Ghost Hunters Extraordinaire

K.J · Ghost Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 275 Location: Scotland

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN gets switched on at 8.30 am UK time today.

david hobbs · Avatar Joined: 27 May 2007 Posts: 7946 Location: Essex

Raymond · Avatar Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 5379

It's now 11:51am and we're still here.

Like I said, another non-event for people to get all huffed and puffed about.

Samjaza · Ghost Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 297

Samjaza · Ghost Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 297

... besides which asa I understand it the experiment was only to send the protons round today? they've yet to collide them as they want? maybe I misread that, but they expect to do a maximum energy collision in December !!! Only the trigger has been pulled, the bullet is but primed ?

HA HA HA

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K.J · Ghost Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 275 Location: Scotland

They havent collided yet. It might be tonight or tomorrow. Its being said that it has so much power that it may not only cause mini black holes but a space-time rip/wormhole. This could in theory bring someone back from the future. Obviously people in the future will know when and if any of these rips occur in the LHC and will know the exact times etc .. and so they might jump on the chance to use a man made wormhole in 2008 and their own advanced technology in 2032 or whenever, to send someone back to 2008.
...Or one of the mini black holes might expand beyond the size of an atom and go out of control and suck the earth into a singlularity.
These things might never happen (although there will be mini black holes) but if they do happen it might not happen for months or years. These things sound ridiculous but in theory they are possible. Thats what the LHC is going to find out....what theories are correct and which are wrong. Its really the first steps of being able to do star treck stuff sooner rather than later.

People will be talking about today way into the future. Its the biggest moment in human history I think, with the exception of maybe the comet that killed the dinosaurs and let us little mammals flourish. :)
Its definately bigger than the moon landing or anything else humans have ever done. Because of the LHC the world is about to have a huge boost of technological advancements in most ,if not all areas of our lives as well as answering the most fundamental questions like how, why, what...and might even find the God particle...The Higgs Boson, which in theory makes our reality the way it appears to us.

Bravo · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 5:27 pm Post subject:

The collisions themselves aren't being done until late October, and even then it will be safe.

For some reason people like to scaremonger by saying all this crap about the world ending etc.
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K.J · Ghost Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 275 Location: Scotland

I agree...It is important to realise these are theories but its also important to know that quantum physics starts with theories like a lot of our other sciences. Some theories are right and some are wrong. The LHC will seperate the two. Its not scaremongering telling people about theories.
'If' a black hole did somehow get out of control (which is very unlikely as they are extrememly tiny and only last for a tiny fraction of a second) then it would destroy the Earth in a second. Thats not doomesday stuff...its just science.

E=MC2 is still only a theory.

Bravo · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject:

Well the people that have studied all this sort of thing for years and years say it is perfectly safe.

People that know diddly squat about this are saying it could end the world.

I know who I believe. Think about it, if you were a scientist and there was something that could end the world, would you do it? Nah
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K.J · Ghost Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 275 Location: Scotland

Scientists invented the Hydrogen bomb so...yes.

Nature always surprises scientists as any scientist will tell you and nobody has ever created a black hole before no matter how small. The sums might add up but there is always a possibility of something unexplained happening.
In theory it is possible that something goes wrong. The same as the superstring theory or the quantum theory that makes your computer work. Im not saying it will go wrong .... Its a theory.

My mistake earlier...they put the protons round the other way tonight or tomorrow and 21st October they send them both clock and anticlockwise then collide them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM

Sia · Spirit Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 547 Location: Scotland

Raymond · Avatar Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 5379

The fact is that people like to be scared and it also helps the people in power to keep us afraid.
They can't use religion anymore to keep us all in line so it's global warming or terrorists or this particle smashy-uppy thingy.
They keep us afraid to keep us in our place.

Just apply a little logic. If there was really any danger of this thing going horribly wrong do you really think the governments of the world would just let it happen?
Do you really think the yanks would just let it happen?

Science has moved on from the days of "let's just try it and see". They know exactly what's going to happen and that's a big fat nothing.

I'm willing to wager £1000 right now with any of you that we will all still be here at the end of October worrying ourselves stupid over 2012 or some other nonsense.

david hobbs · Avatar Joined: 27 May 2007 Posts: 7946 Location: Essex

Raymond.

That's a good bet but you can't lose.

If it all goes tit's you won't have to pay because we will all be squidged.

I think you should consider a job with Ladbrooks
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Raymond · Avatar Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 5379

True, but at the same time these doom merchants can't say the world will end without putting a time frame on it.

If you look at the posts on this thread they're now saying it could take months or even years for the effect of this thing to kick in.
So in effect they can't loose either because it will always be a case of 'it's coming, just not yet', the Christians have been threatening us with that one for over 2000 years now.

What I'm proposing is for one of these doom merchants to put a time frame on it.
Could be 6 months, a year, two years. Just a reasonable time frame and I will be willing to bet £1000 that nothing goes wrong with this machine.

Samjaza · Ghost Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 297

Good points Raymond. My take on it is that these scientists don't exactly know what will happen, thats my problem. At work we haveto do risk assesments with possible causes and effect. It is possible what KJ said could happen. Its a small risk. That said it is one of the biggest leaps in Human/Cosmological understanding.
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Raymond · Avatar Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 5379

But the human race will never advance unless we take risks. Every scientific undertaking has an element of risk and we all benefit because of it.

Although having said that, I read in the paper that one of the British team of scientists working on this project is a former member of 90's pop group D:Ream.

It was D:Ream who encoouraged us all in '97 to go out an vote Labour into government assuring us that 'Things Can Only Get Better'.

That doesn't exactly fill me to the brim with confidence.

david hobbs · Avatar Joined: 27 May 2007 Posts: 7946 Location: Essex

From pop to bang is actually quite an advance I would say.
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Waffle King · Spirit Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Posts: 999 Location: Essex

Ok, it's been 5 weeks, since they fired the LHC, does anyone actually know if there experiment is over yet? my sources tell me, thats it's fully completed within the next week? can i get a Mr KJ out here to tell me? please? give you a haggis....?

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