World to end Wednesday

Well, not really -- the actual experiments that could result in potentially disastrous "micro black holes" won't happen for another month (and probably won't end anything except the lives of a few protons), but as rumored, CERN's flipping the switch on the four billion dollar Large Hadron Collider this Wednesday to test the superconducting magnets that control the proton beams. After a clockwise test, they'll send protons counter-clockwise, and after that -- smashy time. Of course, there are still paranoid lawsuits pending to shut all this down, and we wouldn't mind another rap video or two, but after two decades of work, it's probably time to boot this thing up, death threats or no. Let's make it a good last month of humanity, people.

[Zinger314 @ Sep 7th 2008 9:01PM]

I have a final confession to make: I'm a virgin!

[SimonRichards @ Sep 7th 2008 9:05PM]

I can't wait for Wednesday, just to see your face when nothing happens lol

[AC @ Sep 7th 2008 9:05PM]

no way. Me too!

[Mike10010100 @ Sep 7th 2008 9:08PM]

Didn't we just have this subject a few hours ago? Did someone at Engadget HQ do a double post?

[Stiv @ Sep 7th 2008 9:14PM]

@Mike

Probably a preliminary time warp.

@Mike

Probably a preliminary time warp.

@Mike

Probably a preliminary time warp.

@Mike

Probably a preliminary time warp.

@Mike

Probably a preliminary time warp.

@Mike

Probably a preliminary time warp.

@Mike

Probably a preliminary time warp.

[giantenemycrab @ Sep 7th 2008 9:27PM]

I have a confession too.. Engadget, once, when I was really bored, I... I.. Went to gizmodo. I'M SORRY

[thedesolate1 @ Sep 7th 2008 9:37PM]

I have a final confession to make: Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the devil and the government lied about 911...

[Sachin @ Sep 7th 2008 10:19PM]

Why is Engadget putting such little faith in this when there's been over 20 years of construction on this thing? It's CERN, people. Many credit them with inventing the WWW. They know what they're doing. In my opinion, this is pretty cool for science.

[letstakeawalk @ Sep 7th 2008 10:25PM]

@ thedesolate1

I was conflicted on how to rank you. +1 for the Boondocks reference, -100 for the fact it was an incorrect statement. Nice try though.

[Flashpoint @ Sep 7th 2008 11:00PM]

I'm going to use the Black Hole to go back in time and assassinate __________________

[thedesolate1 @ Sep 7th 2008 11:18PM]

@letstakeawalk I know he said "I have a brief announcement to make" but I wanted to make it relevant to the original comment made by zinger. If that's not what you mean by the statement was incorrect then should I put a disclaimer: "The views expressed herein are Huey Freeman's and do not necessarily represent the views of The Desolate One" ?

[Zeus.:God @ Sep 7th 2008 11:33PM]

"I can't wait for Wednesday, just to see your face when nothing happens lol"

It will probably still look like a virgin.

[nerdtalker @ Sep 8th 2008 12:08AM]

IMMA CHARGIN' MAH LHC!!!

SHRP DA WRP!

[Ryan @ Sep 8th 2008 12:08AM]

Steve Jobs already knows; iCaskets to be released this Tuesday.

[Jody Clarke @ Sep 8th 2008 6:15AM]

I hope Gordon's suit is charged and ready....

[Sami Mashouk @ Sep 8th 2008 1:04PM]

wow
black mesa in real life
id better get my hazard suit from the dry cleaners...

[Brian @ Sep 7th 2008 9:04PM]

All it's going to do is recreate something that occurs in our atmosphere all the time. Nothing bad will happen. But i'm sure you guys already knew that.

[Greg Mcp @ Sep 7th 2008 9:21PM]

The LHC is going to produce iPhone topics on Engadget?

[SimbaDogg @ Sep 7th 2008 9:41PM]

yeah, i guess..but i hope this is a step towards warp drive. i'd love to tour the solar system in 1 hour.

[Craig B. @ Sep 7th 2008 11:18PM]

Between more iPhone articles and micro black holes, I'll take the latter. In all seriousness, I really hope imate gets out a new ROM for my 8502 before the end of the world. It would be cool to have a WM6 device that could actually run fast enough to load the camera + MMS apps in time to take pictures of the earth being swallowed by a black hole & send them to everyone in my address book.

[James @ Sep 8th 2008 7:26AM]

Then where did the concern come from? Surely the concern of some people is founded in something? Even really really really clever people can overlook things; nothing is 100% fool proof. I don't have a clue what they're doing, i just hope that THEY do, because as much as i support the progress of science, i'd prioritise the progress of my own life any day.

Could somebody 100% confirm that we're not all gonna get sucked into a black hole please?

[jorvay @ Sep 8th 2008 8:34AM]

James,
They're going to be smashing atoms together in a manor that exactly reflects the way atoms sometimes smash together in space, and even here on earth. They want to examine the aftermath of the collision to see if they can witness the existence of certain theoretical particles, namely the Higgs Boson.
The concern is that these extremely high-powered collisions could create tiny black holes that would grow and eat us all. However, if that were to happen when these collisions occurred, a natural collision would have created a black hole that gobbled up our solar system long before any of us got here.
So I guess what makes even people that are well informed on the subject is that scientists know that we won't be gobbled up by a black hole, but they don't know why. If that makes you nervous, consider anesthesia in the medical world, where doctors know that it works, but don't really know why...and we trust it millions of times a day all over the world.

[Scotty Q @ Sep 7th 2008 9:04PM]

Well atleast I get to see what apple comes out on tuesday, I guess thats a plus sign

[MAGZine @ Sep 7th 2008 9:05PM]

Well, it was a good run.

[Scott Miller @ Sep 7th 2008 9:47PM]

I hear that.

[Twitchy @ Sep 8th 2008 3:35AM]

We might just get out of this...if you brought your towel that is.

[chris @ Sep 9th 2008 1:47AM]

i laughed, out loud, a lot

[lmsee @ Sep 9th 2008 7:04AM]

We don't care , much, really

[who? @ Sep 7th 2008 9:10PM]

Oh, man! The world was supposed to end in 2012! I wanted to see the new iPhones...

[Tyson Edwards @ Sep 7th 2008 10:16PM]

@Who?

I take it that you are making a reference to the beginning of the fourteenth b'ak'tun along with a reset of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar to a date believed to match with the point that the gods placed life into the universe...

In the mythology, the gods failed three times in the creation of live in this universe, in the tenth, eleventh and twelfth b'ak'tuns; finally succeeding in bringing live to the universe at the start of the thirteenth b'al'tun on August 11, 3114 BCE.

Assuming that you put stock into the end of this calendar, the fourteenth b'ak'tun will begin on December 21, 2012 BCE at 11:11 UTC.

Some associate this event with the "end of the world", however given that Mayan civilization appears to have ended in the ninth century there is very little information that we can use to provide any validation or insight to any possible significance to this event. Even if there was, our knowledge of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is based entirely on hypothesis through the correlation between known geologic and astronomical events.

Not that any of this relates in any way to the article in question... It is simply providing clarification to an already ambiguous comment.

~Tyson

[DarCowAlways @ Sep 7th 2008 10:48PM]

Same here. When's that iPod Nano 5G coming out? AND THE PS4!

I don't think he's making a reference to anything in particular, and you're reading too far into it. All I remember is that the History channel had a big huge show on it with all these old civilizations having calendars and cruddy methods of 'divination' that all suddenly stopped in 2012. Scary, if you ask me. But you don't see me spending all my money before that date =)

For the Christians/Catholics out there, lemme point out that it states in the Bible even God doesn't know when the world will end. Not that he doesn't have any SAY in the matter, just that it's up for discussion. Maybe it's possible it'll be 2012. And that he hasn't made up his mind.

Haha, just something to think about. =P

[brandon @ Sep 7th 2008 11:23PM]

Maybe Apple will learn how to build omnipresent devices from the LHC research........

iPhones everywhere, yet nowhere.........

[who? @ Sep 7th 2008 11:46PM]

Didn't you ever wonder why all of our names made (i) sense except for iPod?

Introducing the new Apple i[escape]Pods! Survive Armageddon!

[Rick @ Sep 8th 2008 2:29PM]

@DarCowAlways
Actually, Jesus, the son, doesn't know, God the Father does.

Anyway.... could be a reference to the Alien Invasion starting according to the X-Files. Maybe the LHC is what draws the attention of the aliens? Quick! Before they discover FTL Travel and the secret to the Perfect Waffle Recipe!!!

[Miike @ Sep 7th 2008 9:13PM]

First the Fat Boys break up, now this.

[Bill Jobs @ Sep 7th 2008 9:13PM]

Post all confessions below:

[Aguiluz @ Sep 7th 2008 9:48PM]

I... went to gizmodo... Twice...

*audience gasps*

[who? @ Sep 8th 2008 12:16AM]

I bought an iPhone, then traded it for an iPod Touch.

[Ogo @ Sep 8th 2008 7:03AM]

That 1 Zune that sold..... it was me!

[Ghen @ Sep 8th 2008 7:43AM]

I pretend to crush heads and smoosh faces with the tips of my first finger and thumb in order to satisfy my quietly brooding self depression!

[RoryTheRuffian @ Sep 8th 2008 11:38AM]

I got a hard-on when I read Clive Barkers Books of Blood.

[Greg @ Sep 8th 2008 12:39PM]

I bought a PC jr.

[Sami Mashouk @ Sep 8th 2008 1:13PM]

I bought a white iphone 3g

[SaNcTuS @ Sep 7th 2008 9:15PM]

Atleast the new iPods come out on Tuesday. One full day of fun! Then...Death! Awesome week.

[Foolish Lad @ Sep 8th 2008 3:34PM]

You better be getting overnight shipping...

[Chris @ Sep 7th 2008 9:15PM]

Awesome, thats just enough time to buy an iphone 3G and not have to pay the bill.

[TopaZ @ Sep 7th 2008 9:20PM]

Didn't we already talk about this next week?

Oh shittttt, it's already affecting me!

[Jake @ Sep 7th 2008 9:21PM]

Well damn.

You know...if they really do end the world....I love you all!

Seeya in hell!

[icepop4who @ Sep 7th 2008 9:21PM]

so long, and thanks for all the fish

[SimonRichards @ Sep 7th 2008 10:11PM]

so sad that it should come to this,