Is 2012 the end of the world?

The end of the world is coming,

2012 is the end of the Mayan Calendar. While some believe it to be the end of the world, others believe it to be the end of just one cycle in the Mayan calendar. Still others believe it to be simply the end of the world as we know it.

You can rest easily knowing that there's nothing you can do about it either. Recycling tin cans and composting your organic waste won't help. It won't matter that you eat seaweed and run 50 times a week while undergoing colonic detoxification every third moon cycle. The catastrophic nature of any event that will change our way of life globally far surpasses any individual effort to initiate change or preserve the ways of negative liberty.

One such sign is the Doomsday Clock,

Overview

The Doomsday Clock conveys how close humanity is to catastrophic destruction--the figurative midnight--and monitors the means humankind could use to obliterate itself. First and foremost, these include nuclear weapons, but they also encompass climate-changing technologies and new developments in the life sciences that could inflict irrevocable harm.

The clock was made infamous during Iron Maiden's song "2 Minutes to Midnight".

In September 1953 the clock reached 11:58, the closest the clock ever got to midnight. This occurred when the United States and Soviet Union tested H-bombs within nine months of one another.

It is currently 5 minutes to midnight, which is the worst it's been since 1984. Still, the panel of physicists who set the doomsday clock closer, or further away from midnight don't seem too concerned about the imminent danger looming ahead...

The Large Hadron Collider is set to go off shortly. What they're hoping to find is what's called the Higgs Boson, or 'God Particle'. As I understand it, and I probably don't, the Higgs Boson is a particle that accumulates on other particles causing them to gain mass - kind of like walking through mud.

Mud that could trigger mini-black holes when found when the Hadron Collider is turned on. You can't check the clock for the LHC, it's broken. As soon as I find out what day it's set to collide particles I'll set it up though.

While most scientists involved in the project believe that the holes won't cause a threat as they'll be dissipated by the presence of Hawking Radiation - which may or may not exist. A Google news search on the subject says there's no reason to be concerned. Some other scientists disagree.

If it does happen and the black holes don't dissipate, the black hole won't accrete enough matter to consume the Earth for about 50 months, right around... December 2012.

It's also possible that the collision will create particles called strangelets. Strangelets effectively convert all matter they come into contact with into strange matter.

Essentially, they're trying to recreate the moments after the big bang. The current resources are too numerous to mention. Blogs, Cartoons, there's even a video called the Large Hadron Rap.

In more exciting news - a proton beam knocked on the door of the LHC. This is only the second time since 2004 that the beam has crossed from the SPS into the TI8 transfer line.

UPDATE!!! The LHC is set to have the first particles injected at the beginning of September. After that, it's expected to take approximately two months for the first collisions to occur.

UPDATE!!! They just turned it on at midnight PST- mother humpers (it's a family show). There was a live webcast of the goings on at CERN, now there's an archive of video.

I'm not saying we're all gonna die. I'm not saying the physicists are right. Stephen Hawking bet $100.00 that they wouldn't even find the higgs boson. He also doesn't think they'll find any micro black holes, but will happily accept a nobel prize if they do.

I'm saying that quantum physics is no joke, man. I urge you to get out there and do your own research. At least watch an episode of Stargate or something. I like The Lost Room. It's a short series on the SciFi channel that illustrates very well what can happen when quantum physics goes horribly awry. If you want a dose of reality, think about Hiroshima and what happens when brilliant scientists want to start smashing things together.

If you're too lazy to do your own research (which I think you are, which is why you're reading this tripe) Don't worry too much. Ultimately, we can't do anything to stop it anyway, so I say go for it! Quit yer job and paint a picture, or go to a foreign country, or fall in love with someone you shouldn't.

Also, leave a comment. I'm extremely self absorbed and like to know what people think while I despise them anonymously from afar. If you tell me to go fuck myself, at least do it creatively. I'll delete anything non-creative or inarticulate. Possibly anything with spelling errors. I deleted the comment mod, cuz yer all a bunch of dirty filthy spammers. Fuck y'all. I'm gonna put it back, but only when I've mastered the spammer asshole detector that will make your filthy computer explode when you place shit on my page.

Or - move onto Something New.