It's been nice knowing all of you.

[nitrah55]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva will rev up, smashing sub-atomic particles into one another in an attempt to simulate conditions at the dawn of the universe.

One possible side effect is the creation of black holes, which some are concerned will swallow Earth, the Solar System and pretty much everything we're well aquainted with.

One person not worried about this side effect is Dr. Stephen Hawking, who believes the collider doesn't have enough energy to create a black hole. Dr. Hawking was the first person to posit the existence of black holes, and creating one would make him, in his own estimation, a shoo-in for the Nobel Prize in physics.

Well, in the event Dr. Hawking's wrong about the LHC, let me just take this opportunity to say, it's been a blast.

[SportsFan68]

Wow! What if they do create a new little universe?

What a coup!

[MarleysGh0st]

Well, in the event Dr. Hawking's wrong about the LHC, let me just take this opportunity to say, it's been a blast.

You mean it will be a blast.








And this thread really ought to have been started by Chicken Little!

[ulysses5019]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva will rev up, smashing sub-atomic particles into one another in an attempt to simulate conditions at the dawn of the universe.

One possible side effect is the creation of black holes, which some are concerned will swallow Earth, the Solar System and pretty much everything we're well aquainted with.

One person not worried about this side effect is Dr. Stephen Hawking, who believes the collider doesn't have enough energy to create a black hole. Dr. Hawking was the first person to posit the existence of black holes, and creating one would make him, in his own estimation, a shoo-in for the Nobel Prize in physics.

Well, in the event Dr. Hawking's wrong about the LHC, let me just take this opportunity to say, it's been a blast.

Reminds me of the New Zealand film The Quiet Earth.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089869/

[earendel]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva will rev up, smashing sub-atomic particles into one another in an attempt to simulate conditions at the dawn of the universe.

One possible side effect is the creation of black holes, which some are concerned will swallow Earth, the Solar System and pretty much everything we're well aquainted with.

One person not worried about this side effect is Dr. Stephen Hawking, who believes the collider doesn't have enough energy to create a black hole. Dr. Hawking was the first person to posit the existence of black holes, and creating one would make him, in his own estimation, a shoo-in for the Nobel Prize in physics.

Well, in the event Dr. Hawking's wrong about the LHC, let me just take this opportunity to say, it's been a blast.

Reminds me of the New Zealand film The Quiet Earth.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089869/

Or David Brin's Earth.

[andrewjackson]

Or Larry Niven's The Hole Man.

Coincidentally I'm re-reading N-Space, a collection of Niven short stories and novel excerpts. I hit that short story last night after reading about the Chicken Littles suing CERN earlier in the day.

Spoiler

He destroys Mars with a quantum black hole years before Brin tried to do the same thing to Earth.

[silvercamaro]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva will rev up, smashing sub-atomic particles into one another in an attempt to simulate conditions at the dawn of the universe.

One possible side effect is the creation of black holes, which some are concerned will swallow Earth, the Solar System and pretty much everything we're well aquainted with.

This would have some beneficial side effects. For example, it would force me to postpone my trip to Denver.

[Rexer25]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva will rev up, smashing sub-atomic particles into one another in an attempt to simulate conditions at the dawn of the universe.

One possible side effect is the creation of black holes, which some are concerned will swallow Earth, the Solar System and pretty much everything we're well aquainted with.

This would have some beneficial side effects. For example, it would force me to postpone my trip to Denver.

See? There is a sliver lining to every cloud!

[Carmelo Anthony]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva will rev up, smashing sub-atomic particles into one another in an attempt to simulate conditions at the dawn of the universe.

One possible side effect is the creation of black holes, which some are concerned will swallow Earth, the Solar System and pretty much everything we're well aquainted with.

This would have some beneficial side effects. For example, it would force me to postpone my trip to Denver.

I'm insulted!

[Sir_Galahad]

Actually, I heard that this was not going to be the full test. That will happen later in October. We're safe for a little while longer.

[frogman042]

Actually, I heard that this was not going to be the full test. That will happen later in October. We're safe for a little while longer.

Whew, then my countdown can continue...

---Jay (Do you know the atomic number of calcium? If you do then you know the rest..)

[gsabc]

And here I thought "hadron" was a question to Hermione from the edited-out sections of "Deathly Hallows" ...

[ne1410s]

nitrah:

One person not worried is Dr. Stephen Hawking...

No wonder he's hitting 7-11 stores:

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_wor ... s_fro.html

[Beebs52]

I just hope none of those strangelets squeak past anyone and start doing whatever a strangelet does.

Are they cute? Do they like shoes? Do they suck you into a black hole of clearance sales where all they have is Hush Puppies?

[Basset]

I just hope none of those strangelets squeak past anyone and start doing whatever a strangelet does.

Are they cute? Do they like shoes? Do they suck you into a black hole of clearance sales where all they have is Hush Puppies?

You got a problem with Bassets?

[Beebs52]

I just hope none of those strangelets squeak past anyone and start doing whatever a strangelet does.

Are they cute? Do they like shoes? Do they suck you into a black hole of clearance sales where all they have is Hush Puppies?

You got a problem with Bassets?

Just on my feets, you snuggle bunny, you.

[Ritterskoop]

Didn't Hawking change his mind about string theory or someother major thing?

My faith in him has been shaken, though I still think he is a badass.

They were debating Sunday night how to run the story about the big bad hole, as they called it, and the boss said if the world went away and we hadn't had the story we would look pretty stupid.

[wbtravis007]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside...


Somebody's been sending me e-mails wanting me to get a Large Hadron.

Oh.

Wait.

Never mind.

[andrewjackson]

Didn't Hawking change his mind about string theory or someother major thing?

My faith in him has been shaken, though I still think he is a badass.

They were debating Sunday night how to run the story about the big bad hole, as they called it, and the boss said if the world went away and we hadn't had the story we would look pretty stupid.

Hawking once bet that information couldn't cross the boundary of a black hole but has now pretty much conceded that he was wrong about that.

He had earlier bet that black holes didn't exist at all but he has said that it was a "safety" bet. Since almost all his work involved black holes he wanted to have something to fall back on in case it turned out they didn't exist after all.

[traininvain]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva will rev up, smashing sub-atomic particles into one another in an attempt to simulate conditions at the dawn of the universe.

One possible side effect is the creation of black holes, which some are concerned will swallow Earth, the Solar System and pretty much everything we're well aquainted with.

One person not worried about this side effect is Dr. Stephen Hawking, who believes the collider doesn't have enough energy to create a black hole. Dr. Hawking was the first person to posit the existence of black holes, and creating one would make him, in his own estimation, a shoo-in for the Nobel Prize in physics.

Well, in the event Dr. Hawking's wrong about the LHC, let me just take this opportunity to say, it's been a blast.

There's no worry, I'm sure that Sarah Palin could take care of any little ol' black hole that might pop up. She walked on water last week, right?

[mrkelley23]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside Geneva will rev up, smashing sub-atomic particles into one another in an attempt to simulate conditions at the dawn of the universe.

One possible side effect is the creation of black holes, which some are concerned will swallow Earth, the Solar System and pretty much everything we're well aquainted with.

One person not worried about this side effect is Dr. Stephen Hawking, who believes the collider doesn't have enough energy to create a black hole. Dr. Hawking was the first person to posit the existence of black holes, and creating one would make him, in his own estimation, a shoo-in for the Nobel Prize in physics.

Well, in the event Dr. Hawking's wrong about the LHC, let me just take this opportunity to say, it's been a blast.

Excuse me? Since when did Hawking originate the idea of black holes?

Hawking was born in 1942.

Einstein referred to the idea in his general theory of relativity (1916), although he didn't call it by that name.

Karl Schwarzchild did some early theoretical calculations, also in 1916, including how small such a collapsed object would have to be. Our Sun, for instance, would have a Schwarzchild radius of only about 4 miles in diameter.

Oppenheimer and Snyder showed that the object would have to be much larger than our Sun -- in 1939.

John Wheeler is the one who coined the term "black hole" -- in 1964.

Hawking's contribution is a modern revision of black hole theory, including how they must end. But he is far, FAR from the first to "posit their existence." In fact, an argument can be made that it was the great mathematician LaPlace in 1796, who "posited their existence."

[tubadave]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside...


Somebody's been sending me e-mails wanting me to get a Large Hadron.

Oh.

Wait.

Never mind.

I can't believe I'm about to admit that my mind might ever work anything like Mr. Travis', but when I saw a news blurb about the collider today, I honestly first read it as something that might appear in a spam email. LOL

[littlebeast13]

Sure, what great timing for taking a week off.....

Can't they wait until next Friday night to destroy the world.....

lb13

[minimetoo26]

I saw the header and thought nitrah got busted by his wife when he found his long-lost Love Child in Charlottesville last week. I mean, the coincidence was just too great the kid was from Long Island also!



It's all nitrah's fault!

[wbtravis007]

Tomorrow at 3:30 am ET, the Large Hadron Collider outside...


Somebody's been sending me e-mails wanting me to get a Large Hadron.

Oh.

Wait.

Never mind.

I can't believe I'm about to admit that my mind might ever work anything like Mr. Travis', but when I saw a news blurb about the collider today, I honestly first read it as something that might appear in a spam email. LOL

There's no known cure for skiplexia. The good thing is you can always say: "Hey, I may be old, but I'm immature!"