Large Hadron Collider to Go Back in Time, Kill Itself!

[Bill Mattocks]

Oooh, cool. That would be good, since I have some fear that the stupid thing is going to produce a mini black hole and end the universe. I don't know if it will, but I don't want it to. I'm against being dead.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/science/space/13lhc.html

A pair of otherwise distinguished physicists have suggested that the hypothesized Higgs boson, which physicists hope to produce with the collider, might be so abhorrent to nature that its creation would ripple backward through time and stop the collider before it could make one, like a time traveler who goes back in time to kill his grandfather.

 

[Sukerkin]

ROFL - I sense the birth of a book in there somewhere

 

[MBuzzy]

.................



Seriously??? I like how they said "a pair of otherwise distinguished physicists." At least the writer acknowledges that they've gone off their collective rockers.

 

[CoryKS]

I wish I had something that would travel back in time to stop me from making dumb mistakes.

 

[jim777]

I make lots of great decisions everyday, and few of them are memorable. The dumb mistakes I've made really stand out I'd hate to lose them! LOL

But seriously, there are lots of stupid scientists out there (someone has to win all those IgNoble Prizes after all) and billions of people ready to believe them.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

But seriously, there are lots of stupid scientists out there (someone has to win all those IgNoble Prizes after all) and billions of people ready to believe them.

There are also scientists whose theories were derided by the scientific community and the general public, only to find themselves vindicated.

Like Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, an 'otherwise respected' mad scientist who suggested the outlandish notion of black holes in space! His colleagues had an outright giggle-fit over it.

Or how about Barry Marshall, who suggested that bacteria cause almost all stomach ulcers (and not 'stress', which was the previous and still most common belief). Turns out he was right - and most people still don't know that or believe it.

Alfred Wegener suggested that continents drift. Imagine such a thing! Whoops, seems it happens. Darn.

I'm not suggesting that these two are right. Just noting that because a couple of scientists come up with a theory that the majority find a laughingstock, that doesn't mean it has to be wrong.

 

[elder999]

There are also scientists whose theories were derided by the scientific community and the general public, only to find themselves vindicated.

Like Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, an 'otherwise respected' mad scientist who suggested the outlandish notion of black holes in space! His colleagues had an outright giggle-fit over it..

Actually, they didn't have a "fit-giggle." While he was opposed by Arthur Eddington, and most of the European physics contingent-whose opposition had partial merit-he was supported in the U.S., which led to his coming to the University of CHicago. The discussion went on across borders right up to the start of WWII, when Robert Oppenheimer and others proved him correct.

Anyway, this was politics-if Eddington opposed it, Europe was going to follow suit. No "fit-giggle," just more of the same....

 

[Xue Sheng]

I wish I had something that would travel back in time to stop me from making dumb mistakes.

me too...but chances are I wouldn't listen to me and just to prove myself wrong I would do it anyway and likely do even more stupid things just to show me I'm not the boss of me.

 

[CoryKS]

me too...but chances are I wouldn't listen to me and just to prove myself wrong I would do it anyway and likely do even more stupid things just to show me I'm not the boss of me.

Me too, up to a certain age. I would think that future-me would be smart enough to know not to bother with 20-year-old-me. Or at least come back for an "I told you so" session. Some lotto numbers would go a long way in convincing myself that I know what I'm talking about, too.

 

[KELLYG]

Thanks Bill now I have a brain cramp trying to figure this out~

 

[crushing]

I wish I had something that would travel back in time to stop me from making dumb mistakes.

I'd go back in time to put Ted's dad's keys out by the police sign. Those could come in handy in a few hours.

 

[Archangel M]

Sounds like they are making an excuse for when this multi-billion dollar project doesn't work.

"musta been that darn boson time thingy".

 

[MA-Caver]

I wish I had something that would travel back in time to stop me from making dumb mistakes.

Well yeah that would be nice... but it's an alteration of the present. If you didn't make (and LEARN) from those dumb mistakes you'd be a totally different person than who you are right now wouldn't you? You wouldn't have the wisdom that you have now nor the knowledge and experience based on those dumb mistakes.

 

[jim777]

There are also scientists whose theories were derided by the scientific community and the general public, only to find themselves vindicated.

Like Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, an 'otherwise respected' mad scientist who suggested the outlandish notion of black holes in space! His colleagues had an outright giggle-fit over it.

Or how about Barry Marshall, who suggested that bacteria cause almost all stomach ulcers (and not 'stress', which was the previous and still most common belief). Turns out he was right - and most people still don't know that or believe it.

Alfred Wegener suggested that continents drift. Imagine such a thing! Whoops, seems it happens. Darn.

I'm not suggesting that these two are right. Just noting that because a couple of scientists come up with a theory that the majority find a laughingstock, that doesn't mean it has to be wrong.

This is true. It's just that when I assess my audience and believe something obviously 'goes without saying' I don't say it.