Okay, I can't help myself. Basically the interaction energies that will be produced at CERN occur relatively frequently (about 1/year/100 square km I think) in the Earth's atmosphere when enormously energetic atomic nuclei hit the Earth from space. These particles are spewn out from something in space (we don't really know what yet but the current hypothesis is a hypernova - yes even bigger than a supernova, physicists are dreadful with coming up with names) and travel between galaxies and finally strike the Earth. Now given these particles have been hitting every object in the universe almost since it began, if these collisions were going to end the universe, they would have done it already. Equally, if they were going to create a world eating black hole, it would have occurred before now.
End of the physics bit. Apologies for the minor thread jack
What a thrill killer.Here I was working on getting everyone into the partying mood for the next couple months and you come along and spew realism and facts all over the place.
I'm still going to find time to party like it's, 199... er... the end of the universe.
Bill Stickers is innocent! It isn't Bill's fault that he was hanging out in the wrong place.
Please make an effort to tag all threads. This will greatly enhance the usability of the forums.
Yep. I am professionally required to rain on people's parades and let people settle for the experiment being able to figure out the nature of the majority of matter in the universe, create microscopic black holes, discover the number of dimensions we live in.... Yes, I know, quiet bread and butter stuff.
Still, it *might* all go horribly wrong so I will definitely be going out for a drink when it turns on
LOL Yea, I've heard about you scientist types. When nobody's watching it's all about the lampshades on the heads and partially nakid dancin' girls with hard liquor and examination devices.
Rock on physicists, rock on.
Bill Stickers is innocent! It isn't Bill's fault that he was hanging out in the wrong place.
Please make an effort to tag all threads. This will greatly enhance the usability of the forums.
Someone's been reading too much Feynman...
Bryan Ray, visual effects artist
http://www.bryanray.name
What's Feynman?
Bill Stickers is innocent! It isn't Bill's fault that he was hanging out in the wrong place.
Please make an effort to tag all threads. This will greatly enhance the usability of the forums.
Richard Feynman was one of the more famous physicists of the last century. He was the one who illustrated why the Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed. I read his autobiography a while back and enjoyed every page. Surely You Must be Joking, Mr Feynman! is the title. I highly recommend it, and I don't generally like biographies.
Bryan Ray, visual effects artist
http://www.bryanray.name
He was an eccentric bongo playing genius and one of the most influential theorists of the last century. Definitely worth a flick through the Wikipedia page on a rainy afternoon.
Just been doing front of house and running the power point (who uses powerpoint - its revolting and deeply unstable between machines) for talks by the current and future Director Generals of CERN. From the horses mouth the new collider should turn on in June and we're not going to destroy the universe, or even just earth. Nonetheless, I will post more when I get a date if only so RPMiller can get himself a shiny tinfoil hat in time
ROFLMAO!! Thanks for the midday laugh torstan!
Unfortunately, I don't think a tinfoil hat will be very protective. I may have to go with cast iron or perhaps a heavy metal of some sort.
Bill Stickers is innocent! It isn't Bill's fault that he was hanging out in the wrong place.
Please make an effort to tag all threads. This will greatly enhance the usability of the forums.
Maybe if you could fashion one out of dark matter it would protect you enough? Though of course if you could do that, Torstan and friends would likely have a few questions about how you managed it...
Seriously though, it would be great if you could keep us up to date on the turn on at CERN, not because I think the world is going to end, but because I'm a sucker for that cutting edge science. Often wish I'd gone in a more physics/astronomy/cosmology sort of direction.
Oh yes, and a second recommendation for Feynman's autobiography - a great read, though I don't remember reading about this particular event from XKCD.com
Erm, and since this is the 'your job' thread, I'm a veterinary surgeon.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
