the sun will never go supernova, short of colliding with another very very massive star, which alone would destroy the solar system.

9/9/2008 8:51:58 AM

Are we talking Crisis on Infinite Earths here? or M-Day?

9/9/2008 10:17:55 AM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/bigbang/

psyched. tons of radio coverage on bbc, including

Big Bang Day: Afternoon Play - Torchwood

Torchwood: Lost Souls

"Somewhere out there in that chaos of darkness and light, of science and protons, of gods and stars and death... somewhere there's an answer."

Martha Jones, ex-time traveller and now working as a doctor for a UN task force, has been called to CERN where they're about to activate the Large Hadron Collider. Once activated, the Collider will fire beams of protons together recreating conditions a billionth of a second after the Big Bang - and potentially allowing the human race a greater insight into what the Universe is made of. But so much could go wrong - it could open a gateway to a parallel dimension, or create a black hole - and now voices from the past are calling out to people and scientists have started to disappear...

Where have the missing scientists gone? What is the secret of the glowing man? What is lurking in the underground tunnel? And do the dead ever really stay dead?

Lost Souls is a spin-off from the award-winning BBC Wales TV production Torchwood. It stars John Barrowman, Freema Agyeman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Lucy Montgomery (of Titty Bang Bang) and Stephen Critchlow.

9/9/2008 10:36:56 AM

I found a good scientific paper that explains why the LHC will be safe.

http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0954-3899/35/11/115004/

[Edited on September 9, 2008 at 11:16 AM. Reason : ]

9/9/2008 11:16:28 AM

the problem is that there's no way to know 100% for sure...since collisions of this magnitude have never been attempted before, it's completely impossible to know what problems may arise

the flaw in assuming it's "safe" lies in the fact that we assume it's safe through the filter of our knowledge, which is neither expansive nor complete...50 years from now (assuming we aren't all dead) we'll know much more and be able to say, with more certainty (although not complete) what is and what isn't "safe"

i'm not saying we're all going to die...but i'm not going to blindly assume that scientists know all of what's possible, because they don't

9/9/2008 11:20:32 AM

we're all gonna die anyway

if we gotta go down to discover the truth then so be it

9/9/2008 12:31:13 PM

^ Exactly... and more fun-ly, I would rather die in a black hole than through any other method. How cool would it be to be sucked into a black hole and die instantly!

9/9/2008 1:14:54 PM

do you know its instant for sure in the creation of a black hole? (regardless i still would rather die by that than some fuckin nuclear explosion or fall out or something)

this is happening today right? anyone know what time or if it is postpwned?

I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

9/9/2008 1:24:26 PM

E-mail I got today. Subject was EOTWPI

Wednesday, September 10 at 3:30 AM (EST) the world will come to an end. How do I know? I saw it on the Internet.

When CERN fires up their Large Hadron Collider in an attempt to put the Standard Theory of particle physics to the ultimate test, there’s an excellent chance they will create a black hole that will consume the earth in the blink of an eye:

http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/LHC/LHC-en.html

To mark this occasion, EOTWPI (End of the World Party I, credit Mark for coming up with the acronym) will be held at my house (directions attached). It will be awesome. A little sad to be sure, but also awesome. Oh, and because there’s like a 1% chance the world won’t actually end, I deemed it appropriate to give EOTWP a number, so we can continue to hold and number EOTWPs as CERN’s research progresses. I decided to use Roman numerals because they look more official (like the Super Bowl), and I feel like a party for the end of the world deserves a formal looking acronym.

The party starts at 6:30 PM EST (9 hours before your death). I will be grilling hot dogs and brats. If you want me to grill something else for you, just bring it. If you want to bring something else to share, great. If not, that’s cool too. It’s not like anybody’s going to care that you didn’t bring anything when we’re being crushed (or is it ripped apart?) in the black hole, right?

I’ll have some beers on ice, but you’re welcome to bring whatever else you want. If you should consume too much alcohol to drive back to your death bead, you can always crash at our place. I think it would actually be pretty fun to perish with you guys.

There will be a prize for whoever knows the most lyrics to the relevant REM song, so you might want to study. The prize will provide instant gratification, so it will be worth winning considering the circumstance.

If there’s anybody you want to bring/invite, that’s totally cool. Just forward this on or tell them to come; or you can tell me, and I’ll send them this email.

Carpe diem y’all!

9/9/2008 1:25:30 PM

so its happening at 3:30 AM tomorrow?

I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

[Edited on September 9, 2008 at 1:34 PM. Reason : yeaaah i'm gonna pray my ass off and ask for forgiveness just incase i was wrong about jebus]

9/9/2008 1:30:19 PM

Quote :

"collisions of this magnitude have never been attempted before"

this stuff happens all the time in nature.

9/9/2008 2:11:44 PM

not in this state or environment though right?

9/9/2008 2:32:05 PM

if it's going to destroy me, the least it could do is not wake me up when it happens

9/9/2008 2:34:09 PM

Tonight @ 8:00 on the History channel (56 TWC)

9/9/2008 4:41:25 PM

^^^ It's kind of like what happens when the sun's cosmic rays collide with our atmosphere.

but on a smaller scale and much less frequently.

9/9/2008 4:45:54 PM

one of you who thinks the world is gonna end... lemme get your PS3. you wont need it.

9/9/2008 5:43:43 PM

Quote :

"the problem is that there's no way to know 100% for sure...since collisions of this magnitude have never been attempted before, it's completely impossible to know what problems may arise the flaw in assuming it's "safe" lies in the fact that we assume it's safe through the filter of our knowledge, which is neither expansive nor complete...50 years from now (assuming we aren't all dead) we'll know much more and be able to say, with more certainty (although not complete) what is and what isn't "safe" i'm not saying we're all going to die...but i'm not going to blindly assume that scientists know all of what's possible, because they don't"

Ben Franklin flew a kite in a thunderstorm.
Then some other people did it and got electrocuted.
And we look back and go "Fuckin A that was dangerous!"

I guess this is kind of like that, but with exponentially more disastrous consequences if things go wrong.

9/9/2008 6:26:36 PM

christ

we're going to be fine

the ignorance is running rampant in this thread

9/9/2008 7:47:31 PM

is there going to be any live news coverage on tv

(planned coverage, not if switzerland or something disappears)

[Edited on September 9, 2008 at 7:54 PM. Reason : ]

9/9/2008 7:53:40 PM

They are not even going to get it up to full speed for at least 2 years, all they are doing tomorrow is turning it on for a low power stream.

No doomsday. Sorry

9/9/2008 8:11:34 PM

Quote :

"Ben Franklin flew a kite in a thunderstorm. Then some other people did it and got electrocuted. And we look back and go "Fuckin A that was dangerous!" I guess this is kind of like that, but with exponentially more disastrous consequences if things go wrong."

but the first time should be alright, right?

9/9/2008 9:15:21 PM

^3

http://webcast.cern.ch/index.html

[Edited on September 9, 2008 at 9:17 PM. Reason : maybe between the hrs 0300-1100 EST? cant remember]

9/9/2008 9:16:54 PM

I kind of hope the BBC runs with this and goes off the air for a few seconds right after it turn on, and then pops back on with Torchwood. after a few days i'd lol.

I'm excited humanity is take a little step forward tomorrow, and a larger step in a few months. If the world does end bye TWW. Thanks for all the fish.

9/9/2008 9:23:29 PM

I'll reiterate my prediction that the only thing they learn is that they need a bigger collider.

9/9/2008 9:50:04 PM

^I was wondering about that too.

9/9/2008 9:53:19 PM

you know they're gonna turn the thing on, and shit's not gonna happen, and all you particle physicist TWWers are gonna look silly

9/9/2008 11:42:14 PM

i don't think anyone believes its actually going to happen (other than me of course)

most people just are worried because we don't know that its 100% safe for sure. Y2K scare anyone? Anthrax? Jenkem? okay maybe not jenkem lol


I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

9/9/2008 11:57:37 PM

Not gonna lie, it is fun to think that a machine like this can end up causing the destruction of the entire planet....

9/10/2008 12:00:08 AM

*will*

I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

9/10/2008 12:00:25 AM

Quote :

"you know they're gonna turn the thing on, and shit's not gonna happen, and all you particle physicist TWWers are gonna look silly "

It's not suppose to get up to black-hole creating powers until mid next month too, right?

9/10/2008 12:13:22 AM

the thing is, if I'm wrong, nobody will be left to call me out on it

I say the world will be fine. I can't lose!

9/10/2008 12:18:23 AM

Karma can't escape an event horizon either.

9/10/2008 12:21:44 AM

I'm stoked. I am bummed that the Science Channel isn't doing some sort of live coverage. Don't get me wrong I love watching Time with Dr. Michio Kaku, but they've had several shows on the LHC already. Oh well.

9/10/2008 1:13:47 AM

sooo this wont be viewable anywhere?

9/10/2008 1:18:35 AM

There is a live webcast thing, but I don't know what all will be shown.
http://webcast.cern.ch/index.html 3:00am

9/10/2008 1:22:50 AM

had sex last night just in case

ready to be sucked in!

149² posts


[Edited on September 10, 2008 at 1:49 AM. Reason : ]

9/10/2008 1:46:16 AM

Try as I may I could not get the live feed to connect. Check out Google's banner though. I did read that the first test was a success. I also finally lowered my dignity and watched the LHC rap that I heard about on Science Friday.

Does it bother anyone else that so much of science and physics is built around the idea of mass yet we can't explain why it exists? It's gives wacko's like aaronburro room to prance around saying that science is somehow a religion. . .

9/10/2008 5:11:36 AM

I haven't kept up with this story that much. So have they actually attempted to collide anything yet, or have they just shot one proton in one direction? I'm certainly nothing close to a physicist, but why would the world end by just firing a proton in one direction? Seems like the 'end of the world' event would occur when they actually do the collision. The one that produces the same amount of heat as the surface of the sun... or something. I've only half listened on the radio this morning and I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn last night, so looking for answers.

9/10/2008 7:36:46 AM

haha yea i dono. from what ive read, it didnt sound like they had really done anything significant besides turn it on. I dont think they have collided anything yet.

9/10/2008 7:38:33 AM

Quote :

"had sex last night just in case "

sex with yourself doesnt count

9/10/2008 10:09:42 AM

i suspect the ladies say the same about you

9/10/2008 10:10:53 AM

here's what they did last night
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/09/09/lhc-go-for-injection/

Quote :

"The second reason is that the LHC cannot — C A N N O T — do anything to destroy the world. It can’t make eensy black holes, or quark nuggets, or anything like that. If someone tells you otherwise, they’re wrong. We’ve been over this. Don’t make me turn this thing around. The third reason is that what’s going to happen tonight is that protons will be injected into the accelerator proper for the first time. They will be constrained and accelerated by fierce magnetic fields, and will zoom around the LHC’s 27 kilometer circumference… in one direction only. Got that? Those protons will be moving at just a hair under the speed of light, but they’ll all be moving in the same direction. That whole "C" thing in the LHC? That stands for Collider, and if all the protons are going the same way, they won’t collide. So even if you cling tenaciously to your antiscientific beliefs despite overwhelming evidence against them, you still can’t destroy the planet with a collider if nothing is colliding. "

and here's some more background for the haters
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/03/29/no-the-lhc-wont-destroy-the-earth/

9/10/2008 10:14:32 AM

Quote :

"i suspect the ladies say the same about you"

wasnt even a good attempt of trolling.

go back to chasing fat girls

^anyone thinking that last nights power up of the LHC doing anything remotely dangerous is laughable. if you follow this at all then you would know exactly what that quote said before hand. when the finally get the LHC optimized then the fun shit will happen





[Edited on September 10, 2008 at 10:19 AM. Reason : [Edited on September 10, 2008 at 10:17 AM. Reason : [Edited on September 10, 2008 at 10:17 AM. Reaso]

9/10/2008 10:16:13 AM

Quote :

"wasnt even a good attempt of trolling."

but yours was? kudos.

9/10/2008 10:20:29 AM

Can anyone really dumb down what is it they're doing with this thing?

9/10/2008 10:47:52 AM

^ This morning, a test firing of a bunch of protons very fast in one direction. Soon, a test firing of a bunch of protons very fast in the other direction. Sometime October October 21st, some protons in one direction, some in the other direction, big collision.

The result of that collision will be to shed light on conditions at the beginning of the universe, and maybe kill us all

[Edited on September 10, 2008 at 11:04 AM. Reason : preliminary date]

9/10/2008 11:02:42 AM

^^
Here's the 2-second answer:
smashing protons together at high velocity in order to break them apart and attempt see what's inside. i.e. trying to find out what the most elementary element in the universe is.


Here's what's behind the answer:
the prevailing theory is that every thing in the entire universe, like all matter, is at the most basic level made up of only one type of element.
For example, in Chemistry you learn that atoms are all made up of the same basic elements - protons, neutrons and electrons, right? It's the number of protons in an atom that defines what type of atom it is. So if you have an atom with 1 proton, then it's Hydrogen, 2 protons, it's Helium, 6 it's Carbon, 8 it's Oxygen, 26 it's Iron, etc. Simply by adding or removing protons to an atom, you get wildly different materials with very diverse properties (i.e. the only difference at an atomic scale between Hydrogen and Iron is the number of protons in each atom)

So, to build atoms, you just need varying numbers of protons. Now the question is: what distinguishes a proton from a neutron from an electron? Well, we know that these elements are made of quarks and other smaller elements. You have different types of quarks, then you add various combinations of quarks together and you get a proton or a neutron or an electron, etc.

So again, the question is: what are these quarks made of? The prevailing theory is that there is a single-most elementary particle that everything in the universe is made of, including quarks (which make up protons, which make up atoms, which make up molecules, which make up planets, humans, stars, and everything else). So if you break everything down to the most basic level, you end up with a bunch of the same thing. This "thing", for the moment, is theoretical and is called the "Higgs boson". Then to build different elements, you just need different numbers (or properties) of this Higgs Boson - e.g. 2 Higgs bosons = 1 up quark, 3 Higgs bosons = 1 down quark, 4 Higgs bosons = 1 charm quark, etc.
Then (for example, just making numbers up here)….. 1 up quark + 1 charm quark = 1 electron, 1 down quark + 2 top quarks = 1 proton, etc

So finally, the hope is that by smashing enough protons together at an extremely high energy we will be able to break them down to such a level that the most basic building block of the proton (the so-called Higgs boson) will finally be visible to us!

[Edited on September 10, 2008 at 11:17 AM. Reason : .]

9/10/2008 11:17:21 AM

Quote :

"The prevailing theory is that there is a single-most elementary particle that everything in the universe is made of"

Quote :

"Higgs boson"

some people may recognize this as being called the "god particle," as well...in addition to making up everything physical, think of it as also making up everything non-physical (as we see it), like nuclear forces, gravity, and electromagnetism

9/10/2008 11:22:26 AM

yes, that's true
the Higgs boson is theorized to have zero-mass. So the question is, how is it possible to add a bunch of particles that have zero mass and end up with something that has a non-zero mass.
but the zero-mass property of the Higgs boson will also explain how other known and observed phenomenon work, like exactly how the massless photon acts as both a wave and a particle

9/10/2008 11:34:39 AM

Quote :

"2 Higgs bosons = 1 up quark, 3 Higgs bosons = 1 down quark, 4 Higgs bosons = 1 charm quark, etc. "

How many for a SOJ?

9/10/2008 11:40:22 AM