the world intact, but humanity gone. And Mr Molcher's favourite prediction of recent years involved a woman who was convinced that Chinese plans to build a base on the moon would throw its orbit out and send it hurtling towards earth.

And end of the world believers, whether religious or not, have one thing going for them. The world will, one day, end.

And there are still plenty willing to name a date.

Preacher Ronald Weinland's book 2008 - God's Final Witness, predicts that the US will be destroyed within two years.

Sadly anybody wanting to find out more by e-mail receives an automated response. One can only assume he is too busy preparing for the end that is nigh.

telekinetic · 09-09-2008, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jewels

There are some that believe this particle accelerator will cause black holes that will cause the Earth to self-destruct by next week. Yes, it's a small percentage, but they're physicists, too.

Your article does not support your assumptions. It says:

Quote:

But there are a small but significant group of naysayers who worry that the LHC is not 100% safe. Opponents say it is possible the collider could produce micro black holes and dangerous "strangelets", and that catastrophic effects from these cannot be ruled out.

It doesn't say anything about the naysayers being physicists. What it DOES say, shortly after that, is:

Quote:

However, the consensus of physicists is that the collider is perfectly harmless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jewels

Personally, I'll trust in the larger consensus of physicists. I'm not sure why, but I'd love to understand what the risks are and what they could possibly fear. Any explanation would help satisfy curiosity of us laypersons.

For those that understand the technicalities of this process, do you have any concerns at all? Or are the physicists that fear the end of the world simply falling back on a subliminal religious or cultural belief?

Any article that basically reads "Physicists say operation X will not end the world," in three paragraphs and then spends twenty on "but look at all these religious beliefs about the end of the world!" smacks of sensationalism, and I find it claiming that:

Quote:

[...]when you see a headline in a newspaper that says "Are we all going to die next Wednesday?"

is cause to question the end of the world to be ironically self-referential circular logic: The potential end of the world due to LHC is newsworthy because newspapers are reporting the potential end of the world.

Here, read this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/mai.../scilhc105.xml

In the words of Prof Brian Cox of Manchester University: "Anyone who thinks the LHC will destroy the world is a twat."

Quote:

The report, 'Review of the Safety of LHC Collisions', published in the Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, proves that if particle collisions at the LHC had the power to destroy the Earth, we would never have been given the chance to worry about the LHC, because regular interactions with more energetic cosmic rays would already have destroyed the Earth.

The Safety Assessment Group writes, "Nature has already conducted the equivalent of about a hundred thousand LHC experimental programmes on Earth - and the planet still exists."

The Group compares the rates of cosmic rays that bombard Earth to show that hypothetical black holes or strangelets, that have raised fears in some, will pose no threat.

As the Group writes, "Each collision of a pair of protons in the LHC will release an amount of energy comparable to that of two colliding mosquitoes, so any black hole produced would be much smaller than those known to astrophysicists

jewels · 09-09-2008, 07:14 AM

I wasn't asking for an argument or trying to prove anything. I do apologize for posting an article that took another slant, though. I didn't even read through it, not realizing I'd have to defend a question.

There are multiple articles, and I saw a part of a piece on one of the morning shows today that interviewed a physicist who was trying to stop the accelerator. I just wondered why and what others thought. Period.

Super-smasher targets massive mystery - LHC - MSNBC.com

http://www.gonzoscience.com/GonzoUSA/?p=649

dlish · 09-09-2008, 07:17 AM

its been nice knowing yaz guys...

if we come out on the other side...ill be looking for a koala bear somewhere

telekinetic · 09-09-2008, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jewels

I wasn't asking for an argument or trying to prove anything. I do apologize for posting an article that took another slant, though. I didn't even read through it, not realizing I'd have to defend a question.

There are multiple articles, and I saw a part of a piece on one of the morning shows today that interviewed a physicist who was trying to stop the accelerator. I just wondered why and what others thought. Period.

Super-smasher targets massive mystery - LHC - MSNBC.com

Physicist Sues to Stop Creation of Particle Collider on Grounds it Might Destroy the World

Apologies, I assumed it was traditional to read articles you copied and pasted for discussion.

Anyways, from the other two articles you linked:

Quote:

Responding to the critics, CERN has issued a series of reports explaining why the LHC will pose no threat. Ellis was one of the report's authors. "If the LHC were to make microscopic black holes, it would be tremendously exciting — and no danger," he said.

As far as lawsuits, there are misguided crackpots all over happy to look for some publicity. LHC is safe. Everyone in the mainstream agrees this. In fact, everyone is in such consensus that all articles mention the same one or two naysayers, just to try to fab up some fake drama and sell some papers.

Charlatan · 09-09-2008, 07:34 AM

I have a friend that runs experiments at CERN (and other particle accelerators around the world) and he says there is nothing to be worried about.

He could be wrong but I am somehow comforted by the fact that he is a personal connection to something that, if it goes wrong, is beyond my control.

lotsofmagnets · 09-09-2008, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlish

its been nice knowing yaz guys...

if we come out on the other side...ill be looking for a koala bear somewhere

was that a subtle reference to the fact koalas aren´t bears?

jewels · 09-09-2008, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lotsofmagnets

was that a subtle reference to the fact koalas aren´t bears?

I'm thinking it's referencing the fact that koalas make great gifts.

Baraka_Guru · 09-09-2008, 07:46 AM

LHC Informational Video

Stephen Hawking: Large Hadron Collider vital for humanity - Telegraph

Five fun facts about the LHC:

Quote:

Though built to study the smallest known building blocks of all things -- known as particles -- the LHC is the largest and most complex machine ever made. It has a circumference of 27 km (17 miles) and lies 100 metres (330 feet) under the ground, straddling French and Swiss territory.
At full power, trillions of protons will race around the LHC accelerator ring 11,245 times a second, travelling at 99.99 percent the speed of light. It is capable of engineering 600 million collisions every second.
When two beams of protons collide, they will generate temperatures more than 100,000 times hotter than the heart of the sun, concentrated within a miniscule space. Meanwhile, the cooling system that circulates superfluid helium around the LHC's accelerator ring keeps the machine at minus 271.3 degrees Celsius (minus 456.34 degrees Fahrenheit).
To collect data of up to 600 million proton collisions per second, physicists and scientists have built devices to measure the passage time of a particle to a few billionths of a second. The trigger system also registers the location of particles to millionths of a metre.
The data recorded by the LHC's big experiments will fill around 100,000 dual-layer DVDs each year. Tens of thousands of computers around the world have been harnessed in a computing network called "The Grid" that will hold the information.

FACTBOX-Five facts about CERN's Large Hadron Collider | Science | Reuters

Let's peer into the structure of the universe, shall we?

snowy · 09-09-2008, 07:52 AM

I think the LHC is awesome, in the true sense of the word. I am looking forward--frankly, I'm fucking excited--to see what comes out of the big experiments. Am I scared of/worried about the possibilities? Not particularly, and I think to promote the kind of misinformation that is out there regarding the LHC is sheer fear-mongering.

jewels · 09-09-2008, 07:54 AM

Excellent links, BG! Thanks.

Vigilante · 09-09-2008, 08:46 AM

I was reading articles about this years ago in popular science. Not that that is the definitive source for real scientific info, but from what I gathered back then, I am not worried.

Daval · 09-09-2008, 11:09 AM

I just applied for a credit line increase. Might as well have some fun since I don't have to pay it back!

djtestudo · 09-09-2008, 03:07 PM

I can't believe I'm going to be the first person to make a "don't cross the streams" reference.

"Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light."

"Total protonic reversal."

"Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon."

Reese · 09-09-2008, 03:15 PM

If this destroys the world, I'm totally going to sue those guys!

Redjake · 09-09-2008, 04:34 PM

Have ya'll seen the Large Hadron Collidor rap? It's supah supah fly!

YouTube - Large Hadron Rap

Seriously, it explains the entire LHC in a very entertaining way.

Also, make sure to join LHC@HOME!!!!!!! Uses your PC's power to help compute the data the LHC produces when it goes live.

http://lhcathome.cern.ch/lhcathome/

grumpyolddude · 09-09-2008, 06:48 PM

The detonation of the first nuclear warhead was supposed to set off an unstoppable chain reaction, burning off the atmosphere and destroying all life on earth. If true, it's an awfully slow chain reaction.
Breaking the sound barrier was supposed to be catastrophic.
The use of microwaves for communication should have boiled our bodily fluids.
Colliding particles at near light speed will surely destroy us all!
The sky is falling!

*Nikki* · 09-09-2008, 07:07 PM

Well I am kind of worried about it, even if no one else is

clavus · 09-09-2008, 07:32 PM

Brilliant Redjake. Thanks for that.

KnifeMissile · 09-09-2008, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpyolddude

The detonation of the first nuclear warhead was supposed to set off an unstoppable chain reaction, burning off the atmosphere and destroying all life on earth. If true, it's an awfully slow chain reaction.
Breaking the sound barrier was supposed to be catastrophic.
The use of microwaves for communication should have boiled our bodily fluids.
Colliding particles at near light speed will surely destroy us all!
The sky is falling!

I actually doubt whether any of these claims are true. Can you provide any sources, please?

As to the original article, I'm shocked to say that, in principle, this fear is justified, even if it's not justified for this particular accelerator.

The idea is that accelerating a particle to a sufficiently high speed will increase the density of said particle past the schwarzschild limit and turn it into a black hole. You can imagine how disastrous this can be...

Luckily enough, not only is it exceedingly difficult to accelerate particles to such speeds but even if we managed to do it somehow, Stephen Hawking's theory on hawking radiation would have to also be wrong in order for the created black hole to pose any danger to us...

Still, Stephen could be wrong so if we ever did create a black hole...

mrklixx · 09-09-2008, 10:02 PM

Just because someone has a minority or unpopular opinion, it doesn't necessarily make them a "crackpot". Almost every scientific principle that we now believe to be 100% true was at one time "just some crackpot theory".

Unfortunately, if this goes south, there won't be anyone around to say "I told you so".

Merlocke · 09-09-2008, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djtestudo

I can't believe I'm going to be the first person to make a "don't cross the streams" reference.

"Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light."

"Total protonic reversal."

"Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon."

Damn you beat me to it.... best I can add is

Dr. Egon Spengler: I have a radical idea. The door swings both ways, we could reverse the particle flow through the gate.
Dr. Peter Venkman: How?
Dr. Egon Spengler: [hesitates] We'll cross the streams.
Dr. Peter Venkman: 'Scuse me Egon? You said crossing the streams was bad!
Dr Ray Stantz: Cross the streams...
Dr. Peter Venkman: You're gonna endanger us, you're gonna endanger our client - the nice lady, who paid us in advance, before she became a dog...
Dr. Egon Spengler: Not necessarily. There's definitely a *very slim* chance we'll survive.
[pause while they consider this]
Dr. Peter Venkman: [slaps Ray] I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! LET'S DO IT!

Baraka_Guru · 09-10-2008, 03:54 AM

We live!

BadNick · 09-10-2008, 03:54 AM

those geeky folks at google are at it again...

Catdaddy33 · 09-10-2008, 04:09 AM

Sure it can smash atoms, but what about watermelons?

I saw a crawler on CNN this morning about the possible "black hole" and Ghostbusters "crossing the streams" was my 1st thought too..

Lasereth · 09-10-2008, 05:31 AM

Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the earth yet?

An excellent resource for status updates on the HLC.

mrklixx · 09-10-2008, 05:34 AM

I told you so. :P

Also, I initially misread the name of the unit as the "Large Hardon Collider". Ouch!

Baraka_Guru · 09-10-2008, 05:39 AM

What? Nothing on the flux capacitor?

roachboy · 09-10-2008, 05:47 AM

flux capacitor?
that's old school.

SSJTWIZTA · 09-10-2008, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lasereth

Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the earth yet?

An excellent resource for status updates on the HLC.

Love it.

clavus · 09-10-2008, 07:44 AM

Boy was I confused. I thought it was a "Large HARDON Collidor."

dlish · 09-10-2008, 08:17 AM

so do i owe you a koala bear jewels??

jewels · 09-10-2008, 08:33 AM

Ummm yes, dlish. Three, please, due to the plight.

Yakk · 09-10-2008, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lasereth

Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the earth yet?

An excellent resource for status updates on the HLC.

Double post.

And also:
http://www.hasthelhcdestroyedtheearth.com/rss.xml
RSS feed!

Frosstbyte · 09-10-2008, 08:46 AM

Apparently not, but if it does later end up opening up a trandimensional rift in the very fabric of time and space, rest assured we're in the very best of hands.

Our savior!

His boss

Lasereth · 09-10-2008, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosstbyte

Apparently not, but if it does later end up opening up a trandimensional rift in the very fabric of time and space, rest assured we're in the very best of hands.

Our savior!

His boss

Ha ha ha ha oh man. I LOLed at work, that is some good stuff.

Reese · 09-10-2008, 09:28 AM

This is kinda funny to me.. It's like Scientists have built a machine, they don't know exactly what it's going to do but they're going to turn it on anyways. It's like a Stargate episode! I just hope Dr. McKay can fix it in time.

Frosstbyte · 09-10-2008, 11:22 AM

Well, I mean, that's kind of the nature of experimentation, isn't it? We had no idea what would happen when we first discovered nuclear power or an internal combustion engine or fire, but we haven't destroyed the world with them (yet).

And furthermore, the only thing unique about this one is its size. There are many smaller ones around the wold which have been in use for years to no ill effect. If you want to have a crazy doomsday thing to worry about, worry about the Mayan long count calendar ending, because the LHC is not gonna give you much.

*Nikki* · 09-10-2008, 12:06 PM

Just because we are not dead yet does not mean a thing. If a black hole were created it could take years to swallow us all up. Start planning people!

Reese · 09-10-2008, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosstbyte

Well, I mean, that's kind of the nature of experimentation, isn't it? We had no idea what would happen when we first discovered nuclear power or an internal combustion engine or fire, but we haven't destroyed the world with them (yet).

And furthermore, the only thing unique about this one is its size. There are many smaller ones around the wold which have been in use for years to no ill effect. If you want to have a crazy doomsday thing to worry about, worry about the Mayan long count calendar ending, because the LHC is not gonna give you much.

I'll start worrying about that on Dec. 11th 2012!!

09-09-2008, 07:14 AM	#3 (permalink)
jewels Eponymous Location: Central Central Florida	I wasn't asking for an argument or trying to prove anything. I do apologize for posting an article that took another slant, though. I didn't even read through it, not realizing I'd have to defend a question. There are multiple articles, and I saw a part of a piece on one of the morning shows today that interviewed a physicist who was trying to stop the accelerator. I just wondered why and what others thought. Period. Super-smasher targets massive mystery - LHC - MSNBC.com http://www.gonzoscience.com/GonzoUSA/?p=649 __________________ We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess. Mark Twain Last edited by jewels; 09-09-2008 at 07:17 AM..

09-09-2008, 07:17 AM	#4 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	its been nice knowing yaz guys... if we come out on the other side...ill be looking for a koala bear somewhere __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

09-09-2008, 07:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I have a friend that runs experiments at CERN (and other particle accelerators around the world) and he says there is nothing to be worried about. He could be wrong but I am somehow comforted by the fact that he is a personal connection to something that, if it goes wrong, is beyond my control. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

09-09-2008, 07:52 AM	#10 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	I think the LHC is awesome, in the true sense of the word. I am looking forward--frankly, I'm fucking excited--to see what comes out of the big experiments. Am I scared of/worried about the possibilities? Not particularly, and I think to promote the kind of misinformation that is out there regarding the LHC is sheer fear-mongering. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

09-09-2008, 07:54 AM	#11 (permalink)
jewels Eponymous Location: Central Central Florida	Excellent links, BG! Thanks. __________________ We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess. Mark Twain

09-09-2008, 08:46 AM	#12 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	I was reading articles about this years ago in popular science. Not that that is the definitive source for real scientific info, but from what I gathered back then, I am not worried. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

09-09-2008, 11:09 AM	#13 (permalink)
Daval Junkie Location: The True North Strong and Free!	I just applied for a credit line increase. Might as well have some fun since I don't have to pay it back! __________________ "It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it." Winston Churchill

09-09-2008, 03:07 PM	#14 (permalink)
djtestudo Baltimoron Location: Beeeeeautiful Bel Air, MD	I can't believe I'm going to be the first person to make a "don't cross the streams" reference. "Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light." "Total protonic reversal." "Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon." __________________ "Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen." --Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

09-09-2008, 03:15 PM	#15 (permalink)
Reese Delicious	If this destroys the world, I'm totally going to sue those guys! __________________ “It is better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick” - Dave Barry

09-09-2008, 06:48 PM	#17 (permalink)
grumpyolddude Deliberately unfocused Location: Amazon.com and CDBaby	The detonation of the first nuclear warhead was supposed to set off an unstoppable chain reaction, burning off the atmosphere and destroying all life on earth. If true, it's an awfully slow chain reaction. Breaking the sound barrier was supposed to be catastrophic. The use of microwaves for communication should have boiled our bodily fluids. Colliding particles at near light speed will surely destroy us all! The sky is falling! __________________ "Regret can be a harder pill to swallow than failure .With failure you at least know you gave it a chance..." David Howard

09-09-2008, 07:07 PM	#18 (permalink)
Nikki ~~~~~~~ Location: Charleston, SC	Well I am kind of worried about it, even if no one else is

09-09-2008, 07:32 PM	#19 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	Brilliant Redjake. Thanks for that. __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

09-09-2008, 10:02 PM	#21 (permalink)
mrklixx President Rick Location: location location	Just because someone has a minority or unpopular opinion, it doesn't necessarily make them a "crackpot". Almost every scientific principle that we now believe to be 100% true was at one time "just some crackpot theory". Unfortunately, if this goes south, there won't be anyone around to say "I told you so". __________________ This post is content. If you don't like it then you are not content. Or perhaps just incontinent. This is not a link - Do not click here I hate animated avatars.

09-10-2008, 03:54 AM	#23 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	We live! __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

09-10-2008, 03:54 AM	#24 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	those geeky folks at google are at it again...

09-10-2008, 04:09 AM	#25 (permalink)
Catdaddy33 Psycho Location: TN	Sure it can smash atoms, but what about watermelons? I saw a crawler on CNN this morning about the possible "black hole" and Ghostbusters "crossing the streams" was my 1st thought too..

09-10-2008, 05:31 AM	#26 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the earth yet? An excellent resource for status updates on the HLC.

09-10-2008, 05:34 AM	#27 (permalink)
mrklixx President Rick Location: location location	I told you so. :P Also, I initially misread the name of the unit as the "Large Hardon Collider". Ouch! __________________ This post is content. If you don't like it then you are not content. Or perhaps just incontinent. This is not a link - Do not click here I hate animated avatars.

09-10-2008, 05:39 AM	#28 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	What? Nothing on the flux capacitor? __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

09-10-2008, 05:47 AM	#29 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	flux capacitor? that's old school. __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite

09-10-2008, 07:44 AM	#31 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	Boy was I confused. I thought it was a "Large HARDON Collidor." __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

09-10-2008, 08:17 AM	#32 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	so do i owe you a koala bear jewels?? __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

09-10-2008, 08:33 AM	#33 (permalink)
jewels Eponymous Location: Central Central Florida	Ummm yes, dlish. Three, please, due to the plight. __________________ We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess. Mark Twain

09-10-2008, 08:46 AM	#35 (permalink)
Frosstbyte Winter is Coming Location: The North	Apparently not, but if it does later end up opening up a trandimensional rift in the very fabric of time and space, rest assured we're in the very best of hands. Our savior! His boss

09-10-2008, 09:28 AM	#37 (permalink)
Reese Delicious	This is kinda funny to me.. It's like Scientists have built a machine, they don't know exactly what it's going to do but they're going to turn it on anyways. It's like a Stargate episode! I just hope Dr. McKay can fix it in time. __________________ “It is better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick” - Dave Barry

09-10-2008, 11:22 AM	#38 (permalink)
Frosstbyte Winter is Coming Location: The North	Well, I mean, that's kind of the nature of experimentation, isn't it? We had no idea what would happen when we first discovered nuclear power or an internal combustion engine or fire, but we haven't destroyed the world with them (yet). And furthermore, the only thing unique about this one is its size. There are many smaller ones around the wold which have been in use for years to no ill effect. If you want to have a crazy doomsday thing to worry about, worry about the Mayan long count calendar ending, because the LHC is not gonna give you much.

09-10-2008, 12:06 PM	#39 (permalink)
Nikki ~~~~~~~ Location: Charleston, SC	Just because we are not dead yet does not mean a thing. If a black hole were created it could take years to swallow us all up. Start planning people!