Large Hadron Collider activates this Sept 10, 2008

[Davemcc]

There's good and there's bad news. The good news first. Since this is built on the France-Swiss border, if they do create a black hole France will get sucked in first and the rest of the world can live for a certain amount of time without France.

The bad news is the name ATLAS selected for one of the major components. In the novel Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand posits an invention designed by scientists that had no idea what they were really dealing with that destroys half a continent. It would be ironic if this device similarly named also destroyed half a continent. Back to the good news, the half of a continent that this would destroy...is France.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I think the same thing was done when the A-bomb's knowledge was released to the general public. A mean, puh-leeeze, it'll take a thousands of atomic bombs to destroy the world, not just one.

Before the first A-bomb was tested, some of the scientists involved thought that the chain reaction could continue into the surrounding air, ultimately detonating the entire earth's atmosphere.
Of course, this did not stop them from testing it anyway!

 

[Rickster71]

There's good and there's bad news. The good news first. Since this is built on the France-Swiss border, if they do create a black hole France will get sucked in first and the rest of the world can live for a certain amount of time without France.

The bad news is the name ATLAS selected for one of the major components. In the novel Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand posits an invention designed by scientists that had no idea what they were really dealing with that destroys half a continent. It would be ironic if this device similarly named also destroyed half a continent. Back to the good news, the half of a continent that this would destroy...is France.

Thanks Dave,
I've read her earlier book The Fountainhead, it was very good, will have to check out Atlas Shrugged.

Looking at the picture; the bundle of wires that's just above the 3 o'clock position, can use a little strain relief.
If that thing blows up,or pokes someone's eye out, there's the reason why.

 

[ivseenbetter]

Whose to say that the black hole that this "may" create won't just end up placing our entire planet in a different, more audio friendly, dimension? Might not be a bad thing.

 

[astrodon]

http://www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html

-- it's quite funny!