Saturday, September 13th, 2008
Be not afraid of science...

So it seems everyone and their mother is afraid that the world is going to end because of the Large Hadron Collider, all because a scientist that there was a teensy, teensy chance that the collider could cause a black hole and suck all of us into it.

Please. Particle physicists are the kind of people that don't discount any possibility. If someone asked the guy if it might rain jellybeans over Tokyo tomorrow, he'd reply yeah, maybe.

For those of you who have experienced angst over this event, the best remedy is more knowledge. Read up on it, study the basic science, and you'll find there's very little to worry about.

If you're curious at seeing exactly what all the hooplah is about, I'm providing a link to some webcams that are trained on the LHC.

Click for the webcams!
9 Comments
Leslie
1) Ha ha...that really SUCKS!
Leslie   Saturday, September 13, 2008
ben
2) I hear it sucks you into the past....but not as yourself...but instead you are trapped in other people's bodies...whose lives need a little help. It also sucks in your best friend and coworker Al...but he is lucky and for some reason is allowed to travel back to the future. Crazy collider.
Biker Ben   Sunday, September 14, 2008
Scott
3) Ben, that sounds like a bit of a leap to me. (heh)
Scott   Sunday, September 14, 2008
talkswithstrangers
4) http://xkcd.com/54/

I saw on online poll where 52% of those who answered said that the $9bn spent on this is justified whereas the the other 48% said that the money could have spent better on good causes. There are many governments paying into the LHC project over many years , the $9bn is just peanuts compared to other vanity expenditures that the same governments are spending on. It's not as if the governemnts of this world had a hard time coming up with $9bn in unforseen expenditure over the past 18 months.
talkswithstrangers   Sunday, September 14, 2008
gotshoo
5) Did you hear about the teenage girl in India that killed herself because of the impending doom from the LHC being started?

Great video explaining the whole process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQNpucos9wc
shoo   Sunday, September 14, 2008
lgrant
6) I was reading about Halley's Comet after you mentioned this impending doom because I vaguely remembered that people had a similar reaction to that comet (and most comets are considered harbingers of doom). Supposedly in 1910 the media, despite the pleas of astronomers, warned of mass cyanide poisoning engulfing the planet as the comet passed by.
LGrant   Sunday, September 14, 2008
RickMonday
7) A great beginner book for science is "A brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawkins. Great read, easy to understand, and really makes you think about science and the beginning of time.
RickMonday   Sunday, September 14, 2008
ben
8) Wow...I didn't click on that link last night...just laughed out loud when I saw it in the newsroom.
Biker Ben   Sunday, September 14, 2008
talkswithstrangers
9) ^ do a search for cyriak on youtube, he does some funny animations. the skateboarding Tyranasaurus is amazing.
talkswithstrangers   Sunday, September 14, 2008
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