That Large Hadron Collider

[GingerNinja]

..(which I initially mis-typed as Hardon Collider) is about to go online on Sept 10th, and it appears a few scientists still have concerns about it's safety and its ability to totally destroy the planet.

Any physics types with a valid opinion on the safety of this beast?

[big_treacle]

I'm sure it'll be fine...
http://www.b3ta.com/board/8675542

[JonRB]

GingerNinja said:

..it appears a few scientists still have concerns about it's safety and its ability to totally destroy the planet

To be fair though, they said that about the atom bomb too.

[deckster]

I have a friend on secondment to CERN at the moment - his second 'tour' there - who is well into his particle physics (5th in his year at Cambridge, I believe) and is without a doubt the cleverest person I am ever likely to meet.

He has no concerns and nothing but disdain for these so-called 'scientists' who try to get their names in the papers with scare-stories like this.

[marsred]

It'll be fine, they built it inside a mountain and everyone knows black holes can't get past mountains. They're not stupid you know

[chevykevv]

I'm holding all my credit card payments till the 11th just in case.

[Einion Yrth]

chevykevv said:

I'm holding all my credit card payments till the 11th just in case.

Won't help unless you spend or give away all the money anyway - and then when the 11th dawns you could look a bit of a berk.

[I.T.B]

big_treacle said:

I'm sure it'll be fine...
http://www.b3ta.com/board/8675542

LULZ OMGWTFBBQ!

Answers on a postcard please

[chevykevv]

Einion Yrth said:

chevykevv said:

I'm holding all my credit card payments till the 11th just in case.

Won't help unless you spend or give away all the money anyway - and then when the 11th dawns you could look a bit of a berk.

Nothing new there then.

[evenflow]

I'm going to Geneva on Sept 11th. Hope it's still there.

[robinhood21]

I've just checked my insurance policies, and it doesn't seem to mention anything about death/destruction by black-hole. Should I be worried?

[RobM77]

GingerNinja said:

..(which I initially mis-typed as Hardon Collider) is about to go online on Sept 10th, and it appears a few scientists still have concerns about it's safety and its ability to totally destroy the planet.

Any physics types with a valid opinion on the safety of this beast?

I'm a 'Physics type' and I'm confident that the LHC is safe. Bear in mind that science works through consensus and peer review, not individual opinion. There are 'scientists' out there who believe the world is flat, man never went to the moon, aeroplanes can't take off on conveyor belts and evolution isn't true. Google for all of those if you don't believe me The consensus is of course that those things are utter rubbish, and the consensus for the LHC is that it is safe.

[deckster]

oh, and - and again from my man in the know at CERN - there is about as much chance of it going live on Sept 10th as there is of Gordon Brown winning an election by that date

[anonymous-user]

If it does happen to annihilate the entire planet, could somebody please post up here about it? I'll be in Wrexham on that date, so I probably wouldn't notice the difference.

[RobM77]

Symbolica said:

If it does happen to annihilate the entire planet, could somebody please post up here about it? I'll be in Wrexham on that date, so I probably wouldn't notice the difference.

Given that I live on the line between Wrexham and Geneva, Wrexham will donk me on the head just after the black hole forms. Wave if you see me I'll be the one mouthing "oh £$!*" in slow mo as I disappear over the event horizon at the speed of light.

[Maxf]

I'm changing my name by deedpoll to Gordon Freeman so you'll all be fine - don't worry.

[mybrainhurts]

Do they have broadband in hell...?

[Einion Yrth]

mybrainhurts said:

Do they have broadband in hell...?

You'll find out soon enough.

[cottonfoo]

http://www.cracked.com/article_16583_5-scientific-... is fun too.

[evenflow]

mybrainhurts said:

Do they have broadband in hell...?

It's run by BT, yes.